Weinfurter Wins Super Late Main For Family! By Mary Langreck

June 26, 2004; Marshfield, WI: - The Merle Weinfurter Memorial, Mid-Season Championship was a big night for the Weinfurter Racing Family. Jeff, Greg and Brian Weinfurter all raced tonight. Jeff won the feature for the second year in a row. This evenings races were sponsored by 8th Street and TJ's Auto, Coca-Cola and WDLB/WOSQ. Ben Pettis picked up fast time in the CARQUEST Super Lates. Cale Laessig was fast again in the Supers. Keith Wirtz took quick time in the 4-Cylinders and Cody Meyer in the 1-Man Cruisers.

Photo Highlights

Jeff Weinfurter (left) is joined in victory lane after his victory in the Super Late Model main event by runner-up Dean Lapointe (center) and third place finisher Ben Pettis (left). Jeff Weinfurter (#3) holds off the challenges of Dean Lapointe (#15) on his way to victory in the Super Late Model feature contest. Keith Wirtz (#0) stalks the competition ahead of him.  He would make the pass and go on to claim victory in the 4 Cylinder feature race. Matt Cournoyer (#7) was victorious this evening in 1-Man Cruiser action.

The first three laps of the CARQUEST Super Late Model feature were led by Brian Back. Rory Melbinger then took over the lead. Dean LaPointe grabbed the second spot from Back on lap eight. The first caution flew right after for the spun car of Kyle Davis. Melbinger held the lead on the restart, LaPointe second, Jeff Weinfurter moved up to the third spot, Back fourth and Totzke fifth. Lap ten, Weinfurter passed LaPointe for second. Weinfurter then set his sites on the lead. It took him ten laps to get there, but on lap 20 Weinfurter pulled ahead of Melbinger for the top spot. Eugene Gregorich Jr. had been working his way to the front and was up to fourth. LaPointe got by Melbinger for the second position on lap 23. With only four laps to go, Gregorich passed Melbinger for third. Weinfurter won, LaPointe second, Gregorich third, Melbinger for and fast timer Ben Pettis fifth.

Rick Hetzel held the lead of the CARQUEST Super Stock feature through the first eight laps. Cale Laessig and Tim Hintz wasted no time getting to the front and they both passed Hetzel on lap nine. Hetzel fell to third, Travis Zvolena fourth and Ken Hutchens fifth. Matt Raykowski passed Hutchens for fifth on lap ten. Hutchens came back to reclaim fifth on lap 18. Laessig took the win on lap 24 in honor of Merle Weinfurter, Hintz second, Hetzel third, Zvolena fourth and Hutchens fifth.

Before any laps were completed, the caution was out for a stalled car in turn four, but that didn't slow the field down and contact was made on the backstretch that send Greg Blount flying up and over the turn three embankment. When the race got going, Erin Schlough jumped out to lead the first six laps. JJ Flick led the next two and then it was Keith Wirtz. Flick, Kevin Eckes, Schlough and Paul Berg were the top five. The caution flew on lap nine for the stopped car of Steve Hauser. On the restart, Berg moved up to second, Flick third, Adam Eckes fourth and Kevin Eckes fifth. As Berg, Flick and Kevin Eckes all raced for the second spot, contact was made and Flick's car ended up in the turn four wall. Wirtz took the win, Kevin Eckes second, Barthen third, Adam Eckes fourth and Schlough fifth.

The 1-Man Cruiser feature was led by Greg Firkus for the first lap, then it was all Matt Cournoyer. Lap ten, Dave Knauf moved up to pass Firkus for second. Pat Dickman and Sam Sudduth also moved up taking the third and fourth spots. Cournoyer won, Knauf second, Dickman third ,Sudduth fourth and Firkus fifth.

The Mid-Season Champs were determined by the amount of points earned tonight through qualifying, the heat and feature. In the Super Lates, Jeff Weinfurter won, Dean LaPointe second and Ben Pettis third. The Super Champ was Cale Laessig, Tim Hintz second and Ken Hutchens third. Keith Wirtz, Kevin Eckes and Paul Berg were the top three in the 4-Cylinders. Matt Cournoyer took the 1-Man Cruisers, Pat Dickman second and Sam Sudduth third.

This Saturday is the First Eve of Destruction in 2004. The Eve of Destruction is sponsored by Bauernfeind Business Technologies/NEC Digital Solutions and WGLX 103.3FM. Racing includes 1-Man Cruisers, 2-Man Cruisers, Relay Race, Forward/Backward Racing, 2nd Over the Line Race, Burn Out Contest, Tire Race and Trailer Racing. Pit Gate opens at 3:30 p.m., Grandstand Gates 5 p.m., Time Trials 6:30 p.m. and Show Starts at 7 p.m. Saturday's race is raindated for Sunday, Time Trials at 4:30 show at 5 p.m.

For complete RACESTAT Computer Results Click Here

Summary
Qualifying
CARQUEST Super Late Models: Ben Pettis 17.964
CARQUEST CWSSA Super Stocks: Cale Laessig 20.463
CWMSA 4-Cylinders: Keith Wirtz 22.329
1-Man Cruisers: Cody Meyer 23.527

Heats
CARQUEST Super Late Models
Heat 1: Melbinger, Gress, VanDerGeest, Back, K. Davis.
Heat 2: G. Weinfurter, LaPointe, J. Weinfurter, Frazier, Pettis.

CARQUEST CWSSA Super Stocks
Heat 1: R. Meyer, Schultz, Hetzel, Klueckman, Schmutzer.
Heat 2: Emmerich, Raykowski, Hintz, Laessig, Hutchens.

CWMSA 4-Cylinders
Heat 1: Barthen, Gascoigne, Blount, W. Elmhorst, D. Elmhorst.
Heat 2: Schlough, Wirtz, Hauser, Brandl, K. Eckes.

1-Man Cruisers
Heat 1: Cournoyer, Firkus, Dickman, Knauf, Sudduth.

Features
CARQUEST Super Late Model: J. Weinfurter, LaPointe, Gregorich, Melbinger, Pettis, Back, Totzke, E. Weiler, G. Weinfurter, Frazier.

CARQUEST CWSSA Super Stock: Laessig, Hintz, Hetzel, Zvolena, Hutchens, Raykowski, Weinfurter, Schmutzer, Coon, Brooks.

CWMSA 4-Cylinder: Wirtz, K. Eckes, Barthen, A. Eckes, Schlough, Berg, Gascoigne, W. Elmhorst, D. Elmhorst, Dunow.

1-Man Cruiser: Cournoyer, Knauf, Dickman, Sudduth, Firkus, Larsh, Erdman, Denny, Meyer.