THUNDER BAY — Thunder City Speedway officially launched its 2025 Dirt-Track Racing Season on Wednesday, marking the fourth season for the dirt track.
Opening night drew in a crowd of around 1,400 spectators, which, while lower than the usual turnout for a Wednesday, still left co-owner Norm Nadin optimistic. “We ended up with 115 cars tonight, so that was pretty good for the first night out,” he stated, adding he expects weekly competitor numbers to exceed 130 as the season unfolds. He also said when they are not competing against the weather and the hockey season, they anticipate attracting between 2,500 and 3,000 spectators.
Local favourites dazzled fans with exceptional performances across multiple racing divisions. The highlight of the Street Stocks division was Kolton Brauer from Mastrangelo Fuels, who claimed victory in his No. 34 car. In the Hormets division, Jesse Owen of Bay Lock & Security triumphed in his No. 22. Tyler Vernon from Itec Equipment Inc secured the win in the Midwest Mods with his No. 41. Perhaps most impressive was Cole Chernosky, who piloted his No. 33 car to victory not only in the Super Stocks for Mezo Motors & Machine, but also in the Modifieds for Thunder Bay Truck Centre, showcasing his talent by clinching two feature wins on opening night.
Chernosky quickly made his mark, seizing the lead in both of his races. In the Super Stocks feature, he faced intense competition from Rick Simpson but was able to distance himself to take the checkered flag.
Switching gears for the Wissota Modifieds, Chernosky again demonstrated his skill by taking charge early. Veteran racer Joel Cryderman kept pace for a time, while Wisconsin’s Brandon Copp surged towards a strong finish for second place in the final laps.
With his second victory of the night, Chernosky reinforced his status as the driver to beat this season, prompting Nadin to remark, “He was a national champ last year, so he's definitely the guy to try and catch. We had a couple of Americans here this Wednesday to see what they could do, but unfortunately, they didn’t manage to get him.”
Looking ahead, Nadin shared exciting plans for the season, including an invitational event in June, sponsored by Heartbeat Hot Sauce. “We have our big event in September, and in July, we will host the Shoy Shootout, which is always one of the most popular events of the year,” he noted. Furthermore, the speedway is enhancing the fan experience with the addition of a new scoreboard set to arrive later this year.
As the 2025 racing season kicks off with enthusiasm, Thunder City Speedway is promising thrilling action and fierce competition as more exciting races unfold throughout the season.
