Schill Sr., Corso and Regnier Share LGR Spotlight!
By Dale R. Erdmann

May 1, 1999; Lake Geneva, WI. - It was the third night of weekly Saturday night stock car racing at Lake Geneva Raceway . Al Schill Sr. of Franklin pulled off a close win in the 30 lap super late model feature. Rick Corso of McHenry, Illinois the current point leader here in the sportsman division, won his first Mid American point series 35 lap feature at the track and Adam Regnier of McHenry, IL. won the McHenry Limo super stock 20 lap feature, in front of a packed house. Over 90 race cars were here.

Al Schill Sr. (#14) dices with Gil Neuhaus (#52) before the start of the evening program.  Schill Sr. would go on to win the evening Super Late Model feature event.  Schill is the defending track champion in the class as well as the current point leader.

The way the first lap started, everyone thought that full moon above the raceway was going to spoil the super late model feature, as a melee took three cars out of the race. visiting Re/Max driver Matt Mylin paced the off set of what would turn into a great feature race. Billy Baumeister, Larry Surleta, Russ Blakley and Larry Loppnow were in hot pursuit. Joe Fischer wove into third on lap three, with Baumeister working on the leader.

Kent Burkoth who started sixth row inside was already fourth by lap five. On lap seven, Baumeister got alongside Mylin, but couldn't get in front.  The next lap, Baumeister shot under the leader coming into turn four, as Fischer was following the Bameisters, every move.

Baumeister inched in front on lap nine, leading the next two laps. Mylin still wanted that top top slipping back in front on lap eleven. One lap later Fischer out maneuvered the field, taking command for one tour of the oval. Then the caution appeared for a Denny Hiffman spin, collecting Landry Potter and Brad Durbin who all were running mid pack.

With the cone out, Fischer took the outside, with Baumeister inside, behind him and Al Schill right next to the second place runner. The green came back out and Baumeister out powered everyone into turn one. Fischer then tried to move under the leader , with Schill along side. The crowd was on their feet, with movement throughout the field, after that last caution tightened it up. Now Burkoth was back in the hunt, slipping along side Schill coming off turn four. Two laps later Jamie wallace joined the cluster, as Fischer could feel the pressure.

On lap eighteen, Schill got around Fischer, but a Garrett Fait sole spin, brought the quick pace action to it's final halt on lap nineteen. The ten lap dash to the checkered flag was intense, as Baumeister held off his compeition for two more laps, then Schill got by. The race was far from over, as Wallace, Baumeister and Burkoth swapped second for the next few laps. Burkoth used a slick inside move to secure second on lap twenty five . But Burkoth wanted even more, getting under the leader Schill Sr., from time to time the next three laps. As starter Dave Rex Jr. displayed the white flag, Schill the veteran of 34 years of racing smoothly held a very slim margin and then
took the win over, Burkoth, Wallace, Baumeister, a recovering Durbin, Fischer, Mike Simon Sr. and Bob Moeller.

Rookie James Swan may have emerged as the newest star in the Mid-American Stock Car Series Saturday night at the Lake Geneva Raceway, but when the checkered flag flew it was veteran Rick Corso who emerged the winner of the 35-1ap feature run in front of the largest crowd of the season.

Swan, driving a Marc Crandal owned 1999 Monte Carlo, truely had the big crowd buzzing as he and Rick Lemmens ran door-to-door for the top spot for the first 26 laps. Lemmens, the 1997 series rookie of the year and the 1998 champion at the 141 Speedway, used the lower lane to try to get inside the rim-riding Swan in his Mid-American start ever.

Tim Schmitt who has been running on a regular basis in the Mid-American Sportsman division at Lake Geneva Raceway, used his knowledge of the track to score a win in one of the preliminary events.

Lemmens was able to inch ahead of Lemmens twice on the 12th and 15th laps, but each time Swan was able to get back into the lead. On lap 20 Corso made it a three-wide race for the lead. Corso was able to pass Lemmens for second position on lap 22. Corso then worked the lower lane with Swan on the top side of the one-third mile paved oval.

Swan, a hometown racer, and Corso, a three-time track champion at Lake Geneva, had the crowd on its feet for several laps. Corso was finally able to get past the talented rookie on the 26th circuit and pulled ahead to win by three car lengths.

A three - wide battle then brewed for the second position as another rookie Kevin Rybuck wedged his 1999 Grand Prix between Lemmen's mount and Swan's car on the 29th lap. Rybuck made up a little ground on Corso, but had to settle for second while Swan inched out Lemmens for third. Bobby Gutknecht came home in a close fifth, holding off Lake Geneva late model regular Landry Potter at the finish line.

Potter's ride got to the track extremely late. He missed qualifying and his heat race. He started at the back of the 13-car last chance race and came home in second position to transfer to the main event.

Todd Peterson jumped in front of the 20 car super stock main event, as Terry Hilgendorf, Norm Paulson and Marry Robb diced for second. On the move was Jerry Cowan, slipping into third on lap two. Two laps later Peterson knew someone was there and before the next lap was completed, Cowan became the leader of the race.

Lake Geneva Raceway's support division has some sharp looking cars as evidenced here by Marty Robb (#2) after a win in one of the evening's Super Stock heat races.

Quickly, Shane Bishop moved up four positions and set sight on the new leader. First timer Scott Eggebrecht was now in third, as positions began to change fast. By lap eleven, Cowan could feel the presence of Adam Regnier, Zac Deeringer and quick timer John Janssen were trying everything in the book to move up. With five laps to go, Regnier grabbed the lead , but two laps later the only
caution came out, as Janssen, Deeringer and Troy Weber got together.

Another good example of a sharp looking Super Stock, is the ride of Greg Janutka which sports the colors of Dale Earnhardt.

Regnier held on to win that exciting three lap dash to the wire. Cowan was second, with Bishop,
Eggebrecht, Jeff Lorenz, Jerry Cornelison, Terry Hilgendorf and Greg Janutka rounding out the top eight.

This coming Saturday night Bill Wildt and his Motorsports Unlimited TV show will come up for the evening. The sport trucks join the super lates and super stocks on the evenings program. The first roll over contest of the season will also take place. Time trials are at 6 pm. racing at 7:30 p.m

Jerry Cornelison (#30) made his way to the winners circle twice during the evening winning both the Super Stock semi-feature and his heat race.

On Friday night the weekly moto cross racing begins at 8 pm. Lake Geneva Raceway is a multi-purpose motorsports facility and both the asphalt oval, moto cross track and off-road race course are located just three miles south of downtown Lake Geneva on Bloomfield Road.

For a complete schedule of the 1999 events , send one large self addressed stamped envelope to: Lake Geneva Raceway 1015 N. Bloomfield Road , Lake Geneva, WI. 53147. If you wish to contact the track the phone number is  (414) 248-8566.

RESULTS

First 10 Lap Heat:  1.) Chuck Duncan; 2.) Steve Bond; 3.) Scott Applin
Second 10 Lap Heat:  1.) Moeller; 2.) John Simon; 3.) Lynn Jr.
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Baumeiser; 2.) Billy Skinner Jr.; 3.) Matt Mylin

First 10 Lap Heat:  1.) Katie Taylor; 2.) Doug Peterson; 3.) Tim Wilson
Second 10 Lap Heat:  1.) Cornielson; 2.) Scott Peterson; 3.) Todd Peterson
Third 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Marty Robb; 2.) Cowan; 3.) Norm Paulson