POINT LEADERS DOMINATE THE HILL
(Sturgeon Bay, WI – 8/10/2023)
Late season wins by drivers at or near the top of the standings are generally a rare occurrence in the local racing scene. Line-ups are set based on point averages, meaning the successful racers usually find themselves, at best, starting in the middle of the pack.
But three point leaders beat the odds, and a fourth nearly did, highlighting action at The Hill Raceway during the annual Door County Fair race in Sturgeon Bay Thursday night.
Brett Wenzel in the Stock Cars, Craig Dorner in the Sport Mods and Scott Schlafke in the 4 cylinder bombers all came into the night either atop or close to the top of their respective divisions, and all were victorious. Just missing out was Street Stock leader Ed Anschutz who came up just short, losing to winner Travis Zirbel at the wire.
Joining the action were the Modifieds for the second round of their three race series, with multi-time champ Todd Dart taking home the trophy.
In the Stock Cars, Wenzel entered the night two points behind Dan Sell, Jr in the title chase, having lost the lead to him Saturday night.
John Anschutz took the lead at the drop of the green and held on despite a couple of cautions in the first four laps. Wenzel advanced quickly into the lead pack, settling in third behind Anschutz and David Reinhardt.
With the three in a tight cluster through corners three and four on the seventh lap, the low line opened wide enough for Wenzel to shoot through, going from third to first in a single corner.
A final incident on the 7th lap sent the cars of Kerry Douglas and Caden LeMieux to the pits on the hook. The single file restart left Reinhardt, Nathan Otto and Sell in order behind Wenzel.
With the green flag flying, Luke Lemmens started a charge to the front. He reached third with five laps left and second two circuits later. In the final laps, he was closing in on Wenzel, but couldn’t quite get there in time to mount a serious challenge for the win.
Reinhardt continued his solid season with a third place run, with Zach Spangenberg carding his second straight good finish placing fourth in front of Otto. Sell drifted back to sixth at the line, dropping to second in the standings, three back of Wenzel.
In the Sport Mods, title contenders Dorner and Randy LeMieux, Jr started side by side in the 5th row with Dorner holding a narrow four point advantage.
Much like Wenzel had done before him, Dorner was able to advance quickly into contention with LeMieux caught up in traffic behind him. At the midpoint, Dorner was able to sweep past leaders Rick LeMieux and Alec Wery and begin to edge slightly away.
A late caution with six to go led to a dramatic run to the checker with Randy LeMieux and Wery side by side seemingly glued to Dorner’s back bumper. LeMieux tried to gain footing on the inside with Wery charging hard to the outside.
The trio crossed the line in unison, with Dorner on top and Wery nipping LeMieux by inches for second. Those inches were important as they cost LeMieux another championship point. He now trails Dorner by six entering the final points night.
Jeff Vlies and Jarred VanLaanen rounded out the top five.
Eight laps flew by rather effortlessly in the Street Stock finale as Zirbel jumped to the lead from the pole position and promptly sped away from the field.
Then things soured a bit as Dan VanPay, Steve Georgenson and Jason Geyer slid to the infield in a tangle. Cautions generally results in more of them and that was the case, eventually leading to a two lap sprint to end the race.
Steadily avoiding trouble, Anschutz had been able to work his way to third for a last single file restart behind Zirbel, who saw leads evaporate multiple times, and Shannon Guelette.
Anschutz took second and sped to the outside of Zirbel on the final corner, but the Green Bay racer was able to hang on by less than a car length for his first career Sturgeon Bay victory.
Despite not getting the win, Anschutz was able to rack up enough points to virtually lock up his first Street Stock title in Sturgeon Bay by simply driving through the gate next Saturday night.
Guelette came home third ahead of Garrett Geyer, with Josh Novak fifth and Brian Krejcarek advancing from the 18th starting spot for sixth.
In the 4 cylinders, Schlafke passed defending champ Calvin Stueck on the last lap to win for the 4th time in 2023. The win was his 15th in Sturgeon Bay, second most in the division. Another victory will tie him with Tony Everard for the most victories in the class.
Seems like a racing season in Sturgeon Bay wouldn’t be complete without a Todd Dart win somewhere along the trail and it came Thursday in dominating fashion.
The 8-time champ took the lead from Tyler DeBouche on the second lap and sped away to his 63rd career modified win in Sturgeon Bay.
Wyatt Block made the most of his visit to Sturgeon Bay with a strong second ahead of DeBouche, Kelsy Hayes and Will Garceau.
The Hill’s next event is the final point night of the season, Saturday August 19th, The Raceway’s four regular divisions will be in action, plus the Modifieds will be back for the final round of their mini-series. Championship night will once again be back to the normal 6:00pm start time.
The Hill Raceway is located at the John Miles Fair Park, 812 North 14th Ave in Sturgeon Bay, WI. All track information can be found on our Facebook page @hillraceway or contact 920-495-6631. Regular night pricing: Pit pass $25, crew members 17 and under $15. Grandstands $10, 12 and under free. Service members are free with ID.
The Hill Raceway results 8/10/2023
Stock Car Feature: Brett Wenzel, Manitowoc – Luke Lemmens, Green Bay – David Reinhardt, Fish Creek – Zach Spangenberg, Manitowoc – Nathan Otto, Green Bay – Dan Sell, Jr, Suring
Heat 1: John Anschutz, Forestville – Rod Snellenberger, Pulaski
Heat 2: Lemmens – Dan Sell, Jr
Heat 3: Spangenberg – Dan Sell, Sr, Suring
Sport Mod Feature: Craig Dorner, Brussels – Alec Wery, Algoma – Randy LeMieux, Jr, Brussels – Jeff Vlies, Casco – Jarred VanLaanen, Luxemburg – Roger LaViolette, Forestville
Heat 1: Dorner – Cory Kemkes, Appleton
Heat 2: Vlies – VanLaanen
Heat 3: Wery – LeMieux
Unified Dirt Street Stock Feature: Travis Zirbel, Green Bay – Ed Anschutz, Two Rivers – Shannon Guelette, Luxemburg – Garrett Geyer, Brussels – Josh Novak, Neenah – Brian Krejcarek, Two Rivers
Heat 1: Chad Naze, Green Bay – Steve Georgenson, Sturgeon Bay
Heat 2: Zirbel – Bailey LaViolette, Sturgeon Bay
Heat 3: Dan VanPay, Denmark – John Denil, Jr, Sturgeon Bay
Modified Feature: Todd Dart, Algoma – Wyatt Block, Tigerton – Tyler DeBouche, Green Bay – Kelsy Hayes, New London – Will Garceau, Francis Creek – Greg Gretz, Kewaunee
Heat 1: Dart – Block
Heat 2: Mark Joski, Denmark – DeBouche
4 Cyl Bomber Feature: Scott Schlafke, Cleveland – Calvin Stueck, Clintonville – Carl King, Shawano – Nate Michonski, Embarress – Barney DeVares, Kewaunee – Eugene Winkel, Two River
Heat: Schlafke – King
