Thunderhill Raceway Park
April 23, 2016
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Ballenger Goes Ballistic at Thunderhill UCRA Crate



by Steve Hixson
SUMMERTOWN, TN (April 23) - Rusty Ballenger 25, of Seymour, Tennessee never laid eyes on Thunderhill Raceway Park until Saturday afternoon as the United Crate Racing Alliance rolled into the middle Tennessee 1/4 mile high banked oval for Round # 3 of the 2016 Championship season. That fact didn't slow down the # 29 "Tennessee Metal Fabrixation, Floyd's, Service Plus Garage Doors, SEC Electric" sponsored racer who raced from third back to the top spot passing both heat race winners in the process of the 40 lap feature, Ballenger set Performance Racing Engines fast time of sixteen (16) entrants  earning the $100 bonus but it was fellow East Tennesseeian Forrest Trent grabbing the win of heat race # 1 over Ballenger for the pole start of the feature. Local Middle Tennessee hot-show Eric Hickerson won heat # 2 placing two rows of guys never before racing at Thunderhill against a pair of racers very familiar to the high-banks.

Trent and Hickerson dragged raced the first two laps of the feature side by side and just as it seemed the Cat-Birds Seat might prevail for Hickerson, Trent got command. The race went viciously; clean, mean and green for the first half, til Trent surfed up the front stretch wall under the flagstand to rear the races only caution. Ballenger had made work of Hickerson as local favorite and two-time 2016 Thunderhill (Raceway Park) winner Cody Martin raced David Earl Gentry, Ryan King and Jimmy Elliott for top 5 honors. On the restart Ballenger took off like a Bat outta Hades leaving Hickerson and Martin battling. Towards the end Gentry, Kenny Kizzar and Josh Cherry slowed but it was all over by then with Ballenger collecting his second checkers (Boyd's 4/15) in as many weeks. Newman would earn the $100 Performance Masters Inc. Hard Charger Award. The next UCRA event is another middle Tennessee track in three weeks, Saturday May 14th at Tennessee National Raceway in Holenwald, TN. For more details visit www.UCRAracing.com.

Round # 3 Official Results
1.Rusty Ballenger # 29 of Seymour, TN
2.Eric Hickerson # 98 of Linden, TN
3.Cody Martin # 21M of Christana, TN *
4.Ryan King # 30 of Anniston, AL *
5.Jimmy Elliott # J39 of Cleveland, TN *
6.Ashley Newman # 73 of Ripley, TN
7.Tyler Wood # 17JR of Lobelville, TN *
8.Michael Smith # 15 of Crossville, TN*
9.Robert Gant # 22 of Flat Rock, AL
10.Kaleb Vandygriff # 13V of Mt. Pleasant, TN
11.Robert Audry # 127 of Murfreesboro, TN
12.Ronnie Cooper # 10 of Mckenzie, TN
13.Josh Cherry # J4 of Cuba, KY
14.Kenny Kizzar # 157 of Graysville Mtn., TN
15.David Earl Gentry # 2 of Shelbyville, TN
16. Forrest Trent # 101 of Knoxville, TN

*Earned Invite to Season Finale $5,000 to-WIN Event October 8th, 2016 @ Fort Payne Motor Speedway

Drivers List for Invitational: Going Into Round # 3:
Riley Hickman, Ashley Newman, Rusty Ballenger, Eric Hickerson, Robert Gant, Jensen Ford, Jake Teague, Forrest Trent, Cory Hedgecock, Greg Martin