Siefert scores third
victory of season in Mod action! September 2, 2000; Sturgeon Bay, WI. - A cloudy, cool day followed a couple days of rain made for a fast track for racing action Saturday night at the Thunder Hill Speedway on Vander Vest Harley Davidson night. The IMCA Modified division saw its first three time winner this season with the other three divisions emerging with first time feature winners, two of those, first career. The Modifieds took the track with Rick LeMieux setting the pace early on followed by Tim McCormick, Bill LeMieux, Chris Derenne, Jared Siefert and Mike Plate. Several cautions during the first 7 laps kept the field bunched and shuffled the field. After a lap 6 restart, Rick LeMieux was still in command with Siefert now right behind. Point leader, Todd dart was now running in third followed by McCormick, Plate and Randie Back. Siefert pulled into the top spot on lap 9 with Dart, Plate, McCormick moving into the top four when the final caution waved on lap 12. Plate moved by Dart into second on the restart and the three pulled away from the pack over the final laps with Siefert earning his third feature win of the season. Plate took second with Dart third Chris Derenne was fourth followed by Back and McCormick rounding out the top six. With one point week remaining, the baffle is down to three drivers. Dart, Plate and Back are 10 points apart. Dart needs to finish 8th or better if Plate or Back win the final feature to earn his second career track title. The IMCA Stock Car main started with a wild roll over by Dave Bouche on the opening lap. Trying to avoid a couple cars our of turn two, Bouche got pinched into the back stretch guard rail. His car got on top and barrel rolled all along the top of the rail, ending up in turn three on the right side. Race tape counted at least 7 rolls with Dave emerging un-hurt from the wild ride. Wally Lhost took the lead when the race finally started with Don Aregoni, Bernie Reinhardt, Matt Junio, Greg Gretz and Jay Matthias behind. Tim Van De Hei and Craig Paque quickly moved into the lead pack. A final caution appeared on lap 8, during which the lineup change with visits to pit lane. Reinhardt dropped out of third place. Gretz dropped from 7th and point leader, Benji LaCrosse, found a flat tire just as the race resumed to drop from 8th after starting last. Lhost was still leading the way with Van De Hei, Paque and Matthias battling for second. The battle became one for the lead on lap 12, when Lhost suddenly pulled out of the race. Paque had his hands full for the remaining 8 laps with Van De Hei and Matthias side by side and tight behind. Paque held off the steady pressure to win his first Thunder Hill feature since July 19, 1997. Matthias edged Van De Hei at the line for the runner up finish. Scott Karcz was fourth with Russ Tuttle and Greg Gretz rounding out the top six. The point chase is down to 2 drivers. LaCrosse will enter the final night carrying a 570 - 552 lead over Matthias. LaCrosse needs to finish the feature 18th or better to clinch his first career track title, even if Matthias wins the race. Eddie Anschutz set the pace for the opening 5 laps of the Street Stock main before Rick Johnson could move from second into the top spot on lap 6. Kevin Jandrin moved into the runner up spot on lap 8 and started to close on the leader. Jamie Colwell moved into third place by Anschutz just before the final caution on lap 13 The strung out pack was now grouped together for the final 2 lap dash Johnson held the top spot to the finish to record his first career feature win. Colwell took the runner up finish with Jandrin, point leader, Gregg Siebold, Anschutz, and Mike Soukup behind. In a post race inspection, Jandrin was disqualified moving the rest of the field up one position. Gregg Siebold is the point leader, and if he attempts to race on the final night, he will become the first repeat division champion in the division. He holds a 582 -543 margin over Gary Reinhardt. Jody Annoye settled into the lead of the Bomber main followed by Shawn Graf, James Anderson, Dennis Weidner and Brad Ohnesorge. Cautions on laps 5 and 10 slowed the pace and bunched the field. Annoye was still in command followed by Graf, Jeremy Wiitala, Ohnesorge and Weidner. On the restart, Graf got into Annoye in turn one, getting the leader sideways in front of the pack. The car rolled over onto the roof and was hit a couple times before the field scramble by. Annoye was not injured and Graf was shown the black flag. This turned the lead over to third place, Tony Herbst. The track curfew was looming when the race restarted, and a stalled car on the back chute ended the race with Herbst getting his first career feature checkered. Ohnesorge took the runner up finish with Wiitala in third, point leader, Greg Soukup in fourth. Weidner and Scott Reinhardt rounded out the top six. Soukup holds a 29 point leader over Wiitala in the standings. If Soukup qualifies for the feature, he will lock up his first career track title, even if Wiitala wins the event. Next Saturday night will be the 7th Annual Street Stock Slam event. With lap money, the feature winner could pocket $1000. The 25 lap special is run the week the IMCA cars are gone to Boone for the Nationals. All four divisions will run, but all are non-point races. Along with the Slam, the Luxemburg Sport Trucks will run along with the postponed Powder Puff Races. The final point race will close the 2000 season here at the Hill on September 16th. Three of the four divisions champions will be finalized. Racing begins at 6 p.m. every Saturday night at the Hill. RESULTS IMCA MODIFIED: IMCA STOCK CARS: STREET STOCKS BOMBERS |