Weekly Race Reports
LEMIEUX, BOUCHE, HOLIDAY, DEGRAVE AND STERNARD VICTORIOUS AT THUNDERHILL!
By Chris Budzban
May 10, 2008; Sturgeon Bay, WI - John Sternard and Aaron Holiday took home their first career feature wins in the street stock and IMCA northern sport mod divisions respectively on opening night at the Forest County Potawatomi Thunderhill Raceway.
Photo Highlights
Sturgeon Bay's Billy LeMieux won the opening night feature at the Forest County Potawatomi Thunderhill Raceway. It was an emotional win as LeMieux had a borrowed motor on board to grab the coveted win.
IMCA Modified #3L Billy LeMieux charged hard on the inside line with four laps to go in the feature to overtake the lead from #73 Dan Ratajczak. LeMieux took home the win, followed by Ratajczak, Tim Van De Hei, Todd Dart and Jeremy Jacobs.
#21 Algoma's Dave Bouche scored his first 2008 feature win followed by Greg Gretz and Shawn Havel.
#21 Algoma's Dave Bouche went wheel-to-wheel with #9 Shawn Havel in the IMCA Stock Car feature. At the end, Bouche scored his first 2008 win. Greg Gretz settled for second, followed by Havel and Todd Polster who came through the consy. Troy Muench was fifth and Scott Pagels took sixth.
#14 Aaron Holiday took home his first career feature win in the IMCA Northern Sport Mod division on opening night at the Forest County Potawatomi Thunderhill Raceway.
In the Sport Mod feature, #14 Aaron Holiday got past #31 Jeff DuBois to take his first career feature win. DuBois took second, Jeff Vlies, Brad Lautenbach, Jerry Kroll and Keith Kickbusch followed.
Dave DeGrave of Luxemburg once again put on another dominant performance in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. DeGrave is now three for three in feature events this season at Luxemburg and Sturgeon Bay.
#40D Dave DeGrave swapped the lead with #31 Jarred VanLaanen and weaved his way through lapped traffic to take home the victory. Brandon Peterson made his way up to a second place finish.
Sturgeon Bay's John Sternard was joined by his father, Les Sternard, after he took home his first career feature win in the Street Stock division after twenty 2nd place finishes. John is a second-generation racer and competes weekly along with his brother Kevin at Thunderhill Raceway.
Street Stock #76 John Sternard went wheel-to-wheel with David Hoerning in an exciting feature finish with both race leaders carefully threading their way through lap traffic. At the end, it was Sternard with his first career win.
The 4-Cylinder feature did not run due to rain and curfew, but in the second 4-Cylinder heat race, #15x Jody Cornelius, Oneida, gave his son Jason (#10x), some racing lessons in a great heat race!
Frog Station's Dan Ratajczak took command early in the IMCA modified feature event, and built up a sizable lead on the rest of a field. Billy LeMieux charged hard on the inside line with four laps to go to overtake the lead. LeMieux took home the win, followed by Ratajczak, Tim Van De Hei, Todd Dart and Jeremy Jacobs.
Brussels' Troy Muench and Algoma's Dave Bouche battled early in the IMCA stock car feature, with Greg Gretz and Shawn Havel on their heels. Bouche built up a nice lead when the caution flag flew for Cory Cochart and Matt Junio. Another caution flag flew with three laps to go, but Bouche hung on for the victory. Gretz settled for second, followed by Havel and Todd Polster who came through the consy. Muench was fifth and Scott Pagels took sixth.
Bernie Reinhardt led the early stages of the IMCA northern sport mod feature, but was quickly challenged by 2007 track champion Jeff DuBois. DuBois took the lead, and Reinhardt spun into the infield on lap 4. Aaron Holiday chopped away at DuBois' lead in the late stages, and a late caution set up a great finish. Holiday got under DuBois to take his first career feature win. DuBois took second, Jeff Vlies, Brad Lautenbach, Jerry Kroll and Keith Kickbusch followed.
Dave DeGrave of Luxemburg once again put on another dominant performance in the IMCA hobby stock division. DeGrave took the lead from Jarred VanLaanen early on and weaved his way through lapped traffic to take home the victory. Brandon Peterson made his way up to a second place finish, followed by Jason LaViolette, Roger LaViolette and VanLaanen. DeGrave is now three for three in feature events this season at Luxemburg and Sturgeon Bay.
Hometown driver John Sternard picked up his first career win in the street stock division. Both he and David Hoerning were side by side racing through lapped traffic until the end. Sternard had the inside line and Hoerning was boxed in coming to the checkers, allowing Sternard to pick up the victory. Hoerning was the runner up, Todd Everard, Harley Simon and Jimmy Anderson rounded out the top five.
The 4 cylinder feature did not run due to rain and curfew.
Next week is the IMCA hobby stock night sponsored by the Ladder House Bar and Grill. Racing gets underway at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening. The track's website is www.racethunderhill.com. For more information, call (920) 743-7052.
RACE SUMMARY
IMCA MODIFIED FEATURE - Billy LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; Dan Ratajczak, Frog Station; Tim Van De Hei, Green Bay; Todd Dart, Algoma; Jeremy Jacobs, Luxemburg; Randy LeMieux, Jr., Sturgeon Bay
Heat 1 - Benji LaCrosse, Luxemburg; Jacobs
Heat 2 - Van De Hei; Dart
IMCA STOCK CAR FEATURE - Dave Bouche, Algoma; Greg Gretz, Kewaunee; Shawn Havel, Algoma; Todd Polster, Sturgeon Bay; Troy Muench, Brussels; Scott Pagels, Egg Harbor
Semi-Feature 1 - Polster; Brett Koehler, Two Rivers
Semi-Feature 2 - Marty Abshire, Waukesha; Jamie Suchoski, Forestville
Heat 1 - Rick Mahlberg, Green Bay; Bernie Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay
Heat 2 - Matt Junio, Casco; Gretz
Heat 3 - Bouche, Von Eytcheson, Forestville
Heat 4 - Charlie Kroll, Forestville, Havel
IMCA NORTHERN SPORT MOD FEATURE - Aaron Holiday, Green Bay; Jeff DuBois, Luxemburg; Jeff Vlies, Kewaunee; Brad Lautenbach, New Franken; Jerry Kroll, Luxemburg; Keith Kickbusch, Kewaunee
Heat - Ryan LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; DuBois
IMCA HOBBY STOCK FEATURE - Dave DeGrave, Luxemburg; Brandon Peterson, Sturgeon Bay; Jason LaViolette, Green Bay; Roger LaViolette, Forestville; Jarred VanLaanen, Green Bay; Jeff Lautenbach, Sturgeon Bay
Heat 1 - DeGrave; Peterson
Heat 2 - Roger LaViolette; Marcus Moede, Luxemburg
STREET STOCK FEATURE - John Sternard, Sturgeon Bay; David Hoerning, Appleton; Todd Everard, Green Bay; Harley Simon, Seymour; Jimmy Anderson, Sturgeon Bay; Joe Johnson, Oneida
Heat 1 - Anderson; Jeremy Wiitala, Seymour
Heat 2 - Hoerning; Sternard
4 CYLINDER FEATURE - Rained Out/Curfew
Heat 1 - Jared Smith, Luxemburg; Kenny Malcore, Milwaukee
Heat 2 - Jody Cornelius, Oneida; Jason Cornelius, Oneida
