May, DeCubellis and Swan Score Season Opener Wins at LGR! By Dale R. Erdmann

April 3, 2004; Lake Geneva, WI. -When Lake Geneva Raceway decide to open the weekly Saturday night race program for 2004 season the first week of April,you can expect any kind of weather.

Photo Highlights

Eddie May (2) wheels under Kent Burkhoff (93) on his way to winning the initial super late model feature race Saturday during Lake Geneva Raceway¹s opening night. Early in the super late model feature Saturday at Lake Geneva, Jeff Lorenz (25) got turned around. Fortunately, Terry Van Roy (40), Eddie May and others all avoided making contact.   James Swan (97) flies to the inside of Bobby Giers (50) Saturday at Lake Geneva Raceway. Giers led the first 16 laps of the 20-lap sportsman feature before Swan took command and recorded the win. Joe DeCubellis of Salem won his first career feature in the non-stop super stock 30-lap main event at LGR Saturday.

The extreme bottom end is what race fans received as the wind chill was in the low 20’s. But the good size crowd that braved the wind saw some great racing as the 1984 champion Eddie May of Crystal Lake, Illinois pulled off an 8 inch win in the Jim Olson collision super late models 40 lap feature. Joe DeCubellis out of Salem won his first career win ,in the non stop McHenry Limousine Super stock 30 lap feature. In the Performance Unlimited sportsman cars competition was close but former champion James Swan of Lake Geneva was able to take fast time and win the 20 lap feature race.

Before a lap could be completed Vincent Merry got turned and flew onto the infield backwards.The next try Jeff Lorenz got turned around but the field missed him. Finally underway James Olson put his mount out front with Lornez, Mike Meyerhofer, Merry and Eddie May right behind him.

Meyerhofer and May were on the move and by lap four they were second and third in the super late model race. By Lap eight May wrestled his way into second and set his sights on Olson.

It was a good race for the lead from lap nine until twelve when there was a change at the top. Before another lap could be completed Joe Fischer had problems bringing out the first Yellow pages USA caution on lap fourteen. Meyerhofer slipped past Olson on the restart with May in firm command of the lead.

Ryan Matthews and Rick Corso joined the top four two laps later. Just alittle farther back Randy Rodgers, quick qualifier Matt Kocourek and Jerry Mueller were coming on strong. Lap twenty seven Earl Counter spun stopping the action.

This set the stage for a really battle for second,as Matthews and Corso performed a see/saw match to remember.

On lap thirty team players Rodgers and Matthews tangled and another Yellow pages USA caution came out.Again May drove out front, but Corso wanted that spot. On occasion the challenger drew even with the leader, but May didn’t falter. Lap thirty three would never end the first slowdown was for a real scare for Bardon Hill who smashed hard into the turn four wall with Rodgers and Matthews getting involved. Hill escaped injury,but his brand new race car was extensively damaged.

The continuation of the caution came after three more tries to restart,the finally as rookie Jacob Humphrey, Olson and visiting John Nutley were involved.

This set up a six lap dash that was worth the lengthy delay with that last caution. May strutted back in front with Corso and Kocourek fighting for second. With only three laps to go Kocourek tried to move under the leader with no success. Moving outside May knew that he would have to keep his groove or it would be over.

Drawing even with the white flag out, May led the lap, but Kocourek was leading by the end of turn one corner. May would not give up,pulling even in turn two. Kocourek led in turn three and four, with some fifty feet to go, it was a side by side race that could not be any better. Crossing the line together May won by less than eight inches. Kocourek was along side for second. Corso, Jason Hicks, Matthews and Mueller in an exciting conclusion for an opening night.

Joe DeCubellis moved in front of the super stock main event and never looked back taking the win over Rob Summers, fast timer Jack Rubach, Bob Moeller, Adam Mass and Mike Gunderson completed the top six in this great event that went wire to wire.

It took quick timer James Swan sixteen laps to catch Bobby Giers who led from the get go and move on for the win. Swan received an extra $150 gift certificate from Power Built racing engines in Burlington. Giers hung on for a second place finish an a extra $50 from Power Built. Denny Norton Jr. was third with  Jeremy Bloomberg, Jamie Dorsey and Kenny Joosten rounding out the top six.

SUMMARY OF EVENTS Lake Geneva Raceway April 3rd. 2004