Potter tops Super Late Model action... takes point lead!
By Dale Erdmann

September 9, 2000; Lake Geneva, WI. - Even though the full moon wasn't due until Tuesday. It was a wild night at Lake Geneva Raceway Saturday night. The first thing to happen, in hot laps, super stock point leader, Adam Regnier, had his engine expire. This drove back the time trials some 12 minutes. Then as the officials were inputting the super late model time trials into the computer, something happened and the entire night had to be completed manually. Shawn Connelly, a former super stock driver, premiered his brand new super late model. In the second heat, Connelly escaped injury, but totally destroyed his mount, after coming off turn four, riding the wall, then the debris fence and flipping over, landing right before the start/finish line, on it's roof.

The victory in Super Late Model action this evening for Landry Potter (#99) elevated him to the point lead with just two point nights remaining.

After all of that, Landry Potter out of Delavan, raced double duty, winning the 30 lap feature in the super late model division and moved ahead in the point battle, with just two weeks left for championship points. Jeff Lorenz of Waukesha made it back to back 25 lap super stock feature wins. Scott Poritz of Burlington, had problems in qualifying, but led the most important lap of the feature, the checkered flag lap of the Sportsman feature which was called at sixteen laps, because too many caution periods.

Joe Fischer beat Brad Durbin to corner one, as the green flag was thrown in the super late model feature. Jamie Artelt was all over Durbin, with Jamie Wallace, Billy Skinner and Landry Potter to follow. The field was still tight on lap nine, when Wallace grabbed the lead. Before Wallace could establish a comfortable cushion, Potter was up to second. On lap twelve, Garrett Fait slipped into the top six, as the race was still side by side in the pack.

Jeff Lorenz in his first super late model ride spun in turn two, stopping the race on lap seventeen. This was the last thing Wallace wanted to see, because the leader finally was afew lengths in front. With the green displayed, it took three laps of hard racing, before Potter crept in front. On lap later Terry Patnode spun, halting the race one more time. On the restart Wallace charged back in front with Potter, Durbin, Skinner, Fait and Fischer in a cluster for third.

Not the debut he planned!  Shawn Connelly (#03), a former super stock driver, premiered his brand new super late model.   It wasn't the way he expected to debut however, as he got the car upside down in his heat race.  Connelly was not injured in the incident.

With just five laps to go, Potter inched in front of Wallace. But the see/saw battle continued until the caution came out one last time, with just two laps to go when Rick Dittman did a solo spin in turn one, Matt Kocourek and Brian Ulrich had no where to go, but missed the spun car. As the green was again shown, Potter grabbed the lead, Skinner got under Wallace for second, with Fait along side Durbin. Coming across the line, Potter won the event, with Wallace nipping Skinner for second. Durbin held onto to fourth, with Fait and Fischer rounding out the top six. A post race inspection dropped Skinner from the finish, with a right side weight problem. Second in time, rookie driver Matt Kocourek now sixth. With that win, Potter holds a ten point advantage over Burkoth.

Two straight! Jeff Lorenz (#25) earned his second consecutive Super Stock feature win and climbed atop the point standings.

Jeremy Olson climbed in front of the other nineteen cars to make the call of the super stock feature, with Doug Peterson challenging the leader. within afew laps, Mike Kooi was alongside both drivers and racing in front on lap four. By lap six Olson faded to fourth, with Peterson now challenging the Kooi for the top spot. This time Peterson was hooking up, taking the lead on lap eight. The field was extremely tight, with Jeff Lorenz, who started on row eight, already third. Rookies Scott Scholl and Andy Szymanskyj were in a dead heat for third. Right behind these two were the whole Antioch connection, Olson, John Maki Jr., Craig Mertes and first night racer John Vaash, in the former Dan Huber car.

The only caution came at the end of lap ten. On the restart Peterson sailed in front, with Lorenz so close in second. Behind these two, the top eighteen lap were all on the lead lap and now Peterson and Lorenz were dicing for that top berth. Szymanskyj wasn't satisfied with third, as he got under Peterson with just four laps to go. Out of nowhere John Janssen flew past, Maki, then Scholl and Szymanskyj, taking over second with laps winding down. Lorenz held onto the lead and scored the win. Janssen, Szymanskyj, Maki, Peterson and Scholl finished along side each other, in another close contest.

Out front was the place to be!   Mid-American Sportsman division point leader Scott Poritz (#36) had the safest place in the field, out in front of the pack.  Poritz avoided many of the problems which plagued his fellow competitors and came home with a feature win.

Eric Roberts out gunned Scott Poritz from the get go, of the sportsman main event. Poritz secured the top spot on lap five. There were three quick caution points, during laps four through eight, as Poritz started to move away from the field. Lap nine, ten, eleven and thirteen saw more yellow flags. Then someone lost gear end grease around the whole track. The race was called after a restart would produce a yellow. Poritz was declared the winner, with Roberts, Brian Baker, Rick Corso, and Denny Norton Jr. in his second race here.

Saturday night September 16th. will be the first of two championship nights. Jim Adams Car Star Auto Body in McHenry Illinois will sponsor part of the show. The sport trucks led by 2000 champion James Olson of Woodstock,IL. will hold the first annual Jimmy Olson Jr. Memorial race. Twin 20 lap features are on tap, with no increase in admission prices. The sportsman will hold there championship that night too. Time trials begin at 6 pm. racing at 7:30 p.m. sharp. The GEM Pro Karts will be here the following Sunday afternoon with events getting underway at 12 noon.

RESULTS

SUPER LATE MODELS:
30 Lap Feature: 1.) Landry Potter, Delavan; 2.) Jamie Wallace, Pell Lake; 3.) Brad Durbin, Lyons; 4.) Garrett Fait, Burlington; 5.) Joe Fischer, McHenry, IL; 6.) Matt Kecourek, Racine; 7.) Shane Bishop, Pell Lake, 8.) Larry Los, Darien; 9.) Kent Burkoth, Pell Lake; 10.) Denny Hiffman, River Forest, IL
20 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Brian Ulrich, Racine; 2.) Mark Simonsen, Crystal Lake, IL; 3.) Mike Simon, Grayslake, IL
1st Heat: 1.) Don Collins, Trevor; 2.) Brian Ulrich, Racine; 3.) Chuck Johnson, Rockford, IL
2nd Heat: 1.) Mike Simon, Grayslake, IL; 2.) Dennis Carlton, Grayslake, IL; 3.) Mike Vogt Jr., Greenfield
3rd Heat: 1.) Brad Durbin, Lyons; 2.) Tommy Goff, Lake Geneva; 3.) Jamie Wallace, Pell Lake
Dash: 1.) Denny Hiffman, River Forest, IL; 2.) Shane Bishop, Pell Lake; 3.) Landry Potter, Delavan
Time Trials: 1.) Denny Hiffman, River Forest, IL, 16.428 Seconds; 2.) Matt Kecourek, Racine, 16.491 Seconds; 3.) Shane Bishop, Pell Lake, 16.499 Seconds

SUPER STOCKS:
20 Lap Features: 1.) Jeff Lorenz, Waukesha; 2.) John Janssen, Geona City; 3.) Andy Szymanskyj, East Troy; 4.) Scott Scholl, Menomonee Falls; 5.) John Maii Jr, Antioch, IL; 6.) Doug Peterson, Antioch, IL; 7.) Mike Bell, Waukesha; 8.) Adam Regnier, McHenry, IL; 9.) Paul Konieczny, Waukesha; 10.) Jerry Cowan, Burlington
15 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Ada, Regnier, McHenry; 2.) Norm Paulsen, Beach Park, IL; 3.) Scott Peterson, Lake Geneva
1st Heat: 1.) Tom Romey, Crystal Lake, IL; 2.) Scott Peterson, Lake Geneva; 3.) John Vasse, Racine
2nd Heat: 1.) Dave Timan, Lake Villa, IL; 2.) Mike Robertson, East Tyor; 3.) Erik Engel, Wonder Lake, IL
3rd Heat: 1.) John Maki Jr., Antioch, IL; 2.) Doug Peterson, Antioch, IL
Dash: 1.) Mike Bell, Waukesha; 2.) Jack Rubach, Burlington; 3.) John Janssen, Genoa City
Time Trials: 1.) Jerry Cowan, Burlington, 19.168 Seconds; 2.) John Janssen, Genoa City, 19.248 Seconds; 3.) Jeff Lorenz, Waukesha, 19.355 Seconds

SPORTSMAN:
18 Lap Feature: 1.) Scott Poritz, Burlington; 2.) Eric Roberts, Zion, Il; 3.) Brian Baker, Springfield; 4.) Rick Corso, McHenry, IL; 5.) Denny Norton Jr., Wonder Lake, IL; 6.) Jerry Freeman, Antioch, IL; 7.) Terry Crowell, North Prairie; 8.) Mike Dekeuster, Racine; 9.) Shawn Utphall, Racine; 10.) Randy Holmes, West Allis
First Heat: 1.) Scott Poritz, Burlington; 2.) Brian Baker, Springfield; 3.) Monty Coffman, Burlington
Second Heat: 1.) Danny Church, Big Bend; 2.) Terry Crowell, North Prairie; 3.) Eric Roberts, Zion, IL
Dash: 1.) Landry Potter, Delavan; 2.) Jerry Freeman, Antioch; 3.) Kevin Rybuck, New Berlin
Time Trials: 1.) Kevin Rybuck, New Berlin, 17.358 Seconds; 2.) Rick Corso, McHenry, IL, 17.397 Seconds; 3.) Landry Potter, Delavan, 17.414 Seconds