Quote:
Originally Posted by JJMooney
Thunder Hill Raceway, Mayetta KS (8/20/95): Located north of Topeka in East Jesus somewhere. When the track first opened, they hosted the Jayhawk Nationals. The event was rained out twice in the days leading up to the ’95 Knoxville Nationals. The first time, the pits were just chock full of sprint cars. There must have been 60 cars. Then, of course, it rained. Drove back the next day. Rained again. Rescheduled for the Sunday after Knoxville. Came back and saw Kenny Jacobs win.
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I went to Thunder Hill a couple times after Knoxville,and they had "Thunder through the Plains" All Stars and NCRA co sanctioned. The first trip there after we found the place they raced,and had a bunch of cars. cant remember who won though Track sort of reminded me of Lincoln Speedway in Pa.
2nd time there I was supposed to meet up with "Car Wash Mike" RIP and Rich Wiseman aka YZman from California. They were supposed to go to Husets with me after Knoxville and backed out because they saw rain in the forecast. They were going to catch a ride to Thunder Hill with a friend from California,and I was going to pick the up there and go to Lincoln Nebraska where they were flying out of the next day.
Husets ran and after the races I was talking to Peter Murphy and other local South Dakota friends when they told e to run and get out of there. I barely got to my van and it poured like I have never seen before. I remember driving on I-90 about 20 mph and couldnt see a thing as it was so much rain and pitch black out too. It finally slowed down and I found a place to crash out for the night before venturing to Thunder Hill.
I get to Thunder Hill,and the sun is shining, but they have cancelled. Oh great what do I do now? Way before my cell phone days,and I gave them my word I'd be there. Transporters and fans came in all afternoon only to find out it had rained out. One of the transporters had a guy with an Aussie accent,so I asked where he was from. Sydney. Did he crew on a car there? Yes he crewed for Bob Jackson. I says,thats Gilbert Kennedy's car,the Sydney Courier Express car. He asks if I know Gilbert,and I said yes,he was over here a few years ago and he went racing with me while he was here. Then the guy says "Ohhh I have heard all about you,you're Andrew arent you"? Yeah thats me. Small world at times...
YZ and Car Wash showed up a bit later,and they rode to Lincoln with me. Good thing they did as the Thunder schedule had changed a bit from what I originally had planned and a date had changed.YZ called a friend of his in California, found the schedule online,and the next Thunder race was now in Wakeeny, Kansas,which was the furthest track I had driven to when living in Maine.