Matthias Wins Bill Boettcher Automotive Night Mod Main At The Hill
Saturday, August 7, 2004
By Dan Lewis

(Thunderhill Raceway - Sturgeon Bay, WI)  The threat of possible rain showers in the area could not stop the race events at Thunderhill on Saturday night.  Mild weather added to perfect track conditions equalled another successful race night at Thunderhill Raceway on Saturday night.  

In the Budweiser IMCA Modifieds, Luxemburg’s Jay Matthias earned his second feature victory of the year.  Matt Junio, Casco, won his second T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Car feature of 2004. May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock Tom Brumlic, Denmark, scored his fifth feature win.  Rookie Todd Polster, Baileys Harbor, won his second feature and Sport Four Chad Williams of Brussels came away with his sixth feature victory.  Bill Boettcher was the night’s sponsor, giving fans the opportunity to see their favorite drivers with out-of-the-car driver introductions.

In the Budweiser IMCA Modified main event, Tony Herbst of Sturgeon Bay paced the early laps from his front row starting spot.  Local favorite Darrell Massart of Brussels quickly grabbed the runner-up spot away from Sturgeon Bay’s Billy LeMieux and Luxemburg’s Scott Derenne.  Massart put his sights on Herbst in the lead position, but could not quite get position on the young driver.  An 
early race restart after the first caution bunched the field and it was Luxemburg’s Jay Matthias that shot his way past race leaders Herbst and Massart.  Matthias had the outside groove mastered and took his #8 mod from his fourth-row start to the front in only six laps.

Matthias survived three more cautions and clenched the win over the challenges of points leader Jeremy Jacobs of Algoma and Benji LaCrosse of Luxemburg.  At the line, it would be LaCrosse with the runner-up spot followed by Dan Ratajczak of Frog Station.  Jacobs and Sean Jerovetz, Suamico, rounded out the top-five finishers.  Earlier heat winners included Scott Derenne, Massart, and Billy LeMieux.

Chris Hendricks of Green Bay paced the field of T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Cars in the early going of the feature event, but it was Casco’s Matt Junio that prevailed in the 18-lap event.  Junio had to shoot the gap for a three-wide pass between front runners Don Aregoni of Sturgeon Bay and Jamie Suchocki of Kewaunee to get to the front.  Junio was able to take the lead from second year 
driver Hendricks on the fifth circuit.

Junio’s efforts paid off as he held off last year’s champion Shawn Kilgore of Kewaunee and went on for a close win, his second of the year.  Kilgore was forced to settle for second best, with veteran Craig Paque, Algoma, right in their tracks.  Troy Muench of Green Bay and Jeff “Pepe” Vlies, Brussels finished fourth and fifth on the night.  Heat winners in the Stock class included Hendricks, earning his first career win, along with Kilgore and Dave Bouche of Algoma.

The May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock feature event appeared to be “snake bit” as several cautions and realignments delayed a respectable start for the young drivers.  When the green flew, it was  earlier heat race winner Jeff Lautenbach of Sturgeon Bay that took the initial lead.  Last year’s points champ Joe Hegnet, Sturgeon Bay, and Algoma’s Evan Madden snatched the race lead and set the gait for mid-race.  Madden eventually caught Hegnet, passing him with only seven laps to go using the outside groove.  But it was the hotshoe racer Tom Brumlic, of Denmark that advanced to victory ahead of Madden with three laps remaining.  Madden scored the runner-up spot with Marcus Moede filling out the top three spots.  Points leader Ed Anschutz and Hegnet rounded out the top five.  Lautenbach and  a sweeping Brumlic won their respective heat events.

AmericInn Street Stock feature winner, rookie driver Todd Polster, Baileys Harbor, claimed his second feature win of the season on Saturday night.  Polster, starting from the pole, survived several early race cautions, one of them involving a dozen cars on the fast clay oval.  The “big one” happened on the third lap when fast traffic was unable to check up  for a slower driver up front.  Luckily, no one was injured but three drivers were sidelined.  Those put out of the event included Sturgeon Bay drivers James Iverson, John Sternard and Dennis Weidner.  Divisional veteran Von Eytcheson, Forestville, battled hard against rookie Kevin Damrow of Manitowoc through much of the race for the number two spot, eventually finishing second and third at the checkers.   Taking fourth and fifth were Aaron Thornton, Maplewood, and Pulaski’s Darren Otto.  Earlier heat winners were Michael King Jr., Little Chute, Polster, and Weidner.

In the Sport 4 division, feature winner Chad Williams, Brussels, raced a perfect outside groove putting his car three-wide and walked away with his sixth feature win of the season.  Milwaukee’s Ken Malcore finished second, followed by Green Bay’s Butch Beyers.  Malcore took home his fourth heat win and is the defending points champions from 2003.

Saturday night, August 14th will be a night off for the local drivers during the Door County Fair.  During Door County Fair Week, one of two special nights of racing has been slated for Wednesday night, August 11th when the Forest County Potawatomi-sponsored 2nd Annual Dirt Late Model ShootOut opens the Door County Fair.  The card will also include two of the raceway's regular divisions, IMCA-style Modifieds and Stock Cars, with increased winner's purses for both classes.  It'll be possible for the Late Model overall winner to pocket $2,500 in feature earnings, while the Modifieds will race for $700 to win and the Stock Cars $350.  Feature qualifying Late Models will compete in not one, but two 25 lap main events, with $1,000 going to the winner of each.  A clean sweep of both headliners will be worth an additional $500 bonus, bringing the winner's share to a possible $2,500 total

A second night of racing will be on tap on Thursday, August 12, when all five exciting divisions compete under the lights for an anticipated large Door County Fair crowd.  Points will be awarded for the Thursday night event.

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.  

This week’s Thursday night event is sponsored by Kelsey’s Racing!

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 - Jay Matthias, Luxemburg; Benji 
LaCrosse, Luxemburg;
Dan Ratajczak, Frog Station; Jeremy Jacobs, Algoma; Sean Jerovetz, Suamico; 
Darrell Massart, Brussels; Chris Derenne, Luxemburg; Randy LeMieux Jr., 
Sturgeon Bay; George Henkel, Sturgeon Bay; Kevin Sternard, Sturgeon Bay.
 10 lap heats - 1)Scott Derenne, Luxemburg; Ratajczak; 2)Massart; Chris 
Derenne; 3)Billy LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; Jarred Siefert, Green Bay.

 18 lap T Simon Jewelers IMCA Stock Car feature - Matt Junio, Casco; Shawn 
Kilgore, Kewaunee; Craig Paque, Algoma; Troy Muench - R, Green Bay; Jeff Vlies, 
Brussels; Charlie Kroll, Algoma; Chris Hendricks, Green Bay; Mark Derenne, 
Kewaunee; Rick Mahlberg, Denmark; Corey Haen, Sturgeon Bay.
 10 lap heats - 1)Hendricks; Mahlberg; 2) Kilgore; Junio; 3)Dave Bouche, 
Algoma; Vlies.

 15 lap May’s Sports Center IMCA Hobby Stock feature - Tom Brumlic - R  
Denmark; Evan Madden; Algoma; Marcus Moede; Casco; Ed Anschutz; Algoma; Joe Hegnet; 
Sturgeon Bay; Dave Lane; Green Bay; Dave DeGrave - R; Luxemburg; Carl 
Laughlin; Sturgeon Bay; Roger LaViolette - R; Sturgeon Bay; Keith Peterson; Sturgeon 
Bay.
 10 lap heats 1) Jeff Lautenbach, Sturgeon Bay; Madden 2) Brumlic; Hegnet.

 15 lap AmericInn Street Stock feature - Todd Polster - R, Baileys Harbor; 
Von Eytcheson, Forestville;
Kevin Damrow - R, Manitowoc; Aaron Thornton, Maplewood; Darren Otto, Pulaski; 
Jeremy Wiitala, Green Bay; Scott Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay; Mike King Jr. - R, 
Little Chute; James Anderson, Sturgeon Bay; Tim Lautenbach - R, Sturgeon Bay.
 10 lap heats 1) King; Wiitala; 2)Polster; Thornton; 3)Dennis Weidner, 
Sturgeon Bay; Eytcheson.

 10 lap Sport Four feature - Chad Williams, Brussels; Ken Malcore, Algoma; 
Butch Beyers - R, Green Bay; James VanDenBogart - R, Green Bay; Jon Beilfuss Jr. 
- R, Sturgeon Bay; Charlie Gross - R, Gleason.
 8 lap heat - Malcore; Williams.

2004 THUNDERHILL RACEWAY POINTS - August 7, 2004
Budweiser 
IMCA MODIFIEDS      Point
Rank/Car#/Name      Total
1   90  Jeremy  Jacobs  452
2   37  Sean    Jerovetz    432
3   54  Benji   LaCrosse    408
4   66  Jared   Siefert 395
5   18  Randy   LeMieux Jr. 392
6    8m Jay Matthias    388
7   73  Dan Ratajczak   382
8   3d  Todd    Dart    356
9   2   Darrell Massart 356
10  19  George  Henkel  356
11  21  James   Tebon - R   355
12  76  Kevin   Sternard    337
13  10  Chris   Derenne 335
14   4T Tim VanDeHei - R    332
15  22c Mike    Cole    321
16  3L  Billy   LeMieux 303
17  22L Doug    Maurer  291
18  43  Tony    Herbst  286
19  8J  Rick    Johnson 268
20  98  Scott   Derenne 256
21  OOL Rick    LeMieux 198
22  38  Randie  Back    197
23  O7  Scott   Boyea   185
24  13  Jeff    Dubois  185
25  34  Jerry   Wenzel  143
26  32  Lucas   Engels  123
27  65  Dean    Maurer  119
28  84  Dave    Zeitler 106
29  OOrm    R.M.    VanPay  102
30  36d Brian   Dancz   89
31  11  Mark    Berglund    76
32  36  Clyde   Skenadore   72
33  7   Rob Waechter    45
34  23  Brian   Baenen  43
35  79  David   Charles 29
36  34  Chad    Wilcox  16
37  99  Eric    VanIten 16
38  67  Ronnie  Plog Jr.    13
39  11  Eugene  Gregorich   11
40  82  Don Padgett 11

T Simon Jewelers 
IMCA STOCK CARS Point
Rank/Car#/Name      Total
1    2p Craig   Paque   439
2   52  Troy    Muench - R  431
3   21  Dave    Bouche  429
4   11  Bernie  Reinhardt   421
5   17  Jeff    Vlies   414
6   10J Matt    Junio   408
7   90  Shawn   Kilgore 401
8   8   Charlie Kroll   397
9   54  B.J.    Soquet  389
10  76  Mike    Wietor  364
11  29  Corey   Haen    343
12  77  Chris   Hendricks   317
13   10K    Tracy   Koontz  313
14  73  Don Aregoni 309
15  18L Ryan    LeMieux - R 292
16  12  Larry   Ingebretsen 283
17  97  Jamie   Suchocki    273
18  25  Tony    Bouche  263
19  O5  Dave    Davister    260
20  4T  Shawn   Havel - R   251
21  15g Kraig   Gretz - R   246
22  6   Rick    Mahlberg    235
23  20R Gary    Reinhardt   205
24  7d  Mark    Derenne 191
25  71  Mark    Reinhard - R    114
26  34  Brett   Wenzel  104
27  44  Pat Davister    82
28  19  Dave    Hoerning    69
29  2T  Travis  VanStraten  68
30  55  Shawn   Wagner  54
31  53  Travis  Annoye  43
32  53  Brandon Mindak  25
33  41  Troy    DeGrave 24
34  73J Don Aregoni Jr. 22
35  5f  Mike    Franzke 21
36  53  Craig   Barrett 21
37  17  Brian    Ankerson   15

May’s Sports Center
IMCA HOBBYSTOCKS    Point
Rank/Car#/Name      Total
1   71  Ed  Anschutz    479
2   47  Keith   Kickbusch - R   452
3   9   Marcus  Moede   444
4   2   Evan    Madden  442
5   40  Tom Brumlic - R 438
6   40d Dave    DeGrave - R 426
7   55  Wayne   Moore   424
8   10  Brandon Peterson    375
9   49  Roger   LaViolette - R  374
10  6   Dave    Lane    344
11  56  Jeff    Lautenbach  314
12  12  Carl    Laughlin    297
13  53  Dwayne  Mertens 284
14  18  Davin   Malvitz - R 267
15  5   Joe Hegnet  245
16  15  Maynard Hegnet - R  225
17  88  Dave    Serrahn - R 211
18  8   Derek   Moede   205
19  13  Keith   Peterson    196
20  75  Tony    Schlei  161
21  20  Casey   Groessl 119
22  O4  Mark    Mincheski   95
23  5   Kevin   Laughlin    62
24  1   Kevin   Luedtke 47
25  31  Jarred  VanLaanen   46
26  4   Mike    Mueller 32
27  11  Travis  DuChateau   24

AmericInn STREET STOCKS Point
Rank/Car#/Name      Total
1   95  Aaron   Thornton    471
2   51  Jeremy  Wiitala 468
3   11v Von Eytcheson   448
4   11r Scott   Reinhardt   427
5   12  Kevin   Damrow - R  413
6   21  Mike    King Jr. - R    396
7   25  Mike    Pierrard - R    396
8   73  James   Anderson    387
9   3p  Todd    Polster - R 377
10  76  John    Sternard - R    371
11  29  Scott   Iverson 369
12  90b Faron   Beilke  368
13  44  Dennis  Weidner 365
14  50  James   Iverson 358
15  27  Darren  Otto    342
16  23  Todd    Wagner  315
17  64  Don Polcen  267
18  75  Thom    Terrien 258
19  15  Brian   Ambrosius - R   250
20  8   Tim Lautenbach - R  157
21  3b  Mark    Brickner    145
22  17s Harley  Simon   119
23  99  Kevin   Jandrin 103
24  14  Jamie   Berg - R    86
25  5   Joe Hegnet  82
26  38  Andrew  Schnable    82
27  65  Bill    Kelsey  80
28  24  Jerry   Denil   57
29  34  Jeremy  Schultz 52
30  98  Dave    Baenen  52
31  13  Jordan  Whipple 50
32  13  Keith   Peterson    42
33  4   Mike    Robenhorst  39
34  33  Rick    Sternard    34
35  52v Shawn   VanOoyen    33
36  66  James   Brunette    32
37  34  Tom Daubner 30
38  79  Joe Johnson 26
39  79  Aaron   Melchert    25
40  50  Steve   Grenier 24
41  95s Jim Solem   22
42  20  Shawn   Mraz    22
43  90f Fred    Davister    21
44  20  Charlie Kroll   19
45  8   Dean    Bader   11
46  19  Chris   Konitzer    11

SPORT 4s            Point
Rank/Car#/Name      Total
1   29J James   VanDenBogart - R    460
2   2   Ken Malcore 458
3   32  Chad    Williams    451
4   72  Jon Beilfuss Jr. - R    434
5   9   Charlie Gross - R   376
6   18j Tim Jorgenson - R   317
7   O1B Butch   Beyers - R  243
8   8   Gene    Sternard - R    202
9   11  Adam    Rex 167
10  1   Don Mahlberg - R    105
11  6   Ryan    Johnson 104
12  115 D.J.    Jorgenson - R   102
13  55  Matt    Beyers - R  97
14  10  Tom Zastrow 72
15  6   Dave    Schlise 70
16  8   Tyler   Smith   70
17  16d Ben Daoust  38
18  10  Mike    Hanson  37
19  15  Todd    Smith   37
20  17  Greg    Banker  35
21  415 Steve   Schaumberg  35
22  15  Bob Skippon 32
23  10  Alex    Stauber 30
24  10  Les Lemmens 30