Oren Covert Memorial Comes To Thunder Hill Speedway

By Larry Lowrey

July 12, 2010

(Silver Lake)  Over the years everyone, eventually, loses someone that they are close to. More than 5 years ago, the local racing community lost a beloved member, Oren Covert. Saturday night, July 17, Thunder Hill Speedway will revive the memory of this man with the running of the 'Oren Covert Memorial.'

Trophy that will go to the Modified Feature winner at Thunder Hill Speedway Saturday night.

 

Thunder Hill Speedway has undergone a big facelift this year. The new owners, the Conkwright family, have made a strong effort to bring the speedway back to it's glory days of the 90s.

Big things have been done over the off-season and during the current race season that show that the new owners are on track.

When you roll into the race track the first thing that you notice is how nice the facility looks. The grass has been mowed, buildings have been painted and signs have been added around the grounds. A new look at the track almost gives you the feeling that you have never been to Thunder Hill before.

All of the changes don't stop there, but the Conkwrights will tell you that there is still a lot of work to do. Each task has to come one at a time and they want to make sure that financially they are ready to tackle the next task. Car counts and fan counts have started to rise steadily throughout the season, but the new owners know that it's going to take some time to get everyone back to enjoy the great racing they are ready to provide.

If there is one stable force at Thunder Hill Speedway it is the track surface itself. The high-banked, 3/8 mile track is home to some great 3 and 4 wide racing each and every Saturday night. Over the years this is what has kept all the previous owners in business. Racers will flock to a race track that they know will provide for great racing and not tear up there equipment in the process. So far this season, there has been a host of different winners in victory lane at the track. Drivers have come from the back to win, drivers have won on last lap passes and drivers have won in impressive fashion.

This week Thunder Hill will be holding the Oren Covert Memorial race. It is the 2nd memorial race of the season. Earlier in the year they honored former flag man Don Garst.

Oren was a longtime racer in the Topeka area. The Covert name is one that has a lot of history in the racing industry. Covert's legacy revolved around not only his time behind the wheel, but his love for the sport and his kindness to help anyone that was involved in the sport.

Mike Conkwright, Alan Covert and Morgan Dixon all posed with the tool box that will be given to the Modified feature winner.

In honor of Covert, the winner of this week's Modified Feature will receive a tool box that is valued at $500. The tool box is the donation by Advance Auto Parts of Topeka. A local graphics business, Graphics by Rolo, lettered the tool box up with vinyl graphics to commemorate the race and the Modified feature winner.

This race is just another one of the steps that new owners are taking to ensure the success of their new venture. It's also an event that shows that they realize the importance of the local racing history as well.

Saturday night racing action starts at 7:00 p.m. with hot laps and the races will begin shortly after hot laps. Adult tickets are $10.00 each, kids 6 to 12 are $5.00 each and children 5 and under are free.

For more information visit http://www.racethunderhillspeedway.com.