Patnode on a roll at Lake Geneva Raceway!!

By Dale R. Erdmann

July 26, 1997; Lake Geneva, WI.

It was a hot, humid night as light rain swept through the area just before time trials were to begin. But the weekly Saturday night race program, sponsored by 5 Corners Dodge, in Cedarburg went off as scheduled. Terry Patnode of Oak Creek won his first career feature two weeks ago. Tonight Patnode drove a fabulous race to win his second 30 lap super late model feature of the 1997 season. Zac Deeringer of McHenry, IL, won his second 20 lap Herb's street stock feature as point leader, Donny Kachelmeier of Waukesha, won his second 25 lap Performance Unlimited sportsman main event. Galen Manternach of Nekoosa broke the Curt Gnatzig streak winning the 20 lap Select Performance Legends car feature.

David Ray Salentine grabbed the lead of the intensely tight late model feature. Visiting Bobby Fox was second, with Billy Baumeister, Kent Burkoth and Mark Hartline right on his tail. With a side by side situation, Jeff Holtz moved up and was challenging Hartline and Burkoth. On lap 3, the first of too many cautions was displayed. Larry Surletta had dumped fluid around the oval while running 11th.

Terry Patnode (#5) has been on a roll, just two short weeks ago he earned his first career Super Late Model win. Tonight he came back to add a second career feature victory to his win list.

On the restart Salentine forged his way out front with Fox, Burkoth, Baumeister, Holtz, and Hartline all over the leader. By lap 7 Patnode, who started fourth row outside, was pressuring Hartline and Holtz. Two laps later, Joe Fischer spun all alone, causing the second restart. When the green came back out, Salentine maintained his command of the top spot, while Burkoth got under Baumeister for third. It was one of the closest contests of the season, as the race produced some exciting laps. Then on lap 12, Baumeister spun around, facing traffic, bringing out another caution.

This intensified the pace, as the cone was placed on the oval. Salentine took the high road, with Hartline dipping low. As the green was displayed Hartline roared inside of Salentine. The leader came right back. Then coming off turn two, Hartline slipped ahead. By turn three Salentine was clearly ahead. Then came the show in front of the large crowd. Hartline made contact causing the leader to spin. Salentine smashed hard into the inside wall, as Burkoth and Holtz tried to avoid the melee. Both Burkoth and Holtz received extensive damage but no one was injured.

Hartline restarted the race in the rear with Burkoth returning minus his front end. Fox, who was running third, was now the new leader. After the cone was placed on the oval, Billy Skinner Jr., who started in the rear of the field, was ready to challenge Fox. As both cars pounced into turn one, Skinner spun around, bringing out the final yellow. Now Fox had Patnode to contend with, as they raced side by side for one full lap. Patnode moved out front on lap 18, as Tony Strupp and Al Schill got under Fox.

Just one lap later Schill got by Strupp, with Fox back in the fray. On lap 20 rookie, Chad Barker, joined the tussle. With just four laps to go, Barker moved alongside Fox, as Patnode, Schill and Strupp from time to time were nearly three deep.

The crowd went wild as the entire field raced just like a parade lap. On lap 28, it was too close to call, as Patnode held his line, not giving an inch, with Schill and Strupp in a dead heat. The leader gained a small advantage with just one lap to go but Schill came right back to try and test the waters. Patnode won the event, finishing just in front of Schill, Strupp, and hard charging Barker, as Fox just nipped Danny Darnell. This finish gave fans a good reason to forget about those five caution periods. After the event, Patnode said, "It was sure fun to win this one. I could go inside or outside. I gave Schill the room he needed and it sure was great to race side by side, without someone taking you for a ride." But Patnode still wants to know who Rick Bloom is. (His name appeared under the picture of Terry's first career win two weeks ago).

Feature win number two for 1997! Zac Deeringer won the hotly contest Street Stock feature to pick up his second feature win of the season. Deeringer crossed the stripe just ahead of fast qualifier Dennis Carlton.

Jay Potter moved out front of the street stock feature, with James Swan, Jerry Cowan and Burt Getchell in hot pursuit. No one was giving an inch but somehow Cowan slipped in front on lap 6. Potter held onto second just one more lap before Bob Koidahl and Lyle Messinger got together, causing the first of only two caution periods. Using the cone restart, Cowan now had Deeringer just a few feed behind him.

On lap 9, Deeringer moved out front, but on lap 12, Scott Kuxhouse lost a wheel bringing the action to a halt for the final time. Koidahl and Messinger had another incident, just before this yellow. Starter, Dave Rex Jr. gave both the black flag. Dicing for the new spot, Deeringer was just in front of Getschell with 5 laps to go.

There was movement everywhere, as Deeringer won the event just in front of fast timer, Dennis Carlton.Cowan came back for third, Landry Potter was fourth, Denny Norton Jr. fifth, and Getschell who got pushed around those final two laps.

Rick Corso held onto the lead for the first seven laps of the sportsman main before Kachelmeier came out front. The race wasn't over with positions changing behind the leader. Following Kachelmeier across the line was Shane Bishop, Bobby Gutknecht who had fast time for the second week in a row, Joel Clossey, Corso, and Dave Lohse.

This coming weekend, the weekly moto cross racing is at 8 pm Friday, on the stadium dirt course. On Saturday night, the sport trucks and the Formula Indy Racing Association joins the super lates and street stocks. Time trials are at 6 pm; first race at 7:30 sharp. On Sunday at 1 pm the GEM ProKarts, the mini cups and UMRA sportsman midgets race at 1 pm.

RESULTS

Late Model Division
30 Lap Feature Event   Trophy Dash
1. # 5 Terry Patnode Oak Creek, WI   1. #12 Tony Strupp Slinger, WI
2. #14 Al Schill Franklin, WI   2. #14 Al Schill Franklin, WI
3. #12 Tony Strupp Slinger, WI   3. #41 Denny Hiffman River Forest, IL
4. #68 Chad Barker So. Milwaukee, WI   Time Trials
5. #90 Bobby Fox So. Milwaukee, WI   1. #41 Denny Hiffman 16.617 Seconds
6. #85 Danny Darnell Park City, IL   2. #47 Billy Skinner Jr. 16.662 Seconds
7. #2F Joe Fischer Grayslake, IL   3. #68 Chad Barker 16.665 Seconds
8. #41 Denny Hiffman River Forest, IL   15 Lap Semi-Feature
9. #12 Billy Baumeister Janesville, WI   1. #2F Joe Fischer Grayslake, IL
10. #19 Kent Burkoth Pell Lake, WI   2. #55 Larry Surletta Lake Villa, IL
        3. # 4 John Simon McHenry, IL

HEAT ONE: 1.) Fischer; 2.) Surletta; 3.) Brian Ulrich
HEAT TWO: 1.) Burkoth; 2.) Dennis Vito; 3.) Baumeister
HEAT THREE: 1.) Patnode; 2) Strupp; 3.) Mark Simonsen

Herb's Street Stock Division
20 Lap Feature   15 Lap Semi-Feature
1. #02 Zac Deeringer McHenry, IL   1. #76 Mike Kooi Island Lake, IL
2. #18 Dennis Carlton McHenry, IL   2. # 4 Rick Jacobs East Troy, WI
3. #67 Jerry Cowan Burlington, WI   3. #16 Todd Peterson Woodstock, IL
4. #77 Landry Potter Genoa City, WI   Trophy Dash
5. #96 Denny Norton Jr. McHenry, IL   1. #96 Denny Norton Jr. McHenry, IL
6. #68 Burt Getchell Cary, IL   2. #77 Landry Potter Genoa City, WI
7. #76 Mike Kooi Island Lake, IL   3. #18 Dennis Carlton McHenry, IL
8. # 6 Jay Potter Twin Lakes, WI   Time Trials
9. #84 Tommy Nevoso Trevor, WI   1. #18 Dennis Carlton 19.468 Seconds
10. #85 James Swan Twin Lakes, WI   2. #96 Denny Norton Jr. 19.670 Seconds
        3. #77 Landry Potter 19.742 Seconds

HEAT ONE: 1.) Shawn Donnelly; 2.) Tim White; 3.) Tom Fay
HEAT TWO: 1.) Kooi; 2.) Deeringer; 3.) Peterson
HEAT THREE: 1.) Carlton; 2.) Nevoso; 3.) Don Radke

Performance Unlimited Mid-American Sportsman
25 Lap Feature   Time Trials
1. #95 Donny Kachelmeier Waukesha, WI   1. #10 Bobby Gutknecht 17.480 Seconds
2. #17 Shane Bishop Pell Lake, WI   2. #95 Donny Kachelmeier 17.672 Seconds
3. #10 Bobby Gutknecht Oak Creek, WI   3. #28 Joel Clossey 17.674 Seconds
4. #28 Joel Clossey Beloit, WI   First 10 Lap Heat
5. #96 Rick Corso McHenry, IL   1. #96 Rick Corso McHenry, IL
6. #58 David Lohse Harvard, IL   2. #32 Brian Baker Pell Lake, WI
7. #28 Paul Loppnow Burlington, WI   3. # 7 Ed Kubicz Whitewater, WI
8. #67 Rick Tackman Jr. New Berlin, WI   Second 10 Lap Heat
9. #20 Jerry Hansche Racine, WI   1. #28 Paul Loppnow Burlington, WI
10. # 7 Ed Kubicz Whitewater, WI   2. #58 David Lohse Harvard, IL
        3. #95 Donny Kachelmeier Waukesha, WI

DASH: 1.) Tackman Jr; 2.) Bishop; 3.) Hansche