April 29, 2001 — Present
Before iRacing. Before Discord. Before even having a website.
Cyber Thunder was already racing.
Mike Rose — WildWilly — was tired of the public Papyrus NASCAR Racing 2 servers. He wanted something more organized. The first race had six drivers. RichardLayne and Z28n4x4 were among the charter members; Jim Rhodes, Diggit-CTR, arrived several weeks later. The league did not even have a name yet.
Fields of eight to ten became typical that first season. With no website, Mike emailed the results to everyone after each race.
“We love the competition, but we value the friendships we form with each other, even more.”
A Busch division gave Sunday night racers their own place. An IROC division followed in the offseason, while Jason “Spawn” and Jody “King Nothing” built a Friday night Daytona and Talladega division.
Jim Rhodes began helping with scoring and administration and offered to build the league's first website.
Mike Rose and Jim consolidated the primary Cup division and recruiting picked up. Al “Beaster” became deeply involved. When Mike stepped away from administration, Jim took over leadership.
Jim's aim was to make the league Mike started into something its founder would be proud of.
“I wanted to take what he had started and make it something he would be proud of.”
The field grew large enough to rent a racing server. A Truck division launched, bringing Cyber to roughly four divisions. Darren “Bagz” transformed the league's website and visual presence.
Cyber rented a server around the clock, merged with the West Virginia Racing League (WVRL), and hosted the AAFT 250 — the American Armed Forces Tribute. At year's end Jim Rhodes stepped down as overall administrator and Erick “z28n4x4” took over.
By 2004 the website drew more than 7,200 visits a month, up from a few hundred.
IROC, Young Gunz and Rolling Thunder each had a separate race night and rule set. The surviving division matrix shows how the multi-division tradition carried into the final NR2003 years.
Cyber kept extensive profiles: career and season totals, starts, wins, top 5s and top 10s, average start and finish, laps led, poles, track and division records, championships, archived results, and driver comparisons.
Driver accounts, forums, private messages, signups, standings, downloads, car files, race rulings, treasury information, galleries, and tools for multiple divisions were already part of Cyber’s website. For a racing league of its era, that was ambitious.
The website carried news, registration, standings and driver tools across multiple divisions. This preserved December 2010 homepage captures that digital home in its final years.
Driver profiles and leaguewide records survived race by race. Career totals, yearly results, track records and championships gave every driver a place in the archive. These numbers belong to the original NR2003 era, separate from today’s iRacing Record Book.
Years after NASCAR Racing 2003 arrived, Cyber kept racing and recording driver careers. Tom Richter joined in 2008 under the name Fordy-CTR; a surviving profile lists his first race as February 10, 2009.
The archived profile lists 108 starts, 19 wins, 68 top 5s, 97 top 10s, 8,421 laps, 658 laps led and 1 pole. Its 2010 season shows 85 starts and 16 wins. These historical totals are separate from modern iRacing career statistics.
Eleven races on the 2010 Segment 3 schedule, with Fordy-CTR among the listed winners. The surviving schedule preserves another piece of the original league’s weekly rhythm.
“I also hope that if you decide to join our ranks that you will realize that you are not just a member, you are part of our family.”
“Each and every one of you is what makes this league great and gives us our staying power.”
By approximately 2011, the original Cyber Thunder era had come to an end. For several years, it existed mostly as memories, old statistics, friendships and stories.
But Cyber Thunder wasn't completely forgotten.
December 2018. A new era begins.
Cyber Thunder Racing League came back on iRacing. Founder Tom Richter established the modern iRacing incarnation in December 2018, carrying forward the name and the community spirit of the original.
Under Tom Richter’s leadership, the modern league grew through organized seasons, special events, broadcasts, and the work of its drivers and administrative team. A new competitive record took shape on iRacing, distinct from the original NR2003 archive.
The returning league brought new competitors together with a community that kept showing up each week.
Special events became part of Cyber’s modern chapter alongside its regular league seasons. The archive preserves that wider racing identity without assigning an undocumented date or season to these images.
After several seasons of growth, Tom Richter stepped away from league leadership. Mike Stiverson accepted responsibility for the organization, becoming the only other individual to serve as League Director during Cyber Thunder’s iRacing era.
Taking on league leadership for the first time, Mike kept operations running, preserved competitive traditions, retained longtime members, and welcomed new drivers. His stewardship gave the community continuity through a period of change.
The leadership of Mike Stiverson.
Mike’s leadership was a chapter in its own right. As the 2024 season approached, he contacted Tom to discuss Cyber Thunder’s future. That conversation helped pave the way for the next leadership transition.
During Cyber Thunder’s modern iRacing history, only two individuals have served as League Director: Tom Richter and Mike Stiverson. Each shaped a different chapter of the same community.
December 2018 → initial leadership
January 1, 2024 → return as League Director
Tom founded the modern iRacing league in December 2018. After several seasons of growth, he stepped away from leadership, recognizing that a change would benefit the organization. He returned on January 1, 2024 with renewed perspective and a commitment to fairness, integrity, and Drivers First.
Following Tom’s departure → the January 1, 2024 transition
The only other League Director of the iRacing era, Mike accepted responsibility for the organization and sustained its racing community. His leadership preserved continuity, retained longtime members, and welcomed new drivers. He later opened the conversation with Tom about Cyber Thunder’s future.
Founder and League Director of the modern iRacing incarnation.
Mike assumes the League Director role after Tom steps away. The exact start date is not documented in this archive.
Tom officially resumes leadership with a renewed Drivers First commitment.
On January 1, 2024, Tom Richter officially returned as League Director following conversations with Mike Stiverson about Cyber Thunder’s future.
“A return to Cyber feels like coming home”
Tom’s return announcement acknowledged the league’s successes, difficult periods, and lessons learned. He recognized Mike’s contribution to sustaining the community and returned with a renewed understanding of the responsibilities of leadership.
“Times that the right call was made. Times that the wrong call was made. Times we (and I) learned how to do better for the greater good of the overall league.”
Organized iRacing competition, league seasons, and special events continued through 2024–2026. The renewed commitment centered on fairness, integrity, participation, respect, and decisions made for the long-term benefit of the league.
“My mantra is simple: 'Drivers First'”
A league where drivers had a voice. Decisions grounded in fairness and integrity. A community that mattered more than individual interests. Drivers First became a commitment to participation, leadership, and the long-term sustainability of Cyber Thunder.
“I commit to you now to keep the focal point of the league to be a Driver’s League.”
CyberThunder.net brought driver profiles, career statistics, results, standings, provisionals, registration, messages, tickets, Race Control, and the Record Book into one central home.
“Ensuring that the spirit of fairness & integrity is at the forefront of every decision made.”
Looking back from 2026, greater access to league information, driver feedback opportunities, and the modern digital platform reflect efforts to put the Drivers First commitment into practice. These tools developed later; they were not features of the league in 2024.
“The sense of community here is unmatched and a testimony to the driver’s and admins that make it the absolute best place to be.”
The website brings the modern league’s racing history into one place. Official races, laps completed by the entire field, and career race entries show how much competition has accumulated since the statistical archive began in 2019.
Loading official league statistics…
Completed official races span seasons and divisions. Each event adds another result to a record that continues with today’s Tuesday night series.
Laps raced combines the laps completed by all drivers. It reflects the full grid’s contribution to Cyber’s history.
Career race entries count driver appearances, including the racers who come back week after week. They represent seasons of participation, rivalries, and friendships.
In the platform era, driver profiles, career records, and the league’s statistical archive connect that accumulated history to the people still racing. New official results update the record; major verified achievements become permanent milestone moments.
The modern league returned in 2018. Statistical totals begin with 2019S1 and do not combine the earlier NR2003 record. Race entries are appearances, not unique individuals.
Every race adds another line.