August 26, 2001; Slinger, WI - Cindy Peterson captured her first feature win of the season in the first 50-lap late model feature and David Prunty parlayed some bad luck in the first event into a victory in the nightcap during the third and final round of the Coca-Cola Triple Crown Classic Sunday night at the Slinger Super Speedway. Defending track champion Lowell Bennett used combined finishes of third in the first event and second in the next race to win the overall Coca-Cola Triple Crown Classic Series by just four points over Al Schill. The Coca-Cola Triple Crown Classic Series consisted of three rounds contested during the season.
Charlie Thon Jr. and Conrad Morgan led the field at the start of the first 50-lap event and Morgan edged out front to lead the first lap as David Prunty broke something in the right front of his car causing him to stall and bring out the first caution flag. The damage to Prunty's car was too severe to be fixed in time to get back into the event. Morgan and Thon pulled away on the single-file restart while Brad Mueller and Peterson broke into the top five as both passed Dan Mills to take over the fourth and fifth positions. Mueller and Peterson advanced to the third and fourth places by racing around Chris Ratajczyk when he checked up to avoid Jerry Eckhardt's spinning car in turn four. Eckhardt's spin did not produce a caution flag as Morgan continued to lead over Thon. Mueller's charge toward the front was thwarted on lap 10 when the motor in his machine went sour and he retired to the pit area and relinquished third place to Peterson. The race was slowed again on lap 15 when Al Schill broke loose after some close contact racing with Rich Loch in turn three. Eric Fransen stopped to avoid Schill's car and was hit in the back by Pete Weidmeyer. Schill was able to continue racing after the incident but Fransen and Weidmeyer headed to the pits for repairs. On the restart, Peterson dove to the inside of Thon and grabbed second place as Morgan held about a car length lead. Peterson caught Morgan and moved alongside on lap 24 and the pair disputed the lead in a side-by-side battle with Morgan barely leading at the halfway point to claim the Mac Tools $100 Halfway Bonus. Peterson took sole command of the lead on lap 27 as Donavan Morgan and Lowell Bennett raced their way into third and fourth just before Jerry Eckhardt stalled in turn four to bring out another caution. C. Morgan attempted to snooker Peterson on the restart and was able to pull alongside in turns one and two but could not complete the pass, which forced him into a battle for second with his son, Donavan. Peterson continued to look strong and held the point while Conrad and Donavan Morgan staged a family feud for second, which Donavan eventually won on lap 35. Bennett was able to pass Conrad for third four laps later as Peterson led Donavan while Thon and Mills staged the most spirited battle on the track for fifth. Bennett closed in on Peterson and Donavan to set up a three car battle for the lead as the laps wound down. Peterson led the white flag lap slightly ahead of Morgan and Bennett who ran side-by-side in her tire tracks. The much anticipated finish never unfolded as Jerry Eckhardt and Randy Schuler tangled in turn four ahead of the leaders forcing the event to end under the caution flag. Per track rules, if a caution appears on the final lap of the race, the official order falls back to the last completed lap, which in this case was white flag lap, and Peterson was declared the winner over D. Morgan, Bennett, and C. Morgan. Schill finished fifth. The lead lap cars at the end of the first event were inverted for the start of the second race and Florian Wisinski jumped into the early lead over Randy Schuler, Larry Los, Tom Hromadka, and David Teske. Prunty, who repaired his car from the damage he suffered from the first race, began the event deep in the field and immediately began to slice his way through traffic to take fifth place by lap 11. Prunty's early exit in the first event meant his car was less used up than the others and he quickly moved up into second place by lap 23 as Bennett was also advancing through the field by staying in Prunty's tire tracks. Wisinski led at the halfway mark but his advantage on the field evaporated as Prunty and Bennett closed in. Prunty had the faster car and he let Wisinski know that by easing the nose of his car into Wisinski's rear bumper on the straightaway. Finally Prunty went to the outside of Wisinski on lap 26 and took over the lead while bringing Bennett with him and into second. Once out front, Prunty could not be touched and he handily won the event over Bennett. Dave Teske ran one of the strongest races of his career and finished a respectable third ahead of Schill who worked his way to fourth after starting back in the field. Donavan Morgan also started in the back half of the field and raced his way to a fifth place finish. Bennett's combined finishes netted him the overall Coca-Cola Triple Crown Classic championship over Schill. Prunty finished third in the overall points followed by Conrad and Donavan Morgan respectively. In other late model action, Dennis Prunty won the semi-feature over Fred Winn and Mike Pascavis. Robert Maynor won the consi over Mark Bitzan. Donavan Morgan won the fast dash earning him $100 bonus from Mac Tools while Lowell Bennett was the fastest qualifier with a lap of 11.711seconds. Dale Prunty became the third member of the Prunty family to find victory lane as he bested Dan Jung in a photo finish to win the Midwest modified 30-lap feature. Jung survived a scare at the start when pole-sitter Russ Grade got loose off the second turn and made contact with Jung down the backstretch on the opening lap. Jung turned sideways momentarily and bounced off the car of Chris Petersen as all drivers kept their cars from spinning while Andy Evraets took the lead. Jung recovered to grab second place ahead of Petersen as Grade fell into a battle for fourth with Ed Grober. Jung worked his way around Evraets for the lead on lap 12 as Petersen followed closely behind. Prunty raced into the top five by the next lap but became trapped behind Grober and Grade who were fighting it out for fourth place. Grade lost control on lap 15 and spun in turn two and as his car climbed the banking, Larry Reihbrandt was forced to take evasive action by heading into the pit entrance. Jung led on the restart and Evraets fell into line in second as Prunty used the inside groove to pull alongside Petersen for third. Prunty completed the pass for third and then took second on lap 21. Prunty quickly closed in on Jung who had pulled ahead to a five car length lead. Prunty took to the outer portion of the speedway and was able to pull up next to Jung at the white flag. Jung held tough on the inside and both drivers raced door to door down the backstretch. As they rounded the final turn, Prunty was able to gain momentum on the exit of the corner and edged ahead by inches over Jung at the checkered flag. Evraets completed another strong run with a third place finish while Petersen and point leader Jeff Holtz rounded out the top five. In other Midwest modified action, Chris Petersen won the dash while Prunty set fast time at 12.409 seconds. Pat McIntee spoiled Scott Ascher's birthday by holding off the Sussex driver to win the 18-lap Slinger Stinger feature. McIntee took the lead on lap eight from early leader Kurt Brown and then turned back numerous challenges from the determined Ascher to take the win by a car length. Jason Feyereisen finished third followed by Roger Schmid and Jay Bleskan. The Stinger Semi-Feature was won by Nathan Fick over Pat Heaney and Shane Radtke. Slinger Stinger heat race wins were recorded by Herb Haldemann and Scott Ascher. Roger Schmid was the fastest Slinger stinger qualifier with a lap of 13.542 seconds. Mike Newlin won the Figure 8 event and Rick Bruskiewicz was the Spectator Eliminator race winner in his Eagle Talon. Dave Enright scored the victory in the Speedway Guest Car event and Dan Russ of Hubertus was the $100 AAL Fan Challenge winner. The Coca Cola 500 big wheel race was won by Brandon Post of Mayville with Tristen Dorzok of Random Lake following and Taylor Kubsek of Jackson in third. For Complete results from the RACESTAT computer CLICK HERE
Special; Slinger, WI - This Sunday Night, September 2nd, Port A John presents The Labor Day Weekend Special at the Slinger Super Speedway. The evening, will be highlighted by a 100 lap late model feature and full racing program in the Late Models, Midwest Modifieds, Slinger Stinger Street Stocks, Figure 8's, Team Cruisers, Speedway Guest cars, and Spectator races. A huge fireworks display is also on tap and old vintage Modifieds will be on display around the world's fastest ¼ mile oval. Port A John welcomes fans to the Slinger Super Speedway and they, along with the track, will be giving away items throughout the evening. Port a John specializes in restrooms, sinks, and deluxe restroom trailers for backyard parties, weddings, or any other special event. For more information call Port A John at (262) 253-1400. The vintage Modifieds that will be displayed may include Paul Feldner's 1965 race car and modifieds that were driven by Miles "The Mouse" Melius, Bill Schwister, and Slinger Speedway owner and promoter Wayne Erickson. Billy Johnson's 1972 racer and the modified driven by Dick Duerst, Lee Weber and Eddie Loomis during the sixties are also slated to appear. These vintage cars and the talented owners who have put many hours into restoring them will be displayed around the track. Entries are being accepted for the Spectator 200 lap Enduro and the New Compact Car and 4 Cylinder Class 100 lap Enduro set for Sunday, September 23rd at 2 p. m. The starting line-up for the Enduro is determined by the order in which the entry forms are received at the Speedway. Interested novice drivers may find out more information by stopping in or calling the track office at the below number. Spectator gates open at 4: 45 p.m. for this Sunday's event with time trials at 5:15 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The Slinger Super Speedway is located ¼ mile West of Highway 41 on Highway 144 in Slinger. For more information, call the track office during normal business hours M-F 9-5 at (262) 644-5921 or check out the newly developed track website at www.slingersuperspeedway.com |
