Frank Calabrese Wins the Spectator 200 Enduro and Dave Berndt Claims the Spectator 100!

September 21, 2003; Slinger, WI - Frank Calabrese won the highly competitive Spectator 200 Enduro Sunday afternoon at the Slinger Super Speedway with a last lap pass of last years champion Mike Kasperek and Dave Berndt emerged victorious in the Compact Special 100.

“I thought he (Kasperek) had two laps on me,” stated a surprised Calabrese from victory lane. “I had no idea I was passing him for the win, I though I was just getting a lap back,” continued Calabrese, who only led the final circuit of the 200-lap event.

The race was dominated by Mark Fogel who led a total of 134 laps and was over a lap ahead of the field until misfortune struck in the form of engine problems on lap 164 which relegated him to the pits. Fogel’s departure gave the lead to Kasperek, who entered the top five on lap 60 and had steadily worked his way forward until taking second place on lap 100.

Kasperek maintained a solid lead during the second half of the race and looked to be on his way to his second straight victory before scrapes with lapped cars caused his tire to slowly deflate while Calabrese began to close in. With Kasperek stuck in heavy traffic and forced to drive slow, Calabrese was able to pull up to his rear bumper at the white flag lap. Calabrese then took to the outside groove to move around Kasperek between turns three and four to grab the lead and the victory. The win was Calabrese’s first in the event as his previous best finish was a third place one year ago.

Kasperek settled for a close second while John Waldeman, Rick Cregger, and Marty Somers completed the top five finishers. Afterward, Somers failed a post-race inspection and was disqualified.

The whole 200-lap event was run virtually non-stop as the only red flag of the race occurred on lap nine when early leader Led Wiedenhoeft lost a wheel which triggered an incident that blocked the frontstretch.

Berndt began the Compact Special 100, a 100-lap enduro for compact cars, from the 69th position and blasted his way through the pack to get fourth by lap 30. Berndt continued his charge forward over the next ten laps and soon found himself right behind early leader Jason Meulemans. Berndt and Meulemens raced side-by-side and sometimes three wide in their battle for the top spot over the next 20 laps, before Berndt was able to finally charge by on lap 70. Over the final laps, Berndt increased his lead and took the checkered flag first for the win, the first enduro win in his career. Meulemans finished second followed by Nathan Matz, Matt Rowe, and Jeremy Sauter.

As was the case in the earlier enduro, the 100-lap compact car race also was only slowed once by the red flag which occurred on lap 60 when Charlie Recheck spun and lost a wheel in turn four. 

Event: Spectator 200 Enduro, Compact Special 100                       Date: September 21, 2003 

Miller Lite to Present Twin 75's Spring Opener at Slinger Super Speedway!

Special; Slinger, WI –As the 2003 race season comes to a close, it’s time to look ahead to next year, when we celebrate the 58th consecutive year of racing at Slinger Super Speedway. On April 18, 2004, on-track action at the world’s fastest quarter-mile oval begins with the Miller Lite Twin 75’s Spring Opener. As a long time sponsor of the track, Miller Brewing Co. will present the special event which will include competition in the Late Model and Midwest Sportsman divisions.

Fan favorite driver Rich Bickle, who was the overall Miller Lite Nationals Champion in 2003, is expected to visit the speedway in attempt to claim a portion of the Spring Opener earnings. Additional drivers slated to compete in the afternoon’s event will be announced in the coming months.

On Saturday April 17, 2003 fans will have the opportunity to view representatives from all divisions of competition during the annual practice day. In order to prepare for the 23-week race season, the following divisions, Late Model, Midwest Modified, Midwest Sportsman, Team Cruisers, Slinger Bees and Figure 8’s, will each be given practice time. General admission on practice day is free for all fans interested in watching the warm-up action.

The 2004 Miller Lite Twin 75’s Spring Opener is a special event that will kick off season-long, Sunday night action at Slinger Super Speedway. Slinger Super Speedway’s 2004 schedule runs from April 18th through September 19th. Advertising and sponsorship opportunities as well as group entertainment options still exist with the speedway for the 2004 season. For more information, contact the speedway’s communication department at 414.225.9747 or visit our newly upgraded web-site at www.slingersuperspeedway.com.