Phipps Claims ThunderCar Enduro Victory; Rickie Tharp Captures Ed Maynard Memorial
(October 23, 2010) –  Rob Phipps led the final 115 laps to capture the WMDH Thunder Car Enduro at Anderson Speedway on Saturday.

Phipps took the lead for good on lap 85 with an outside pass of Ronnie Rose on the front straight. Although Phipps led to the finish, he was unable to shake Rose and Hannah Lundy until the final 10 laps of the race.

Lundy made a bid to move into the second position early in the second half of the race, several times trying to get inside of Rose. At one point she pulled along side, but slipped coming off the fourth corner and was unable to complete the pass.

Phipps was followed to the checkers by Rose, Lundy and David McConnell, the only cars on the lead lap. Chris Hanna came home in fifth.

Phipps and his team locked up the WMDH ThunderCar track championship last weekend. The Enduro win was worth $3,000.

There was only two stoppages in the action during the second half of the race and a total of nine for the event.

“I had my hands full,” Phipps said after the race. “Ronnie (Rose) was really working me. I want to thank everyone for racing clean.”

The leader board got mixed up on lap 24 when Chris Jennings lost an engine going down the front straight and the resulting oil on the track collected leader Tommy Brown Jr., who came to rest on the turn one wall.

Nick Warner, running second at the time was also collected along with Shawn Cullen and Rob Allman, all running in the top five. That would have put Allan Williams Jr. into the lead, but he pitted.

Phipps commented that the accident took out five good cars that could have won the race.

Rob Wyman Jr. making his first start of the season was running third with five laps remaining when he tapped the back of the lapped car of Ricky Puckett and suffered a flat right rear tire, forcing him to make a stop to change the tire.

There was plenty of tight racing throughout the first half of the race with seven lead changes among four different drivers. Rod Phipps leading 64 of the 100 circuits. Cathage’s Johnny Magee, who has dominated recent Enduro races only lasted 24 laps before exiting the race.

After taking the lead on lap 34 Rickie Tharp went on to capture the biggest race of the season for the Front Wheel Drive oval division, the Ed Maynard Memorial 100.

Tharp withstood numerous restarts to first hold off Josh Tharp, and then Ron Phipps to record the victory. Finishing second was Phipps followed by Josh Tharp, Jimmy Wyman, and Mark Jennings. Jennings started 22 nd in the 41-car field.

During a caution period on lap 55, the front running cars of Josh Tharp, Jimmy Wyman and Brian Slavey all made pit stops, putting them on the tail of the field.

Josh Tharp was part of a multiple car accident on lap nine which brought out the red flag in turn four. Tharp was running second and had to restart at the tail of the field. He worked his way up to second when he was forced to pit.

Josh Tharp, driving the car owned by season champion Chris Teepe, twice came from the back of the field to finish in the top five.

Jeff Williams set a new track record during qualifying for the Ed Maynard Memorial 100 for the Front Wheel Drive division, but his night ended on lap 33 when the lapped car of Josh Myers spun in turn three. Williams with nowhere to go made contact with Myers car.

Just one lap earlier Rickie Tharp used lapped traffic to take the lead from Williams in three.

Next week is the season ending event at Anderson Speedway with the HOSS Winged Sprints, Last Chance Wrecker Thunder Roadsters and Front Wheel Drive division in action on the oval. Gates open at 4 p.m. with racing starting at 6 p.m.