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Cooter, Cox and Gnatzig Open Summer Shootout With Wins
by John Wiedemann – racingwisconsin.com
(Milwaukee, WI – June 8, 2005) -
Three new names were added to the list of winners at the historic Milwaukee
Mile, Michael Cooter and Davey Cox, both of Machesney Park, IL, along with
Curt Gnatzig of Hartford, WI. The opening night of the Milwaukee Summer
Shootout at the Milwaukee Mile treated fans to exciting wheel to wheel action
with three divisions competing on the “Mini-Mile”.
The nine race series, presented by the Junior Pro Series, features racing in
the Bandolero, Legend and Thunder Roadster divisions. Races are run on
part of the Milwaukee Mile road course forming a “roval”. The course
has four turns giving it an oval look, but the bends in the straightaway add a
bit of a road course touch and test the driver’s skill.
Davey Cox dominated the Thunder Roadster
division. Cox won the heat race and continued showing that he had the
new track figured out by winning the feature, leading flag to flag. Ed
Mecum, Jr. hopped into a second ride for the feature and crossed the line in
second place followed by Mike Pico.
The Bandolero’s Michael Cooter also figured out
the track but not without a little excitement. In the first heat Cooter
would spin his car out and be passed by Bobby Yonkee. Yonkee spun his car
as well after the restart and Cooter jumped back to the front and held on
for the win. In the second heat, the top three cars spun in the first
turn. On the restart, Cooter again resumed the lead and went on to win
the race. Spins were not part of the feature as Cooter took command on
the start and ran away with the win.
“I love this track”, said Cooter. “The speed and using the brakes
make it so much fun to run.” Michael Cooter is a sixteen-year-old
driver in his third year of racing. Last year Cooter was 10th in the
nation in Bandoleros and currently is ranked in ninth.
The Legends put on some of the most exciting racing of the evening. The
first heat race started off with Ryan Miles having issues in the first turn
and running through a fence. Ryan was fine but the car needed
work. On the restart Ernie Schaal took off with Kyle LaPier and Michael
Bilderback in tow. Caution came out when the cars of Curt Gnatzig and
LaPier got together between turns three and four. After the green flag
came out, the teenagers Schaal and Bilderback put on quite a show switching
the lead while battling through the turns. Bilderback would finally take
command with a couple laps to go and took the checkers with Schaal not far
behind.
The second heat would continue the excitement with Gnatzig taking off early
and a group of drivers trying to catch up. Bilderback ran second
followed by Don Schaal, trying to hold off his son Ernie. Don Schaal
tried a little too hard and got out of shape allowing Ernie Schaal and LaPier
by. In the meantime Bilderback was trying to run down Gnatzig and got
off line a bit allowing Gnatzig to get away. Gnatzig took the win
followed by Bilderback, Ernie Schaal, LaPier and Don Schaal.
With all the action in the heats, the crowd was set to see a showdown in the
Legends main. Bilderback had the pole position followed by Ernie Schaal,
Gnatzig, Don Schaal, LaPier and Rick Kaiser. On the first lap, Gnatzig
jumped up to challenge Bilderback with the Schaals and LaPier following.
Gnatzig took the lead on the second lap driving past Bilderback.
The top five drivers ran through most of the rest of the race like a train
only a few car lengths apart. On the last lap Bilderback had a problem
in the first turn sending his car into the wall and giving up second
place. Gnatzig would go on and take the checkered
flag followed by Ernie Schaal, LaPier and Don Schaal.
The Summer Shootout returns to the Milwaukee Mile next Wednesday, June 15,
with the same divisions joined by the Allison Legacy cars. Spectator admission will be free for all 2005 SUMMER SHOOTOUT events, with bleacher seating in the infield for families to view all the races, scheduled to run from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Seven of the nine scheduled Wednesday night races will be recorded and
produced, available on Time Warner Cable’s WIsconsin on Demand (WIoD)
channel 1111. WIoD is an innovative local programming channel available
free to all of Time Warner Cable’s 200,000 digital customers in Southeastern
Wisconsin, and in the 70 communities served by their Appleton/Green Bay
Division. Using state-of-the-art Video on Demand technology, viewers can
call up the races on demand, and pause, rewind or fast-forward with a touch of
a button on their remote control.
For more information, please visit www.milwaukeemile.com,
www.juniorproseries.com,
and www.600racing.com.
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