Brad Durbin wins first career Super Late Model feature
at Lake Geneva Raceway!
By Dale R. Erdmann

May 28, 1999; Lake Geneva, WI. - The first night of a long Memorial Day weekend saw the sixth driver in seven weekly race programs, win the 30-lap super late model feature at Lake Geneva Raceway.

The "Friday night Thunder" show, brought local Lyons driver Brad Durbin his first career victory. The only other feature Durbin had won, was one of the Twin 25-lap features, during the mid season race last year.

52899c.jpg (16262 bytes) Brad Durbin (#57) earned his first career Super Late Model feature triumph this evening.

In doing so became the sixth different winner in seven nights of feature action at Lake Geneva Raceway!

Zac Deeringer of McHenry, Illinois took over the point lead in the super stock division, by winning the 20 lap feature. Chad Phillips of Woodstock,IL. won the 12 lap sport truck feature, breaking point leader, Bob Koidahl's streak of three wins. Hometown driver Ryan Mathews and former Badger High School Grad, won his heat and the 25 lap feature for the Mid American super truck series.

Jeff Holtz jumped out of the eighteen car super late model field, with Denny Hiffman, Landry Potter,
Russ Blakley and Brad Durbin all over the leader. Potter got under Hiffman on lap three, with the field still looking like the pace lap. Hiffman spun on lap eight, with everyone missing him. The next lap, both Potter and Durbin, diced for the second spot, while Holtz maintained the lead.

Then Potter made contact with the leader. This resulted in both cars going around. Durbin became the new frontrunner, with Al Schill, Jamie Wallace, Danny Darnell and Bob Moeller the new aggressors, on the restart.

Some days are better than others!  Joe Fischer (#2F) had his car go astray and through some protective fencing off turn two in one of the Super Late Model preliminary events this evening. 52899g.jpg (10441 bytes)

Mike Simon Jr. spun on lap seventeen, stopping the action one more time. Each time, Durbin masterfully held the edge over the field. Two laps later Blakley running mid pack, blew his engine, causing cars to spin everywhere. After a lengthy clean up, the green flag flew once again, with Durbin, Schill, Darnell, Simon Jr. and Jeff Storm trying to move forward.

Those last nine laps were pure non-stop excitement as Durbin held back the challenges of runner up Schill, Wallace, Kent Burkoth, Darnell, a recovered Hiffman, Storm and Holtz.

Zac Deeringer (#02) wound up in victory lane after some hard fought Super Stock action.  Deeringer who also recorded a second in the dash and a third in time trials, has taken a slight lead in the current point standings for the class. 52899d.jpg (13553 bytes)

Greg Peterson paced the super stock feature with an 18 car field, with Dan Huber, Shane Bishop, Ed Kachinski and Todd Peterson close behind. By lap four Kachinski moved into second, with Todd Peterson and Bishop quickly following. Somehow Todd Peterson got under Greg Peterson for the lead on lap eight, after an intense battle, with Kachinski.

52899a.jpg (9165 bytes) 52899b.jpg (11495 bytes)
The end result of a tangle.   In the left photo Scott Eggebrecht (#3) gets some assistance removing a wall protection barrel from under his car, the other driver Troy Weber (#14) is seen in the right photo walking away from his damaged racer.  Neither driver was injured in the incident.

Not waiting, Zac Deeringer moved from fourth, to second within the lap. On lap ten, Deeringer got around Todd Peterson and became the new leader. A lap fourteen incident brought the race to a halt, when Scott Eggebrecht got into the side of Troy Weber, causing him to smash into the wall. Eggebrecht ended up on the protection barrels and Weber had extensive damage.

The restart brought a new round of dicing for positions, as Deeringer stayed ahead for the win. John Janssen nipped Jerry Cowan for second, with Todd Peterson, Mike Kooi, Bishop, Jeff Lorenz and Kachinski completing the top eight.

Three wide for awhile!  The Super Stocks really put on a show for the fans on the third mile-progressively banked Lake Geneva Raceway.  Three and sometimes four wide racing often takes place in the highly competitive division. 52899e.jpg (7610 bytes)

The sport truck feature looked like another Bob Koidahl win, until the last lap, when Chad Phillips got to the front, as Koidahl bobbled. R.J. Ross was second, with Lance Ross and Ryan Hughes next.

52899f.jpg (11686 bytes) Chad Phillips (#14) who purchased the championship winning sport truck of Rolf Tillman, made a last lap pass on Bob Koidahl to win this evenings feature race.

Ryan Mathews, driving a 1999 Ford, was able to hold back veteran Leroy Pettis to win the 25-1ap Mid-Am Super Truck feature race Friday night at Lake Geneva Raceway.

Mathews, a former mini sprint racer in his second season of paved track super truck competition, took the lead from early pacesetter and rookie Mark Eberhart. Eberhart and fellow rookie Mike Schmitz went wheel-to-wheel during the opening laps before Eberhart took the point.

Mathews got past Eberhart and had smooth sailing until lap 22 when the only caution flag of the race flew when Al Brace's Chevrolet came to a halt on the track with a broken hub.

Pettis went to work on Mathews when the race resumed, but could not get past and had to settle for second Bill Prietzel held off Danny Heinritz in a close battle for third place while fifth went to point leader Gordon Swanson and sixth to Schmitz, in his best series finish ever.

Lake Geneva Raceway is located on Bloomfield Road just one and a half mile southeast of downtown Lake Geneva. The track surface is a paved one third mile banked oval.

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

Late Model Division

30 Lap Feature Event

Time Trials
1. #57 Brad Durbin Lyons, WI 1. #14 Randy Rodgers 16.187 Seconds
2. #14 Al Schill Sr. Franklin, WI 2. #85 Danny Darnell 16.467 Seconds
3. #87 Jamie Wallace Pell Lake, WI 3. #14 Al Schill Sr. 16.472 Seconds
4. #19 Kent Burkoth Pell Lake, WI

6 Lap Trophy Dash
5. #85 Danny Darnell Park City, IL 1. #87 Jamie Wallace Pell Lake, WI
6. #41 Denny Hiffman River Forest, IL 2.

#57 Brad Durbin

 Lyons, WI
7. #25 Jeff Storm Waterford, WI 3. #19 Kent Burkoth Pell Lake, WI
8. #20 Jeff Holtz Franklin, WI

12 Lap Semi-Feature
9. #48 Mike Simon Grayslake, IL 1. #48 Mike Simon Grayslake, IL
10. #56 Mike Simon Jr. Elgin, IL 2. #13 Andy Brocker Milwaukee, WI
3. #24 Tommy Goff

Lake Geneva, WI

First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Mike Simon; 2.) Chuck Duncan; 3.) Brocker
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Bob Moeller; 2.) Landry Potter; 3.) Storm

McHenry Limo Service Super Stock Division

20 Lap Feature

Time Trials
1. #02 Zac Deeringer Wonder Lake, IL 1. #43 John Janssen 19.103 Seconds
2. #43 John Janssen Geona City, WI 2. #14 Troy Weber 19.376 Seconds
3. #67 Jerry Cowan Burlington, WI 3. #02 Zac Deeringer 19.376 Seconds
4. #16 Todd Peterson Wonder Lake, IL

6 Lap Trophy Dash
5. #76 Mike Kooi Island Lake, IL 1. #73 Adam Regnier McHenry, IL
6. #17 Shane Bishop Pell Lake, WI 2.

#02 Zac Deeringer

 Wonder Lake, IL
7. #25 Jeff Lorenz Waukesha, WI 3. #43 John Janssen Geona City, WI
8. # 6 Ed Kachinski Lake Geneva, WI

15 Lap Semi-Feature
9. #3E Scott Eggbrecht 1. #89 Bob Koidahl Cary, IL
10. #36 Greg Peterson Paddock Lake, WI 2. #3E Scott Eggbrecht
3. #26 Katie Taylor Chicago, IL

First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Eggbrecht; 2.) Koidahl; 3.) Taylor
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Kachinski; 2.) Jerry Cornelison; 3.) Greg Janutka

Sport Trucks Division

15 Lap Feature

Time Trials
1. #14 Chad Phillips Woodstock, IL 1. #14 Chad Phillips 19.760 Seconds
2. #99 R.J. Ross Northbrook, IL 2. # 3 Chad Ross 20.086 Seconds
3. #55 Frank Caravetta Kenosha, WI 3. # 5 Todd Ross 20.311 Seconds
4. #91 Ryan Hughes Island Lake, IL

10 Lap Heat
5. #89 Bob Koidahl Cary, IL 1. #14 Chad Phillips Woodstock, IL
6. # 3 Chad Ross Zion, IL 2. # 3 Chad Ross Zion, IL
7. #55 Barry Barth Antioch, IL 3. # 5 Todd Ross Grayslake, IL
8. #00 Curt Matson Libertyville, IL

Mid-American Super Trucks Division

25 Lap Feature Race: 1.) Ryan Mathews, Lake Geneva; 2.) Leroy Pettis, Ringle; 3.) Bill Prietzel, Franklin; 4.) Danny Heinritz, Green Bay; 5.) Gordon Swanson, Burnsville, MN; 6.) Mike Schmitz, Northfield, MN

First 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Kim Hedberg, Farmington, MN; 2.) Mark Eberhart, Ripon;
Second 10 Lap Heat: 1.) Mathews; 2.) Heinritz
Fastest qualifier: # 5 Bill Prietzel, Franklin, WI,................ 17.556 Seconds