LIMA — History books are always made to be rewritten. Tony Anderson has now cemented himself into a new category all on his own. Anderson has now wrapped up the points championship in the Bud Thunderstocks and the K&N Filter Modifieds divisions at Limaland Motorsports Park.
Anderson and all of the other feature winners in all three divisions at Limaland will be on hand tonight for the 2016 Award Celebration Night. These drivers will compete in King of the Quarter-Mile. The special race time is 7:15 p.m.
Anderson is the first driver to ever win two championships in two different divisions in the same year at Limaland. He won the Stock title with 1,140 points. Chris Douglas finished in second place with 1,014 points and Jordan Conover was third with 1,002 points. Anderson won the Modified championship with 1,284 points while Todd Sherman was second (1,272) and Jeff Koz was third (1,148).
Jared Horstman was the champion in the K&L Ready Mix Sprints with 1,614 points. Max Stambaugh was second (1,582) and JR Stewart finished in third (1,518).
“It means a lot,” Anderson said. “We were after the Modified points championship this season. Our lead kind of dwindled down at times. It was great fun this year though on and off the track. We had a blast this year.”
This season marked Anderson’s 10th Stock title and first Modified title at Limaland. He has won 21 championships in his 23 years of racing, including 352 feature wins to date.
“To win at Limaland is pretty awesome,” Anderson said. “Week in and week out Limaland has one of the toughest Modified fields around. It’s really special.”
Anderson was able to make a new partnership before this season.
“One of the best things was hooking up Austin Motorsports and TnT Motorsports,” Anderson said. “With Eric Austin’s knowledge as my Modified crew chief, we won six features this year and we’re currently ranked 11th in the nation. My crew and everybody meshed really well working together. This is one of the best seasons that we’ve ever had.”
Anderson mentioned how fortunate he is to have a great crew to work with each week in both divisions.
“I’ve had an amazing crew over the years,” Anderson said. “The last three years has been really awesome. The work they put in five to six days a week is amazing. Neil Sterling, my crew chief on my Stock car, spends a lot of time. Then when Eric (Austin) came aboard, it was like a dream matchup.”
Even though Anderson has wrapped up both championships for the 2016 Limaland season, he is already looking forward to the 2017 season.
“I think if you combine Eric’s knowledge with my driving talent, we’ll be tough to beat next year too,” Anderson said. “I’m truly blessed to be 47 years old and racing two to three times a week. I hold that near and dear to my heart.”
For results of the 2016 Award Celebration Night, checkout the Sunday edition of The Lima News.
