Thunderbird Speedway
Phillips earns $5,000 for Thunderfest finale
By Brian Garrison
MARS DIRTcar SeriesMUSKOGEE, Okla. (Oct. 7) — Quickly grabbing the lead from his starting spot outside the second row, Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., led all 25 laps Sunday afternoon at Thunderbird Speedway.
Phillips earned $5,000 for the Thunderfest victory postponed by Saturday rain as he avoided a spinning car in the final laps to hang on. The race was co-sanctioned by the MARS DIRTcar Series and Comp Cams Super Dirt Series. | Slideshow
Newly crowned MARS champion Jesse Stovall, Friday night’s $3,000 winner, rallied from ninth to finish second in the finale while Justin Wells of Aurora, Mo., was third. Tony Jackson Jr. of Lebanon, Mo., and Justin Zeitner of LaVista, Neb., rounded out the top five in the MARS season finale, slowed by a single lap-23 caution.
Notes: Phillips drives a Bloomquist Race Car powered by a Roush Yates Ford engine and sponsored by Andy’s Frozen Custard and Don Babb Motorsports. ... Phillips collected his fifth MARS victory of the season and series-leading 81st of his career. ... Stovall claimed his first Late Model touring title. ... Drivers failing to make the feature lineup: Jacob Magee, Jeremy Morris, Brooklin Stephens and Dillon Rupe. ... The MARS banquet will be scheduled for December. ... The Comp Cams Super Dirt Series wraps up its season Oct. 20 at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., with the Bartlett Hardwood Floor Services Super Late Model Championship.
Thunderfest: (1) Terry Phillips, (2) Jesse Stovall, (3) Justin Wells, (4) Tony Jackson Jr., (5) Justin Zeitner, (6) Eric Turner, (7) Will Vaught, (8) Tommy Weder Jr., (9) Jon Mitchell, (10) Jon Kirby, (11) Jason Sperry, (12) Brandon Smith, (13) Shawn Knuckles, (14) Gary Christian, (15) Dustin Walker, (16) Justin Asplin, (17) Jon Driskill, (18) Randy Roth, (19) Cliff Morrow, (20) Kyle Slader, (21) Jeff Roth, (22) Jake Davis. Heat race winners (among 26 cars): Jackson, Sperry, Phillips. Consolation winner: Weder. Provisional starters: Davis, Morrow, Vaught, Christian.