Back Best in Door County Mods, LaCrosse Takes Stock Car Victory!
By Dave Panske

August 10, 2002; Sturgeon Bay, WI. - The regular weekly racing program took center stage at the Door County Fair Saturday night with three division giving up repeat winner s and one putting a new face in victory lane.

Photo Highlights

IMCA Stock Car Rookie, Brett Piontek (#84), picked up his heat race win saturday night and topped off the night with a strong second place finish in the feature. B.J. Soquet (#54) won his first division feature of the season saturday night at Door County Speedway.

The IMCA Stock Cars took to the track first with Gary Reinhardt pulling into the top spot followed by Mike Weitor, Don Aregoni and Brett Piontek. At the drop of the green, Benji LaCrosse took his car to the outside and went three wide from 12th spot and into the lead on lap 3. Piontek moved into the runner up spot 1 lap later and the pair started to pull away from the rest of the field. A pair of cautions on laps 9 and 13 kept the field bunched, but each time, the two lead cars would again, pull away from the field. The pack was tight behind after the final restart with Gary Reinhardt, Pat Davister, Wietor, Tracy Koontz and point leader, Craig Paque.

LaCrosse picked up his third feature win of the season with Piontek, taking his best finish of the year in second. Davister took third with Reinhardt fourth, Wietor fifth and Paque sixth.

Tom Daubner took the lead from the pole in the Street Stock main and was trailed by Eddie Anschutz, Shannon Guelette, B.J. Soquet, Kevin Jandrin, Kevin Brungraber and point leader, Kevin Sternard. The pack stayed tight until a series of cautions appeared on lap 10. Over the next four laps, cautions kept the field bunched, with Soquet moving into the runner up spot before the restart on lap 14. Anschutz dropped out of the contest which put Sternard into the top three followed by Jeremy Wiitala, James Tebon, and Mike Soukup.

Soquet took the lead on the restart after Daubner slipped a bit in turn one. Sternard was also able to work by into second. Soquet led the rest of the way for his first feature win of the season. Sternard expanded his point lead by taking the second place finish. Daubner was running third but slid off the track in turn three on the final lap which put Soukup into third, followed by Tebon, Wiitala and Jandrin.

Buck Schmelzer took the lead in the modified main from the pole and set the pace for 2 laps before Darrell Massart stormed by on the outside to take the lead. Randie Back moved mid pack to take over the runner up spot on lap 5 and closed on the leader. Back worked his way to the inside, and finally wrestled the lead from Massart on lap 10, and started to pull away. A caution on lap 13 bunched the field on Back with Massart, Dan Ratajczak, Schmelzer, Mike Cole and George Henkel behind.

On the restart, Schmelzer thread the needle between Massart and Ratajczak to retake second. Cole also moved up into fourth. Back just started to pull away again and left the battle for the runner up spot. Ratajczak hooked up on the outside and worked his way back into second place on lap 20. Back picked up the white flag and it looked like a battle to the finish for the rest of the field, but a spin on the front chute brought out the red as the leaders crossed the finish line, putting the finish by the last completed lap. Back took the victory, his second of the season. Ratajczak was credited with second followed by Schmelzer, his best run of the season. Massart edged Cole for fourth with Jay Matthias rounding out the top six.

Evan Madden led the opening round of the Bomber night cap before Robert Patza, Jr took over, leading the next 3 circuits before Corey Haen took a turn at the lead. Point leader, Scott Reinhardt moved in behind the leader and worked on the top spot until taking over on lap 8. Reinhardt and Haen pulled away from the rest of the field, leaving the battle for third place. Wayne Moore, John Knudson, Greg Aregoni and Patza were running together to the finish.

Reinhardt held off Haen to collect his thirds feature win of the season, Knudson held on to finish third with Aregoni finishing fourth ahead of Moore and Patza.

Three weeks remain on the 2002 schedule with pint leads in all divisions to be decided in the next few weeks.

SUMMARY

IMCA MODIFIED
25 Lap Feature l. Randie Back, Green Bay 2, Dan Ratajczak, Frog Station 3. Buck Schmelzer, Casco 4. Darrell Massart Brussels 5. Mike Cole, Baileys Harbor 6. Jay Matthias, Green Bay
10 Lap Heats First l. Schmelzer 2. Massart
Second l. Cole 2. Ratajczak
Third l. Shawn Olson, Algoma 2. Tim McCormick, Sturgeon Bay

IMCA STOCK CAR
22 Lap Feature l. Benji LaCrosse, Luxemburg 2. Brett Piontek, Green Bay 3. Pat Davister, Luxemburg 4. Gary Reinhardt, Fish Creek 5. Mike Wietor, Green Bay 6. Craig Paque, Algoma
10 Lap Heats First l. Tracy Koontz, Brussels 2. Davister
Second l. Don Aregoni, Sturgeon Bay 2. Joe LeBotte, Kewaunee
Third l. Piontek 2. Jeff Vlies, Algoma

STREET STOCK
20 Lap Feature l. B.J. Soquet, Luxemburg 2. Kevin Sternard, Sturgeon Bay 3. Mike Soukup, Egg Harbor 4. James Tebon, Algoma 5. Jeremy Wiitala, Green Bay 6. Kevin Jandrin, Forestville
10 Lap Heats First l. Tom Daubner, Carlsville 2. Sternard
Second l. Charlie Kroll, Algoma 2. Aaron Thornton, Sturgeon Bay

BOMBER
18 Lap Feature l. Scott Reinhardt, Baileys Harbor 2. Corey Haen, Carlsville 3. John Knudson, Sturgeon Bay 4. Greg Aregoni, Sturgeon Bay 5. Wayne Moore, Sturgeon Bay 6. Robert Patza, Jr, Sturgeon Bay
10 Lap Heats First: l. Reinhardt 2. Evan Madden, Algoma
Second l. Maynard Hegnet, Sturgeon Bay 2, Haen