Moeller Overall Winner of MESCS Sponsored Night! By Dale Erdmann

August 31, 2002; Lake Geneva, WI. - It was another excellent night to sit outdoors and enjoy stock car races at Lake Geneva Raceway Saturday. The Midwest enduro stock car series sponsored a McHenry Limousine super stock special. Bob Moeller of Johnsburg, Illinois  may have started 6 weeks late this season but with four fast times including three the last three weeks the 1993 champion has moved up to eighth place in the 2002 point standings after three feature wins this year and the overall winner of the twin 25 lap features after his second place finish in both events. Dan Huber of Antioch,IL.won the first feature and Rob Summers of Lake Geneva won the second feature. Erik Darnell of Beach Park,IL. won his second Budweiser super late model feature of the year and Zac Deeringer of Wonder Lake,IL. won his second 25 lap Performance Unlimited sportsman features of the season.

Photo Highlights

Fran Prestay (#05) unsuccessfully tried to hold off eventual Super Late Model feature winner Erik Darnell (#7) Saturday at Lake Geneva Raceway. Super Late Model feature action Saturday at Lake Geneva saw Denny Hiffman (#41), Jamie Wallace (#87), Rick Corso (#88) and Jerry Cowan (#67) scatter. Zac Derringer (#02) was joined in victory lane by Junior Fan Clubber Angela Morris after Derringer¹s sportsman class feature win at LGR Saturday.  Great finish in the second of two 25-lap super stock features Saturday at LGR! Here Rob Summers (outside) nips Bob Moeller (#63) at the line for the win.

Earlier in the program Dave Kamholtz the track announcer and Kim Byrne director of tower operations presented the safety crew with plagues that a number of drivers suggested after their work last week when Mike Simon Jr. incident happened.Simon, Fran Prestay, Mark Hartline and Jack Rubach spoke to the crowd about what they thought of the safety crews great work.

Craig Mertes moved in front of the first feature for the super stocks with Mike Bell and Pete Olson all over the leader. The next time round Bell smoothly took over the top spot just before the caution flew on lap three for a Pete Olson spin and John Janssen tangle.

Underway one more time Mertes tried to get around the leader but things didn’t change as Dan Huber slipped into third on lap four. On lap ten Scott Eggebrecht Rubach and a lot more cars were involved a turn four incident and out came the caution flag. On the restart again Bell held that top spot with Huber now putting the pressure on the leader. Sonny Schoffen Bob Moeller and John Curio were next as the field remained very tight. Huber and Schoffen diced for the second spot the next few laps before Huber got the chance to get past Bell during lap fifteen and there was a new leader during that lap.

Bell didn’t let that pass stop his quest for another win and quickly he charged back in front. Moeller now joined this twosome and it was going to be another photo finish as Huber inched ahead on lap eighteen.

With five laps to go Adam Mass entered the cluster at the top and this was setting up to be a real great ending to the first race.Suddenly second place was the whole race as Huber got a moment to expand his lead. Right behind him Bell and Moeller had another see/saw battle going on as Schoffen and Mass looked for an opening. Huber came across the line the winner with Moeller nipping Bell for second as Schoffen held back Mass for fourth for a very close finish.

The second feature was just beginning as Tom Fay out ran Greg Bebee to lead the first lap. 2002 sportsman champion James Swan in the Dave Erikson mount moved into second one lap later and before long he was putting the pressure on Fay. A lap three incident between Bebee and Rubach stopped the action.Rubach’s night was over a point leader Rob Summers was looking at the top spot on the restart as he and new leader Swan got by Fay. One lap later Curio followed as did Schoffen and Moeller.

On lap ten Swan could not hold back a raging Summers and the lead went over to over to him. Those next six laps weren’t boring as Swan and now Moeller put up a real show for that all important runner up position. With just five laps to go Summers was in firm command of the lead but out came the caution as Swan broke a ball joint as everyone missed his disabled mount. The four lap dash proved to be an all Summers show as Moeller took second with Curio, Huber and Schoffen rounding out the top five.

If Huber would have finished just one position forward the situation would be different but the two second place runs by fast timer Moeller gave the win to him and the $450 that came from tonights sponsor Team 89 and Power Source racing engines who each put up $50 for the win. Midwest enduro put $1000 into the feature positions.

The super late model feature brought Fran Prestay out front of his outside pole starting position. Mike DeKuester was second with first nighter Brian Johnson Jr and Denny Hiffman next. On lap six with a extremely tight formation Hiffman spun as everyone missed him and out came the caution flag. The next green Prestay maintained his top spot with DeKuester Johnson and now Scott Poritz trying to move forward. Randy Rodgers was in the Jerry Freeman car tonight and he and Eric Darnell were each looking for sixth by lap ten.

Rookie Danny Mecum spun on lap fifteen to halt the race again. Prestay looked like he could hold his own as Rodgers entered second place as the next green was displayed. Before another lap could be recorded Rick Corso and Al Schill tangled and the caution reappeared.

Schill didn’t even wait for the tow truck as his right front tire was down and he drove into the pit area and came back before the next start as did Corso after fixing some sheet metal. On the restart Prestay could feel Rodgers and then Poritz were nipping at the leaders heels. On lap nineteen Jerry Cowan parked his mount in turn three and the caution came out for the final time. This stop caused to be the down fall for Prestay as Darnell was lined up inside second row to the leader. As the green came out Prestay moved in front with Darnell and Rodgers battling for second. Point leader Matt Kocourek was next and Poritz behind him.

For the next five laps it was a back and forth fight for the lead as Prestay would always be ahead at the line. Finally Darnell who had tried the inside smoothly went around the outside and took over the lead on lap twenty five. When checkered appeared Darnell clearly was the winner Rodgers took second with Kocourek nipping Prestay and Poritz fifth.

The sportsman main event brought Zac Deeringer out front at the start. Lap five John Fischer and James swan tangled causing the race to come to a halt. On the restart Deeringer aad Jocko Terault and Denny Norton Jr. to contend with as Kenny Joosten and Brian Baker were next. Deeringer maintained the lead for the remainder of the event leading every lap. Joosten was second with Norton, Baker and Swan rounding out the top five.

This coming Saturday night is the gaunlet race as Starter Dave Rex Jr. and Promoter Kevin Dawson will be in a full size car and some ten BIC drivers will try to put them out of the race on a bubble track surface. Weekly racing continues through October 5th.