Thunderhill Raceway Race Reports |
|
Dart
King of The Hill's Fall Classic!
By
Tom Wagner |
|
September 22, 2007; Sturgeon Bay, WI
- - A series of late cautions couldn't stop Todd
Dart from pocketing the $1,000 Modified top prize at
Potawatomi Thunderhill Raceway's Fall Classic Saturday night.
Photo Highlights |
|
A series of late-race cautions couldn't stop #3 Todd
Dart from pocketing the $1,000 Modified top prize at
Potawatomi Thunderhill Raceway's Fall Classic on Saturday
night.
Modified #3 Todd Dart, Algoma, could never shake free from
#X Mike Wedelstadt,
Fremont. through several restarts at the end of the Modified
35-lap feature.
Northern Sport Mod #5 Eugene Gregorich earned his
Thunderhill Fall Classic Championship against some heavy
competition. The Sport Mods proved to be a very promising
class in 2007, their first year out.
Northern
Sport Mod #5 Eugene Gregorich, Kewaunee, fought off DePere's
#56 Doug
Maurer on his way to catch race leader Bernie Reinhardt on
the 10th circuit of Saturday's Sport Mod 18-lap feature.
Gregorich finally took control with four laps to go.
Reinhardt held off another veteran,
Doug Maurer.
Feature winner Brad Lubach took home the Grand National
feature event victory.
In the Grand National feature, #37 Brad Lubach, Elkhart
Lake, jumped from the second row to take the lead on the
first lap and held off pressure by #93s Dan Schumacher of
Milwaukee.
Greg Gretz won out in a wild four car battle in the Stock
Car headliner.
Brian Drexler took home the Street Stock feature win after
snatching the lead in
just half a lap.
Street Stock
#8d Brian Drexler, Oshkosh, ran away with the Street Stock
feature, after an open alley on the low line affording him
all he needed to take the point in just half a lap. Green
Bay's #76 John Sternard was unchallenged in his run to
second.
It will take a while to take the smile off this Thunderhill
Fall Classic Champion, Marcus Moede. Moede grabbed the lead
and the win in his new "slightly used" Hobby Stock Saturday
night.
In the Hobby Stocks, #47 Marcus Moede, Casco, held off
Sturgeon Bay's #10 Brandon Peterson to win their feature.
Moede took ownership of Keith Kickbusch's two-time
Thunderhill championship car, racing it to a feature win his
first time out.
#65 Brett Koehler scored a clean sweep in the weekend's
events. in the Bomber division.
In the Bombers, #65 Brett Koehler, Two Rivers, held off #21
Kevin Lubach, Elkhart Lake, to finish off the weekend with a
clean sweep.
#94 J.J. Anderson used a restart on lap three to win in the
4 Cylinders' 20-lap
Feature.
Luxemburg's 4-Cylinder Champion
#94 J.J. Anderson, Pulaski, got past #x10 Jason Cornelius,
Oneida on his way to his Saturday night win at Thunderhill
Raceway.
Thunderhill's
Champion #8 Tony Everard had a vicious roll-over in the
qualifying
feature earlier in the evening. |
Eight divisions took part in the two day show, with Greg
Gretz in the Stock Cars, Brad Lubach in the Grand Nationals,
Eugene Gregorich in the Northern Sport Mods, Brian Drexler
in the Street Stocks, Marcus Moede in the Hobby Stocks, J.J.
Anderson in the 4 Cylinders and Brett Koehler in the Bombers
all joining Dart as Classic champions.
Dart took the lead from Shawn Kilgore early in the Modified
main, but could never shake free from Mike Wedelstadt,
Kilgore and, for a time, Tim VanDeHei and Randy LeMieux, Jr.
A string of cautions between the 26th and 29th laps, one
that sidelined VanDeHei, kept the field bunched, with Dart
fighting off high-line challenges from Wedelstadt each time.
Brian Mullen steadily worked his way from the sixth row to
finish third, with Eric Scibner advancing from the 8th row
to place fourth. Jared Siefert's fifth place finish
culminated a march through both the "C" and "B" mains.
Gretz won out in a wild four car battle for the lead midway
through the Stock Car headliner. Dicing with Shawn Havel,
Matt Junio and Rod Snellenberger, Gretz slipped through on
the inside, then pulled away from Snellenberger, who took
second with 12 laps to go.
Havel passed Snellenberger, who had raced from the 7th row,
in the closing stages to reclaim second. Rick Mahlberg
finished in a flurry to place fourth with a late pass on
Junio, the early leader.
In the Grand National feature, Lubach jumped from the second
row to take the lead on the first lap. Brett Wenzel kept the
pressure on until the final lap when he slipped to the
infield, handing second to Dan Schumacher. Tim Thompson
pulled off a three-wide pass with a lap to go for a dramatic
third.
The seas parted for Drexler in the Street Stock feature,
with an open alley on the low line affording him all he
needed to take the point in just half a lap. A crash that
knocked front-runners Todd Everard and James Iverson from
the scene with nine to go was the only thing that slowed
Drexler on his march to the win.
John Sternard was unchallenged in his run to second, with
David Hoerning charging from the 7th row to take third.
Veteran IMCA Stocker Bernie Reinhardt made his debut in the
Northern Sport Mods a memorable one, leading nearly half the
feature. He enjoyed a slight cushion after taking the lead
on the 3rd lap. Gregorich pulled into second three laps
later, catching Reinhardt on the 10th circuit.
The two traded first, back and forth, for the next three
laps. Gregorich finally took control, then pulled away
slightly with four to go. Reinhardt held off another
Modified vet, Doug Maurer to take second in his first
open-wheel feature.
In the Hobby Stocks, Moede passed Jarred VanLaanen for the
lead on the fouth lap, and was able to pull away thanks in
part to a race-long battle for second between VanLaanen,
Brandon Peterson, Chris Christensen and Frank Paul. Moede
took ownership of Keith Kickbusch's two-time Thunderhill
championship car, racing it to a feature win the first time
out.
Anderson used a restart on lap three to shoot to the outside
of Jesse Heise en route to the win in the 4 Cylinders.
Thunderhill champ Tony Everard returned to the feature in a
borrowed car after a vicious roll-over in the qualifying
feature earlier in the day.
In the Bombers, Koehler held off Kevin Lubach to score a
clean sweep in the weekend's events.
Race Summary - Saturday Events
Modified 35 Lap Feature
- Todd Dart, Algoma: Mike Wedelstadt, Fremont: Brian Mullen,
Seymour: Eric Scribner, Forest Junction: Jared Siefert,
Green Bay: Shawn Kilgore, New Franken
"B" Main - David Werbelow, Shawano: Kevin Sternard, Sturgeon
Bay: Scribner: Siefert
"C" Main - Siefert: Sternard: Brian Drexler, Oshkosh: Randy
Marquardt, Jr, Sheboygan Falls
Stock Car 30 Lap Feature
- Greg Gretz, Kewaunee: Shawn Havel, Algoma: Rod
Snellenberger, Pulaski: Rick Mahlberg, Denmark: Matt Junio,
Casco: Dave Bouche, Algoma
"B" Main - Snellenberger: Doug Kropp, Green Bay: Dave
Budzban, Luxemburg: Larry Karcz, Jr, Pulaski
Grand National 20 Lap
Feature - Brad Lubach, Elkhart Lake: Dan Schumacher,
Milwaukee: Tim Thompson, Cambellsport: Bob Cullen, Chilton:
Justin Danes, New Holstein: Brett Wenzel, Two Rivers
Northern Sport Mod 18
Lap Feature - Eugene Gregorich, Kewaunee: Bernie Reinhardt,
Sturgeon Bay: Doug Maurer, DePere: Adam White, Oconto Falls:
Jeremy Hodkiewicz, Lena: Aaron Holiday, Green Bay
Street Stock 20 Lap
Feature - Brian Drexler, Oshkosh: John Sternard, Green Bay:
David Hoerning, Appleton: Harley Simon, Seymour: Fred
Davister, Sugerbush: Jimmy Anderson, Sturgeon Bay
"B" Main - Hoerning: James Iverson, Dykesville: Davister:
Jerry Winkler, Oshkosh
Hobby Stock 18 Lap
Feature - Marcus Moede, Casco: Brandon Peterson, Sturgeon
Bay: Jarred VanLaanen, Green Bay: Chris Christensen,
Carlsville: Keith Kickbusch, Kewaunee: C.J. Weckler,
Sturgeon Bay
4 Cylinder 20 Lap
Feature - J.J. Anderson, Pulaski: Jesse Heise, Suamico:
Jaime Miller, Suamico: Jeff Harder, Howards Grove: Jason
Cornelius, Oneida: Jake Wilcox, Seymour
"B" Main - Miller: Luke Lemmens, Kewaunee: Jody Cornelius,
Oneida: Kenny Malcore, Milwaukee
Bomber 10 Lap Feature -
Brett Koehler, Two Rivers: Kevin Lubach, Elkhart Lake: Kevin
Laughlin, Sturgeon Bay: Adam Rex, Baileys Harbor
Friday Events
Modified 20 Lap
Qualifier - Benji LaCrosse, Luxemburg: Tim VanDeHei, Green
Bay: Sean Jerovetz, Suamico: Randy LeMieux, Jr, Sturgeon
Bay: Wedelstadt: Dart
Heat 1 - Wedelstadt: Jerovetz
Heat 2 - Tim Czarneski, Denmark: Dart
Heat 3 - Tom Stark, Egg Harbor: Julie McDermid, Oconto Falls
Heat 4 - VanDeHei: Dan Ratajczak, Frog Station
Stock Car 20 Lap
Qualifier - Junio: Troy Muench, Brussels: Havel: Tony Bouche,
Algoma: Kraig Gretz, Kewaunee: Greg Gretz
Heat 1 - Mike Gilson, Greenleaf: Muench
Heat 2 - Greg Gutt, Clintonville: Bernie Reinhardt, Sturgeon
Bay
Heat 3 - Havel: Tony Bouche
Street Stock 20 Lap
Qualifier - Drexler: Todd Everard, Green Bay: Simon:
Sternard: Ryan Brandes, Brillion: Thom Terrien, Green Bay
Heat 1 - Terrien: Everard
Heat 2 - Brandes: Simon
Grand National 15 Lap
Qualifier - Lubach: Wenzel: Schumacher: Cullen: Danes: Tim
Warner, Malone
Heat - Wenzel: Cullen
Northern Sport Mod 15
Lap Qualifier - Gregorich: White: Hodkewicz: Reinhardt:
Maurer: Duane Mertens, Luxemburg
Heat - Maurer: Marcus Yarie, Wausau
Hobby Stock 15 Lap
Qualifier - Christensen: Dave DeGrave, Luxemburg: Peterson:
Frank Paul, Kewaunee: Moede: VanLaanen
Heat 1 - DeGrave: Peterson
Heat 2 - Paul: Christensen
4 Cylinder 15 Lap
Qualifier - Wilcox: Harder: Jason Cornelius: Anderson: Mark
Kuhfuss, Howards Grove: Heise
Heat 1 - Kuhfuss: Heise
Heat 2 - Anderson: Tony Everard, Green Bay
Bomber 10 Lap Qualifier
- Koehler: Lubach: Laughlin: Rex
Heat - Koehler: Lubach
|
|
|
|