VanPay Mod winner, Bouche and Szprejda
take career first feature checkereds at The Hill!
By Dave Panske
July 31, 1999; Sturgeon Bay, WI. -Racing weather continues to be on the perfect side on Saturday nights at the Thunder Hill Speedway and this week was no exception with a fast paced show.
Mike Plate paced the opening laps of the IMCA Modified main with John Soukup, Randy LeMieux, Jesse Bray and Buck Schmelzer behind. A spin on lap 4 bunched the pack with Plate leading one more lap before Schmelzer took the high side and the lead on lap 5.
R.M. Van Pay led the charge from deep in the field and moved into the runner up spot on lap 9 and pulled alongside of Schmelzer for the lead on the next lap. Despite a final caution on lap 15, Van Pay was able to handle the field and won his second feature of the season at Thunderhill. The race stayed tight for second with Schemlzer and George Henkel side by side and back a bit further, Dan Ratajczak, Todd Dart and Brad Anderegg mixed it up three wide for fourth place. At the finish line, Van Pay led the way with Schmetzer nipping Henkel for second. The run for fourth was three wide at the line with Dart edging ahead with Anderegg and Ratajczak rounding out the top six. Henkel's finish moved him back into the point lead again this season as the points continue to close up.
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First career feature win! Dave Bouche (#21) won his first ever division feature at Thunderhill Speedway on Saturday Night topping the IMCA Stock Car main event. Joe LeBotte remained in second throughout the race applying constant pressure to Bouche who withstood the challenges to take the checkered flag on the third mile clay oval. |
Dave Bouche made the run in the IMCA Stock Car feature look easy as he jumped into the lead at the start and hooked up on the outside and drove a non stop race to win his first ever division feature here at The Hill and his first division feature since his first ever at Luxemburg on August 2, 1996.
Joe LeBotte tucked into the runner up spot at the start and stayed about a car length beck the entire race. As is the fashion lately here, the pack running for third place put on quite a show running together and two and three wide. At the finish, it was Russ Tuttle taking third place with Matt Junio in fourth Pat Davister fifth and Eric VanIten in sixth.
Ken Hendricks set the pace for the opening lap of the Street Stock main with Rick Johnson taking charge on lap 2. Johnson slipped wide in turns three and four on lap 3 which allowed Bomber division transfer, Ed Anschutz to take command of the race. A spin on lap 4 brought out the lone caution of the race and Anschutz again set the pace on the restart.
On lap 7, Anschutz had the same trouble in the lead, slipping wide in the north turns which gave way to Phil Faustini to take over the lead, Shawn Olson moved right along into second with Gary Reinhardt taking third. Olson closed on he leader and tried several times on the inside to wrestle the lead away, only to have Faustini gain the edge back on the outside. Faustini took the checker for second time this season with Olson right behind. Current point leader, Bernie Reinhardt caught and edged by his brother Gary for the third place finish with Tom Daubner and James Tebon rounding out the top six.
| Another first time winner! Chad Szprejda (#9) won his first career feature on Saturday evening, topping the Bomber main event at Thunderhill Speedway. |  |
Rookie, Ryan LeMieux, took the lead at the start of the Bomber headliner with Dennis Weidner, Chad Szprejda, Todd Polster and Tony Herbst behind. Szprejda moved inside of the leader on lap 3 and took the top spot and started to pull away. Several cautions during the rest of the race kept the pack bunched, but Szprejda was able to retain the lead throughout the race and eventually win his first career feature. The race for the runner up spot stayed tight throughout the race with Polster edging Wally Lhost for the second place finish. Jay Naze placed fourth at the line with Greg Soukup fifth and Wayne Moore in sixth.
Powder Puff races were run in three of the divisions with Amy Van Eyck taking the win in the Street Stocks. Stephanie Hartel won the Stock Car event and Tina Iverson bested a large field of Bombers.
RESULTS
IMCA MODIFIED:
20 LAP FEATURE: 1.)R.M. Van Pay, Green Bay; 2.) Buck
Schmelzer, Casco; 3.) George Henkel, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Todd Dart, Algoma; 5.) Brad
Anderegg, Algoma; 6.) Dana Ratajczak, Frog Station
12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Dart; 2.) Troy Muench, Sturgeon Bay; 3.) Jason LaViolette,
Brussels; 4.) Michelle Ploeckelmann, Green Bay
FIRST HEAT: 1.) Van Pay; 2.) Anderegg
SECOND HEAT: 1.) Darrell Massart, Brussels; 2.) Chris Derenne,
Luxemburg
THIRD HEAT: 1.) John Soukup, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Henkel
IMCA STOCK CARS:
20 LAP FEATURE: 1) Dave Bouche, Algoma; 2.) Joe LeBotte,
Kewaunee; 3.) Russ Tuttle, Brussels; 4.) Matt Junio, Casco; 5.) Pat Davister, Luxemburg;
6.) Eric VanIten, Green Bay
12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Rod Snellenberger, Pulaski; 2.) Craig Paque, Algoma; 3.)
Tim Van Dei Hei, DePere; 4.) Jeff Brehmer, Pulaski
FIRST HEAT: 1) Tuttle; 2.) VanIten
SECOND HEAT: 1) Davister; 2.) Charlie Kroll, Algoma
THIRD HEAT: 1) Dave Pavlik, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Junio
STREET STOCKS
15 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Phil Faustini, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Shawn
Olson, Algoma; 3.) Bernie Reinhardt, Fish Creek; 4.) Gary Reinhardt, Fish Creek; 5.) Tom
Daubner, Carlsville; 6.) James Tebon, Algoma
12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Tebon; 2.) Mark Reinhard, Luxemburg; 3.) Jim Wanner, Green
Bay; 4.) Dave Verhagen, Green Bay
FIRST HEAT: 1) Rick Johnson, Gills Rock; 2.) Bobby Rezek, Green Bay
SECOND HEAT: 1) Olson; 2.) Faustini
THIRD HEAT: 1) Daubner; 2.) Jared Siefert, Green Bay
BOMBERS
15 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Chad Szpredja, Little Suamico; 2.) Todd
Polster, Sturgeon Bay; 3.) Wally Lhost, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Jay Naze, Forestville; 5.) Greg
Soukup, Edd Harbor; 6.) Wayne Moore, Sturgeon Bay
12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1) Bill LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Moore; 3.) Ford Malvitz,
Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Tom Zanstrow, Sturgeon Bay
FIRST HEAT: 1) Lhost; 2.) Lucas Long, Sturgeon Bay
SECOND HEAT: 1) Ryan LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Jeremy Wiitala, Sturgeon Bay
THIRD HEAT: 1) Don Aregonia Jr, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Rick Sternard, Sturgeon Bay