Despite threatening weather, BDS Promotions stared down Ma Nature to get the third race of the 2008 season in the books. The faithful fans of ‘the Bullring’ were rewarded with some thrilling racing, as again over 100 cars filled the pits.

Paul Wilmoth Jr. has been near perfect in the ‘08 season at Tyler County, and again displayed the kind of talent required to win at the ultra fast quarter mile by scoring his third win in the ‘Midcap Land & Timber’ Late Model division in as many attempts.

Mini-wedge winner Steven West threw “Invert 6” for the LM & modified heats, making the heat races some of the most entertaining races of the season.

Fast qualifier Wilmoth worked his way forward to earn the feature pole, and Mike Balzano came from the tail of his heat to win in a photo finish to earn the outside front row starting spot for the 35 lap, $2,500 to win main event.

Wilmoth jumped to the lead, as Balzano dogged his every move. Meanwhile, Butch McGill found himself in a race long battle for position as third spot was just as hotly contested as the lead battle. Dusty Hamrick, Steve Wilmoth and finally Donnie Dotson all kept McGill busy, as the lead duo distanced themselves from the pack.

While Wilmoth ran his patented high line, Balzano searched the well prepared banks for just the right lane to give him the advantage needed to make the pass. The final lap 29 caution tightened the field, setting the stage for a dandy finish.

Wilmoth scooted away, only to see Balzano track him down in a single lap. The final five circuits had everyone in attendance on the edge of their seats as former STARS series champion threw ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ at Wilmoth in a bid for the lead.

As the leaders wheeled into turn three for the final time, Balzano drove deep into the low groove, and he and Wilmoth screamed off turn four for the checkered flag. Wilmoth’s high side momentum carried him to the finish line less than a car length ahead of Balzano.

“I went a little soft on tires tonight and it nearly cost me,” Wilmoth said after exiting his ‘NAPA/Midcap Timber/Rocket Chassis’ No. B1.

“Those last five laps, I saw Mike every turn. I wasn’t sure if I could hold him off, Balzano said afterwards. “I needed a longer green flag run at the end of the race. We went harder on tires knowing we were running 35 laps. It was a good race, it was fun, and we’ll be back” said “the Floodwall Flyer” after finishing runner-up for the 2nd time in as many weeks.

Seventh-starting Donnie Dotson earned his pay by charging to third.

“We blew our motor last week, and didn’t get to race in the Topless 50,” said Dotson.

“We put my motor in for tonight. It’s not as good as the motor we blew, but it ran well tonight.”

Butch McGill and Joe Loudin rounded out the top 5, with Dusty Hamrick, Steve Weigle, Steve Wilmoth, Gary Gellner and Kris Southern completing the top 10.

As good as the Late Model main was, the AMRA modified main was better still.

Heat winners Brian Propst and Tom Sigler led the field to the green in a race that went 20 laps non-stop. Sigler grabbed the lead with fellow Chrysler powered driver Del Cunningham in hot pursuit. Cunningham soon found himself in a battle for position with opening night winner Dave Defibaugh, and the two drivers battled side by side for 12 laps before Defibaugh grabbed the spot.

Meanwhile eighth starting Louie Krushansky worked the bottom line to make it a four car battle for the lead, slipping past Cunningham to take third on lap 14.

As the final laps came off the board, the lead quartet grew closer by the lap. As Sigler wheeled ito the final turn, both Defibaugh and Krushansky worked underneath, and the lead trio blasted off the final turn in a three-wide battle for the win.

Not to be denied, Sigler pushed the accelerator to the mat, and scored his first ever AMRA feature win in a thriller, as the ‘Sigler Fabrication and Race Cars/ NAPA/ Poskes’ No. 19 scored a thrilling win just ahead of Defibaugh and Krushansky.

Cunningham turned in a steller run, finishing a close fourth, and fast qualifier Darren Glover rounded out the top five.

Sonny Conley scored his first win of the season by leading green to checkered in the ‘Litman Excavating’ KoM crate Late Model feature.

Conley held off the determined efforts of opening night winner Freddy Carpenter to park his ‘Conley Enterprises/ M&H Trucking/ Lazer Chassis No. 1x1 in victory lane. Carpenter finished ahead of Shane Hitt, Mike Griffin and Joel Prosser, who rounded out the top five. Griffin and Conley were the heat winners.

Josh Fulks scored his second ‘Custom Engraving’ Junk Yard Warrior main in as many weeks, leading flag to flag ahead of Brandon Doll and Daryll Highley.

Three laps into the ‘WXCR 92.3 Classis Rock’ Pure Stock main, the rains settled in, cancelling the rest of the program.

Next Saturday night, the Pure Stocks and ‘Wayside Furniture’ Mod-Lite division cars will run their make up features, picking up where they left off before the rains washed out the remainder of the program.

Midcap Land & Timber Late Models:

Paul Wilmoth Jr, Mike Balzano, Donnie Dotson, Butch McGill, Joe Loudin, Dusty Hamrick, Steve Weigle, Steve Wilmoth, Gary Gellner, Kris Southern, Robby Thomas, Mike Eaton, Gary Midcap Jr, Aaron Gorrell, Mark Banal, Joe Smith, Chad Green, Billy Brown, Paul Baker, Matt Flesher.

Sisterville Center Genesis Healthcare AMRA Modifieds:

Tom Sigler, Dave Defibaugh, Louie Krushansky, Del Cunningham, Darren Glover, Mark Dickson, Mike Wilson, Brian Propst, Jason Defibaugh, Steve Higgins, Robin Ours, Dusty Boley, Matt Aber, Mark Deitch, JP Roberts.

Litman Excavating KoM crate Late Models:

Sonny Conley, Freddy Carpenter, Shane Hitt, Joel Prosser, Jim Cochran, Jim Quiagg, Brian Rush, Randy Gibson, Daniel Hill, Mike Cochran.