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This past weekend, Thunderhill Raceway once again hosted the 25 Hours and 1 Minute, the longest race in North America. That’s not marketing fluff — it’s the real deal. A full day plus a bonus sixtyone minutes of non-stop, multi-class, often-questionably-legal endurance racing. Around 118 cars took the grid, split across A, B, and C classes — everything from serious race builds to, well, a Corolla with dreams.
Winner, Class A (The Good)
Winner, Class B (The Bad)
Winner, Class C (The Ugly)
Now, I gotta chatter for just a second — Dirty Duck Racing finally grabbed what I’ll call our first real win. We’ve had some small-field trophies before, but nothing like this. In our trusty 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit, also known as The Magic Rabbit, we battled for 25 hours straight and emerged victorious in the B Class. It was hot. It was brutal. And it was gratifying. This one was different. This one was a grind. This one was earned.
Even better? We did it as a family team. My dad, my uncle Rye, my cousin Nash, and I took long stints behind the wheel. We’ve been doing this Lemons thing for 15 years now — this was our 54th race, and it all started right here at Thunderhill. To come full circle with a win at the track that kicked it all off? Pretty damn special. This one was a grind. This one was earned.
Dirty Duck Racing and many other teams around the paddock are families. We turn wrenches together, argue over strategy, get sunburned together, and in the end, we celebrate a win together. These races have become more than just races. They’re family and friend reunions at 100 miles per hour. They’re time capsules of greasy memories, track-cold cocktails, and overcooked brake pads. This sport — this weird, beautiful sport — gives us something to rally around, and that’s pretty damn special.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Thunderhill without something spicy, and this year’s heat turned the track into a convection oven. Asphalt was lava. Cooling suits were working overtime, and any crew member not standing in the shade for more than five minutes was legally considered jerky.
But in classic Thunderhill fashion, the community made it work. The Thunderhill Grill was crushing it all weekend, serving up burgers, fries, and cold drinks that kept spirits high. Big shoutout to the crew in there!
Oh, and speaking of fries — we couldn’t ignore the Great Fry Debate of 2025. After an intense round of social media polling, comment-section chaos, and more fry-related opinions than anyone asked for… waffle fries won out. Will the Grill keep ‘em? Go back to classics? Mix it up? We’ll let the fine folks behind the spatula make the call — but the people have spoken. Loudly. And with ketchup.
The Thunderhill Pro Shop also saw solid traffic, although it got a little too hot for a while due to a paddock overload that knocked out the air conditioning. It turns out some of the RVs were a little too enthusiastic with their power draw, and it tripped the circuit that kept the shop’s compressor running. It got toasty for a minute, but our team responded quickly, and we had cool air flowing again before anyone melted completely.
Track-wise? Surprisingly clean. That’s not a phrase you usually hear after a 25-hour endurance race, but it’s true. Door-to-door action all day and night, but everyone kept it mostly together. One car went shiny-side-down in Turn 1 — a full rollover — but the driver was totally fine, and the safety team responded like pros. Other than that, it was just good, hard racing the whole time. Aggressive but respectful. Competitive but hilarious.
And then came the night.
If you’ve never seen a Lemons race go full nocturnal, it’s a sight. Headlights cut through the dark, and the car numbers glowed neon. The heat cooled off just enough to breathe again, and suddenly, it felt like the whole paddock got its second wind.
Thunderhill handled it all like a champ. The staff kept things running smoothly, the track was in great shape, and everyone we spoke to — racers, crew, families, and first-timers — had nothing but good things to say.
So yeah, the 25 Hours and 1 Minute? It was everything we hoped it would be: brutal, beautiful, sweaty, thrilling, exhausting, and perfect. It was racing in its rawest form — full of effort, laughter, stress, and triumph.
See you next year.
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At Thunderhill, we’ve been delivering a superior motorsports experience for over 30 years. Our track remains one of the finest, safest, and cleanest road courses in America. Beyond the track, our team continues to set the standard for world-class customer service, exceeding expectations at every turn.
