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Kleyn wins as Thunder Rolls
by kelly hart
ephrataracewaypark.com
The Rolling Thunder Big Rigs drew a record crowd at the Ephrata Raceway Park last Saturday, but the semi-trucks were not the only thing to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats.
While pure stocks were banging up the walls and each other, Mitch Kleyn dominated the Pepsi Cola Street Stocks and ERP veteran Bart Hector Sr. won everything except fast time in the Super Stock class. For Kleyn, the last time he entered both the street and super stock classes, he won both main events. This go-around he had to settle for just the street stock main victory. He went from starting in eighth to leader in just six laps.
“I thought I was just taking my time,” Kleyn said. “I just went up top. The top worked.”
After the Super Stock main he had to switch his car to Street Stock, which meant changing the tires and replacing the four barrel carburetor with a two-barrel carburetor.
“I was sweating from switching the motor over,” he said.
Kleyn skipped out on running the heat races to stay away from tearing up his car, plus he is not running for points. But he did win the trophy dash and had fast time at 15.959 seconds on the quarter-mile oval.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I’m not in it for points, so nothing gained,” Kleyn said.
Saturday night’s record crowd was treated to the Rolling Thunder Big Rigs, Pepsi Cola Street Stocks, Super Stocks, Schaeffer’s Oil Mini Stocks and Ephrata Pioneer Muffler 2 Pure Stocks at the high-banked quarter-mile paved oval.
Nine Semi Trucks took the track and awed the capacity crowd as they hauled their 10,000 to 12,500 pound Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth and International Harvester trucks around the tight confines. With horns blaring, lights flashing and mighty roars of the diesel performance engines, the crowd grew more enthusiastic with every lap. Picking up trophy dash wins were Tammy Rodstrom and Mickey Iverson. The heat race wins were captured by Steve Smith and Jeff Swanstrom.
By Main Event time the huge throng were worked to a fever pitch as they cheered all nine Big Rigs coming to the green flag. Rodstrom held the lead for the first few laps before giving way to John Nelson. Nelson led the next five laps before hard charging Steve Smith in the red, white and blue All-American Big Rig #76 blew by for the lead. Smith held the top spot the rest of the way and was chased to the checkered flag by Dustin Smith, Swanstrom, Iverson and Rodstrom rounding out the top five.
A familiar face in a new race car topped the heap in the Super Stock division. Bart Hector, Sr. debuted a new car and came home the winner in the 15-lap Super Stock main event. Hector won the trophy dash and heat race, but missed a clean sweep of the evenings events as Brad Morrison was fast time at 15.682.
You would have thought it was a full moon the way the Pure Stocks went at it Saturday night. It’s not always the norm for these cars to behave like the Big Cars, but there was plenty of banging and crashing to keep even the big car fans happy. Dustin Kapalo borrowed Colton Fisher's car and set fast time with a 17.286. Terry McGraw and Kapalo were the trophy dash winners. Jake McGraw and Brad Arneson won the heat races. The main event took five attempts to get started. Two red flags and three yellow flags before one lap was completed took almost 14 minutes of their allotted 15-minute race time. After a brief lecture from track officials, the cars ran a shortened 10-lap main with Kapalo extending his point lead by winning over Dallas White, Terry McGraw, Arneson and Josh Hector.
The Mini Stock fast time went to JR Miner with a 16.828 time in lap. Trophy dash wins were captured by Sean Meyers and Bart Hector, Jr. Meyers won the heat race. In the main event Eddie Razey led the first nine laps before giving away to Miner, who kept the first-place position the remaining 11 laps for the win. Razey and Hector, Jr. battled for second and third the rest of the way, with Meyers sticking his nose in the fray as well.
Oval track racing takes the weekend off Aug. 21, but motocross will run under the lights. Aug. 28, the Monster Trucks El Matador and King Krunch will be at Ephrata Raceway Park and more details are available online at ephrataracewaypark.com.
Rolling Thunder Big Rigs
Fast time: Scott Zahn 17.971 (new track record).
B Dash: Tammy Rodstrom, Dustin Smith, John Nelson, Brian Wilson. A Dash: Mickey Iverson, Steve Smith, Zahn, Dave Barr.
B Heat: Smith, Hanson, Barr, Iverson, Rodstrom. A Heat: Jeff Swanstrom, Zahn, S.Smith, D.Smith, Hanson. Main: Steve Smith, D. Smith, Swanstrom, Iverson, Rodstrom, Wilson, Barr, Hanson, Zahn.
Pepsi Cola Street Stocks
Fast time: Mitch Kleyn 15.959.
B Dash: Randy Pugh, James Stratfull, Mike Bise, Terry Osborn. A Dash: Kleyn, Mike Hill, Skyler Leseman, Rick Bretches. Heat: Stratfull, Bise, Leseman, Osborn, Hill. Main: Mitch Kleyn, Leseman, Hill, Bretches, Stratful, Pugh, Osborn, Chris McCart, Bise, Steve Lincoln.
Schaeffer Oil Mini Stocks
Fast time: JR Miner 16.828.
B Dash: Sean Meyers, Jeremy Razey, Eddie Razey, Tim Clark. A Dash: Bart Hector Jr., Doug Brown, Sid White, Miner. Heat: Meyers, J. Razey, Hector Jr., White, Miner. Main: JR Miner, E. Razey, Hector Jr., Meyers, J. Razey, White, Clark, Brown.
Ephrata Pioneer Muffler 2 Pure Stocks
Fast time: Derrick Kapalo 17.286.
B Dash: Terry McGraw, Glenn Hector, Mike Mulalley, Michael White. A Dash: Kapalo, Dallas White, Josh Hector, Bradd Arneson. B Heat: Jake McGraw, Hector, Justin Dunagan, Jeremy Larsen, Nathan Schell. A Heat: Arneson, Kapalo, Hector, Mulalley. Main: Derrick Kapalo, D. White, T. McGraw, Arneson, Hector, Mulalley, Larsen, Dunagan, Terry Collins, Schell, J. McGraw, M. White, G. Hector.
Super Stocks
Fast time; Brad Morrison 15.682.
Dash: Bart Hector Sr., Morrison, David Macken, Mitch Kleyn. Heat: Hector Sr., Morrison, Drew Dixon, Robert Kirk, Macken. Main: Bart Hector Sr., Morrison, Kleyn, Macken, Kirk, Dixon.
