Massart scores in Mods, LaCrosse hot at The Hill!
By Dave Panske

May 20, 2000; Sturgeon Bay, WI. - Week number three of the 2000 season had better weather, good crown and full pits on Woody's Sign night Saturday night at the Thunder Hill Speedway.

Darrell Massart (#2) earned a hard fought victory in the IMCA Modifieds.  The win was his first feature victory at The Hill since July 27, 1996.

Randie Back set the pace early in the Modified main followed by Buck Schmelzer, Darrell Massart, Mike Plate, Jared Siefert and Tom Stark. A caution on lap 5 bunched the pack with Back still in control. On the restart, Siefert blew by on the outside of Massart and Back to take the lead. Massart ran side by side with Back for a couple laps before taking second on lap 10.

On lap 12, Siefert drifted wide in turn three and four and looped his car on the high side of the track, causing the final caution of the contest and putting Massart in the top spot. Back, Plate, Schmelzer, Todd Dart and George Henkel were now right behind. Massart was able to pull the field a bit over the final laps and drove on to claim his first sanctioned race at the track since July 27, 1996. Back ran to his best finish of the young season taking second Henkel finished third and took over the point lead. Plate finished fourth. Dan Gracyalny, making his first appearance this year, took fifth and Dart rounded out the top six.

Second year driver, Brett Wenzel eased into the lead of the Stock Car feature and held the top spot for the first 2 laps before Tim McCormick took over on lap 3. Caution on lap 4 tightened up the field and on the restart, Benji LaCrosse moved up from his 12th starting spot into the lead. A couple cautions on lap 7 grouped the field again with LaCrosse still in control. Matt Junio was now in the runner up spot followed by McCormick, Pat Davister, Jason Geyer and Larry Karcz, Jr.

The lead battle heated up on the restart. With LaCrosse running in the second groove and Junio trying to stay to the inside. Junio finally made the work pay off by taking over the lead on lap 11. LaCrosse, winner of the first 2 features this season, charged right back and tried the inside to re. gain the top spot on lap 14. Davister and McCormick were right behind this battle waiting for an opening.

A bumper on the track brought out the caution again on lap 16. Junio ran over the debris and cut a tire, forcing him to pit and give up the second place position.

Davister set up to battle with LaCrosse for the final laps, and they ran side by side with LaCrosse able to hold off the charge and win his third straight feature flag. It is the first time since 1996, that a driver has won three in a row in the Stock Car division. Davister was a very close second followed by Karcz, Jr, Geyer, Todd Smith and Dave Andrews.

Ed Anschutz (#71) put his sharp looking Monte Carlo into victory lane at Thunderhill when he took top honors in the consolation event on the third-mile clay oval.

Phil Faustini edged Aaron Thornton into the lead of the Street Stock main, and over the first few laps was able to pull away to a slight lead. Thornton charged back and the battle was on for the top spot. By lap 5, Jerry Kroll was running in third with Mike Cole, Mike Soukup and Rick Johnson behind.

The front runners stayed together until the lone caution of the race appeared on lap 13. On the restart, Kroll took to the outside and moved from third to the lead in half a lap. Kroll pulled away to win his first feature at the Hill since August 28, 1993. Current point leader, Gary Reinhardt, took the runner up finish with Thornton taking third. Cole, in only his second race here, took fourth with Johnson taking fifth and Ed Anschutz rounding out the top six. Faustini dropped off the pace over the final laps to place seventh.

Jerry Kroll (#20) was on a roll this weekend.  On Friday evening he earned a feature win in the Street Stocks at a nearby raceway and then came back and scored another victory here at Thunderhill Speedway on Saturday Night.  The win this evening was his first at The Hill since August 28, 1993.

Tony Herbst grabbed hold of the Bomber feature lead at the start followed by Don Aregoni, Jr, James Bosman, James Anderson, Brad Ohnesorge and Wayne Moore. Aregoni applied steady pressure on the leader, but could not get into the lead. Moore moved up into third just before the lone caution appeared on lap 9. Moore, the winner of the first 2 features this season, had the gap on the leaders erased for the restart, and moved into the runner up spot, then set sights on Herbst for the top spot. On lap 12, Moore powered into the lead and drove on to collect his third straight feature victory. He is the third driver to win three straight in the division, the last in 1997. Herbst took the runner up finish followed by Greg Soukup, Aregoni, Jeremy Wiitala and Ohnesorge.

Next week, the Luxemburg Sport Truck will join the program for an added event.

RESULTS

IMCA MODIFIED:
20 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Darrell Massart, Brussels; 2.) Randie Back, Green Bay; 3.) George Henkel, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Mike Plate, Newton; 5.) Dan Gracyalny, Little Chute; 6.) Todd Dart, Algoma
12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Bill LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Gracyalny; 3.) Randy LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Art Siefert, Green Bay
FIRST HEAT: 1.) Massart; 2.) Chris Derenne, Luxemburg
SECOND HEAT: 1.) Buck Schmelzer, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Tom Stark, Sturgeon Bay
THIRD HEAT: 1.) Back; 2.) Plate

IMCA STOCK CARS:
20 LAP FEATURE: 1) Benji LaCrosse, Luxemburg; 2.) Pat Davister, Luxemburg; 3.) Larry Karcz Jr., Pulaski; 4.) Jason Geyer, Brussels; 5.) Todd Smith, Sturgeon Bay; 6.) Dave Andrews, Green Bay
12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1) Bernie Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Karcz; 3.) Dave Bouche, Algoma; 4.) Ben Kroll, Green Bay
FIRST HEAT: 1) Tim McCormick, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Andrews
SECOND HEAT: 1) Jay Matthias, Green Bay; 2.) Rob Gagne, Luxemburg
THIRD HEAT: 1) Davister; 2.) Dan Gagne, Luxemburg

STREET STOCKS
15 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Jerry Kroll, Luxemburg; 2.) Gary Reinhardt, Fish Creek; 3.) Aaron Thorton, Sturgeon Bay; 4.) Mike Cole, Green Bay; 5.) Rick Johnson, Baliey's Harbor; 6.) Ed Anschutz, Algoma
10 LAP CONSOLATION: 1) Anschutz; 2.) James Tebon, Algoma; 3.) Kevin Jandrin, Forestville; 4.) Gregg Siebold, Denmark
FIRST HEAT: 1) Corey Haen, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Thorton
SECOND HEAT: 1) Kroll; 2.) Cole
THIRD HEAT: 1) Phil Faustini, Sturgeon Bay; 2.) Mike Soukup, Sturgeon Bay

BOMBERS
15 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Wayne Moore, Sturgeon Bay; 2.)Tony Herbst, Sturgeon Bay; 3.) Greg Soukup, Edd Harbor; 4.) Don Aregoni Jr., Sturgeon Bay; 5.) Jeremy Wiitala, Green Bay; 6.) Brad Ohensorge, Fish Creek
FIRST HEAT: 1) Soukup; 2.) Wiitala
SECOND HEAT: 1) Herbst; 2.) Aregoni