Drivers split $20,000 point fund at Lake Geneva Raceway banquet!
By Dale Erdmann

January 31, 2001; Lake Geneva, WI. -  With a crowd of nearly 260 drivers, sponsors,crew members,families and staff  on hand, the champions were honored for the weekly Saturday night race program at Rumpoles Banquet Hall. The
point fund was just over $20,000 cash and contengincies.

Kevin Dawson served as master of  cermonies thanking  the many sponsors who supported the divisions and the weekly shows. Franklin Racing Productions gave out door prizes for lucky winners. The big news was that Denny Norton from his Performance Unlimited Company coming on board to sell the Hoosier tires at the track for the 2001 season. Sponsor  Kevin Barker owner of Barker's Reconditioning, was not present, so Al Schill presented the checks for the Al Schill Jr. Memorial Dash. There was a tie, with Kent Burkoth and Landry Potter both with the most dash wins, picking up $350 each for their efforts. Burkoth was also the lucky winner in a drawing for the 5 Star Stock car body.

Jeff Lorenz presented a check for $2000, on behalf of his racing team, for Childrens Hospital in Milwaukee. A project orchastrated by Lorenz, each time he was able to accomplish certain efforts during a race program. Some of the money came from his sponsors, but Jeff and his team put in money too. The raceway put in the final amount to bring it over the top. The rookies of the year were Mike Bell in the super stocks, Zac Deeringer in the sportsman and Shane Bishop in the
late models. Performance Unlimited gave out contingency awards to their loyal customers. Scott Poritz and Lorenz picked up $200, Zac Deeringer and John Janssen $100 with   Adam Regnier and Monty Coffmann $50 each. Potter, Burkoth, Brad Durbin, Deeringer and LeRoy Potter all picked up cash from Turbo Blue, the fuel used at the raceway from Torch Oil Company out of Rockford,Illinois.

On March 6th. 2000, super late model driver Jim Kjellander was killed in an automobile accident, Landry Potter a close friend of the late driver, started the season off at the BARS "Let's go racing" show, as he dedicated the season to Kjellander. First a sportsmanship award was established and the number 55, that Kjellander ran during his racing career was put on the Potter race car. In an emotional presentation Potter gave the first "Jim Kjellander"sportsman award to Jeff Lorenz.

What put Lorenz over the top was the night John Janssen blew his radiator, coming in the pit area, Lorenz crew helped get Janssen back on the track before the feature that night. Willy Peterson received honorable mention. Gift certificates from 5 Star Stock Car Bodies went to Lorenz and Poritz.

A special announcment came from Marty Robb of McHenry Limo, the 2001 season will see the first time the super stocks will receive at least $125, if they win the 25 lap feature. Performance Unlimited will increase the sportsman feature to a $300 to win and the super late models will receive a $700 to win the feature on a sponsored night. Nearly $225,000
in purse payouts went to the drivers in 2000. The first point fund in 1984, the year Dawson became promoter was $2620.

The first division up for their awards were the super stocks, eighteen drivers received point fund checks. The 2000 champion was Jeff Lorenz from Waukesha, who went down to the last night in the close contest with runner up Jerry Cowan and third place John Janssen. Both Lorenz and Cowan will be racing super late models in 2001. Adam Regnier who had a perfect first half of the season finishing fourth, after being plagued  with engine problems during the last month of the season. Mike Kooi, Doug Peterson, John Maki Jr., Andy Szymanskyj, Mike Bell and Jack Rubach rounded out the top ten.

With just three night to go in the 2000 season, it looked like defending champion Scott Poritz would not pull off his 5th.
championship. But Poritz with the help of an error in racing by a fellow driver helped the Burlington driver win another crown. Brian Baker was runner up after a great season. Zac Deeringer who won the super stock title the year before, took third .LeRoy Potter ran strong, finishing fourth Eric Roberts who raced in two divisions was fifth. Jerry Freeman, Mike
Monroe, a former moto cross racer and second generation driver, Monty Coffman, Terry Cowell, Shawn Upthall and Joshua Shaw made up the top ten finishers.

The super late models were up next,winning his first super late model championship was Landry Potter of Delavan. Potter from the famous racing family won a street stock title in 1991. Kent Burkoth was a close second, with former late model king pin Jamie Wallace third Brian Durbin was fourth, with Shane Bishop, Denny Hiffman, Joe Fischer, Brian Ulrich, Al Schill, who was top per night point getter making only 63% of the shows, still made the top ten with a ninth place point finish and first year racer Jamie Artelt rounded out the top ten.