Derenne tops Mod action, July 22, 2000; Sturgeon Bay, WI. - An unseasonably cool night offer some hot racing Saturday night at the Thunder Hill Speedway. Chris Derenne walked off with his first IMCA Modified main of the season while the other three division saw repeat winners.
Rookie contender, Jeremy Jacobs took the early lead in the IMCA Mod feature, settling the pace until lap 4, when Chris Derenne powered by on the outside to take control. Once in front, Derenne set out and hid from the field, building to over a 1/4 lap margin, until a caution with three laps remaining erased the lead and made for a thrilling feature finish. With Derenne running alone, the rest of the field stayed close as the point leaders were making their way to the front. Buck Schmelzer, Darren Otto, Darrell Massart, Jacobs, Todd Dart, R.M. Van Pay and Randie Back were bunched behind. Massart, Van Pay and Dart moved to the front a couple laps before the final caution set up the finish. Derenne took the restart with the scramble right behind. Van Pay and Dart got together in turn one while trying to swap track position, but both continued. Massart was running in second. The top four continued their swap to the finish. With Derenne holding off all the challengers to collect his first feature win of the season. Van Pay ended up in the runner up spot with Dart and Massart next. Back took fifth with Tom Stark rounding out the top six. For the second straight week, the division point leader had problems, and did not make the main. With the third place finish, Todd Dart moves into the point lead for the first time this season, with George Henkel and Doug Maurer, the previous point leaders this season, now tied for second. Greg Gretz put his car into the lead of the Stock Car main, but on lap 3, lost the handle in turn two, collecting the cars of Rob Gagne, Mark Derenne and Wally Lhost. Dave Pavlik inherited the top spot with Scoff Karcz, Craig Paque, Larry Karcz Jr., and Pat Davister behind. Larry Karcz moved up to take over the top spot on lap 8 with Matt Junio and Benji LaCrosse joining the top 4. The battle for the top spot was tight and hard fought with Junio edging into the top spot on lap 10. LaCrosse, hooked up on the inside of the track, worked into the runner up spot on lap 12. Junio and LaCrosse ran side by side for the next four laps before LaCrosse eased into the top spot on lap 16. Junio, Karcz, Paque, Davister and Jay Matthias stayed bunched ion the leader, but LaCrosse continued his hot hand here at the Hill, winning his fourth straight division feature and his 7th overall for the season. Junio held off Karcz for the runner up spot. Paque took fourth with Davister and Matthias rounding out the top six. The win moves LaCrosse into a tie with John Gregorich in 1993 and Charlie Kroll in 1994 as the only drivers to win four features in a row. The record for season wins is also held by Gregorich, who won 8 features in 1993. Tom Daubner took the lead at the start of the Street Stock main followed by Phil Faustini, Jeff Vlies, Corey Haen, Rick Johnson and Mike Soukup. By the mid point of the race, Daubner was starting to build on a lead, Faustini, Johnson, Vlies, Jamie Colwell and Soukup were bunched behind. The first caution of the contest showed on lap 13, setting up a 2 lap dash. Daubner again set the pace but a final lap caution, ended any last lap attempt, giving Daubner his second straight feature win and 4th of the season. Johnson took over the runner up spot on the restart and ended the race in the runner up spot. Colwell, in his first run of the season here, took third. Faustini, Vlies and Haen rounded out the top six. Lucas Long took control of the bomber headliner followed by James Bosman, Rick Sternard, Don Aregoni, Jr, Brad Ohnesorge and Tony Herbst. Ohnesorge moved to the front and was challenging Long by lap 4. It took until lap 7 to move into the top spot and begin to move ahead of the field. Last weeks winner, Jeremy Wiitala moved into the runner up spot on lap 10 and started to close the gap on the leader. Ohnesorge was holding the top spot running the lower groove with Wiitala making the outside line work for him. Lapped traffic was staring top enter the picture and helped Ohnesorge hold off Wiitala for a couple laps. Wiitala finally made his move into the top spot on lap 13 and picked up his second feature win in a row. Ohnesorge completed his strongest run of the season in the runner up spot with point leader, Greg Soukup, taking third place just ahead of Sternard Long and Herbst rounded out the top six. Next week, the Rascal Outlaws make their first appearance of the season along with a full racing program. RESULTS IMCA MODIFIED: IMCA STOCK CARS: STREET STOCKS BOMBERS |
