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Lake Geneva Raceway presents
Round and Around by Fay Hendricks
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See you for the 2006 Season opener in April
Round and Around:  By Fay Hendricks
The following is a column written by Fay Hendricks for The Checkered Flag Racing News. This race publication began in 1968 and ceased operations as of July 13, 2005. The wife of 7-time sportsman and mini stock champion Jim Hendricks, Fay has been writing since 1981. As a way to allow readers to continue following the travels of Fay Hendricks around several venues, Lake Geneva Raceway owner-promoter Kevin Dawson has decided to offer the columns here. We hope you enjoy the reading.
July 8, 2006  -  We have reached the mid-season championship point of Lake Geneva Raceway’s final season, the weeks slipping by way too quickly. Stopping by for a visit were alternating bands of weather, some with light rain, others with sunshine. But despite drops falling, there were only a few delays in the program, and things finished before curfew time. Getting there was the challenge. After four dashes there was a rain delay for about 15 minutes just as the heats were to begin. After three heats had been run, the first late model heat was about to start when more water was sprinkled from above.

Maybe you can’t fool with Mother Nature, but you shouldn’t fool with Kevin Dawson and his crew. With treaded tires, the Basic International Cars (BIC) were substituted in the program, running their heats. Just before the semi another bout of rain ate up another 15 minutes. The rest of the program was run without another rain delay, but also without winner’s interviews on the frontstretch. This was a shame, but in hindsight we can see that they would have gone over curfew time otherwise.

The first feature of Saturday night began with the sportsman group joined in progress by late-comer Jack Clark for one lap. We wonder why he bothered, but then again the points matter at the end of the season. The entire 30 circuits went without a hitch, with Cliff Adee leading the pack from the pole to earn his very first feature win. We could see this was a big moment for the Minnesota native, and can only imagine all the people he would thank for their help achieving his dream. Withstanding the fast-closing Erik Pierce and Bobby Giers only made the win more special.

Super stock semi winner, 14-year old Tyler Peterson, was absent when the feature field came onto the track. Second-place finisher Derrick Perrier started the 30-lap main along with Cyndi Krause instead. The 20-car field began with Al Kuphal taking over from Mike Olson when a wheel came off the Jamie Starks mount on the third lap. A few circuits later Scott Norton caused the yellow flag to fly, and Sam Redmond took his turn at the point for a few more laps until Craig Mertes sailed past him. Mertes held on through one more yellow for a huge spill cleanup and was on his way to the checkered flag when the caution lights went on again. Another spewing car, more oil drying compound, and more time to worry about every nut and bolt in the car. At this track the races always finish with at least a green-white-checkered flag series, giving the drivers a fair chance at changing their fate. Mertes was able to keep it together and maintain his position despite Adam Regnier charging to the final stripe from his 16th-place start. For those with expired engines, this was not a good night.

The late model field began with Illinois standout Jeremy Miller making his first start of the season at Lake Geneva, and Sonny Schoffen brought out a familiar car formerly driven by someone else. Mike Simon Jr. piloted the spare mount of his father, James Swan drove Terry Patnode’s car, and Fran Prestay piloted his own machine that had been used by Josh Wallace. The customary roll of the die to determine the field’s inversion was foregone this night. The 50-lap contest began with quick-timer Randy Rodgers beginning in the fourth row instead of the usual rows six through eight. Schoffen took off from the pole, but had to stop when John Baumeister’s drive shaft brought out the caution on the opening lap. The 21-car field was able to choose their lane after four more restarts, and for some it made a big difference. Shortly before the halfway point Rodgers had made it to the front and held on for three slowdowns to make his night complete. The win was long-due for the Lake Geneva driver, for we have seen Rodgers begin far too many seasons getting caught in big crashes that destroyed his equipment.

The weekly fans are used to the late model feature finishing off Saturdays at Lake Geneva, but this week the BIC feature took over closing time. With a nonstop 20-lap race, the 20-car field did themselves proud. The lead was held by four different drivers in the first six laps.. At the start there were two drivers who jumped ahead by a couple rows before they reached the frontstretch, and they were shown the black flag despite the fact they had made it to the top of the running order. Leo Bujak wended his way through lapped cars and avoided disaster to take the checkered flag with minutes to spare before curfew time arrived.

The final half of the final season at Lake Geneva Raceway begins next Saturday with the second round of the No Bull Triple Crown for the coveted big bucks. We will have to miss it, as we will be at a racer‘s reunion at the Plymouth dirt track then. There will be a reunion of Lake Geneva racers on September 9 during the regular Saturday program, so mark it on your calendars. Everyone who once ran at the old or new oval, and maybe even the dragstrip, will have one final chance to say farewell. Also added to the season is an open-wheel show of HOSS Outlaw Sprint cars along with the Big 8 late model series on Thursday, August 3. The sprint group is the same field that new all-time record time holder Tim Cox normally competes in, and there may be even quicker laps that night.

 
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