LaCrosse Charges His Way To His Second Mod Feature Win Of 2004 At Thunderhill Raceway
Saturday, June 12, 2004
By Dan Lewis

(Thunderhill Raceway - Sturgeon Bay, WI)  Recent wet weather across NE Wisconsin helped Sturgeon Bay’s Thunderhill Raceway put on a great show on another great track Saturday night at John Miles Park.  Second year Budweiser IMCA Mod driver Benji LaCrosse won his second feature event of the season with Matt Junio taking a nail-biting win in the T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Car main event.  Illinois veteran Tony Schlei held off a late-race challenge to take home the May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock feature event.  Rookie Todd Polster won the AmericInn Street Stock main and Chad Williams won his second feature in the Sport Four class.   Lakes Gas sponsored the night’s events.

In the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, Luxemburg’s Benji LaCrosse passed former track champ Randie Back of Green Bay on the eighth circuit to win his second feature of the short season.  LaCrosse had to wrestle his way to the front past some heavy hitters including Doug Maurer and Jay Matthias, and was able to eventually get past Back on the outside lane of the fast clay surface.  Dave Zeitler joined the leaders late in the battle and finished third to LaCrosse and Maurer.  Back held on to finish fourth with Matthias rounding out the top five.  A feature race protest froze the points and payoff that night with IMCA being notified from the track, making these postings unofficial at press time.  Brussels’ Darrell Massart won a hard fought consi race with Maurer, LaCrosse and 
Tony Herbst winning their respective heat races.  With the win, LaCrosse moved up from fifth in points to the points lead.  Only eight points separate the top four drivers.

T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Car Matt Junio, Casco, won an 18-lap nail biter on Saturday night with a last lap pass over Dave Davister.  Junio led only one lap...the last one and most important lap to take the checkers, his first feature win of the season.  At the start of the race, Davister came off the front row and quickly set up a good lead over the rest of the pack.  Junio came up from his third row starting spot and chased down Davister for the next 15 laps.  Former track champions Shawn Kilgore and Craig Paque finished third and fourth behind Davister.  Fifth went to Rick Mahlberg.  Earlier heat winners were Jamie Suchocki, Paque, and Junio with the consi win going to Pat Davister.  At the end of the night, Bernie Reinhardt holds a narrow margin in the points 
battle with only seven points separating the top four cars in the class.

In the May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock feature event, Zion, Illinois pilot Tony Schlei rocketed off the front row and held off points leader Ed Anschutz to take the win, his first in only two visits to Thunderhill.  Anschutz flattened a tire while challenging Schlei late in the race and recovered to 
finish sixth.  Maynard Hegnet finished ahead of Wayne Moore to take second and third with Dave DeGrave and Keith Kickbusch rounding out the top five.   Earlier heat winners were Schlei and Hegnet.  Only six points separate the top three drivers in points.

In the AmericInn Street Stock feature event, rookie Todd Polster of Baileys Harbor won his first feature event.  It was the first night that he was able  to qualify for the main event.  Polster led the event from green to checkered. Second went to Scott Reinhardt and third to John Sternard.  Scott Iverson and Von Eytcheson rounded out the top five.  Earlier heat winners were Polster, rookie Kevin Damrow, and Reinhardt with the consi win again going to the points leader, Eytcheson.

In the Sport 4 division, Brussels’ Chad Williams swept the night with a heat and subsequent feature win.  Points leader James VanDenBogart, of Green Bay continues to hold a slim lead in the points race over Jon Beilfuss Jr.

Budweiser IMCA Modified, T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Car, May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock, AmericInn Street Stock divisions along with the Sport-4 class compete weekly on Saturday nights, with competition getting underway at 6 p.m.

Next week’s event is the Dairy Queen of Sturgeon Bay night at Thunderhill Raceway!

A special night of racing has been slated for Wednesday night, August 11 when the Forest County Potawatomi-sponsored 2nd Annual Dirt Late Model ShootOut opens the Door County Fair.   Thunderhill Raceway is located at John Miles Park, the site of the Door County Fairgrounds, just off Highways 42/57, and west on County Trunk T.   For more information call 920-743-7052 or 920-746-0387, the track phone number.   The track’s website is www.racethunderhill.com. 

RACE SUMMARY
 
 20 lap Budweiser IMCA Modified Feature - Benji LaCrosse, Luxemburg; Doug 
Maurer, DePere; Dave Zeitler, Luxemburg; Randie Back, Green Bay; Jay Matthias, 
Luxemburg; Kevin Sternard, Sturgeon Bay; Jared Siefert, Green Bay; Darrell 
Massart, Brussels; Todd Dart, Algoma; Sean Jerovetz, Suamico.

 12 lap semi-feature - Massart; George Henkel, Sturgeon Bay; Dart; Siefert; 
Mike Cole; Baileys Harbor.
 
 10 lap heats 1) Maurer; Matthias; 2) LaCrosse; Sternard; 3) Tony Herbst, 
Sturgeon Bay; Back.

 20 lap T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Car feature - Matt Junio, Casco; Dave 
Davister, Luxemburg; Shawn Kilgore, Kewaunee; Craig Paque, Algoma; Rick Mahlberg, 
Denmark; Bernie Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay; Jeff Vlies, Brussels; Gary 
Reinhardt, Fish Creek; Troy Muench; Green Bay; Travis VanStraten; Hortonville.

 10 lap semi-feature - Pat Davister, Luxemburg; B.J. Soquet, Green Bay; Tracy 
Koontz, Brussels; Mike Wietor, Green Bay; Tony Bouche; Algoma.

 10 lap heats 1) Jamie Suchocki, Kewaunee; Kilgore; 2) Paque; Muench; 3) 
Junio; Charlie Kroll; Algoma.
 
 15 lap May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock feature - Tony Schlei, Zion, IL; 
Maynard Hegnet, Sturgeon Bay; Wayne Moore, Sturgeon Bay; Dave DeGrave, 
Luxemburg; Keith Kickbusch, Kewaunee; Ed Anschutz, Algoma; Derek Moede, Casco; Jeff 
Lautenbach, Sturgeon Bay; Dave Lane, Green Bay; Marcus Moede, Casco.

 10 lap heats 1) Schlei; Anschutz; 2) Hegnet; Dave Serrahn; Algoma.
 
 15 lap AmericInn Street Stock feature -
Todd Polster, Baileys Harbor; Scott Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay; John Sternard, 
Sturgeon Bay; Scott Iverson, Sturgeon Bay; Von Eytcheson, Forestville; Dennis 
Weidner, Sturgeon Bay; Aaron Thornton, Maplewood; Jeremy Wiitala, Green Bay; 
Thom Terrien, Green Bay; Kevin Damrow, Manitowoc.

 10 lap semi-feature - Eytcheson; Michael King, Little Chute; James Anderson, 
Sturgeon Bay; Jamie Berg, Lena; Joe Hegnet, Sturgeon Bay.

 10 lap heats 1) Polsten; James Iverson, Sturgeon Bay. 2) Damrow; Sternard. 
3) Scott Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay; Scott Iverson.

 10 lap Sport Four feature - Chad Williams, Brussels; James VanDenBogart, 
Green Bay; Ken Malcore, Algoma; Mike Hanson; Sturgeon Bay; Charlie Gross.

 8 lap heat 1) Williams; VanDenBogart.


'04 THUNDERHILL RACEWAY POINTS   6/12/04
IMCA MODIFIEDS   Point
Rank/Car#   Name        Total
1   54  Benji   LaCrosse    164
2   66  Jared   Siefert 161
3   73  Dan Ratajczak   158
4   37  Sean    Jerovetz    156
5   90  Jeremy  Jacobs  149
6   18  Randy   LeMieux Jr. 144
7   19  George  Henkel  142
8    8m Jay Matthias    140
9   2   Darrell Massart 133
10  34  Jerry   Wenzel  132
11  3d  Todd    Dart    131
12  22c Mike    Cole    126
13  38  Randie  Back    124
14  10  Chris   Derenne 120
15  76  Kevin   Sternard    119
16  3L  Bill    LeMieux 113
17   4T Tim Van De Hei  112
18  21  James   Tebon   111
19  43  Tony    Herbst  107
20  22L Doug    Maurer  104
21  98  Scott   Derenne 94
22  8J  Rick    Johnson 90
23  OOrm    R.M.    Van Pay 86
24  O7  Scott   Boyea   71
25  84  Dave    Zeitler 64
26  13  Jeff    Dubois  61
27  OOL Rick    LeMieux 54
28  36  Clyde   Skenadore   36
29  7   Rob Waechter    31
30  34  Chad    Wilcox  16
31  67  Ronnie  Plog Jr.    13
32  11  Eugene  Gregorich   11
33  32  Lucas   Engels  11
34  65  Dean    Maurer  11
35  82  Don Padgett 11

IMCA STOCK CARS Point
Rank/Car#   Name        Total
1   11  Bernie  Reinhardt   161
2   17  Jeff    Vlies   156
3   52  Troy    Muench  156
4   54  B.J.    Soquet  154
5    2p Craig   Paque   152
6   10J Matt    Junio   151
7   8   Charlie Kroll   151
8   21  Dave    Bouche  145
9    10K    Tracy   Koontz  144
10  90  Shawn   Kilgore 137
11  76  Mike    Wietor  132
12  77  Chris   Hendricks   121
13  97  Jamie   Suchocki    119
14  18L Ryan    LeMieux 118
15  29  Corey   Haen    108
16  O5  Dave    Davister    103
17  6   Rick    Mahlberg    96
18  20R Gary    Reinhardt   90
19  15g Kraig   Gretz   81
20  25  Tony    Bouche  80
21  12  Larry   Ingebretson 76
22  73  Don Aregoni 75
23  2T  Travis  VanStraten  68
24  71  Mark    Reinhard    68
25  19  Dave    Hoerning    64
26  55  Shawn   Wagner  54
27  44  Pat Davister    46
28  4T  Shawn   Havel   45
29  53  Travis  Annoye  43
30  34  Brett   Wenzel  26
31  5f  Mike    Franzke 21
32  53  Brandon Mindak  14
33  7d  Mark    Derenne 11

IMCA HOBBYSTOCKS    Point
Rank/Car#   Name        Total
1   71  Ed  Anschutz    174
2   47  Keith   Kickbusch   170
3   55  Wayne   Moore   168
4   9   Marcus  Moede   159
5   2   Evan    Madden  158
6   40d Dave    DeGrave 155
7   10  Brandon Peterson    144
8   40  Tom Brumlic 141
9   56  Jeff    Lautenbach  139
10  13  Keith   Peterson    138
11  49  Roger   LaViolette  136
12  15  Maynard Hegnet  133
13  88  Dave    Serrahn 131
14  18  Davin   Malvitz 128
15  6   Dave    Lane    124
16  53  Dwayne  Mertens 124
17  8   Derek   Moede   113
18  12  Carl    Laughlin    107
19  5   Joe Hegnet  79
20  75  Tony    Schlei  62
21  20  Casey   Groessl 22
22  31  Jarred  VanLaanen   21

STREET STOCKS Point
Rank/Car#   Name        Total
1   11v Von Eytcheson   182
2   51  Jeremy  Wiitala 173
3   95  Aaron   Thornton    171
4   25  Mike    Pierrard    164
5   12  Kevin   Damrow  159
6   44  Dennis  Weidner 157
7   11r Scott   Reinhardt   156
8   21  Mike    King Jr.    153
9   50  James   Iverson 151
10  29  Scott   Iverson 149
11  15  Brian   Ambrosius   144
12  73  James   Anderson    138
13  90b Faron   Beilke  137
14  76  John    Sternard    137
15  64  Don Polcen  132
16  75  Thom    Terrien 123
17  23  Todd    Wagner  122
18  27  Darren  Otto    96
19  3p  Todd    Polster 87
20  99  Kevin   Jandrin 82
21  65  Bill    Kelsey  80
22  3b  Mark    Brickner    72
23  14  Jamie   Berg    72
24  17s Harley  Simon   63
25  5   Joe Hegnet  52
26  38  Andrew  Schnable    43
27  52v Shawn   VanOoyen    33
28  34  Jeremy  Schultz 27
29  24  Jerry   Denil   26
30  79  Joe Johnson 26
31  90f Fred    Davister    21
32  33  Rick    Sternard    15
33  8   Dean    Bader   11
34  19  Chris   Konitzer    11
35  66  James   Brunette    11

SPORT 4s             Point
Rank/Car#   Name        Total
1   29J James   VanDenBogart    183
2   72  Jon Beilfuss Jr.    172
3   2   Ken Malcore 159
4   32  Chad    Williams    150
5   9   Charlie Gross   138
6   11  Adam    Rex 135
7   1   Don Mahlberg    105
8   8   Tyler   Smith   70
9   8   Gene    Sternard    64
10  16d Ben Daoust  38
11  10  Mike    Hanson  37
12  15  Todd    Smith   37
13  O1B Butch   Beyers  36
14  17  Greg    Banker  35
15  18j Tim Jorgenson   33
16  115 D.J.    Jorgenson   33
17  6   Ryan    Johnson 32
18  15  Bob Skippon 32