Lange Overall Sportsman Twin 25 Winner! By Dale Erdmann

June 8, 2002; Lake Geneva, WI. - It was another excellent night for racing on Saturday night at Lake Geneva Raceway.This was the first sportsman double header held with sponsors Lynch Motors, McHenry Limousine Service, Performance Unlimited, WIIL and WXET Radio stations in attendance the overall winner of the twin 25 lap features was Mike Lange from Milwaukee the defending division champion. Lange won the first race and took second in the last for the $500 to win. Al Schill of Franklin a multi time champion here and current point leader won his first 35 lap feature of the season in the Budweiser Super Late Models. Rob Summers of Lake Geneva had a great night in the super stock division taking fast time and winning the 25 lap feature.

Photo Highlights

Al Schill (#14) dives under Fran Prestay (#05) on his way to wining the super late model main at Lake Geneva Saturday. Late model feature race action Saturday at Lake Geneva saw a mulit-car incident involving Terry Patnode (Center), Ken Burkoth (#23), Eric Darnell (#7), and Ron Stoehr. Nick Schumacher won the second of the twin-25 Mid-American feature races this Saturday at Lake Geneva Raceway. Rob Summers (#38) was victorious in Super Stock feature racing this evening.

Rick Rowlett moved in front of the first 25 lap feature for the sportsman cars with George Schultz in his first oval track race after years of off road racing in second. On lap three Denny Norton Jr. bounced off the wall after getting squeezed in a three deep situation bringing out the first caution.Norton’s mount received extensive damage but after some hard work it would return in the final feature. Schultz shot in front on the restart with Mike Lange right with him .Jeff Peterson spun for the next caution two laps later.

Underway again Schultz surged in front with Lange having problems with third place runner Lee Gibbs. Lange shook Gibbs and by lap ten there was a new leader. Schultz held onto second until lap twenty one when Zac Deeringer moved around him. Lange went on to win his first feature of the season with Deeringer just afew lengths back Schultz held back James Swan for third with Brian Baker and Gary LaMonte next.

The next feature got off to a rocky start as John Fischer slid off turn three taking Brian Baker with him. Under green again Gary Norton moved in front of the field with Jeff Peterson, Nick Schumacher next. Another caution ensued and then Schumacher forged in front with Peterson, Kenny Joosten and Mike Lange all over the leader. Norton got the black for problems and then another caution came on lap eight as another cluster of race cars tangled at the end of turn four.

Schumacher’s big lead was again gone as Lange was now right behind him. Within afew laps there was a foursome at the top as Eric Pierce and Zac Deeringer joined the fray at the top .The only other incident came with the white flag out after Pierce spun with Schumacher the winner, Lange second, Deeringer third, Joosten, Denny Norton Jr. and Baker finished in the top six. Overall was Lange, Deeringer, Schumacher, Baker, LaMonte, and Joosten.

The super late model feature could even get a lap in as cars went everywhere after a false start came when outside pole sitter Rick Corso jumped the gun. Eddie May went to the pits after flying off the turn one embankment but returned just in time for the next green.

Corso darted out front with Terry Patnode and Erik Darnell battling for second. Just behind them Jerry Cowan, Kent Burkoth in the Brian Ulrich car and Chuck Duncan were just waiting any mistakes.

Darnell worked on the leader from laps four through six before the young driver moved into the lead. Now third place Patnode put the pressure on Corso as the top three were extremely close. Then on lap twelve the unthinkable happened when Corso got into the leader causing a spin. Both drivers went to the back and now Patnode was the leader. Just a quick as the lead changed hands another incident happened as Burkoth got into the leader and another spin ensued.

These two went to the back and now Fran Prestay was the new leader with Al Schill challenging on the restart. Third place Joe Fischer got up on the wall but everyone continued as the front was really tight. On lap twenty five turn four was nearly blocked after Jamie Wallace, Patnode, Burkoth, and Darnell tangled. On the next green flag lap Prestay was still out front with Matt Kocourek moving into second. This was short lived as Schill moved back into second. It was going to be a see saw battle as they diced for the lead.

Coming for the white flag Prestay got wide and Kocourek gained second but time ran out for any challenge. Schill was the winner with Kocourek, Prestay, Cowan, Denny Hiffman, Eddie May in a great recovery after that first lap melee. A post race inspection dropped Cowan from the finish after officials found an illegal carburetor. This put Jerry Freeman up to sixth.

The super stock feature saw John Maki Jr. move in front of the field after shaking Pete Olson loose.Craig Mertes was next with Mike Gunderson right there. Until lap seventeen things remained the same but then Scott Eggebrecht tangled with Gunderson and then out came the only caution of the event. This gave Olson a second wind and he led one lap before Maki came back in front.

But the caution had helped Rob Summers and before another lap was in the books there was a new leader. The six last laps were great as Summers held on for the win, Dan Huber nipped Maki, with Jack Rubach, Olson, and John Janseen rounding out the top six.

Next Saturday night E&C drywall of Lake Geneva sponsors round two of the no bull Challenge series.$1000 will be going to the super late model feature winner.The super stocks and sportsman will also be here. Time trials begin at 5:45pm and the first race at 7pm.