Thunderhill Raceway Race Reports |
|
Kilgore Repeats At Thunderhill
By Tom Wagner |
|
July 22, 2006; Sturgeon Bay, WI. -
IMCA Modified rookie Shawn Kilgore held off five-time champ
Todd Dart to win his second straight feature at the Potawatomi
Thunderhill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay Saturday night.
The winner board also included Cory Cochart in the IMCA Stock
Cars, Von Eytcheson in the Street Stocks, Keith Kickbusch in
the IMCA Hobby Stocks, Rob Waechter Jr in the Bombers and Tony
Everard in the 4 Cylinders.
Photo Highlights |
|
Kewaunee’s
Shawn Kilgore has never been a stranger to the winner’s
circle at
Thunderhill Raceway in his Stock Car days, but it was only
his second trip to the coveted stop after his second
consecutive IMCA Modified feature win on Saturday night.
Tri-County
Heating IMCA Modified #38 Randie Back could not hold off the
hard-charging #90k Shawn Kilgore, in Kilgore’s second
feature event victory in as many weeks. Back was able to
settle for sixth on the blackened dirt clay oval.
#4cc Cory
Cochart, Kewaunee, won his first career IMCA Stock Car
feature on Sat
urday night at the “Hill”.
#4cc Cory
Cochart, Kewaunee, survived a wild crash and then several
laps of pressure from #10j Matt Junio, Casco, to secure his
first career Budweiser IMCA Stock Car feature win.
Street Stock #11 Von Eytcheson won his third feature win of
the season.
D.C. Custom
Drill & Blasting Street Stock #11 Von Eytcheson had used an
inside move on #51 Jeremy Wiitala to take over the feature
lead on the sixth lap on his way to his third feature win of
the season.
Olson
Fabrication IMCA Hobby Stock #47 Keith Kickbusch won his
fourth A-main on
Saturday night, sweeping his division with a heat win as
well.
Fellow heat winners in the IMCA Hobby Stock class, #53 “Mad
Mert” Dwayne
Mertens and #47 Keith Kickbusch locked horns at the front of
the feature event.
Kickbusch went on to the win while Mertens scored a fifth
place finish.
Robert
Waechter Jr., Ellisville, won for the second time this
season, passing Brian Belleau with two laps to go in the
Bomber feature.
Bomber #11m Dan Merkle, Egg Harbor, and newcomer to
Thunderhill Raceway, #30
Matt Hanson, Brussels, battled it out for position in the
night’s feature race.
In the 4 Cylinders, #e8 Tony Everard held off Tom Zastrow
and Jeremy DuBois to
win his second feature of the season.
After some shuffling around with the feature race leaders,
#e8 Tony Everard
had his hands full with heavy pressure from #83 Tom Zastrow.
Everard held on
for the win, his second of 2006. Zastrow, a winner of three
features at the “Hill”, finished in the runner-up spot. |
Close feature finishes and shake-ups in the point standings
provided plenty of drama on the night. The modified finale
contributed to the excitement, with a thrilling three lap
sprint to the checker.
Randie Back and Chris Derenne swapped the lead back and
forth until the half-way mark when Kilgore powered to the
point. Dart used the low line to move into contention two
laps later. Dart wasn't the only former champ to make a play
for the win, as Jared Siefert joined the lead battle as
well.
Siefert had struggled early in the program due to a faulty
distributor, and was forced to transfer through the
semi-feature relegating him to an 8th row starting spot. A
patient Benji LaCrosse also became a factor in the closing
stages, as he moved into fourth just before the final
caution flew.
With the checker in sight, Kilgore chose a higher line with
Dart continuing to work the bottom. The two were side by
side at times, but Kilgore was able to forge ahead each lap
at the line. The final lap saw Siefert move on Dart for
second after wrestling third from LaCrosse, leaving Kilgore
alone at the top for the final series of corners. At the
line it was Kilgore, Dart, Siefert and LaCrosse in order.
Jay Matthias made a steady march to fifth with Back rounding
out the top six.
Cochart survived a wild crash and then several laps of
pressure from Matt Junio and Todd Polster to secure his
first career IMCA Stock Car feature win.
Contact between Rick Mahlberg and early leader Willie
DeGrave sent the later spinning into the middle of the front
stretch and into the path of the entire feature field.
Cochart ended up sliding down the middle as well, with cars
slamming and spinning in all directions. Despite all the
contact, only Mark Derenne's car needed wrecker assistance.
Back under green, Cochart took two laps to pass Polster for
the lead. Polster refused to surrender, and kept the heat on
Cochart from the high line. Junio joined the mix, and the
threesome used a long green flag stretch to pull away from
the rest of the field. Cochart committed to the bottom, with
Junio tight on his back bumper and Polster to his right.
Cochart held his line, and went on to the win with Junio
second and Polster third. Dave Bouche led the second
contingent with a fourth place run followed by B.J. Soquet
and Jeff Vlies in the top six.
The championship battle was tossed into the air as points
leader Eugene Gregorich dropped out of the race with
mechanical issues.
A division title was in the spotlight in the Street Stocks
as well, thanks in part to some post-race action in the
claim area.
Eytcheson had used an inside move on Jeremy Wiitala to take
over the feature lead on the sixth lap. On a restart one lap
later Aaron Thornton grabbed second, but wasn't able to
close on Eytcheson, who motored away to his third feature
win of the season.
With a one-two finish, Eytcheson and Thornton would have
been tied for the point lead, but a claim on Thornton's
engine by Wiitala changed that. Thornton elected to refuse
the claim. While not sanctioned, the Street Stock penalties
for refusing a claim are similar to the IMCA rules wihtout
the fine. Thornton was assessed the mandatory 30 day
suspension, and instead of a tie for the point lead,
Eytcheson became the outright leader.
With Thornton's disqualification, John Sternard, Scott
Reinhardt, Wiitala and Jimmy Anderson all moved up a spot in
the top five, with Geno Sternard sixth.
The standings in the Hobby Stocks have a new look as well,
thanks to Kickbusch's win and Eddie Anschutz's snapped rear
axle. Anschutz was scored last after the incident on the
very first corner. Kickbusch went on to pass Chad Kaminski
for the lead on the ninth lap en route to the win.
Marcus Moede raced to a strong second with the rookie
Kaminski carding his best finish, third. Roger LaViolette,
Duane Mertens and Jeff Lautenbach completed the top six.
Hobby Stock rookie Aaron Butterbrodt walked away from a
rollover crash that red flagged the event with six to go.
Waechter won for the second time this season, passing Brian
Belleau with two laps to go in the Bomber feature. Belleau
was involved in a late spin with Dan Merkle, allowing Matt
Hanson to grab second in his first night of racing in six
years.
In the 4 Cylinders, Everard held off Tom Zastrow and Jeremy
DuBois to win his second feature of the season.
Saturday night, Coldwell Banker/Door County Horizons will
sponsor the show. The Raceway's six divisions will be in
action along with the annual Powder Puff races, rescheduled
from an earlier date. Racing starts each week at 6:00 PM.
For more information, visit the track's website at
www.racethunderhill.com.
POTAWATOMI THUNDERHILL RACEWAY RESULTS FROM 7/22/2006
IMCA MODIFIED
20 Lap Feature: Shawn Kilgore, Kewaunee - Todd Dart, Algoma
- Jared Siefert, Green Bay - Benji LaCrosse, Luxemburg - Jay
Matthias, DePere - Randie Back, Green Bay
Semi-feature: Siefert - Rick Johnson, Gills Rock - Randy
LeMieux, Jr, Sturgeon Bay - James Tebon, Algoma
Heat 1: Chris Derenne, Luxemburg - Sean Jerovetz, Little
Suamico
Heat 2: Dart - LaCrosse
Heat 3: Tony Herbst, Sturgeon Bay - Kilgore
IMCA STOCK CAR
18 Lap Feature: Cory Cochart, Kewaunee - Matt Junio, Casco -
Todd Polster, Baileys Harbor - Dave Bouche, Algoma - B.J.
Soquet, Luxemburg - Jeff Vlies, Kewaunee
Semi-feature: Ben Kroll, Green Bay - Craig Paque, Algoma -
Gary Reinhardt, Fish Creek - Tony Schlei, Zion, IL
Heat 1: Rick Mahlberg, Denmark - Soquet
Heat 2: Bernie Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay - Dave Davister,
Luxemburg
Heat 3: Mark Derenne, Kewaunee - Charlie Kroll, Forestville
STREET STOCK
15 Lap Feature: Von Eytcheson, Forestville - John Sternard,
Green Bay - Scott Reinhardt, Baileys Harbor - Jeremy Wiitala,
Green Bay - Jimmy Anderson, Sturgeon Bay - Geno Sternard,
Sturgeon Bay
Heat 1: John Sternard - Thom Terrien, Green Bay
Heat 2: Aaron Thornton, Maplewood - Tim Czarneski, Denmark
IMCA HOBBY STOCK
15 Lap Feature: Keith Kickbusch, Kewaunee - Marcus Moede,
Casco - Chad Kaminski, Luxemburg - Roger LaViolette,
Forestville - Duane Mertens, Luxemburg - Jeff Lautenbach,
Sturgeon Bay
Heat 1: Kickbusch - Lautenbach
Heat 2: Mertens - Laviolette
BOMBER
Feature: Rob Waechter, Jr, Ellisville - Matt Hanson,
Brussels - Mike Jost, Sturgeon Bay - Brian Belleau, Algoma -
Dan Merkle, Baileys Harbor
Heat: Belleau - Jost
4 CYLINDER
Feature: Tony Everard, Green Bay - Tom Zastrow, Sturgeon Bay
- Jeremy DuBois, Algoma - Kenny Malcore, Milwaukee - Kip
Burlo, Sturgeon Bay - Calen Graf, Mishicot
Heat 1: Zastrow - Malcore
Heat 2: Nick Everard, Green Bay - DuBois
|
|
|
|