SCHUMACHER GRABS FIRST EVER LATE MODEL FEATURE WIN IN BOB FISH PONTIAC/BUICK/GMC ALAN KULWICKI MEMORIAL!!
By Dan Margetta
Slinger, WI-May 22—Rookie Nick Schumacher out-dueled cagey veteran Dave Feiler to nail down his first ever late model feature victory in the 65-lap Bob Fish Pontiac/Buick/GMC Alan Kulwicki Memorial Sunday night at the Slinger Super Speedway.         

“I remember Alan (Kulwicki) back when I was racing go-carts and this is a dream come true,” Schumacher explained from victory lane after completing a Polish Victory Lap in honor of the late 1992 NASCAR champion. “I’ve got such a great crew and this car has now won three Alan Kulwicki Memorials and I can’t even describe how good it feels,” Schumacher continued  after becoming the 11th different winner in the event’s 13 years of existence.            Schumacher took the lead at the start from the pole position as Rich Loch, Andrew Morrissey, and Dennis Prunty slid  into the second through fourth positions as cars in the outside lane played a game of bumper tag which slowed them down momentarily. Behind them, Feiler, Conrad Morgan, and John Mueller battled while Brad Mueller and Ryan Mathews closed in. John Mueller and Morgan tangled on lap 18 in turn four and collected Brad Mueller, Mathews, and Travis Dassow to bring out the first caution flag. The incident severely damaged the cars of Brad Mueller and Dassow as they were forced to retire from the race.           

Schumacher was quick on the button at the restart and he jumped out to a three car length lead over Loch and Dennis Prunty. With Schumacher beginning to pull away, Prunty was able to get to the inside of Loch on lap 23 but Loch powered his way off the corner to maintain the spot. Contact between the two one lap later in turn four sent Loch spinning across the track and into the frontstretch wall as the caution flag waved for a second time. Morrissey and Feiler exhibited some precision driving during the incident and were able to make their way through to line up second and third behind Schumacher for the restart.           

Schumacher again moved out away from the field as racing resumed while Feiler went to work on Morrissey for second. Behind them, Al Schill, David Prunty, Austin Konetski, and Lowell Bennett were involved in their own race over the fourth spot. Feiler was able to root his way around Morrissey by lap 30 as Schill held off Prunty and Bennett while Schumacher continued to pace the event. Once by Morrissey, Feiler slowly began to reel in Schumacher and by lap 43 found himself within a car length of the leader while further back, Bennett and Prunty were able to ease by Schill using the inside lane. Lapped traffic momentarily hampered Feiler’s effort but he soon closed in on Schumacher’s bumper with ten laps to go. While Feiler could catch Schumacher, the rookie’s car handled beautifully off the corners and the veteran was unable to muster up a charge as Schumacher crossed the finish line first to take the win. Feiler settled for second place ahead of Morrissey who came home third. Bennett finished in the fourth spot while Prunty edged Schill in a close battle for fifth at the stripe.           

Scott Schoeni held off Mike Egan to win the 30-lap late model semi-feature and both drivers were able to advance to the main event. Randy Schuler finished third while Chad Barker and Jerry Eckhardt completed the top five finishers.  Dennis Prunty used a final lap pass to edge Conrad Morgan to win the dash and Austin Konetski set fast time again with a lap 11.384 seconds.           

John Senerchia drove to victory in the 40-lap feature which comprised the first round of the Midwest Sportsman Championship Series.            Senerchia led at the outset while Dave Thomas and Mike Graczkowski raced for position with Pat McIntee and Brad Keith. The inside lane proved to be quicker in the early going as McIntee and James Swan became caught up top and fell back into a battle for fifth with Collin Bamke. Thomas also got hung out on the high side a few laps later and Graczkowski and Keith went around him for second and third respectively. Gary LaMonte also used the inside line to work his way around Bamke and McIntee and into fifth place bringing Swan along with him. Bamke and McIntee tangled in turn four a lap later to bring out the caution flag with Senerchia leading Graczkowski, Keith, Thomas, and LaMonte.           

Senerchia maintained the lead on the restart as Swan experimented with the outside in an attempt to get around LaMonte for fifth. Before he could complete the pass, LaMonte was able to work inside of Thomas which dampened Swan’s bid for fifth place. LaMonte used the inside lane to move forward as Thomas and Swan fell back on the outside, allowing Scott Ascher to move into fifth. With a clear track in front of him, LaMonte began to pick off positions, taking third place on lap 24 and then using the outside to pull even with Graczkowski for second on lap 28. LaMonte and Graczkowski ran side by side for six laps before LaMonte was able to complete the pass on lap 34.           

Senerchia encountered lapped cars during the final circuits as LaMonte began to close in but he handled the traffic beautifully to take the win. LaMonte took the checkered flag in second place and Graczkowsi completed his strong run with a third place finish. Brad Keith crossed the line with a solid fourth place finish and Kenny Joosten came on strong in the closing laps to grab fifth at the finish. Ascher was sixth and Thomas was seventh while Swan spun across the stripe to finish eighth. Jeff Steenbergen and Jay Schambeau rounded out the top ten.           

Jimmie Evans won the 18-lap Midwest Sportsman Series semi-feature over Jan Kantner and Corey Funk. LaMonte won the fast dash and Collin Bamke blistered the speedway in 12.583 seconds and was the fastest qualifier.     

Steve Huelsbeck walked away from the field to take home a convincing win in the 25-lap Midwest Modified feature.Huelsbeck immediately used the outside groove to take the lead at the start while Russ Moberly, Ron Schmitt, and Wes Biswell battled for second. The side by side racing for second allowed Huelsbeck to check out on the rest of the competitors and he built up a lead of nearly a straightaway by lap 10. Biswell finally got the outside lane to work and was able to pass Moberly for second as Steve Schulz and Dale Prunty entered the picture, setting up a four-car battle for third. Prunty’s car handled well on the high side and he soon advanced to third place while Schulz began to slide around up top and fell back into a race for the fourth spot with Schmitt and Jason Feyereisen. As the laps wound down, the only difficulty Huelsbeck encountered was having to avoid Bill Tandetzke’s spun car on the final lap as he drove to his first feature victory of the season. Biswell finished a strong second and Prunty crossed the line in third. Schmitt and Schulz rounded out the top five.Earlier in the evening, Schmitt took top honors in the fast dash and Feyereisen setfast time with a lap of 12.231 seconds.           

Jim Bentzler won the Thunderstocks event while Slinger Bees races were won by Jamie Vetter and Justin Okruchlica. Ryan DeStefano was the winner of the Spectator Eliminator race and Donald Van Camp scored the victory in the Figure 8 event.

 Event: Bob Fish Pontiac/Buick/GMC Alan Kulwicki Memorial       Date: May 22, 2005
Late Model Feature 65-laps

1.

Nick Schumacher (Germantown)

15.

Rich Loch (Franklin)

2.

Dave Feiler (Sun Prairie)

16.

Dave Teske (Sussex)

3.

Andrew Morrissey (DeForest)

17.

Fred Winn (Sussex)

4.

Lowell Bennett (Neenah)

18.

Conrad Morgan (Waukesha)

5.

David Prunty (Brownsville)

19.

Brad Mueller (Random Lake)

6.

Al Schill (Franklin)

20.

Travis Dassow (West Bend)

7.

Austin Konetski (Janesville)

21.

 

8.

Dennis Prunty (Lomira)

22.

 

9.

John Mueller (Hubertus)

23.

 

10.

Scott Schoeni (Slinger)

24.

 

11.

Mike Egan (Slinger)

25.

 

12.

Ryan Mathews (Lake Geneva)

26.

 

13.

Tommy Hromadka (Brookfield)

27.

 

14.

Donavan Morgan (Oconomowoc)

28.

 

 
Late Model Semi Feature- 30 lap

1.

Scott Schoeni (Slinger)

4.

Chad Barker (Hubertus)

2.

Mike Egan (Slinger)

5.

Jerry Eckhardt (Watertown)

3.

Randy Schuler (Mequon)

 

 

 
Late Model Fast Dash-  Dennis Prunty (Lomira)
Late Model Fast Time-  Austin Konetski (Janesville) 11.384 seconds
 
Midwest Modified Feature 25 laps

1.

Steve Huelsbeck (Milwaukee)

4.

Ron Schmitt (Jackson)

2.

Wes Biswell (Sussex)

5.

Steve Schulz (Waukesha)

3.

Dale Prunty (Allenton)

 

 

Midwest Modified Fast Dash-  Ron Schmitt (Jackson)
Midwest Modified Fast Time- Jason Feyereisen (Random Lake) 12.231 seconds
  
Midwest Sportsman Feature 30 laps

1.

John Senerchia (Oak Forest, IL)

4.

Brad Keith (West Bend)

2.

Gary LaMonte (West Allis)

5.

Kenny Joosten (Wonder Lake, IL)

3.

Mike Graczkowski (Jackson)

 

 

Midwest Sportsman Semi-Feature 18 laps

1.

Jimmy Evans (St. Francis)

4.

Rob Raun (West Bend)

2.

Jan Kantner (Oak Creek)

5.

Scott Schambeau (Slinger)

3.

Corey Funk (Slinger)

 

 

Midwest Sportsman Fast Dash-  Gary LaMonte (West Allis)
Midwest Sportsman Fast Time-   Collin Bamke (Slinger) 12.583 seconds
   
Thunderstocks Feature 12 laps

1.

Jim Bentzler (West Bend)

4.

Aaron Cain (West Bend)

2.

Shawn Hoefler (Slinger)

5.

Ryan DeStefano (Colgate)

3.

Craig Schattschneider (Iron Ridge)

 

 

 
Slinger Bees Heat #1  8 laps

1.

Jamie Vetter (Oak Creek)

4.

Tom Berens (Slinger)

2.

Bob Losiniecki  (Richfield)

5.

Travis Buchholz (Hartland)

3.

Steve Apel (Milwaukee)

 

 

 
Slinger Bees Heat #2  8 laps

1.

Justin Okruhlica (Jackson)

4.

Andy Soine (Slinger)

2.

Joey Bentfield (Gurkees Corners)

5.

Frank Verhunce (Jackson)

3.

Alan Flowers (Germantown)

 

 

 
Spectator Elimination Winner- Ryan DeStefano (Colgate)
Figure 8 Winner-  Donald Van Camp (Seymour)
 
Late Model Division: 1.Dave Feiler (Sun Prairie) 199; 2. Lowell Bennett (Neenah) 183; 3. Nick Schumacher (Germantown) 176; 4. David Prunty (Brownsville) 156; 5. Brad Mueller (Random Lake) 147; 6. Austin Konetski (South Beloit, IL) 135; 7. Dennis Prunty (Lomira) 130; 8. John Mueller (Hubertus) 118; 9. Rich Loch (Franklin) 114; 10. Dave Teske (Sussex) 112; 11. Andrew Morrissey (Deforest) 107; 12. Fred Winn (Sussex) 101;  13. Scott Schoeni (Slinger) 101; 14. Travis Dassow (West Bend) 96; 15. Donavan Morgan (Oconomowoc) 92; 16. Randy Schuler (Mequon) 90; 17. Conrad Morgan (Waukesha) 89; Ken Wills (Milwaukee) 58; 18. Mike Egan (Slinger) 83; 19. Chad Barker (Hubertous) 76; 20. Ryan Mathews (Lake Geneva) 74. Midwest Modified Division:  1. David McCardle (Menomonee Falls) 282; 2. Ron Schmitt (Jackson) 281; 3. Steve Huelsbeck (Milwaukee) 273; 4. Steven Schulz (Menomonee Falls) 267; 5. Joe Houpt (Mequon) 244; 6. Wes Biswell (Sussex) 222; 7. Jason Feyereisen (Randon Lake) 208; 8. Dale Prunty (Allenton) 192; 9. Russ Moberly (West Bend) 160; 10. Russ Grade (Hartland) 131.Midwest Sportsman Division: 1. Gary LaMonte (West Allis) 227; 2. James Swan (Lake Geneva) 175; 3. Collin Bamke (Slinger) 168; 4. Brad Keith (West Bend) 144; 5. Mike Graczkowski (Jackson) 135; 6. Dave Thomas (Franklin) 131; 7. Scott Ascher (Sussex) 125; 8. Jay Schambeau (Hubertus) 120; 9. Kenny Joosten (Wonder Lake, IL) 120; 10. Pat McIntee (West Bend) 105. Figure 8:  1. Donald Van Camp Jr. (Seymour) 180; 2. Shane Becker (Iron Ridge) 155; 3. Scott Goetzke (Iron Ridge)135; 4. Chris Price ()80; 5. Paul Williams (Hartford) 70.
 
 
E.H. WOLF AND SONS MEMORIAL DAY SPECIAL   
(Slinger, WI) Sunday Night May 29th long-time track sponsor E.H. Wolf & Sons partners up with participating BP dealers to present the Slinger Super Speedway Memorial Day Special. Check your local BP Gas Station for $1.00 off Coupons for General Admission Seating!  The night will feature an 80-lap Late Model feature and will join the regular Sunday program that includes Midwest Modified, Midwest Sportsman, Thunderstocks, Slinger Bees, Figure Eights, Port A John Speedway Guest Cars and the Spectator Eliminators. The Limited Late Models will return to Slinger June 12th, July 10th, August 7th, and September 11th.  Gates open at 4:45, Qualifying at 5:15, and Racing at 7:00.  Rain date Monday, May 30. There are select advertising and sponsorship opportunities as well as company and group outings available for the 2005 season. For more information, contact the speedway’s public relations department at: 262-370-0440, the track office at: 262-644-5921 or visit our web site at: www.slingersuperspeedway.com.