Mid-Season Championship race to Mueller! By Dale Erdmann

June 29, 2001; Lake Geneva, WI. -  Bennett Enterprises of Round Lake Beach ,Illinois sponsored the mid-season championship on Friday night at Lake Geneva Raceway. Jerry Mueller of West Bend scored back to back feature wins in the 40 lap super late model feature, after winning the feature last Saturday night in his first career win, collecting $1000 for his efforts. Brian Baker of Springfield won his second 20 lap Performance Unlimited Sportsman feature and Todd Booker of Hebron,IL won his second Basic International car 25 lap feature race of the season.

Photo Highlights

Jerry Mueller (#49) slips past Wayne Friemund (#44) on his way to winning the Super Late Model main event at Lake Geneva Friday. The win was his second straight Brian Baker (#32) was joined in victory lane by Junior Fan Club member  D.J. Jones after Baker won the sportsman main event at 'Geneva Friday. Todd Booker (#69) topped the BICS event at LGR Friday after starting deep in the feature field.

Jeff Way grabbed the lead of the super late model feature with Wayne Friemund, Jerry Cowan and Joe Fischer next. Visiting Jeff Storm joined the fray up front by lap six. But then came the first caution as fast qualifier Ryan Matthews and point leader Billy Skinner Jr. tangled with Rick Corso getting involved damaging his fender just as Friemund took over the top spot. On the restart Friemund walked the field with Way, Storm and now Joe Fischer next. By lap ten things were getting very tense as Fischer got into the back of Storm but both continued.

On lap eighteen Friemund looked like he would easily win the event, but trouble began as Denny Hiffman had something break coming off turn two.Jamie Wallace and Landry Potter got collected in this racing incident. No one was injured. But Hiffman’s night was over but Potter returned before the green flag restart. Wallace lost two laps.On lap twenty Fischer led briefly before Cowan spun in turn one, collecting half the field. On the restart Jerry Mueller roared in front with Storm second. Two laps later there was another slowdown . This bunched up an already tight field with Billy Skinner Jr. now second.

Brian Ulrich just entered the top four when the final caution appeared on lap thirty one for a Joel Clossey and John Baumeister get together. At the next green Mueller walked the competition and for the next eight laps it was a picture perfect leader with Mueller picking up the win as Skinner claimed second followed by Friemund, Larry Simonsen, Rick Corso, Chuck Duncan, Clossey and Baumeister.

The sportsman feature brought Brian Baker in front off his pole starting position never looking back even with two caution periods. The first between Jerry Freemand and Denny Norton Jr. At the wire Baker held back fast timer Zac Deeringer, a recovered Norton, point leader Mike Lange, Mark Guess, Shawn Upthall and Freeman.

It took Todd Booker twenty laps to move through the field after starting in the tenth row of the BIC feature after passing some stiff competition Booker led those final five laps finishing just in front of Bill Webb, Jeff Baum, John Day,Tony Buerfato and Bob Koch the defending champion. Nearly fifty BIC cars qualified.

Next Friday night the regular family fun night program returns. The Rascal Outlaws join the Millennium Late models, Herb’s mini modifieds, BIC cars and Perfection Auto Body legend cars. Time trials begin at 6pm. racing at 7:30 sharp.

SUMMARY OF EVENTS LAKE GENEVA RACEWAY, LAKE GENEVA, WI. --  June 29, 2001