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Russ
Blakley wins first Super Late Model feature victory of his career at Lake Geneva Raceway!
By Dale Erdmann |
Before a lap was completed in the super late model feature Jeff Lorenz lost most
of his quick change lubricate all over the back straightaway. When they lined up again it
took everything to get a start.
Finally underway the first six laps were a dead heat with Wayne Freimund and Russ Blakley
out front.
From time to time one or the other led a lap, before Blakley inched in front. It looked
like a parade lap behind the top two with tension mounting as no one could move up. Shane
Bishop and Matt Kocourek were next with Jerry Mueller and Bob Koidahl right these two.
By lap fifteen it was a five way battle for the lead, as Blakley still held the top spot.
Behind the leader Mueller, Bishop, Kocourek, Freimund and Larry Los diced for the second
place position in a race to close to call. Suddenly on lap twenty five Kocourek slowed
with cars braking quickly, but the intense pace continued but one lap later the first and
only caution appeared for a Koidahl spin. Jerry Cowan and Corso got involved in the melee,
as Corso headed for the pit area.
This restart gave afew drivers some ideas when the cone was placed on the surface and that
slowdown was just the break Landry Potter needed to move up. Blakley slipped back in
front, as the last laps of the race were a race for second. Blakley drove a flawless race
coming across the line first with Bishop, Potter nipped Mueller for third,as Freimund held
onto fifth, with Kocourek sixth, Los and Billy Skinner Jr. were next in another near dead
heat.
Tom Fay dumped oil on the surface just as the green was going to be thrown and second year
driver Paul Roscoe spun , causing a complete restart for another feature. On the first lap
Nick Nelson led the top spot for one go round. Dan Huber moved around the leader just as
lap two began, with Andy Szymanskyj, Craig Mertes all right there. Just behind this group,
Adam Regnier and Paul Konieczny battle for that same position. Mertes got an early break
and by lap six he was second .
There was a new leader on lap seven , with Szymanskyj dropping Huber one more rung the
next tour of the oval. Regnier got Huber on lap ten, with Mertes holding a comfortable
margin. The first of two cautions came on lap fourteen, as Roscoe, Dan Tschida and Rob
Summers got together. Mertes marched in front one more time but three laps later Huber got
onto the wall lightly rolling his new race car. Roscoe somehow didn't see the roll and
tagged the overturned mount. No one was injured but Huber wasn't back for the remainder of
this race.
That slowdown gave Melahn the momentum needed to caught Mertes and take over the lead on
lap eighteen. The race for second proved to be a great one, as Melahn cruised to a small
margin of victory.
Mertes held back numerous challenges from Regnier then Greg Peterson for another close
contest. Brother Doug was fifth with point leader Mike Kooi sixth. Szymanskyj held onto
for seventh and Pete Olson eighth.
A post race inspection dropped Mertes from the finish after having to much compression in
his motor. Moving track record qualifier Jack Rubach into eighth place. Earlier second
year driver Rubach who has had fast time all but opening night, toured the third mile with
a time of 18.857 seconds for the new record.
Terry Crowell scooted out front of the sportsman feature, before Zac Deeringer took over
the point. Jocko Terrault slipped into third on lap four, with Nick Schumacher next. The
race was staying very close with Joshua Shaw right on Schumacher's back end. From the back
Shawn Upthall and Brian Baker were on the move. Terrault inched his way into second on lap
seven. The first of five caution periods came on lap twelve when first night driver Jeff
Peterson spun in turn two.
The next caution came two laps later with debris on the edge of turn three. This tightened
up an already tight field, as Deeringer held the lead. Terralt moved in for the challenge,
with Schumacher ,Denny Norton Jr. Crowell ,Jerry Freeman and Brian Baker looking at that
top spot. Lap nineteen brought the next caution as Crowell spun in turn two. Somehow
Peterson got sideways and smashed into the wall after the flag was thrown. The car was
extensively damaged ,the driver was shaken , but not injured. Only one more lap was
completed when Shaw got on the wall and starter dave Rex Jr. thought it would get ugly.
The caution came out, but quickly the cars relined and Deeringer charged back in front.
The five lap dash was intense, with Deeringer the winner. Terralt claimed second, with
Norton nipping Schumacher, Freeman, Upthall, Baker and Ken Joosten were next. After the
post race inspection was completed Deeringer was dropped from the finish due to being too
light.
Because of the rain all week, the roll over contest was moved to this coming Saturday
night due to the infield conditions. The sportsman will join the super late models and
super stocks in the sixth weekly program. The weekly Friday night action begins this week.
The four divisions to be here each week will
be the BIC cars, over 50 were here last weekend for the Saturday program. The Herb's mini
modified , the Perfection Auto Body legend cars and millennium late models. The added
divisions opening night will be the Formula Indy cars and the sideline Motorsports sport
trucks . Time trials both nights are at 6 pm. racing at 7:30 sharp. Moto cross racing will
be on the east end of the grounds for weekly competition at 8pm. on the stadium dirt
course.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS FOR LAKE GENEVA RACEWAY MAY 12,
2001
SUPER LATE MODEL DIVISION
35 lap feature race 1) Russ Blakley ,Palmyra 2) Shane Bishop ,Pell
Lake 3) Landry Potter ,Delavan 4) Jerry Mueller ,West Bend 5)Wayne Freimund ,West Allis 6)
Matt Kocourek, Racine 7) Larry Los ,Darien 8) Billy Skinner Jr., Pell Lake
SEMI FEATURE 20 laps 1) Billy Baumeister ,Janesville 2) Jeff
Lorenz ,Waukesha 3) Brad Durbin ,Lyons 4) Ed Schneidewent Greenfield
1st.HEAT 1) Curt Woodward ,Kenosha 2) Schneidewent 3)Ron
Stoehr,Hebron,IL.
2nd. HEAT 1) Durbin 2) Baumeister 3) Rick Corso ,McHenry
3rd. HEAT 1) Larry Los ,Darien 2) Billy Skinner Jr. Pell Lake 3)
Friemund
AL SCHILL JR. MEMORIAL DASH 6 laps 1) Koidahl 2) Wallace 3) Jerry
Cowan, Burlington
TIME TRIALS 1) Wallace 16.576 sec. 2) Koidahl 16.577 sec. 3) Cowan
16.612 sec.
McHENRY LIMO SUPER STOCK
DIVISION
25 lap feature 1) Dave Melahn ,Burlington 2) Greg Peterson,
Paddock Lake 3) Byron Oaks ,Elkhorn 4) Doug Peterson, Antioch,IL. 5) Mike Kooi ,Island
Lake,IL. 6) Andy Szymanskyj ,East Troy 7) Pete Olson ,Woodstock,IL. 8) Jack Rubach,
Burlington
SEMI FEATURE 16 laps 1) Scott Eggebrecht, Crystal Lake,IL. 2) Tom
Fay ,Arlington Heights,IL. 3) Dave Timan ,Lake Villa,IL. 4) Mike Bell ,Waukesha
1st. HEAT 1) Fay 2) Timan 3) Scott Peterson ,Lake Geneva
2nd. HEAT 1) Szymanskyj 2) Bell 3)Eggebrecht
3rd. HEAT 1) Kooi 2) Melahn 3) Darryl Traber ,Waterford
DASH RACE 6 laps 1) Adam Regnier ,McHenry,IL. 2) Rob Summers ,Lake
Geneva 3) P.Olson
TIME TRIALS 1) Jack Rubach 18.867 sec. NTR 2) D.Peterson 19.286
sec. 3) P. Olson 19.336 sec.
PERFORMANCE UNLIMITED SPORTSMAN
DIVISION
25 lap feature 1) Jocko Terrault ,Ingleside,IL. 2) Denny Norton
Jr. McHenry,IL. 3) Nick Schumacher , Germantown 4) Jerry Freeman ,Lyons 5) Shawn Upthall
,Racine 6) Brian Baker , Springfield 7) Ken Joosten ,Wonder Lake,IL. 8) Bob Seling
,Palmyra
HEAT RACE 10 laps 1) Terrault 2) Freeman 3) Schumacher
DASH RACE 6 laps 1) Mike Lange ,Milwaukee 2) Zac Deeringer ,Wonder
Lake,IL. 3) Norton
TIME TRIALS 1) Upthall 17.334 sec. 2) Norton 17.357 sec. 3) Joshua
Shaw 17.400 sec. |
