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Bomb Squad Returns To Thunderhill Raceway
April 1, 2005
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Never predictable. Always exciting. They were the Bombers of
Thunderhill.
In terms of shear car count, the original Bomber division at the Potawatomi
Thunderhill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay may have been the track's most successful
class ever. For several years during the mid-1990s, it was common to
average nearly 50 teams on a weekly basis. The low budget class allowed
many of today's racers a chance to start their careers.
Continuing to bring affordable alternatives back to the track for competitors,
promoter Bryan "Woody" Wodack has announced that a variation of the
original Bomber concept will be included as part of the 2005 racing schedule
at Thunderhill.
"Listening to fan feedback, one thing that kept popping up was the old
Bomber class," Wodack said. "Competitors missed it. Fans
missed it. We decided to bring it back, and I think we've got a good
plan in place to work it into our weekly program."
The Bombers were the brainchild of the late Dale Knudson, and were part of the
divisional line-up when stock car racing returned to Sturgeon Bay in
1993. Nicknamed "The Bomb Squad", the class was an offshoot of
the popular "Door Enduro" held at the Door County Fair, and gave
those competitors a chance to run a full race season.
As the years progressed, rules gradually changed and the division moved away
from the "pure stock" concept, eventually evolving into the IMCA
Hobby Stock class in 2003.
For 2005, the new division has been dubbed the Potawatomi Thunderhill
"Thunder Bombs". Much like the original Bomber class for full
size cars, the rules will allow very few performance modifications. The
division will rotate nights with the established 4-cylinder class, another
affordable, entry-level choice for competitors.
"We want to keep costs down in terms of construction of the car, but we
also want to help the teams with their race budget as a whole," Wodack
added. "By running every other week, we think it'll be easier to
make an entire season instead of maybe burning your resources up by
June. From a fans perspective, they're going to see five divisions every
Saturday night. Our three IMCA classes and the Street Stocks will be
there each week, plus we'll have the rotation between the Thunder Bombs and
the 4-cylinders."
Former IMCA Hobby Stock champ Joe Hegnet has been named Thunder Bomb
representative for the 2005 season. According to Hegnet, rules have been
aligned closely with the Chilton Challenger class, which competes Friday
nights at the Calumet County Speedway in Chilton. This will allow
Chilton drivers a chance to run Saturday in Door County as long as their
windshield has been replaced, and will allow Thunder Bomb drivers a chance to
head south for some extra seat time. The only stipulation is that
competitors are not allowed to have raced in any other class during the
current season.
Rules for the division are available from Hegnet at 920-495-1511.
Potawatomi Thunderhill Raceway's 2005 opener is slated for Saturday night
April 30th at the John Miles Fair Park in Sturgeon Bay. The
track's website is www.racethunderhill.com.
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