Schill surprise winner, Lorenz and Pluer
top Mid-Season Championships at Lake Geneva!
By Dale Erdmann

July 15, 2000; Lake Geneva, WI. - It was full moon racing at it's best as Bennett Enterprises of Round Lake, Illinois presented the Mid-season championships at Lake Geneva Raceway, Saturday night. Al Schill of Franklin, the defending super late model champion, may have come across the wire in second, but after a post race inspection, the apparent winner was disqualified, for illegally branded tires and win went to Schill. Jeff Lorenz of Waukesha, had a great night, setting fast time and winning the 30 lap, super stock feature. The sportsman cars had a rough time, with numerous caution flags, that plagued their 36 lap event, as West Allis driver Mark Pluer, who also set fast time, won the drawn out contest.

Rookie Mike Vogt Jr. (#9) spent much of the Super Late Model main event near the head of the pack until this spin.   Kent Burkoth (#19) and Joe Fisher (#2) drive harmlessly by on the outside.

Mike Vogt Jr. dueled With Larry Surleta for the lead of the twenty car, super late model main event, as Bob Moeller, Mike Simon and Shane Bishop tried everything to advance. By lap ten it still looked like a parade lap, with Moeller now in second. Jamie Artelt worked on Bishop, then Surleta and dialed in on second place, with little movement from the rear. By lap thirteen it was a three way battle for second, as suddenly Landry Potter got his break, slipping into third. Within three more laps, there Was a new leader, as Potter looked like he was on a rail.

Al Schill quickly gained some pavement, after running side by side, with Moeller, then Artelt and then Vogt, grabbing second on lap nineteen. Bishop saw a hole and followed the veteran driver and then passing Schill on lap twenty two. By then Potter was some eight car lengths ahead of Bishop.

Artelt wasn't settling for third, as the rookie driver got under Schill, one lap later. Schill bounced back, but now Jamie Wallace was right there too. Fran Prestay joined this cluster three laps later, as Eddie May and Joe Fischer tightened up the field.

The first and only caution came on lap thirty three, as Denny Hiffman collected May, in the heat of battle. This never stopped Potter, as he quickly ran away from the field, as the green reappeared. Schill crept in front of Bishop for second, with Wallace and Prestay neck and neck for that next spot. Those final ten laps were great racing for second through tenth, as Potter won the event. Schill stayed ahead of Bishop, who had Prestay along side him. Wallace was fifth and Fischer. That post race inspection, disqualified Potter, with everyone moving up, one position. This put point leader Kent Burkoth in sixth place.

Jeff Lorenz (#25) had a great night as he scored his first career clean sweep in the Super Stock division at Lake Geneva.

Rookie drivers Rob Summers and Dan Tschida stayed side by side for the lead of the super stock feature for two laps, before Andy Szymanskyj moved into second, with Summers out front. On lap six, second week driver Pete Olson drilled Tschida then collected Mike Kooi, for the only caution of this event.

Szymanskyj scooted in front, with summers feeling the pressure of Craig Mertes. Doug Peterson, Jeff Lorenz and Al Kuphal who were all right there, as Mertes slipped into second on lap eight. By lap eleven, Lorenz was along side on Mertes, with Peterson waiting for any mistake. Szymanskyj lost the lead on lap thirteen, when Lorenz inched ahead. Mertes then tried to get around the fallen leader, but Adam Regnier who had to start dead last after that only caution moved under Mertes for third as Szymanskyj could now feel the pressure trying to fend off Regnier. John Janssen was now in fifth, with Jeremy Tess working on Peterson.

By lap twenty Regnier was second and within two more laps, on Lorenz tail. This was going to be a short lived challenge, as Regnier's transmission was having a problem. Lorenz won the event, with Regnier second, Janssen, Jerry Cowan, Szymanskyj, Tess nipped Mertes for sixth at the line.

Jocko Terrault made only one lap of the sportsman feature, as Terry Crowell and Joshua Shaw raced side by side for the lead. Just a Shaw secured the lead, Shawn Utphall got squeezed into the wall, collecting LeRoy Potter, Crowell, Brian Baker, point leader Mike Monroe, Mark Pluer and Joe Francisco. No one was injured, but Utphall's mount was extensively damaged. Just as the race started again, Potter and Monroe tangled and there was another slowdown. Underway again, Shaw had Eric Roberts at his side and then in front of him one lap later. It wasn't Monroe's night, as he went high onto the wall, scaring everyone around him and causing another caution.

Monroe's pit crew quickly got his mount ready and he joined the field, just after the green, but on the lead lap lap. Zac Deeringer, Potter and Shaw mixed it up on lap fifteen stopping the action again. Then Bobby Gutknecht and Scott Poritz got together for another slowdown. Jerry Freeman looked like he'd walk past Roberts on that next go round, but it never happened. Pluer who had started in the back after one of those cautions was now in second, having passed Freeman with sixteen laps to go.

Monroe was now on the move, but with the field entering lap twenty eight, his mount slowed, for some apparent reason. Roberts looked like he'd pull off the win, but after numerous attempts by Pluer, the persistence paid off, with just three laps to go and the many laps of dicing with the leader, Pluer moved in front. At the checkered, Pluer was just in front of second place Roberts, Freeman, Poritz, Gutknecht and Deeringer.

Next Saturday night July 22nd. D&D Masonry sponsors the program. The sportsman join the super late models and super stocks, while the second roll over contest of the season takes place. Time trials begin at 6 pm. racing at 7:30 pm sharp

RESULTS

SUPER LATE MODELS:
50 Lap Feature: 1.) Al Schill, Franklin; 2.) Shane Bishop, Pell Lake; 3.) Fran Prestay, Silver Lake; 4.) Jamie Wallace, Pell Lake; 5.) Joe Fisher, McHenry, IL; 6.) Kent Burkoth, Pell Lake; 7.) Eddie May, Crystal Lake, IL; 8.) Jerry Mueller, West Bend; 9.) Jamie Artelt, Waukegan, IL; 10.) Don Collins, Trevor
15 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Eddie May, Crystal Lake, IL; 2.) Fran Prestasy, Silver Lake; 3.) Jerry Mueller, West Bend
1st Heat: 1.) Billy Baumeister, Janesville; 2.) Joe Fisher, McHenry, IL; 3.) Mike Simon, Grayslake, IL
2nd Heat: 1.) Bob Moeller, Johnsburg, IL; 2.) Jerry Mueller, West Bend; 3.) Ken Burkoth, Pell Lake
Dash: 1.) Fran Prestay, Silver Lake; 2.) Eddie May, Crystal Lake, IL; 3.) Shane Bishop, Pell Lake
Time Trials: 1.) Jamie Wallace, Pell Lake, 16.267 Seconds; 2.) Landry Potter, 16.312 Seconds; 3.) Shane Bishop, Pell Lake, WI, 16.410 Seconds

SUPER STOCKS:
30 Lap Feature: 1.) Jeff Lorenz, Waukehsa; 2.) Adam Regnier, McHenry, IL; 3.) John Janssen, Genoa City; 4.) Jerry Cowan, Burlington; 5.) Andy Szymanskyj, East Troy; 6.) Jeremy Tess, East Troy; 7.) Craig Mertes, Antioch, IL; 8.) Doug Peterson, Antioch, IL; 9.) Mike Kooi, Island Lake, IL; 10.) Al Kuphal, Franklin, WI
11 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Scott Eggebrecht, Crystal Lake, IL; 2.) Nick Nelson, Lombard, IL; 3.) Greg Janutka, Twin Lake
1st Heat: 1.) Doug Peterson, Antioch, IL; 2.) Dave Timan, Lake Villa, IL; 3.) Greg Janutka, Twin Lakes
2nd Heat: 1.) Scott Eggebrecht, Crystal Lake, IL; 2.) Mike Bell; 3.) Mike Kooi, Island Lake, IL
Dash: 1.) Adam Regnier, McHenry, IL; 2.) Jerry Cowan, Burlington; 3.) Jeremy Tess, East Troy
Time Trials: 1.) Jeff Lorenz, Waukesha, 19.102 Seconds; 2.) John Janssen, Genoa City, 19.113; 3.) Jerry Cowan, Burlington, 19.220 Seconds

SPORTSMAN:
36 Lap Feature: 1.) Mark Pluer, West Allis; 2.) Eric Roberts, Zion, IL; 3.) Jerry Freeman, Antioch, IL; 4.) Scott Poritz, Burlington; 5.) Bobby Gutknecht, Oak Creek; 6.) Zac Deeringer, Wonder Lake, IL; 7.) Joe Fransisco, Genoa City; 8.) Mike Monroe, Pell Lake; 9.) Danny Church, Big Bend; 10.) Monty Coffman, Burlington
Heat: 1.) Zac Deeringer, Wonder Lake, IL; 2.) Shawn Utphall, Racine; 3.) Joe Fransisco, Genoa City
Dash: 1.) Jerry Freeman, Antioch, IL; 2.) Eric Roberts, Zion, IL; 3.) Brian Baker, Springfield, IL
Time Trials: 1.) Mark Pluer, West Allis, 17.174 Seconds; 2.) Scott Poritz, 17.314 Seconds; 3.) Bobby Gutknecht, Oak Creek, 17.337 Seconds