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Von Eytcheson Takes Home $1200 In Street Stock Slam At The Hill
Saturday, September 4, 2004
By Dan Lewis
(Thunderhill Raceway - Sturgeon Bay, WI) Forestville's Von Eytcheson
took home the biggest paycheck of his racing career on Saturday night from
Thunderhill Raceway. Eytcheson’s share of the Street Stock Slam purse
came to a whopping $1200 including lap bonus money. Eytcheson, the 2004
Luxemburg Speedway Street Stock Champion, swept the night with a heat win and
dominance of the 22-car field in the 30-lap feature event. It did take
some luck with the draw and
redraw lineups, but Eytcheson, the winner of only two features at the
“Hill” in 2004, did so quietly, the May first opening night and the last
in Saturday’s big payoff of the Street Stock Slam.
Denmark’s Rick Mahlberg prevailed in the the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car feature
on the tacky clay surface. In the IMCA Hobby Stock division, 2004 Track
Champion Ed Anschutz of Algoma showed his stuff with a 15-lap feature event
win. Billy “the Kid” LeMieux of Sturgeon Bay won the 12-lap IMCA Mod
main event and Denmark’s Ryan Johnson took home his first feature win in the
Sport 4 division.
Von Eytcheson put on a clinic Saturday night with a dominating sweep in the
Street Stock division. After winning his heat race, Eytcheson drew the
pole for the 30-lap feature and the night was his. He led every lap of
the heat race, but had to hold off some pretty stiff competition including
local hot shoes Dave Baenen, New Franken and Tom Daubner of Sturgeon
Bay. Green Bay’s Thom Terrien was an early race threat but slipped to
fourth for much of the early going with Sturgeon Bay’s Scott Reinhardt in
tow.
On lap 10, Manitowoc’s Kevin Damrow parked his mount against the
frontstretch wall and brought out an early race caution, putting him to the
back. On the restart, Eytcheson and Baenen pulled ahead again, but with
Reinhardt and Appleton’s Phil Hiles right behind.
Todd Polster, Baileys Harbor, grabbed fourth place in the heated action just
past midrace and put pressure on Reinhardt and Baenen. With the move,
Polster moved into second place with only eight laps to go. But
Eytcheson was too much for Polster at the end and Eytcheson went on for the
$600 first place money and $600 bonus money as well. Polster would earn
the Hard Charger Award from his 16th place start. Reinhardt settled for
third place while Hiles and Baenen rounded out the top five.
Street Stock heat wins went to Reinhardt, Eytcheson, Scott Iverson, Sturgeon
Bay and Aaron Thornton, Maplewood.
Rick Mahlberg took home a decisive win in the IMCA Stock Car feature.
Mahlberg powered by Sturgeon Bay’s Bernie Reinhardt on the opening lap and
never looked back. Reinhardt swapped second place with Shawn Havel of
Brussels one time about midrace while being pressured by Dave Bouche of
Algoma.
2004 Track Champion Craig Paque joined the leaders from his sixth row starting
spot but the cautionless race was over before Paque could advance any
further. Mahlberg had some pretty tough competition with four of the top
five drivers in points in the event. At the checkers, Mahlberg took home
his first feature of the season. Reinhardt finished second with Havel
coming across in
third. Dave Bouche and Craig Paque finished fourth and fifth
respectively.
Early heat winners were Rick Mahlberg and Dave Bouche.
2004 IMCA Hobby Stock Track Champion Ed Anschutz pulled in late for the
Saturday evening show, but when it was most important not to be late, pulled
into victory lane to collect first place money in the IMCA Hobby Stock feature
event. Anschutz came off the front row to lead the opening laps with
Dave DeGrave, Luxemburg, and Derek Moede, Casco, right on the bumper of
Anschutz. But that
was all these two drivers were able to see as Anschutz pulled away for the
15-lap feature win.
Moede and DeGrave got together on the backstretch just past midrace with Moede
setting the altitude record for his high-flying loose wheel. DeGrave had
pressure from Sturgeon Bay’s Maynard Hegnet for the final five laps as the
two drivers traded positions to see who would get a final chance at Anschutz,
but that last chance never came. At the end of the event, Anschutz came
across the line in first place. DeGrave finished in a season-high second
place finish, followed by Hegnet. Jeff Lautenbach, Sturgeon Bay, and
Dave Lane, Green Bay, rounded out the top five.
Carl Laughlin, Sturgeon Bay, won his Hobby Stock heat race.
Billy LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay, won the 12-lap IMCA Mod main event over
Algoma’s James Tebon and Brussels’ Darrell Massart. LeMieux muscled
his way to the lead on the opening lap and led from green to checkers.
Tebon won the earlier heat race.
Not only did Denmark’s Ryan Johnson take home his first feature win in the
Sport 4 division, but he swept the night with a victory in both his heat and
feature races. Gene Sternard, New Franken had the early lead but Johnson
was too much for Sternard and passed for the lead and the win. Sternard
finished second with Jon Beilfuss Jr., Sturgeon Bay and Wendy Welles, Green
Bay taking top honors.
Next on the docket for the Thunderhill Raceway is the 2004 awards banquet, set
for October 23rd to honor the 2004 drivers, sponsors and track
personnel. The Reef Sports Bar & Grill will be hosting the banquet
again this year. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased via Woody’s
Signs at 920-743-7052 or via email at www.woodyssigns.com.
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.
STREET STOCK SLAM RACE SUMMARY
30 lap Street Stock feature - Von Eytcheson, Forestville; Todd Polster,
Baileys Harbor; Scott Reinhardt, Sturgeon Bay; Phil Hiles, Appleton; Dave
Baenen,
New Franken; Mike Pierrard, Green Bay; Scott Iverson, Sturgeon Bay; Joe Hegnet,
Sturgeon Bay; Kevin Damrow, Manitowoc; Brian Koch, Kaukauna.
10 lap semi features 1) Michael King Jr., Little Chute; Don Polcen,
Sturgeon
Bay; 2) Koch, Harley Simon, Seymour.
10 lap heats 1) Reinhardt; Damrow; 2) Eytcheson; Baenen; 3) Iverson; Joe
Johnson, Seymour; 4) Aaron Thornton, Maplewood; Polster.
20 lap IMCA Stock Car feature - Rick Mahlberg, Denmark; Bernie
Reinhardt,
Sturgeon Bay; Shawn Havel, Brussels; Dave Bouche, Algoma; Craig Paque,
Algoma;
Jamie Suchocki, Kewaunee; Jeff Vlies, Brussels; Troy DeGrave, Green Bay;
Don
Aregoni, Sturgeon Bay; Tony Bouche, Algoma.
10 lap heats 1) Mahlberg; Tony Bouche; 2) Dave Bouche; Vlies.
15 lap IMCA Hobby Stock feature - Ed Anschutz, Algoma; Dave DeGrave,
Luxemburg; Maynard Hegnet, Sturgeon Bay; Jeff Lautenbach, Sturgeon Bay; Dave
Lane,
Green Bay; Roger LaViolette, Sturgeon Bay; Evan Madden, Algoma; Derek Moede,
Casco; Dwayne Mertens, Luxemburg; Carl Laughlin, Sturgeon Bay.
10 lap heat Laughlin; Anschutz.
12 lap IMCA Modified feature - Billy LeMieux, Sturgeon Bay; James Tebon,
Algoma; Darrell Massart, Brussels; Kevin Sternard, Sturgeon Bay; Rick LeMieux,
Sturgeon Bay; James Rice, Gills Rock; Randy LeMieux Jr., Sturgeon Bay; Mike
Cole,
Baileys Harbor; Tony Herbst, Sturgeon Bay.
10 lap heat Tebon; Billy LeMieux.
8 lap Sport 4 feature - Ryan Johnson, Denmark; Gene Sternard, New Franken;
Jon Beilfuss Jr., Sturgeon Bay; Wendy Welles, Green Bay.
8 lap heat Johnson; Beilfuss.
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