Thunderhill Speedway

Today has been a rather sad day for me as I just sent the following letter via email to Mike and Joey Henry regarding my future involvement and the current situation at Thunderhill. This was a very hard and well thought out decision and I wish them all the best.

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Mike and Joey,

After a lot of prayer and consideration I have arrived at the conclusion that it would be best for me to remove myself from the current situation at Thunderhill. You both, as well as Cheryl, have done a lot for me personally and in the racing community over the years and it is very hard to watch what is happening at the track as of late.

In wishful thinking and knowing the potential Thunderhill has, I thought for sure the first week this season was a fluke and everything would be turned around in a timely manner. However, this has not been the case. I know that Thunderhill could be a top-notch place for dirt track racing in the area as it was not so long ago. In order for this to occur changes must be made. I have not seen the effort in having these changes take place.

Not only do I worry for the safety of our drivers, I also have a concern for the staff and fans. The fire crew has left a lot to be desired and their lack of attentiveness and response is unacceptable. The stands need more than a little TLC...with old wood that is shaky at best, it made me nervous to climb to see my dad who had strategically placed him self at a point over the metal structure in hopes that if the boards gave out he'd save himself from a fall. The scoring tower is not only completely unsightly and rotted away, but it is unacceptable and dangerous. You should not put your announcer or scoring staff in such an unsafe place, let alone allow fans to come into the structure to collect 50/50 monies and other prizes. I understand that it is the plan to replace the tower when the weather cooperates, but as things seem to be going, I cannot hold my breath for that while praying I don't fall through the current one at any given moment.

It breaks my heart to walk away from a great family, great friends, and a facility with all the potential in the world. However, I don't know what else to do. I cannot put myself in that situation or watch as our drivers are put in a situation I feel is unsafe. Should a repeat of Grant Junghans 2008 HPT fire occur on the back-stretch or a heart attack and infield crash that required CPR and a life-flight like what occurred back in 2000 or 2001 (I can't remember the exact date for sure) happen again, I'm not confident that the on track staff and fire/safety crew would be able to properly react. Are you...really? In making this decision someone asked me when will it be enough...when does it cross the line...is it when someone you care about is in a ball of flames or they've barrel-rolled down the front-stretch and the fire crew still doesn't respond or is it now before you have to witness such a thing? I hope that situation never occurs, however, we all know that it is a possibility...I can't sit back in a falling tower and watch that...I'm sorry.

We are all pulling for you and want to be there every Saturday night, but we just can't with things the way they are. I say we meaning, myself, fans and drivers that you and I both know have made their way to HPT or Valley or elsewhere to date and anyone else that shares these thoughts, feelings, and hopes.

You have my continued support and I wish you all the best as you move forward this season and want nothing more than for you to make steps needed to keep Thunderhill not only open and operating, but doing so successfully. Please, start showing the racing community signs that there isn't a self-destruction in progress.

Love you guys!
Blessings!
~Jennifer