Alderman Awesome in RMCS Action

Sept. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Thane Alderman of Las Vegas,, NV posted his third career CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series victory this past Saturday in round nine of the 10-race championship at Meridian (ID) Speedway. Alderman took the lead on lap 31 and never looked back edging Bruce Quale  at the finish line. John Nesmith, John Dillon, and Eric Rhead rounded out the top five finishers in the event.

Alderman qualified sixth and would start the race from the 11th position after the invert. John Dillon led all qualifiers to record his seventh Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Award. Heat race winners included Jeff Pohlman and John Nesmith.

Lonnie Lowder lead the field to green but it was Jaramie Fuss that took the lead on lap one over Dan Lowther. A-1 Heating & Air Conditioning rookie leader Eric Rhead then took the top spot on lap 5 where he held the point until Alderman took control on lap 31.

While Alderman was at the point, quick qualifier John Dillon sliced his way into the top five and looked to have the fastest car on the track when he and title contender Lynn Hardy got together out of turn four and both cars spun down the front stretch on lap 50. Both were able to continue but Hardy suffered significant damage to the front end of his Chevrolet.

Meanwhile, Bruce Quale showed early season form and nestled into the second position and started to reel in Alderman on lap 51. As Quale mounted a charge, local hotshoe John Nesmith used his considerable experience at Meridian to patiently work his way into the third position by lap 52.

The top three stayed the same throughout the remainder of the race with Dillon making his way back to the fourth position when the checkered flag flew. Rhead scored his third consecutive top five finish crossing the line in the fifth position.

By virtue of his sixth place performance, Steve Jones took over the point lead after John Newhouse suffered mechanical issues early in the race and finished in the 14th position; his first finish outside the top ten this season. Jones leads Newhouse by 20-points heading into the season finale at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho in two weeks.

"I am thrilled to finally get back to victory lane," Alderman said. "This is a fun little track at Meridian and we had a really good car last time out. I felt pretty good about our chances and when the race started the car just hooked up. It was a fun race and a great crowd. I couldn't be happier!"

Finishing second for his third top five finish of the season was Bruce Quale. "This series is so tough and we have struggled a bit this year," Quale said. "The team has worked really hard  and this is a great finish for all the guys. This place is tricky but we enjoy racing at Meridian and finishing like this what we strive for."

"We rolled the car on the trailer without a scratch," stated third place finisher John Nesmith. "This is a new car for us and we still have to work out a few bugs but we are really happy. "We plan to run the entire RMCS schedule next season and this finish goes a long way proving that we will be competitive."

Steve Jones took over the point lead after a sixth place performance. "After John (Newhouse) had some issues early in the event we kind of took it easy," Jones said. "We did not race anyone too hard and came out of here with the point lead. It is going to be exciting at Magic Valley. You could not ask for a better story line with the championship coming down to the final race."

For his part, Newhouse was disappointed  but eager for the final event. "Sometimes you can't help what happens on track," Newhouse said. "We had a great car and were running second. The guy in front of me parked it and I hit him. It all comes down tot he final race and we'll give it our best and hopefully it will propel us to the top."

Jones leads Newhouse by 20-points with Bruce Quale moved up to the third position 131-points back with Lynn Hardy dropping to fourth. Brett Thompson rounds out the top five.

The final event of the season for the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is Saturday, September 18 at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho. The event will wrap up the seventh season for the popular Late Model stock car series.

The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The top 20 qualifiers are inverted for every race putting fast time in the 20th starting position. This format ensures race fans see what they paid for and that is passing. Each driver is awarded three points per position gained in the event. Points are also awarded for qualifying and heat race finishes. Through the history of the series, the winning driver has averaged a 15th place starting position. To ensure competition, the RMCS pays it purse based on total point accumulation for the event and provides several special performance awards for each event.

The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows all competitors to race and gain experience on different types of racetracks. It is a high-quality professional racing series that offers maximum opportunity at an affordable price serving the intermountain West. The motto of the series is to “Race Hard and Have Fun!” For all the latest news and information regarding the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series log onto www.rmcsracing.com. Follow all the racing action from throughout the West by logging onto www.racingwest.com.

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