By Clint Brown - November 2, 2005
The O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour recently puts the wraps on another successful campaign and when the dust had settled Al Purkey found himself on top of the heap to claim the title.
The title campaign for Purkey wound up a year that left the competitors envious as the Coffeyville, KS resident wrapped up a whopping 9 wins, 22 top fives, and 25 top tens in the twenty-seven events completed on the 2005 Thunder Tour. The championship was the first for Purkey since his title in
2001 and was his fourth overall including 1998 and 1999. The nine wins on the season also tied a season best for Purkey since his first in the inaugural 1989 season. Purkey also put himself solidly in the #2 spot on the O'Reilly MLRA wins list bumping his total to 41 wins. The season ended with Purkey finding himself at 2218 points - a total of 419 points ahead of his closest competitor.
Alan Vaughn came out of Belton, MO looking to become the first five time O'Reilly MLRA champion and to lay claim to five titles in a row. His bid for the crown came up just short as Vaughn found himself in the runner up position with 1799 points as the season closed. Working on 3 wins, 9 top fives, and 19 top tens Vaughn still had a season to be proud of.
Coming out of Creighton, MO David Turner found himself in the third position at years end. The top ten finish for Turner was his sixth with the series since his initial fourth place run during the 1998 season. Turner closed out the year with 1 win, 6 top fives, and 14 top ten finishes to his credit and held onto the third position with a total of 1682 points.
CJ Lyle was the driver who came up just short of Turner and settled for the fourth slot as the season ended. Coming out of Shawnee, KS Lyle raced his way to 4 top five and 9 top ten finishes on the year. Lyle kept his 24L in the top five for the majority of the season and moved his way to fourth on the final weekend of the 2005 Thunder Tour with 1564 points.
A mere 11 points behind Lyle was Jason Bodenhamer with 1553 points.
Bodenhamer opened the season with a win in Oklahoma and had a string of successful runs that saw him capture 7 top fives and 13 top tens at seasons end.
Rounding out the top ten as the final points were tallied were Brett LaFollette (1290), David Barker (1180), Bryon Allison (1070), Shane Essary (1003), and Garry Billings Jr. (935).
Addition feature victories went to Terry Phillips, Denny Eckrich, Kelly Boen, and Kyle Berck with two wins a pieces. Single event winners were Brett LaFollette, Brian Birkhofer, Chris Smyser, Darren Miller and Payton Taylor.
A total of 243 different drivers competed in the O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour from 13 different states.
Next up is the O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour Awards Banquet at the Argosy Casino in Kansas City on November 26. All fans and drivers are welcome to attend. Tickets will be available at the door or by calling 816-650-5063.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling (816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
Please support these sponsors who support O'Reilly MLRA Racing O'Reilly Auto Parts/Hoosier Race Tires/Hatfield Racing Engines/Larry Shaw Race Cars/GRT Race Cars/AFCO/Driveline Shop/ATL Fuel Cells/Intensitee/Leaf Racewear/Sunoco/Simons Petroleum/Weld Wheels/Chase Race Decals/Gameday Trophy/Bodee's Race Bodies/Smitty's Racing Engines/Duralite Wheels/Holley/Lunati/Rod End Supply/Schoenfeld Headers/Kluhsman Racing Components/Performance Bodies/SportsNutz
Final 2005 O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour Points Standings
Pos Car # Driver Name Hometown Points
1 33P Al Purkey Coffeyville, KS 2218
2 22V Alan Vaughn Belton, MO 1779
3 15T David Turner Adrian, MO 1682
4 24L CJ Lyle Shawnee, KS 1564
5 2B Jason Bodenhamer Centerview, MO 1553
6 23L Brett LaFollette Kansas City, KS 1290
7 88B David Barker Kingsville, MO 1180
8 1A Bryon Allison Marshall, MO 1070
9 15E Shane Essary Aurora, MO 1003
10 10B Gary Billings Jr. Prairie Village, KS 935
11 1K John Anderson Omaha, NE 794
12 52K Steve Kosiski Papillion, NE 684
13 L88 Larry Clawson North KC, MO 607
14 9R Charlie Randolph Muskogee, OK 588
15 07B Kelly Boen Henderson, CO 580
16 2J Johnny Bone Jr. Pea Ridge, AR 532
17 12B Kyle Berck Marquette, NE 512
18 8B Sonny Findling Kirksville, MO 499
19 18M Terry Melton Bartlesville, OK 459
20 92S Delbert Smith Wichita, KS 457
The O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour recently puts the wraps on another successful campaign and when the dust had settled Al Purkey found himself on top of the heap to claim the title.
The title campaign for Purkey wound up a year that left the competitors envious as the Coffeyville, KS resident wrapped up a whopping 9 wins, 22 top fives, and 25 top tens in the twenty-seven events completed on the 2005 Thunder Tour. The championship was the first for Purkey since his title in
2001 and was his fourth overall including 1998 and 1999. The nine wins on the season also tied a season best for Purkey since his first in the inaugural 1989 season. Purkey also put himself solidly in the #2 spot on the O'Reilly MLRA wins list bumping his total to 41 wins. The season ended with Purkey finding himself at 2218 points - a total of 419 points ahead of his closest competitor.
Alan Vaughn came out of Belton, MO looking to become the first five time O'Reilly MLRA champion and to lay claim to five titles in a row. His bid for the crown came up just short as Vaughn found himself in the runner up position with 1799 points as the season closed. Working on 3 wins, 9 top fives, and 19 top tens Vaughn still had a season to be proud of.
Coming out of Creighton, MO David Turner found himself in the third position at years end. The top ten finish for Turner was his sixth with the series since his initial fourth place run during the 1998 season. Turner closed out the year with 1 win, 6 top fives, and 14 top ten finishes to his credit and held onto the third position with a total of 1682 points.
CJ Lyle was the driver who came up just short of Turner and settled for the fourth slot as the season ended. Coming out of Shawnee, KS Lyle raced his way to 4 top five and 9 top ten finishes on the year. Lyle kept his 24L in the top five for the majority of the season and moved his way to fourth on the final weekend of the 2005 Thunder Tour with 1564 points.
A mere 11 points behind Lyle was Jason Bodenhamer with 1553 points.
Bodenhamer opened the season with a win in Oklahoma and had a string of successful runs that saw him capture 7 top fives and 13 top tens at seasons end.
Rounding out the top ten as the final points were tallied were Brett LaFollette (1290), David Barker (1180), Bryon Allison (1070), Shane Essary (1003), and Garry Billings Jr. (935).
Addition feature victories went to Terry Phillips, Denny Eckrich, Kelly Boen, and Kyle Berck with two wins a pieces. Single event winners were Brett LaFollette, Brian Birkhofer, Chris Smyser, Darren Miller and Payton Taylor.
A total of 243 different drivers competed in the O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour from 13 different states.
Next up is the O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour Awards Banquet at the Argosy Casino in Kansas City on November 26. All fans and drivers are welcome to attend. Tickets will be available at the door or by calling 816-650-5063.
For all the latest news and information on the O'Reilly MLRA visit us on the web at www.mlraracing.com or by calling (816) 650-5063 or (816) 305-6572.
Please support these sponsors who support O'Reilly MLRA Racing O'Reilly Auto Parts/Hoosier Race Tires/Hatfield Racing Engines/Larry Shaw Race Cars/GRT Race Cars/AFCO/Driveline Shop/ATL Fuel Cells/Intensitee/Leaf Racewear/Sunoco/Simons Petroleum/Weld Wheels/Chase Race Decals/Gameday Trophy/Bodee's Race Bodies/Smitty's Racing Engines/Duralite Wheels/Holley/Lunati/Rod End Supply/Schoenfeld Headers/Kluhsman Racing Components/Performance Bodies/SportsNutz
Final 2005 O'Reilly MLRA 2005 Thunder Tour Points Standings
Pos Car # Driver Name Hometown Points
1 33P Al Purkey Coffeyville, KS 2218
2 22V Alan Vaughn Belton, MO 1779
3 15T David Turner Adrian, MO 1682
4 24L CJ Lyle Shawnee, KS 1564
5 2B Jason Bodenhamer Centerview, MO 1553
6 23L Brett LaFollette Kansas City, KS 1290
7 88B David Barker Kingsville, MO 1180
8 1A Bryon Allison Marshall, MO 1070
9 15E Shane Essary Aurora, MO 1003
10 10B Gary Billings Jr. Prairie Village, KS 935
11 1K John Anderson Omaha, NE 794
12 52K Steve Kosiski Papillion, NE 684
13 L88 Larry Clawson North KC, MO 607
14 9R Charlie Randolph Muskogee, OK 588
15 07B Kelly Boen Henderson, CO 580
16 2J Johnny Bone Jr. Pea Ridge, AR 532
17 12B Kyle Berck Marquette, NE 512
18 8B Sonny Findling Kirksville, MO 499
19 18M Terry Melton Bartlesville, OK 459
20 92S Delbert Smith Wichita, KS 457
