Back best in Mod main, June 3, 2000; Sturgeon Bay, WI. - Still cool, but dear blue skies brought forth a full night of racing action Saturday night a the Thunder Hill Speedway on Bergstrom Enterprises night. Buck Schmelzer took charge of the Modified main at the start but could not shake off the field as the entire field stayed close during the contest. Shawn Olson, Randy LeMieux, Randie Back, Bill LeMieux and Darrell Massart were right behind. A lone caution on lap 4 slowed the pace, but the final non-stop 16, saw some exciting racing. Schmelzer continued to set the pace with Back moving into the runner up spot. Bill LeMieux, who improves every race came up and swapped the second spot with Back several times until Back hooked up on the outside and decided it was time to move ahead. After a couple laps running wheel to wheel with Schmelzer, Back took over the top spot on lap 15, and for the final 5 laps, was able to distance himself from the pack to record his first feature of the season here, and second straight for the weekend, having won his first career at Tri-Star on Friday night. With Back in front, the battle was for the next six spots with plenty of passing to the finish. In the final tally, Doug Maurer nipped LeMieux for the second place finish with George Henkel slipping by Schmelzer to finish in fourth. Mike Plate rounded out the top six.
Mark Derenne set the pace for the first half of the IMCA Stock Car main followed by Tim McCormick, Dave Pavlik, Joe LeBotte, and Matt Junio. On lap 11, Derenne suddenly pulled his car off the back chute into the pit, which turned the top spot over to McCormick, as the lone caution of the race appeared for a turn four spin. McCormick, Rob Gagne, Pavlik, Junio and LeBotte ware behind for the restart, and the final 9 lap sprint to the finish. Pavlik hooked up on the outside and moved into the top spot on tap 13 with Junio following into second 1 lap later. Pavlik was running better slightly up the track and Junio was trying on the inside to sneak by. The pair ran side by side to the finish, with Pavlik able to hold the edge and win his first career Stock Car feature at the Hill. Junio was the close second with McCormick taking the third spot. Pat Davister crossed in fourth and took over the point lead in the process. Gagne took fifth and Craig Paque rounded out the top six.
The Streets put a full 21 car field on the grid with Fred Davister taking charge at the start followed by Marty Beilke, Aaron Thornton, James Tebon, Mike Soukup and Gregg Siebold. Davister held the top spot through two early race cautions on taps 3 and 6. After lap 10, the lead action grew hotter with Davister still in command but Tebon, Thornton, Siebold, point leader, Gary Reinhardt, Rick Johnson and Mike Coel were challenging hard. On lap 12, Davister slowed through turn four and caused a scramble to get around. Thornton was the new leader just before the final caution appeared on lap 13. On the restart, Siebold took to the outside and took the lead and then held off Tebon over the final 2 laps to win his first feature here since August 2, 1997. Tebon took the runner up finish with Coel coming through traffic to take third. Thornton took fourth. Reinhardt and Phil Faustini rounded out the top six.
The Bomber feature turned into a marathon type event with an unusual number of cautions for the division. Jodi Annoye led the opening lap before Don Aregoni, Jr pulled by on the outside to take over the top spot. Aregoni started to pull away from the field until the first caution appeared on lap 8. From then on cautions were quick and many. Aregoni led the way until lap 9, when Wayne Moore, pulled alongside and took control. Greg Soukup, Jeremy Wiitala, Scott Reinhardt, and Tony Herbst lined up behind, but Moore hung on to hold off Soukup and survive the restarts to win his fourth straight division feature. Soukup chased him to the line for second with Reinhardt settling for third ahead of Wiitala, John Knudson and James Bosman. RESULTS IMCA MODIFIED: IMCA STOCK CARS: STREET STOCKS BOMBERS |
