Thunderhill Raceway Park
Cook outduels Knowles, wins Thunderhill debut
By Robert Holman
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Ray Cook visits victory lane. (Doris Cherry)
SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. (Aug. 30) — Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., rebounded from a broken oil pump belt which kept him out of the previous night's Southern Regional Racing Series race at Duck River Speedway to win the 40-lapper at Thunderhill Raceway.
For the second night in a row, rain slowed progress, as driver’s had to endure about a three-hour rain delay. Rains fell right after Late Model hot laps, making for another long night. That hardly slowed Cook however, as he blasted to the point from his front-row starting spot with polesitter Tony Knowles, of Tyrone, Ga., in tow. Cook paced the field for 15 laps before Knowles slipped by in traffic to take the lead.
“We got in lapped traffic there, and got together with one of them and let Tony get by us,” Cook said. “We actually got back beside each other and we bumped wheels. It bent a tie-rod on Tony’s car and bent a tie-rod and a control arm on my car. We both had front suspension pieces bent.”
Never letting him out of his sites, Cook rallied back by Knowles six laps later, taking the lead for good and holding on the victory, which was worth $3,000.
“The caution came out, and I really didn’t think I was going to be able to get back by him because it seemed we’d have a caution every lap or so,” Cook added. “Finally on that restart I was able to get back beside in (turns) one and two and was able to pass him in (turns) three and four. After that I just tried to stay smooth and stay in front of him.”
Cook’s win came in his first visit to Thunderhill. Knowles finished second, with Friday’s winner Bub McCool, of Vicksburg, Miss., finishing third. Anthony Burroughs, of Athens, Ala., was fourth, while Eric Hickerson, of nearby Linden, Tenn., completed the top five.
Notes: Cook’s winning MasterSbilt Race Car is powered by a Carl Grover Race Engine. … Cook became the series’ first three-time winner this season. His other wins came in April at Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville, Tenn., and at Clinton County Speedway in Alpha, Ky. ... Defending series champion and current series points leader Byron Michael, a two-time series winner this season, finished 16th after taking a provisional to get in the show. Michael, of Florence, Ala., won the last SRRS race at Thunderhill on April 19. … Wheel, Tenn., driver David Gentry’s bad luck followed him from Duck River to Thunderhill. After climbing the front stretch wall on a lap one crash at Duck River, Gentry had rallied from the rear to seventh place at Thunderhill when he lost a wheel on lap 21. His night ended with a 17th-place finish. … Tomcat McClung, Mike Luna and Dickey Michael failed to qualify. … The next SRRS stop is at Clayhill Motorsports in Atwood, Tenn., on Sept. 6. ... Thunderhill has an unsanctioned $10,000-to-win event scheduled for Oct. 24-25.
SRRS @ Thunderhill: (1) Ray Cook, (2) Tony Knowles, (3) Bud McCool, (4) Anthony Burroughs, (5) Eric Hickerson, (6) Steven Ashby, (7) Brandon King, (8) Seth Daniel, (9) Jay Brinkley, (10) Ben Kittrell, (11) Jerry Owens, (12) Perry Delaney, (13) Mark Green, (14) Donald Johns, (15) Josh Putnam, (16) Byron Michael, (17) David Gentry, (18) Tony Morris, (19) Mark Fields, (20) Jimmy Tucker, (21) Dane Dacus, (22) David Seibers, (23) Cale Finley, (24) Justin McRee, (25) Kelly Hanvey. Fast qualifier (among 28 cars): Knowles. Consolation race winners: Ashby, Kittrell, King.
