Kocourek, Schoffen and Bauer Make it Three at LGR! By Dale R. Erdmann

July 5, 2003; Lake Geneva, WI. - Remember a few weeks ago we were freezing? Well not tonight as sun set temperatures were in the mid 90’s at Lake Geneva Raceway Saturday night. Doug Rose and his Green Mamba melted an ambulance in less than three minutes in his nineteenth appearance here.

Race fans were treated to some excellent racing in all features as defending Budweiser super late model champion Matt Kocourek of Racine just missed a clean sweep, taking second in time, winning the dash and the 35 lap feature race. Sonny Schoffen of Crystal Lake, Illinois the current point leader in the McHenry Limousine super stock division won his third feature race for 25 laps and Midwest sportsman series point leader Josh Bauer of Random Lake won his third 25 lap feature here in the Performance Unlimited Sportsman division on Great Lakes Line X of McHenry,IL. night at the races.

Photo Highlights

Defending Track Champion Matt Kocourek (#43) nips Rick Corso (#88) at the line to win the super late model feature Saturday night at Lake Geneva Raceway. Josh Bauer (#71) was best in the sportsman feature Saturday at Geneva and was joined afterwards by Junior Fan Stephanie Hoff. Track workers check on Tim Sonnenberg after he turtled his sportsman car Saturday at Lake Geneva. He was not injured. Sonny Schoffen (#75) works under Brad Norgard (#4) on the way to winning the super stock feature Saturday at LGR.

Vincent Merry led lap number one of the super late model feature before a tangle between Billy Skinner Jr. and the leader stopped the race with one lap in.Both drivers headed to the pits for repairs.Merry never returned.On the restart Rick Corso charged in front of the field with Jerry Cowan hot on his tail. Fran Prestay last weeks feature winner, Jerry Freeman, Denny Hiffman and Matt Kocourek were next. By lap ten Corso had built up a big lead,but the caution came out for a spin by Mark Hartline.

On the restart Corso drove away from the field again, with Prestay moving past Cowan two laps later. Then the next caution came for a spin by Joe Fischer bringing the field to a halt one more time. The next green Corso again raced in front with Cowan now back in second, Jamie Wallace who took fast time was now third, with Prestay Kocourek and Freeman very tight. Hiffman spun on lap twenty but no caution was needed as he pulled away quickly.

By lap twenty two Wallace had moved inside the leader.One lap later Kocourek joined these two and it was a show of shows as the race fans went wild. Being too close to call until lap thirty one when Kocourek moved ahead briefly for that lap.Wallace moved in front of both the next lap, but Corso was the official leader at the wire. Coming into turn three with the white flag out Wallace went deeper into the corner but moved high on the bank and Kocourek slipped under him and then inched ahead of the leader at the line. The final lap was still too hard to call as they stayed glued together through turn
two. On the back straightaway Corso led the field, but coming into turn three it was a dead heat with Kocourek inside. Drawing even again coming off turn four, Kocourek out dragged Corso and Wallace across the line for this barn burner finish. Cowan held onto third with Prestay and Freeman completing the top six.

Greg Beebe moved in front of the super stock field with Chris McKay, Mike Bell and Ken Eisbrenner all over the leader. Bell got his break on lap three taking over the lead with Brad Norgard now third. The parade lap style of racing continued as Norgard inching into second on lap six. Quickly Dan Huber joined the fray on lap nine, just as Adam Mass retired to the pits with heating problems while running mid pack. Last weeks feature winner Norm Paulsen spun on lap thirteen bringing out the first caution.

On the restart it was so tight with Bell leading one more lap before Huber moved around him. Mike Gunderson was the next to retire with unknown problems while running tenth. Bob Moeller was along side Bell, then second and then the new leader on lap seventeen. Huber wasn’t going to stand for that taking the lead one lap later. Then Moeller slipped in front for one more lap just before Aaron Willms spun off the track in turn four stopping the action for the final time.

Displaying the green one more time Sonny Schoffen picked the right side of the cone on the restart and became the final leader with five laps to go,winning his third feature of the season.Moeller held back fast timer John Janssen, Huber, Bell and Norgard for another good race.

Rookie Steve Hoff paced the sportsman main event for the first two laps before Dave Thomas moved in front. Right behind these two were Bob Hacker, Jeremy Bloomberg and Josh Bauer. Hacker was sent to the pits on lap nine for using too much of the track with Thomas, Hoff and Bauer very close. Bauer inched ahead of Hoff one lap later with last weeks feature winner Gary LaMonte now part of this cluster. LaMonte and Hoff diced for third, the next three laps with LaMonte just ahead at the line, right before Bauer got past Thomas for the lead on lap eleven.

Hoff crept back into third laps thirteen through fifteen with point leader Jeremy Miller now knocking on Hoff’s door as LaMonte moved back into third. It was very close for the top eight with no one giving an inch.Denny Norton Jr. got under Hoff after a three lap battle for the position on lap nineteen. With just five laps to go it was see/saw fight for that popular second place with Bauer three lengths in front .Miller smoothly got around LaMonte one lap later.

The controversy erupted after Bauer won the race just ahead of Miller, LaMonte and Thomas. At that point Hoff got into the middle of the track, then bounced off Norton. Crossing the line in a melee, Hoff was ahead of Norton. Starter Dave Rex Jr. reversed that finish placing Hoff last of the running cars due to that incident. This moved Norton up one position.

The Midseason championship races will be presented by Bennett Enterprises of Round Lake,IL.this coming Saturday night. A 50 lap super late model feature will top off the evening,with $1000 going to the winner. There will be no increase in admission prices. The sportsman cars will join the super stocks on this card. Time trials begin at 5:45 pm .first race at 7pm sharp.