Henkel takes first career title in Mods,
Karcz Jr., tops IMCA Stocks championship!
Dave Panske

September 18, 1999; Sturgeon Bay, WI. -  The final regular season race brought a huge 120 car field and a full race program to decide all four division titles Saturday night at the Hill.

James Iverson led the first lap of the IMCA Modified main before Gary Jacobs pulled in front and pulled away from the pack. By the mid point of the race, Jacobs held a sizable lead over John Soukup, Rick LeMieux, Todd Dart, Iverson end Buck Schmelzer. On lap 14, the lone caution appeared when Iverson got sideways out of turn 4 in traffic. The mix up erased Jacobs lead and bunched the entire field.

On the restart, Dart flew by both Soukup and Jacobs into the lead and drove away for his third feature win of the season. Chris Derenne took the runner up spot with Soukup third, Schmelzer fourth and Jacobs fifth LeMieux rounded out the top six. Following the race, Soukup refused an engine claim which dropped him from the finish and took all track points away for the season. Current point leader, George Henkel, clinched his first career track championship by making the feature through the heat race. Henkel is a 21 year veteran having raced the modifieds for the last 16 years.

91899a.jpg (14048 bytes) Jerry Wenzel (#0) who has raced everything from asphalt to dirt Sprint cars, recorded his first career IMCA Stock Car feature here Saturday Night at Thunderhill Speedway.

Butch Beyers led the way in the IMCA Stock Car feature until a restart following a multi car spin in turn four on lap 9. Jerry Wenzel pulled into the lead on the restart and despite pressure from Matt Junio and Joe White for several laps, ended up pulling away to record his first career feature win at the track. White took the runner up finish with Jay Matthias nipping Junio for the third place finish. Larry Karcz, Jr. took fifth and along with it, his first career track championship by 8 points over Junio. Dave Bouche rounded out the top six.

Family celebration!  Don Aregoni Jr. ( center) is joined by his dad (left) and brother (right) after winning his first career Bomber feature on Saturday night. 91899c.jpg (15208 bytes)

Tom Leonhard led the first lap of the Street Stock main before a series of cautions kept the pack in formation for several tries at a restart. When racing finally resumed, Fred Davister took the lead for 1 lap before Troy Muench powered by and then left the field behind to take his first regular season feature win since June 21, 1997 but over a quarter lap over Davister. Dan Anschutz held off Jared Siefert for the third place finish with Scott Iverson taking fifth and James Tebon sixth.

91899b.jpg (14048 bytes) First checkered of 1999 at The Hill!  Jeremy Wiitila (#50) scored his first Bomber victory of the season here on the third-mile clay oval when he took the checkered in a heat race.

Ford Malvitz paced the opening lap of the Bomber nightcap and following a lap 2 restart, Don Aregoni, Jr. powered by on the outside to take the top spot. Chad Szprejda moved by Malvitz on lap 4 and pulled up on the leader. The pair put on an good side by side show for the lead with Aregoni holding the top spot by inches until a caution appeared on lap 10.

Current point leader, Mike Soukup, was running 6th and holding a slim 5 point margin for the track championship, when something broke on the front of the car entering turn three, making contact with a tire, and ending his title hopes. Second place Jay Naze, was back in the field, but now had to finish the race to take the title away. The race was restarted with Aregoni still the leader, but another caution forced the race to end under curfew, with Aregoni clinching his first career feature win with Szprejda in the runner up spot. Malvitz ran to his best finish of the season in third with Tony Herbst in fourth, Walty Lhost in fifth and Naze taking sixth, and his second straight division championship by only 3 points over Soukup.

The program brought the regular Saturday night season to an end at the Hill, which now sets its sights on the first annual Hill 100, a 2 day special event to take place on Fdday and Saturday nights, October 15 and 16. All four divisions will take part with 25 lap features topping the card on Saturday night, following all qualifying events on Friday night.

RESULTS

IMCA MODIFIED:
20 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Todd Dart, Algoma; 2.) Chris Derenne, Luxemburg; 3.) John Soukup, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Buck Schmelzer, Casco; 5.) Gary Jacobs, Algoma; 6.) Rick LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay
FIRST 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Darrell Massart, Brussels; 2.) Jay Matthias, Green Bay; 3.) Mark Berglund, Green Bay; 4.) Michelle Ploeckelmann, Green Bay
SECOND 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Dave Zeitler, Luxemburg; 2.) Jamie Schmit, Seymour; 3.) Mike Plate, Newton
FIRST HEAT: 1.) Randie Back, Green Bay; 2.) LeMieux
SECOND HEAT: 1.) Soukup; 2.) Brad Anderegg, Algoma
THIRD HEAT: 1) Jacobs; 2.) Jesse Brey, Manitowoc
FOURTH HEAT: 1.) Tom Stark, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) George Henkel, Sturgeon Bay

IMCA STOCK CARS:
20 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Jerry Wenzel, Two Rivers; 2.) Joe White, Oconto Falls; 3.) Jay Matthias, Green Bay; 4.) Matt Junio, Casco; 5.) Larry Karcz Jr., Pulaski; 6.) Dave Bouche, Algoma
FIRST 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Matthias; 2.) Gary Bouche, Algoma; 3.) Sean Jerovetz, Suamico; 4.) Don Aregoni, Sturgeon Bay
SECOND 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Junio; 2.) Joe LeBotte, Kewaunee; 3.) Doug Vickman, New Franken; 4.) Jeff Brehmer, Pulaski
FIRST HEAT: 1) Charlie Kroll, Algoma; 2.) Todd Smith, Sturgeon Bay
SECOND HEAT: 1) Russ Tuttle, Brussels; 2.) Wenzel
THIRD HEAT: 1) White; 2.) Eric VanIten, Green Bay
FOURTH HEAT: 1.) Pat Davister, Luxemburg; 2.) Butch Beyers, Green Bay

STREET STOCKS
15 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Troy Muench, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Fred Davister, Luxemburg; 3.) Dan Anschutz, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Jared Siefert, Green Bay; 5.) Scott Iverson, Sturgeon Bay; 6.) James Tebon, Algoma
FIRST 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Tebon; 2.) Bernie Reinhardt, Fish Creek; 3.) Dave Verhagen, Green Bay
SECOND 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Darren Otto, Pulaski; 2.) Jason Brungraber, Sturgeon Bay; 3.) Steve Werner, Green Bay
FIRST HEAT: 1.) Davister; 2.) Tom Leonard, Two Rivers
SECOND HEAT: 1) Shawn Olson, Algoma; 2.) Corey Haen, Green Bay
THIRD HEAT: 1) Gary Reinhardt, Fish Creek; 2.) Josh Massart, Brussels
FOURTH HEAT: 1.) Iverson; 2.) Anschutz

BOMBERS
15 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Don Aregoni Jr., Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Chad Szprejda, Suamico; 3.) Ford Malvitz, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Tony Herbst, Sturgeon Bay; 5.) Wally Lhost, Sturgeon Bay; 6.) Jay Naze, Forestville
12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Herbst; 2.) Tracy Koontz, Sturgeon Bay; 3.) Todd Polster, Balieys Harbor; 4.) Rick Sternard, Sturgeon Bay
FIRST HEAT: 1.) Jeremy Wiitala, Green Bay; 2.) Malvitz
SECOND HEAT: 1) Aregoni; 2.) Szprejda
THIRD HEAT: 1) Bill LeMieux, Sturgoen Bay; 2.) Josh Jeanquardt, Sturgeon Bay