Resilient Rothe Survies Restarts

July 21, 2011
By: Matt Panure

With a half of a straight away lead more than halfway through the Schmitty’s Tickets Super Late Model feature Thursday night, Tim Rothe was in complete control. Then the cautions came – and with them – the competition.

Rothe relinquished the lead to Kyle Calmes on two consecutive restarts, regained the lead and held off a hard-charging Terry Baldry to claim the Vanderloop Leasing and Equipment 35-lap main event in the Fox River Racing Club’s Thursday Night Thunder at Wisconsin International Raceway.  To secure the early lead Rothe used a power move on the outside. Calmes took the lead from pole-sitter Max Schultz and tucked to the bottom. After securing second from Schultz at the start/finish line, Rothe rode his momentum to the outside of Calmes and into the lead out of turn two.  As Rothe built his lead out front, point leader Jeff VanOudenhoven and defending Champion Terry Baldry ascended through the field using the outside lane. VanOudenhoven took fourth on lap five with Baldry following into fifth on the next circuit. The first caution of the event fell on lap 19 when the engine expired on Pete Vandermolen’s machine. The double-file restart pitted Calmes on the outside of Rothe with VanOudenhoven alongside fast qualifier Brett Piontek in the second row.  Calmes rocketed off the second turn into the lead past Rothe after the restart. However, Rothe fought back entering turn three. As the two scrambled up front, track position became a premium. Rothe checked up and sent VanOudenhoven spinning as he tried to avoid.  With another restart upcoming, Calmes chose the outside line – allowing Rothe the inside. Calmes again took the lead in the early going. After Calmes led lap 21, Rothe fought back to the inside and wrestled the lead away. A short-lived battle for the runner-up spot was won by Baldry, and Calmes fell into a battle with Piontek for third.  Baldry caught Rothe with seven laps remaining and repeatedly surveyed lines. With five laps remaining Baldry dived to the inside entering turn three, but his bid was denied as Rothe slammed the door shut. Unable to find a way around, Baldry was forced to settle for second. Piontek and Calmes raced side-by-side over the final nine laps with Piontek securing third at the line. Mike Gardner rounded out the top five.

Cautions also played a factor in the Howard Cams and Competition Products Limited Late Model Main. However, Todd Verhagen went mostly unchallenged as he cruised to his second victory of 2011.  Eugene Ciferno and Donald Van Camp led the field to the start of the Vanderloop Leasing and Equipment 20-lap Feature. Ciferno took the early advantage, leaving Van Camp to deal with Verhagen. By the time the duo hit the stripe for lap one Verhagen was in second.  Joining Verhagen on the bottom line was Brandon Conrad. Conrad secured third behind Verhagen, who wasted no time challenging for the lead. Verhagen slid to the inside of Cirferno down the front straight on lap four and secured the lead exiting turn two.  A string of two cautions set Verhagen in the front row for restarts with Brent Strelka. Verhagen was the stronger of the number 52s on both.  By the midway point fast qualifier and point leader Gary Natrop was challenging in the top five. With a dozen laps gone, Natrop slid to the inside of Ciferno. The two ran out of real estate, and Ciferno spun to the infield. Both drivers were sent to the tail of the field.  Verhagen took off on the single file restart and went on to win by a comfortable margin. Strelka finished second, Conrad third, Sawyer Effertz was fourth and Corey Kemkes finished fifth. 

 

In the Eagle Graphics Super Stocks, cautions haunted and ultimately brought an early end to the feature event. The event, slated to go 20 laps, made it to lap 15 before the sixth caution of the race brought an early checkered flag to Andy Casavant. Tim Lowe paced the field early until the first restart when Johnny Van advanced to the top spot. As Van tried to distance himself from the pack Lowe, Larry Raygo and Terry Van Roy were involved in an altercation in turn two. Van restarted alongside Jessie Van Roy, who swiped the lead off the restart.  After the restart Van and Eric Turner locked together, allowing Andy Casavant to take second. Yet another restart placed him behind Van Roy. Casavant and Van Roy made heavy contact in turns one and two after the restart with Casavant emerging in the lead.  After three more cautions the checkered flag was displayed to Casavant. Van Roy finished second, Corey Manders was third, Van finished fourth and Mike King Jr. rounded out the top five.

In contrast the Wisconsin Sport Truck feature went green-to-checker without a display of amber. John Roeser remained undefeated in 2011 and scored a clean sweep by setting fast time and winning his heat.  Roeser wasted no time in gaining the lead spot, working to the high line. By lap one Roeser was into the top five and kept cruising to the outside to grab the lead by lap two. As Roeser put distance between himself and the field, defending Champion Jason Plutz moved through the top five.  Plutz eventually finished third behind second-year driver Dylan Ihde. Taylor Vandermoss finished fourth and Eric Johnson was fifth.

Third-generation racer Braison Bennett topped the Sizzling 4 feature event. Bennett took the lead from Randy Sonkowsky at the drop of the green and held him off on a restart with two laps to go.

 

To round out the evening Danny Gracyalny captured the Pit Stop Bar and Grill Figure 8s. Gracyalny took the lead from Craig Kreuger with two laps remaining and cruised to victory. 

 

Next Thursday July 28 the Fox River Racing Club’s Thursday Night Thunder Program is presented by PCMC. A Kids’ coin drop will take place before the racing event. Qualifying on the half-mile begins at 5:45 with racing scheduled to start at 6:30.