CENTER LISLE, NY — Mother Nature washed out the official season opener the last two weeks, and on Saturday night, she tried again. This time, however, Thunder Mountain Speedway prevailed. Following a mid-evening rain shower, the program was delayed but ultimately completed, with Matt Smith grabbing his first win of the 2026 season in the Dirt Track Digest TV 35-lap Modified main event.

Other winners on the night included Tony Finch III in the DIRTcar Sportsman division, Tom Donahue in the 600cc Modifieds, Damon Decker in the Factory Stocks, and Zach Bobbett in the 600cc Sprints.

The Dirt Track Digest TV Modified feature got underway with Byron Worthing using a three-wide move in turns three and four to go from third to first on the opening lap.

Worthing remained out front with Nick Nye close behind, while Matt Smith worked his way forward from the seventh starting position. The battle intensified as Nye nearly grabbed the lead on lap nine, while Smith moved into third.

By the halfway point, lapped traffic became a factor for the lead duo, allowing Smith to close the gap. The three drivers battled through traffic with Worthing continuing to hold the top spot.

With 15 laps remaining, Smith was firmly in the mix. He worked the cushion while Worthing and Nye raced around the inside lane of the speedway. Smith stayed within striking distance before finally driving by for the lead on lap 25.

Smith led the remainder of the race to score the victory. Nye came home second after getting by Worthing late in the event, with Worthing settling for third. Darren Smith and Brandon Loucks completed the top five.

Tony Finch II charged to victory in the 25-lap DIRTcar Sportsman feature. Finch took over the top spot on lap nine and never looked back, holding off Cody Jackson for the win. Matt Brewer made an impressive drive from 11th to finish third, while Hunter Hollenbeck advanced from 12th to fourth. Nick Ventura completed the top five. 

 

Tom Donahue worked his way from ninth starting position to win the 20-lap 600cc Modified feature. Donahue took control of the race on lap 14 and drove away for the victory. Tyler Talada made one of the biggest moves of the race, rallying from 18th to finish second, while Ali Scutt crossed the line third. Logan Ladue and Talan Oliver completed the top five. 

 

Damon Decker put together a dominant performance in the 20-lap Factory Stocks feature, leading every lap from the pole position to score the victory. Buck Mills Jr. stayed close throughout the event to finish second, while Mike Morse charged from eighth to third at the checkered flag. Brian Rhodes crossed the line fourth, with Shane Moshier rounding out the top five. 

 

Zach Bobbett put together a flawless performance in the 20-lap 600cc Sprint feature, leading all 20 laps from his fourth starting spot to score the victory. Ivan Forney finished second after starting on the pole, while Kevin Kaiser worked his way from eighth to third. David Johnson and Charles Bruce rounded out the top five. 

 

Next weekend, May 28, Thunder Mountain Speedway returns to action with a doubleheader weekend. Saturday night’s racing program will feature the Dirt Track Digest TV Modifieds, DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman, 600cc Modifieds, Factory Stocks, and 600cc Sprints. Joining them on the card will be the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds.

The speedway returns to action again on Memorial Day, May 30, with the only appearance of the season by the Super DIRTcar Series Modifieds for the third annual Dale Planck Natural 77. They will be joined by the DIRTcar Sportsman and the 600cc Modifieds.

About Thunder Mountain Speedway:

Track Location: 91 Hunts Corners Rd, Richford, NY 13835

Website: https://thundermtnspeedway.net/

Streaming Partner: Dirt Track Digest TV

More Info: Visit Thunder Mountain Speedway on Facebook or contact the track at 607-849-7889.

Thunder Mountain Speedway is a high-banked 3/8-mile dirt oval nestled in Center Lisle, NY. Family-owned and operated, the track is known for fast racing, scenic location, and a commitment to delivering top-tier dirt racing events. Each season features a blend of weekly divisions and touring series, making Thunder Mountain one of the Northeast’s must-visit dirt tracks.

RACE RESULTS 5/16/26

Dirt Track Digest TV Modified Feature (35 Laps): 1. 28-Matt Smith[7]; 2. 6NN-Nick Nye[3]; 3. 63-Byron Worthing[4]; 4. 12-Darren Smith[12]; 5. 23-Brandon Loucks[8]; 6. 11X-Eric Leet[1]; 7. 91-Billy Decker[11]; 8. 27K-Brett Tonkin[14]; 9. 71-Jimmy Zacharias[9]; 10. 15M-Daniel Morgiewicz Jr[18]; 11. 77-Alan Barker[30]; 12. 21-Shaun Walker[21]; 13. 20R-Alex Tonkin[5]; 14. 119M-Brian Malcolm[20]; 15. 284-Jamie Kamrowski[24]; 16. 15-Chase Zimmer[25]; 17. (DNF) 34F-Wyatt Frink[29]; 18. (DNF) 08-Rich Talada[17]; 19. (DNF) 22C-Charlie Hendrickson Jr[13]; 20. (DNF) 44-Tyler Ward[16]; 21. (DNF) 55-Pj Goodwin[10]; 22. (DNF) 38-Jeff Sheely[6]; 23. (DNF) 99-Jordan Millard[2]; 24. (DNF) 9-Michael Austin[28]; 25. (DNF) 24R-Garett Rushlow[15]; 26. (DNF) 713-Tommy Collins[23]; 27. (DNF) 97-Cody Higbie[26]; 28. (DNF) 14B-Arthur Bray[27]; 29. (DNF) 13-Landon Cummings[19]; 30. (DNS) 47-Kreg Crooker

Heat Winners: Matt Smith, Brandon Loucks, Billy Decker, Jordan Millard

DIRTcar Sportsman Feature (25 Laps): 1. 0-Tony Finch II[5]; 2. 1-Cody Jackson[1]; 3. 39B-Matt Brewer[11]; 4. 72-Hunter Hollenbeck[12]; 5. 711-Nick Ventura[2]; 6. 33M-Richard Murtaugh[7]; 7. 607-Jared Green[25]; 8. 34-Chance Spoonhower Jr[17]; 9. 10K-Kolyn Schane[3]; 10. 48-Luke Powell[8]; 11. B17-Randy Brokaw[10]; 12. 22A-Avery Decker[14]; 13. 88-Alan Komar[20]; 14. 72A-Dominik Albanese[19]; 15. 121-Chris Clemens[16]; 16. 33-Todd Hayward[6]; 17. 78-Stephen Winsor[13]; 18. 99-Jacob Waibel[21]; 19. 29-Cooper Iannon[23]; 20. 99H-Patrick Parker[22]; 21. (DNF) 23B-Leif Birdsall[4]; 22. (DNF) 6-Jerry Fowlston[24]; 23. (DNF) 90-Ray Taylor[9]; 24. (DNF) 54-Sullivan Dickey[15]; 25. (DNF) 6S-Josh Sokolic[18]; 26. (DNS) 7K-Kortney Slavick

Heat Winners: Randy Brokaw, Tony Finch III, Richard Murtaugh

600cc Modified Feature (20 Laps): 1. 717-Tom Donahue[9]; 2. 80-Tyler Talada[18]; 3. 108-Ali Scutt[3]; 4. 87-Logan Ladue[1]; 5. 24-Talan Oliver[6]; 6. 52-Nick Johnson[4]; 7. 22-Owen Mossow[8]; 8. 04D-Anthony Desimone[10]; 9. 17A-Dustin Jordan[2]; 10. 17J-James Randall[15]; 11. 35X-Dustin Zimmer[13]; 12. 23H-Leon Poirier[7]; 13. 99L-Justin LaDue[11]; 14. 34-Carter Miller[16]; 15. 71-Liam Zacharias[5]; 16. 8-Doug Windhausen[12]; 17. 28-Samuel Hubbard[19]; 18. 22P-Ryan David Kadaronak[22]; 19. 12-Bentley Kashuba[20]; 20. 17C-Chelsie Beebe[14]; 21. 44-James Deisz[17]; 22. 95-Alyssa Waibel[25]; 23. 73-Charles Bruce[23]; 24. (DNF) 7-Thomas Hammond[21]; 25. (DNF) 88-Ashton Pritchard[24]; 26. (DNF) 70-Bill Bellows[26]; 27. (DNS) 45Z-Mike Mack; 28. (DNS) 29A-Ajay Tuttle

Heat Winners: Dustin Jordan, Justin LaDue, Owen Mossow, Tom Donahue

Factory Stocks Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 57-Damon Decker[1]; 2. 187-Buck Mills jr[3]; 3. 21-Mike Morse[8]; 4. 37-Brian Rhodes[4]; 5. 1I-Shane Moshier[7]; 6. 11-Jason Rhodes[6]; 7. M60-Lukas Mills[12]; 8. (DNF) 3G-George Chamberlain Jr[9]; 9. (DNF) 89-Dylan Decker[2]; 10. (DNF) 115-Buck Mills III[11]; 11. (DNF) 202L-Jerry Lobdell Jr[5]; 12. (DNF) 38-Ryan Bennett[10]

Heat Winners: Buck Mills Jr., Jerry Lobdell Jr.

600cc Sprint Feature (20 Laps): 1. 99Z-Zach Bobbett[4]; 2. 7F-Ivan Forney[1]; 3. 40-Kevin Kaiser[8]; 4. 26-David Johnson[6]; 5. 73-Charles Bruce[7]; 6. (DNF) 23-Payton Hewitt[5]; 7. (DNF) 25-Mary Earley[2]; 8. (DNF) C7-Cameron Searls[3]

Heat Winner: Ivan Forney