August 27, 2004; Sturgeon Bay, WI. - Persistent showers put an end to the points race Saturday night at Thunderhill Raceway, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Thunderhill Raceway drivers and fans alike had their spirits dampened Saturday night. With most drivers wanting to “prove their worth” on the track that night, the races were finally called about a half-hour before the 6pm race start. The points season was over for now and the track champions were not able to get to reap their rewards on Championship Night sponsored by Sportsman Trophy and Engraving in front of their loyal fans. Track Champions for 2004 will be honored during pre-race ceremonies next week in front of the race fans. An awards banquet is in the plans to honor the 2004 drivers as well.

Race fans and drivers alike are invited to return next week for a fun and exciting Street Stock Slam to cap off the year. Street Stocks will be the headliner, running for $600 first place money along with bonus money of $20 per lap in the 30-lap feature event. Regular rules apply next week with no claims. Budweiser IMCA Modified, T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Car, May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock, AmericInn Street Stock divisions along with the Sport-4 class will all compete in this post-season special on Saturday night, September 4th, with competition getting underway at 6 p.m. Pits open at 3:30 pm., grandstands open at 4:30 p.m.

Thunderhill Raceway is located at John Miles Park, the site of the Door County Fairgrounds, just off Highways 42/57, and west on County Trunk T. For more information call 920-743-7052 or 920-746-0387, the track phone number. The track’s website is www.racethunderhill.com.

2004 RECAP
In the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds division, the ultimate title goes to first time track champion Algoma’s Jeremy Jacobs. Jacobs ran an exceptional season, competing in 15 point events. Jacobs will go down in the record books with two feature wins among his seven top-three feature finishes, sharing the feature wins with seven other drivers. Jacobs’ two feature wins were against some tough competition from second year driver Benji LaCrosse, Luxemburg, Mike Cole, Baileys Harbor and Sean Jerovetz of Suamico.

Runnerup in the points chase in the mods went to Sean Jerovetz. Although not collecting a single feature win for 2004, Jerovetz’s consistent high finishes kept him in the points for much of the year. Jerovetz had four top-three’s in 2004, and completed the year with an average finish of eighth place. Early season points leader Benji LaCrosse will finish third in points. Of all the drivers that raced in the mod division, sophomore driver Benji LaCrosse celebrated the most wins...four feature wins among his eight top-three feature finishes.

Green Bay’s Jared Siefert finished the season in fourth place after a late-season surge in points. Luxemburg’s Jay Matthias graced the feature race winner’s circle twice in 2004. Other feature race winners included Green Bay drivers Randie Back and Dean Maurer, Algoma’s Todd Dart and James Tebon along with Frog Station’s Dan Ratajczak. In his rookie season, Tebon finished ninth in points with one feature win on the final points night just one week ago.

The T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Cars crowned a repeat track champion with Craig Paque of Algoma. Paque earned the track titles in 2001 and 2002, with Kewaunee’s Shawn Kilgore interrupting his string in 2003. During the 2004 campaign, Paque took home only one feature win out of his four top-three finishes, closing out the year by only six points to rookie driver Troy Muench of Green Bay. Muench was a tough competitor in 2004 after taking the Street Stock Championship in 2003. Muench celebrated two feature wins among his six top-three’s. Algoma’s Dave Bouche will finish third in points with one feature win. Bouche also finished second and third in two other features.

Fourth place went to Sturgeon Bay’s Bernie Reinhardt, who concluded his year without a feature win, but was able to stay in the hunt with a heat win and a second place finish in a feature event. Jeff “Pepe” Vlies, Brussels, grabbed fifth place honors with a feature win among his four top-three finishes. Other feature winners included Shawn Kilgore, Casco’s Matt Junio, Charlie Kroll of Luxemburg, Corey Haen of Sturgeon Bay and Pulaski’s Rod Snellenberger, taking a non-points fair night event win.

In only their second year at Thunderhill Raceway, the May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stocks will have a new points champion for 2004. Ed Anschutz, Algoma, had an spectacular amount of ten top-three finishes for the year with only 14 nights of features. Two of those were feature wins. Anschutz won the points race by 18 points over challenger Keith Kickbusch of Kewaunee. In his first full year at the “Hill”, Kickbusch accounted for two feature wins among his six top-three’s. Casco’s Marcus Moede finished third in the division with one feature win.

Fourth place went to Algoma’s Evan Madden. In 2004, Madden chalked up no feature wins, but was able to muster four top-three’s along with two heat wins. Denmark’s Tom Brumlic took home five feature wins this season, and was only one of two drivers to win a feature race during each month of races at the “Hill.” Other feature winners of the season include Zion, Illinois’ Tony Schlei, Sturgeon Bay’s Brandon Peterson and last year’s champion Joe Hegnet.

The AmericInn Street Stock Championship went to Maplewood’s Aaron Thornton. Thornton, a former Bomber class champion in 1996, won a division-high six features midseason along with six heat race wins on his way to a one-point
decision over Green Bay’s Jeremy Wiitala. Wiitala completed each Saturday night event even after suffered a broken ankle late in the year. He earned three feature wins among his nine top-three feature finishes. Third place went to
Forestville’s Von Eytcheson. Eytcheson had one feature win among his five top-three’s and had to earn his way into the feature events twice through semi-feature wins.

Scott Reinhardt finished the year in fourth place. This Sturgeon Bay driver had three heat wins but no feature victories. Fifth place went to first-year driver Kevin Damrow of Manitowoc. This top finishing rookie earned three top-three finishes and one heat win. Other feature winners included Brian Ambrosius of Pulaski, Scott Iverson of Sturgeon Bay and first year driver Todd Polster of Baileys Harbor. Polster accumulated three feature wins in his first season of racing.

In the Sport 4 Championship, Milwaukee’s Ken Malcore had to come from behind at the beginning of the season and catch early points leader James VanDenBogart of Green Bay. Malcore took home seven features this year and repeated his 2003 track championship season. Malcore accomplished 12 top-three feature finishes out of 14 feature events. First year driver James VanDenBogart finished second with one feature win among his three top-three’s. The only other driver to win a Sport 4 feature was third place Chad Williams of Brussels. Williams won six features spanning all four months of weekly competition.

Sturgeon Bay’s Jon Beilfuss Jr. had a great first year with a fourth place finish in Sport 4 points along with fifth place Charlie Gross of Gleason.

Thunderhill Raceway is located at John Miles Park, the site of the Door County Fairgrounds, just off Highways 42/57, and west on County Trunk T. For more information call 920-743-7052 or 920-746-0387, the track phone number. The
track’s website is www.racethunderhill.com.