Potter Late Model streak continues, Poritz takes Sportsman title! Jimmy Olson Jr. Memorial to James Olson!
By Dale Erdmann

September 16, 2000; Lake Geneva, WI. - Again it was an ideal evening for stock car racing, as the Saturday night program at Lake Geneva Raceway was sponsored by Dowe & Wagner Heating and Air Conditioning along with Jim Adams Carstar Auto Body . The sport trucks drivers went out and collected nearly $3100 for an added purse, naming the event after a driver who lost his life on June 2nd. of this year. Winning the overall title was the 2000 champion, James Olson of Woodstock ,Illinois, who is the father of the 15 year old driver. His number 007, was officially retired tonight. Olson walked away with the lions share of that extra purse and the regular pay out, for his performance. Scott Poritz of Burlington won his second career crown tonight, despite having problems in the Performance Unlimited Sportsman main. He did however finish ninth to win the championship while Jerry Freeman of Antioch, IL. won the close race. Landry Potter of Delavan continues to handle his fellow competitors, winning his third 30 lap, super late model in a row. Midwest Enduro hot dog, Andy Szymanskyj of East Troy, a rookie in the Super Stock division, won his first career, 25 lap feature race, in the closest contest of the night and a non stop race.

A fitting win. James Olson (#24) father of the late Jimmy Olson, won the overall victory in a memorial event in honor of his son who lost his life earlier this year.

Chad Phillips night ended before the green flag was shown breaking an axle coming onto the track for the Jimmy Olson Memorial event for the Sport Trucks. Thw green flag fell in the first of two 20 lap features with Chad Ross first and Vincent Merry, then Dave Shine, raced side by side for the lead for the first four laps. Ross stayed in control, now Eric Roberts moved in to challenge for that top spot. Starting last, Olson was now up to third on lap ten, but the two up front were not going to budge, as the champion tried everything to get around them. Roberts got alittle wide on lap eleven and Olson moved through. Ross relinquished the lead to Olson two laps later, but the race for second never stopped until the checkered. Olson won the event, with Roberts nipping Todd Ross for second and Merry nipped Chad Ross for fourth.

In the second 20 lap contest, Merry, then Chad Ross tussled for the lead on the opening go round, with Ross again gaining the upper hand. Lance Ross stayed along side the leader for two laps, before Roberts slipped under him. Again about midway, Olson was looking for a hole. It took until lap thirteen before the lead changed hands , Nith the fight behind the leader. It the oire Olson oon by about the same margin as the last feature, with Roberts taking the second spot. Lance Ross was next, with Merry and Chad Ross completing the top five. After the race, Olson thanked everyone for their support at this time. The crowd gave him a standing ovation. Overall it was Olson, Todd Ross, Merry, R J Ross and Chad Ross. A post race inspection dropped Roberts from the finish.

Saving the best for last! In one of his best runs of the season Jerry Freeman (#61) scored a victory in Sportsman feature action.

Joshua Shaw moved in front of the sportsman championship race, with another rookie Shawn Utphall at his side. Then first year driver, Terry Crowell picked off Utphall on lap three and began to battle with the leader on lap three. Before long it was a see/saw run for the front. Crowell finally grabbed the lead on lap eight, but then LeRoy Potter moved in front, as Jerry Freeman was moving forward and on a mission.

Potter and Freeman put on a show for that front spot, with Brian Baker now third. This lasted for just four more laps, before Freeman inched ahead. Potter wasn't going away quickly, taking the top spot back on lap twenty. Now Denny Norton Jr. got into this cluster. The first caution came at the end of that lap, with Norton and Crowell to blame for the slowdown.

The dash for the final five laps had the crowd on the edge of their seat. Freeman just crossed the line in first, wlth Roberts nipping Potter for second. Quick timer Kevin Rybuck was fourth and Brian Baker fifth.

The late season streak continues...as Landry Potter (#99) scored his third consecutive Super Late Model victory to pad his point lead with the championship on the line next week.

The first green flag in the super late model main event, got things off to a rocky start. The next try brought Don Collins out front, with Jerry Mueller challenging for that top spot. By lap five Collins was about four lengths ahead, with Mueller, Billy Baumeister, Larry Los and Matt Kocourek very close. Kent Burkoth slipped inside Kocourek, then started working on Los.

From second to tenth, it looked like a parade lap, but Potter managed to gain seventh by lap fourteen. There was no stopping this driver, securing fourth two laps later. With just two more laps gone, Potter was on Collins bumper. Entering those final ten laps, things got ugly. First Kocourek stalled in turn four. Then Al Schill, Brad Durbin and Chuck Johnson were involved with the next caution.

Two laps later Jason Hicks spun, stopping the race again. Finally underway, Potter slipped under Collins. Coming down the back straightaway, Mueller got pinched into the wall, flying high off the track. Joe Fischer became part of that melee but no one was injured. Those last four laps were skin tight, as Potter crossed the line ahead of Baumeister, Burkoth, Collins and Billy Skinner, in a very close contest.

A can't get much closer! Andy Szymanskyj (#00-center) streaks to the finish line for the win edging out John Janssen (#43) and Jeff Lorenz (white car) in the Super Stock feature.

The super stock twenty car field hadn't completed one lap, before Doug Peterson received extensive damage to his mount and his night was over. Dave Edwards paced the first lap on the restart, before Mike Kooi climbed in front. Right behind Edwards, was Scott Scholl, Greg Peterson and John Maki Jr. Quickly Mike Bell nipped his way forward. Creeping into second on lap ten. Not to far behind Bell was Andy Szymanskyj, taking over fourth on lap fourteen.

Kooi got wide on lap nineteen, just after Szymanskyj secured second. This made the challenger and the group behind put on some excellent racing for the same spot. Suddenly Szymanskyj surged his way into the lead, with just five laps remanining. Behind the new leader, Jeff Lorenz and John Janssen were joining the fray.

It was just too close to call, as the crowd went wild. Coming for the checkered Szymanskyj just got across the line ahead of Janssen who nipped Lorenz, with fast timer Jerry Cowan edging Bell in this crowd pleaser.

This coming Saturday there will be no increase in admission even though the super late models and super stocks will go down to the final event to determine the 2000 champion in both divisions. Lakes Area Recreation along with Artic Cat ATV's and snowmobiles presents the program, which is the third to the last weekly show this season. The sport trucks join these two divisions.

Time trials begin at 6 pm. racing at 7:30 pm sharp.

RESULTS

SUPER LATE MODELS:
30 Lap Feature: 1.) Landry Potter, Delavan; 2.) Billy Baumeister, Janesville; 3.) Kent Burkoth, Pell Lake; 4.) Don Collins, Tevor; 5.) Billy Skinner, Pell Lake; 6.) Denny Hiffman, River Forest, IL; 7.) Larry Los, Darien; 8.) Shane Bishop, Pell Lake; 9.) Rick Corso, McHenry; 10.) Al Schill, Franklin
18 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Mike Simon, Grayslake,IL; 2.) Chuck Johnson, Rockford, Il; 3.) Mike Vogt Jr., Greenfield
1st Heat: 1.) Chuck Johnson, Rockford, IL; 2.) Mike Simon, Grayslake, IL; 3.) Chuck Duncan, Milwaukee
2nd Heat: 1.) Jeff Way, Burlington; 2.) Mike Vogt Jr., Greenfield; 3.) Don Collins, Trevor
3rd Heat: 1.) Billy Baumeister, Janesville; 2.) Larry Los, Darien; 3.) Garrett Fait, Burlington
Dash: 1.) Brad Durbin, Lyons; 2.) Landry Potter, Delavan; 3.) Rick Corso, McHenry, IL
Time Trials: 1.) Brad Durbin, Lyons, 16.264 Seconds; 2.) Denny Hiffman, River Forest, IL, 16.311 Seconds; 3.) Landry Potter, Delavan, 16.380 Seconds

SUPER STOCKS:
20 Lap Features: 1.) Andy Szymanskyj, East Troy; 2.) John Janssen, Genoa City; 3.) Jeff Lorenz, Waukesha; 4.) Jerry Cowan, Burlington; 5.) Mike Bell, Waukesha; 6.) John Maki Jr., Antioch; 7.) Mike Kooi, Island Lake, IL; 9.) Adam Regnier, McHenry, IL; 10.) Scott Scholl, Menomonee Falls
15 Lap Semi-Feature: 1.) Dave Timan, Lake Villa, IL; 2.) Adam Maas, Woodstock, IL; 3.) Dan Tschida, Lake Geneva
1st Heat: 1.) John Vassh, Racine; 2.) Tom Romey, Crystal Lake, IL; 3.) Adam Maas, Woodstock, IL
2nd Heat: 1.) Craig Mertes, Antioch, IL; 2.) Michael Olson, Wonder Lake, IL; 3.) Erik Engel, Wonder Lake, IL
3rd Heat: 1.) Mike Kooi, Island Lake, IL; 2.) John Maki Jr., Antioch, IL; 3.) Mike Bell, Waukesha
Dash: 1.) John Janssen, Genoa City; 2.) Jeff Lorenz, Waukesha; 3.) Jack Rubach, Burlington
Time Trials: 1.) Jerry Cowan, Burlington, 18.941 Seconds; 2.) John Janssen, Genoa City, 19.014 Seconds; 3.) Jeff Lorenz, Waukesha, 19.191 Seconds

SPORTSMAN:
18 Lap Feature: 1.) Jerry Freeman, Antioch,IL; 2.) Eric Roberts, Zion, IL; 3.) Leroy Potter, Genoa City; 4.) Kevin Rybuck, New Berlin; 5.) Brian Baker, Springfield; 6.) Jocko Terrault, Ingleside, IL; 7.) Rick Corso, McHenry, IL; 9.) Scott Poritz, Burlington,; 10.) Danny Church, Big Bend
First Heat: 1.) Joe Fransisco, Genoa City; 2.) Shawn Utphall, Racine; 3.) Dan Erikson, Lyons
Second Heat: 1.) Terry Crowell, North Prairie, WI; 2.) Zac Deeringer, Wonder Lake, IL; 3.) Denny Norton Jr., Wonder Lake, IL
Dash: 1.) Eric Roberts, Zion, IL; 2.) Kevin Rybuck, New Berlin; 3.) Brian Baker, Springfield
Time Trials: 1.) Kevin Rybuck, New Berlin, 17.216 Seconds; 2.) Rick Corso, McHenry, IL, 17.268 Seconds; 3.) Brian Baker, 17.268 Seconds

SPORT TRUCKS:
Jimmy Olson Jr. Memorial Overall Twin 20 Results: 1.) James Olson, Woodstock, 2.) Todd Ross, Hoffman Estates, IL; 3.) Vincent Merry, Wadsworth, IL; 4.) R.J. Ross; 5.) Chad Ross; 6.) Lance Ross, Woodstock, IL; 7.) Bill Olson; 8.) Bill Vankirk, Racine; 9.) Kurtis Gurtowski, Zion, IL; 10.) Chad Phillips, Porter, IN, IL
First Heat: 1.) Chad Ross; 2.) Vincent Merry, Wadsworth, IL; 3.) R.J. Ross
Dash: 1.) Chad Phillips, Porter, IN; 2.) Todd Ross, Hoffman Estates, IL; 3.) James Olson, Woodstock, IL
Time Trials: 1.) James Olson, Woodstock, 19.397 Seconds; 2.) Chad Phillips, Porter, IN, 19.413 Seconds; 3.) Todd Ross, Hoffman Estates, IL, 19.720 Seconds