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Schill Charges to Second
Victory of Season in Boucher Automotive 60! |
July
20, 2003; Slinger, WI - The
ageless Al Schill took the lead on lap 19 of the Boucher Automotive 60-lap late model
feature Sunday night at the Slinger Super Speedway and turned back all challenges en route
to his second victory of the season.
Schill took the checkered flag with both Rich Loch and Brad Mueller nipping at
his heels at the stripe and stated afterwards he had to work hard to keep the young guns
behind him.
“That’s what you call breathing down your behind,” exclaimed Schill
afterwards. “We had motor problems with this car a few weeks ago and it took a little
longer to get it back. We had a different car last week and I wasn’t real familiar
with it.”
The win provided momentum for Schill heading into Tuesday night’s Miller Lite
Nationals, the prestigious event that has eluded the Franklin native for 24 years.
“This is a nice start,” Schill continued, reflecting on his strong Nationals
runs in recent years before bad luck derailed his efforts. “I’m way overdue. The
last three years it looked like it could have been mine.”
Ryan Mathews started from the pole position and led the opening laps as Chris Ratajczyk
fell in line behind him at the start. A near-miss between Mike Egan and ASA star Mike
Garvey scattered the field on lap three but everyone saved their cars and racing
continued. Ratajczyk had his car hooked up in the low groove and edged to the inside of
Mathews to take the lead on lap five as Dennis Prunty, Schill, and Egan all followed close
behind. Mathews began to fade in the high groove as Prunty, Schill, and Egan all were able
to get by a few laps later. With Ratajczyk still in command, Prunty’s car slid way
high in turn one and Schill took advantage of the situation, advancing to second on lap
15.
Schill’s car worked the high line beautifully and by lap 18, he was challenging
Ratajczyk for the lead. With Ratajczyk still working the inside lane, Schill drove around
for the lead on the high side a lap later while Rich Loch and Brad Mueller began to close
in on the top five. By lap 27, Loch and Mueller were in third and fourth place
respectively as Prunty battled a loose car and continued to slip back.
Schill led at the mid-point to claim the Badgerland Motorsports Halfway Challenge with
Ratajczyk still holding onto second place over Loch and Mueller while Lowell Bennett and
Garvey began their charge toward the front. Bennett’s race came to an end on lap 35
when Egan broke loose in turn four and collected the defending track champion, sending him
spinning into the infield to bring out the lone caution flag of the race.
Schill led over Loch, Mueller, Ratajczyk, and Garvey on the restart while Prunty and Eric
Fransen locked up in a torrid battle for sixth place. Garvey muscled his way around
Ratajczyk to take fourth on lap 45 and with ten laps to go, the visiting ASA veteran had
tracked down the lead trio to set up a four-car shoot-out for the finish. Schill was not
to be shaken however and he hit his marks, keeping the others at bay to take the win as
the top four crossed the finish line nose-to-tail. Loch finished a close second followed
by Mueller and Garvey. Ratajczyk chalked up another top-five finish by coming home fifth.
Fransen was sixth followed by Conrad Morgan and Dennis Prunty while David Prunty and Dave
Teske rounded out the top ten.
Teske held off Scott Schoeni to win the 30-lap late model semi-feature while Bennett
captured the fast dash. Fransen set fast time with a lap of 11.376 seconds.
Dale Prunty drove off from the field in the 30-lap Eldorado Trailer Sales Midwest Modified
feature and captured the win in commanding fashion.
Paul Wagner edged Jason Feyereisen to snag the early lead while Bryan Holtz, Rick Ottman,
and Prunty fought hard for third. The caution flag appeared early as Ron Schmitt spun on
lap six, bunching up the field with Wagner leading Feyereisen, Holtz, Ottman, and Prunty.
Wagner was able to get a good jump on the field as racing resumed as Feyereisen faded a
bit, while Prunty moved to the inside of Holtz for second place on lap ten.
Once in second place, Prunty quickly caught Wagner and used the outside lane to drive
around for the lead just before the halfway mark. With Prunty and Wagner running
nose-to-tail at the front, Holtz, Ottman, and Wes Biswell raced hard for third. The field
stabilized until lap 25 when the fierce battle for third resulted in Holtz and Biswell
tangling in turn three, slowing the field under the caution flag and allowing Wagner to
close up to Prunty’s bumper for the restart.
Prunty was able to pull away as the green flag reappeared, leaving Wagner to deal with
Larry Reighbrandt who advanced forward to challenge for second. Prunty drove off to a
commanding win while Wagner wrapped up his best race of the season with a second place
finish. Reighbrandt was third followed by Ottman and Steve Schultz.
In other Eldorado Trailer Sales Midwest Modified action, Wagner nailed down the win in the
fast dash and Prunty set fast time with a lap of 12.179 seconds.
Nick Schumacher edged Scott Ascher to capture the victory in the 25-lap Midwest Sportsman
feature.
Jay Shambeau paced the field for the first four laps before the yellow flag appeared when
Jason Taghikhani spun entering turn one and collected Dave Thomas as others spun to avoid
the incident. Shambeau led Mike Graczkowski and Colin Bamke on the restart as Schumacher
lined up fourth ahead of Josh Bauer and Ascher. Schumacher, Bauer, and Ascher all got
around Graczkowski and Bamke by lap seven to occupy the second through fourth spots as
Shambeau maintained his lead. Schumacher raced around Shambeau a lap later to claim the
top spot while Bauer and Ascher also pressured Shambeau for position.
By lap 15, Schumacher led with Bauer and Ascher close behind as Shambeau and Bamke
disputed fourth place. With five laps to go, Bauer tried to push to the inside of
Schumacher in turn four but was unsuccessful as he made contact with Schumacher’s
bumper resulting in damage to his radiator and forcing him to exit the event as the
caution flag flew for water on the track. Schumacher and Ascher staged a final five lap
duel for the win that Schumacher won by holding off Ascher at the finish line. Shambeau
took the checkered flag in third and Pat McIntee was fourth. Bamke, a rookie, completed a
solid race with a fifth place finish.
In other Midwest Sportsman action, Shambeau was the winner of the fast dash and Bauer was
the fastest qualifier after turning a 12.739 second lap.
The Wisconsin Sport Trucks made an appearance on the Slinger high banks and after
thrilling the crowd with three and four-wide racing, Jason VanHandel edged Dan Hanson by
about a truck-length to win the 15-lap feature. Scott Baker finished third followed by
fast qualifer Jerry Quella and Scott Bushman.
Ryan DeStefano and Mark Fogel each scored wins in Slinger Bees races. Robert and Ron
Gigstead won the first team cruiser race while Tonya Krueger and Pat McComb won the second
race. Ed Feyereisen was the winner of the Port-A-John Speedway Guest Car event and the
Spectator Elimination races were won by Joe Plato in his 1995 Ford Mustang. Mark Ritger
won the Figure 8 race.
For Complete results
from the RACESTAT computer CLICK
HERE
Matt Kenseth Ready to Defend Slinger
Nationals Title
Slinger, WI – NASCAR Winston Cup driver and Cambridge, Wis. native
Matt Kenseth, will visit the famed high banks of Slinger Super Speedway during round one
of the Miller Lite Nationals on July 22, 2003. Kenseth, the current points leader in
NASCAR’s elite racing division is the defending champion of the Miller Lite Nationals
at Slinger. Kenseth joins Roush Racing teammate Kurt Busch in the 225 lap chase for the
checkered flag. In addition, Wausau native Scott Wimmer along with his brother Chris
Wimmer will join Slinger favorites Rich Bickle, Dick Trickle and Mike Garvey to
commemorate the 24th annual event.
Trickle and Garvey readied themselves for the prestigious event during Sunday night’s
Slinger Super Speedway activities. Trickle used the opportunity to familiarize himself
with his car, which is provided by 6-time Slinger Late Model Champion, Conrad Morgan, but
opted not to participate in nightly competition. Garvey, in a car provided by Gerry
Gunderman, qualified 12th and finished the 60-lap Late Model feature in 4th place.
In 2003, Slinger Super Speedway’s track owner and promoter, Wayne Erickson, teams up
with Madison International Speedway’s promoter, Roy Kenseth, to run a two-part Miller
Lite Nationals show featuring round two at Madison International Speedway on August 19,
2003. Although a significant purse will be awarded during each round of the Nationals,
competitors will be required to compete in both events to be eligible for the point fund.
Upon completion of the second round, the 2003 Miller Lite Nationals champion will be
crowned.
In addition to the on-track activities at Slinger Super Speedway during the first round of
the Miller Lite Nationals, fans will have the unique opportunity to meet the celebrity
drivers during the official autograph session following qualifying.
Adult tickets will be available for $22 on the night of the event. Student tickets for
children ages 10-15 will be $10 and children ages 9 and under will be admitted free when
accompanied by an adult. The rain date for round one of the Miller Lite Nationals is
Wednesday, July 23, 2003. |
