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It’s Miller Time for McMullen, Thompson, Kaat & Goetsch
By Mary Burbach
May 24, 2003- Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars 2003 Point Series sponsor Sheboygan Beverage hosted the first of two “Miller Lite Nite at the Races” on Saturday, May 24th at the Sheboygan County Fair Park in Plymouth. The first “warm race weather” nights this May drew a crowd to watch the third full EWSC points show on this Memorial Day weekend of racing. The Miller Lite Fast Qualifiers started the program with Modified # 68 Craig Perko of Glenbeulah, Limited Late Model # 8 Dan Dippel of Plymouth and Super Stock # 48 Doug Teunissen of Sheboygan Falls.
After locking in twelve cars through qualifying, the remaining eight Winged Super Modifieds to be eligible to run the evening’s main event would earn the honors by placing in the top of the B-Main. With only one yellow flag to halt the racing action in the 15-lap B-Main, the transfers were decided quickly. # 10 Chad Kistner of New Holstein grabbed the early lead until just before the yellow flag on lap four when last week’s Miller Lite Fast Qualifier # 26 Dave Deicher of Plymouth took the top spot to restart the race in front. # 3 Robert Enders of Kiel took the lead briefly from Deicher in lap seven but Enders would leave the race track the next lap and return the lead to Deicher. # 97 Tony Wondra of West Bend settled in behind the Deicher / Enders challenge and waited for the right opportunity. Wondra found the time and maneuvered around Deicher to take the white flag and then the checkered to win the Modified B-Main. Deicher followed with # 99 Chuck Tuschl of Reedsville, # 2 Billy Hafemann of Cedar Grove and # 8 Kris Hansen of Manitowoc rounding out the top five.
The Modified A-Main jumped off to a quick start at the Sheboygan County Fair Park in Plymouth. After some jostling for the lead in the early laps of the 30-lap race, # 98 Tim McMullen of Plymouth settled into the top spot in lap four but with # 22 Barry Maas of Cascade, last week’s A-Main winner # 4 Paul Pokorski of West Bend, and past EWSC track champion # 7 Pete Ostrowski of Milwaukee on his tail holding onto the lead would not be easy for McMullen. By lap twelve, McMullen would begin lapping cars to help secure his lead. A lap later, Pokorski grabbed second from Maas and looked forward to McMullen. By lap fifteen, Pokorski climbed passed the lapped cars to race on McMullen’s bumper. McMullen then began lapping more cars. Ten laps from the end of the race, on lap 20, McMullen and Pokorski jostled for the lead while each passed lapped cars. Each lap at the start/finish line it would be a close call as to who came out on top. McMullen held onto the lead until in lap 36 when Pokorski maneuvered around lapped cars to take the lead for the next two laps. Just as Pokorski was trying to settle into the lead, the first of two yellow flags would come out to slow down the racing action. With the lapped cars going to the back of the field on the restart, Pokorski, lined out in front by himself, had McMullen and Ostrowski in the row directly behind him. As the race restarted, Ostrowski used his outside restarting position and his abilities to run the outside groove to take over the lead from McMullen. Racing action would be halted again that next lap with Ostrowski lined up in front. This time Pokorski used the restart to grab the lead at the white flag. After leading 22 laps, McMullen was not ready to give up when coming out on top means the most. In a fan-favorite move coming out of turn four, McMullen gave it all and came out a winner at the checkered flag. Pokorski followed by a bumper in second with Ostrowski, # 95 Kenjay Fiedler of Sheboygan Falls and Maas rounding out the top five. Taking the Meyer Motors Hard Charger honors for the Modified was # 2 Billy Hafemann of Cedar Grove after passing nine cars.
With only two early yellow flags, the Limited Late Model B-Main hit the track to determine the final four challengers to run the A-Main. The # 21 Dingel Brothers car grabbed the lead and never looked back as # 6 Richard Hed of Sheboygan Falls challenged him for the top spot. From the beginning, # 71 Henry Dickmann of Sheboygan and # 52 Mark Zimmermann of Kohler took the final two transfers. Rookie # 27 Eric Baesemann of Elkhart Lake, who started in the back, tried for laps to break the “transfer barrier” as he settled into the fifth place behind Zimmermann. Dingel, Hed, Dickmann and Zimmermann transferred to the back of the Limited Late Model A-Main.
# 69 Rick Thompson of Campbellsport grabbed the lead immediately in the 25-lap race with # 79 Jim Schmidt of Cleveland on this tail. Midway through the race, the drivers hit a rough spot when three yellow flags in the same number of laps rearranged the field. As the A-Main was restarted for the final time, Thompson and Schmidt would once again be in the top two places in front. By lap twenty, just five laps from the end, Thompson remained out in the front and was able to put a cushion between his and Schmidt’s car as # 77 Brian Cesar of Sheboygan began challenging Schmidt for second place. Behind Schmidt and Cesar were two previous track champions battling for fourth. In lap 20, # 3 Jim Pitzen of Plymouth, returning to the track this year after being a 4 time Limited Late Model Track Champion, and # 8 Dan Dippel of Plymouth, the 2003 Track Champion, jostled back and forth for the better position. Pitzen and Dippel passed the start/finish line side by side for the next couple laps until in lap 22, Dippel passed Pitzen for fourth place. As the checkered flew, Thompson would be victorious by winning, reportedly, his first A-Main at the Sheboygan County Fair Park in Plymouth. Schmidt held his ground by finishing second, with Cesar, Dippel and Pitzen rounding out the top five. The Meyer Motors Hard Charger Award was awarded to Dippel for passing nine cars.
With 33 challengers signed in the Super Stock division, fans would be treated to the first C-Main race of the 2003 Season. Five cars vied for the right to move onto the B-Main with the focus on getting into the top 6 in the B-Main to move onto the A-Main. # 45 Joe Schmidt of Plymouth grabbed the win from the start for the first of the transfer positions. The second and final transfer changed hands a couple times. For the first four laps, # 71 Bob Albinger of Oostburg held second until # 29 Jeremy Sauter of Sheboygan Falls passed Albinger. In lap eight, # 13 Randy Ostermann Jr. of Howards Grove blew passed Albinger and then Sauter to take over second. Sauter regrouped and took back the final transfer at the white flag. Schmidt and Sauter transfered to the back of the B-Main.
Polesitter # 22 Jamie Gauger maneuvered into the early lead of the Super Stock B-Main until being involved in an accident on lap six. At the restart, Gauger would line up in the back as a yellow flag car and hand over the lead to # 0 Mark Scholten of Oostburg. Scholten did not look this “gift-horse” in the mouth and charged out in front of second place # 8 Abe Meinnert of Elkhart Lake. Meinnert, followed by # 84 Bradley Ruh also of Elkhart Lake, would not be able to catch Scholten by the checkered flag which put Scholten in the Miller Lite Winner’s Circle. Meinnert, Ruh, # 12 Brian Goetsch of Sheboygan, # 95 Donny Kulow and # 89 Paul Dirks, both of Elkhart Lake, would follow Scholten to line up in the back of the A-Main.
In the Super Stock main event, # 58 David Holm of Kewaskum took the lead on the first lap with # 98 John Dirks of Elkhart Lake, the A-Main winner for both the EWSC Super Stock races at the Plymouth track, right on his tail. # 35 Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, the winner of the Super Stock A-Main at the Chilton points race, fell in behind Dirks. Just as Schmidt was trying to pass Dirks for second, Holm dropped out of the race which placed Schmidt in the lead. Four laps later, Dirks would retire to the pits not to return to the race. Schmidt looked as if he would tie Dirks’ record of two A-Main wins in the 2003 EWSC season. Schmidt held of # 37 Jeff Leonhard for laps, even through one more yellow flag in lap sixteen. On the restart, # 15 Brian Kaat of Plymouth lined up outside Leonhard in the second row. Kaat took advantage of the restart to motor passed Schmidt for the lead in lap eighteen. Schmidt tried to regain the lead but at the checkered Kaat would have a 4 car-length lead over Schmidt. Kaat would join the other A-Main winners in the Miller Lite Winner’s Circle. Schmidt followed in second with Leonhard, # 4 Kevin Zimbal of Sheboygan Falls and B-Main transfer car # 95 Donny Kulow rounding out the top five. The Meyer Motors Hard Charger honors went to Kulow for passing an impressive twelve cars.
With a 22-car field, the All American Mighty 4’s hit the track as the final race on the Miller Lite Nite at the Races. # 23 Jeremy Goetsch of Sheboygan took to the lead by lap two and held off multiple challengers to stay on top. While Goetsch was fighting off # 83 Tyler Elias of Plymouth and # 15 Cory Edler of Cascade, last week’s A-Main winner # 88 Tim Sauter of Plymouth was battling his way through the field after starting in the back of the pack. By lap ten, Goetsch was lapping cars steadily and maneuvering for a clean finish out in front. As the checkered flag flew, Goetsch would be the third Mighty 4 A-Main winner in the 2003 season. Elias, # 5 Duane Dippel of Plymouth, Sauter and Edler finished in the top five. Meyer Motor Hard Charger honors went to Sauter after he passed fifteen competitors, the highest number of cars passed for the race program.
Join Eastern Wisconsin Stock Cars on Saturday, May 31st when the CarQuest Special Olympics Night is honored at the Plymouth track. Then on Saturday, June 7th, the EWSC program returns to the Manitowoc Expo track for the second of four point races in the 2003 season.
Summary: Miller Lite Nite at the Races
Winged Super Modified:
Miller Lite Fast Qualifier: Craig Perko, Glenbeulah 14.170
A-Main (30 laps): 1) Tim McMullen, Plymouth; 2) Paul Pokorski, West Bend; 3) Pete Ostrowski,
Milwaukee; 4) Kenjay Fiedler, Sheboygan Falls; 5) Barry Maas, Cascade; 6) Billy Hafemann, Cedar Grove; 7) Gary Laack, Glenbeulah; 8) Chuck Tuschl, Reedsville; 9) Tony Wondra, West Bend; 10) Dennis Klumb, Grafton;
B-Main (10 laps): 1) Wondra; 2) Dave Deicher, Plymouth; 3) Tuschl; 4) Hafemann; 5) Kris
Hansen, Manitowoc; 6) Klumb; 7) Chad Kistner, New Holstein; 8) Keith Anderson, Sheboygan;
Heat # 1 (10 laps): 1) Hansen; 2) Klumb; 3) Wondra;
Heat # 2 (10 laps): 1) Kistner; 2) Tuschl; 3) Laack;
Heat # 3 (10 laps): 1) Robert Enders, Kiel; 2) Maas; 3) Deicher;
Limited Late Model:
Miller Lite Fast Qualifier: Dan Dippel, Plymouth 16.158
A-Main (25 laps): 1) Rick Thompson, Campbellsport; 2) Jim Schmidt, Cleveland; 3) Brian Cesar,
Sheboygan; 4) Dan Dippel, Plymouth; 5) Jim Pitzen, Plymouth; 6) Scott
Haugstad, Plymouth; 7) Tim Carman, Sheboygan Falls; 8) Howie Weiss,
Glenbeulah; 9) Jason Allen, Fredonia; 10) Richard Hed, Sheboygan Falls;
B-Main (15 laps): 1) Paul Dingel, Sheboygan; 2) Hed; 3) Henry Dickmann, Sheboygan; 4) Mark
Zimmermann, Kohler;
Heat # 1 (10 laps): 1) Jon Scharenbroch, Sheboygan Falls; 2) Keith Borth, Sheboygan; 3)
Schmidt;
Heat # 2 (10 laps): 1) Dickmann; 2) Dippel; 3) Dingel;
Heat # 3 (10 laps): 1) Eric Baesemann, Elkhart Lake; 2) Terry Goetsch, Sheboygan; 3) Melissa
Singer, Waldo;
Super Stock:
Miller Lite Fast Qualifier: Doug Teunissen, Sheboygan Falls 18.353
A-Main (20 laps): 1) Brian Kaat, Plymouth; 2) Ben Schmidt, Plymouth; 3) Jeff Leonhard,
Sheboygan; 4) Kevin Zimbal, Sheboygan Falls; 5) Donny Kulow, Plymouth; 6) Doug Teunissen, Sheboygan Falls; 7) Mark Scholten, Oostburg; 8) Bradley Ruh, Elkhart Lake; 9) Luke Scholten, Oostburg; 10) Brian Goetsch, Sheboygan;
B-Main (15 laps): 1) Mark Scholten; 2) Abe Meinnert, Elkhart Lake; 3) Ruh; 4) Brian Goetsch,
Sheboygan; 5) Kulow; 6) Paul Dirks, Elkhart Lake;
C-Main (10 laps): 1) Joe Schmidt, Plymouth; 2) Jeremy Sauter, Sheboygan Falls;
Heat # 1 (10 laps): 1) Teunissen; 2) Jamie Gauger; 3) Leonhard;
Heat # 2 (10 laps): 1) John Dirks, Elkhart Lake; 2) Kaat; 3) Mark Scholten;
Heat # 3 (10 laps): 1) Ruh; 2) Tony Miller, Random Lake; 3) Steve Schad, Cleveland;
Heat # 4 (10 laps): 1) Paul Dirks; 2) Mike Humphrey, Sheboygan; 3) Randy Ostermann Jr.
All American Mighty 4’s:
A-Main (15 laps): 1) Jeremy Goetsch, Sheboygan; 2) Tyler Elias, Plymouth; 3) Duane Dippel,
Plymouth; 4) Tim Sauter, Plymouth; 5) Cory Edler, Cascade; 6) Dave Dorzek, Kewaskum; 7) Pete Mueller, Random Lake; 8) Wesley Baumann, Elkhart Lake; 9) Jason Vollrath, Sheboygan; 10) Travis Moehring, Sheboygan;
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