Mike Boland pays surprise visit, leaves with victory at Thunder Valley!

Mike Boland pays surprise visit, leaves with victory at Thunder Valley!

Glenmora, Louisiana (April 30, 2005) – Mike Boland paid a surprise visit to Thunder Valley Speedway and claimed his seventh career O’Reilly SUPR Late Model feature. The Cuba, Alabama racer brought with him a brand new GRT Pontiac Grand Prix under the B&K Underground livery, and it proved to be the right combination as he was able to charge from his sixth starting spot to battle with David Ashley for the lead by lap five. Ashley would hold on to the lead until lap eight when Boland went to the front. The pair were far from finished with their battle as Ashley would resume the lead on lap 14 but just as soon as the battle looked to intensify, Ashley slowed to a halt on lap 15 with a missing right rear. The tire sheared right off the shaft.

Boland would continue to set the pace but a new face emerged to challenge for the lead and that was 2004 O’Reilly SUPR Champion Rob Litton. Litton, who started 18^th, charged into the top five by lap 12 and he moved to second on lap 19 and he got by Boland for the lead on lap 25 only to see the caution wave. Litton had run a higher line than Boland but with the lead restored, Boland wasn’t going to be passed a second time.

Boland felt the new car made the difference. “We’ve been fighting handling problems all year and this is the first time we run a GRT and it performed exceptionally well. I was looking at my past record and I’ve won three $10,000 to win races and two $15,000 to win races and they’ve all been in GRTs.”

Litton, who earned the Creel Brothers Hard Charger award for his run, held on to second ahead of Jody Prince. Litton was just happy to run top five. “As bad as our year has been, to break on the first lap on our heat race like we did, we’re glad to have a decent finish and a car that is still together.”

Prince was right in the middle of an intense battle for position and grabbed third ahead of Kenny Merchant. Bubba Mullins rounded out the top five.

30 O’Reilly SUPR Late Models were on hand. Ray Moore, Donald Watson, Adam Willis, Bubba Mullins and David Ashley topped the heat races with Willis’ run from fifth to first earning him the B&K Underground Top Qualifier honors. Ronny Adams and Rob Litton eared the last chance victories.

Official Results:

1. Mike Boland

2. Rob Litton

3. Jody Prince

4. Kenny Merchant

5. Bubba Mullins

6. Lee Davis

7. Patrick Daniel

8. Jason Ingalls

9. Allen Tippen

10. Jim Bryant

11. Ronny Adams

12. Rusty Cummings

13. Billy McDonald

14. Keith Craft

15. David Ashley

16. Donald Watson

17. Gene Coumes

18. Mitch Tassin

19. Ray Moore

20. Adam Willis

21. Doug Ingalls

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