...2005 Season...

May 6, 2005  May 27, 2005  June 3, 2005  June 4, 2005  June 18, 2005  June 24, 2005  July 1, 2005  July 2, 2005  July 8, 2005  July 16, 2005 
July 22, 2005  August 6, 2005  August 12, 2005  August 20, 2005 
August 26, 2005  September 2, 2005

May 6, 2005 Lake Geneva Raceway - While the Rascals were enjoying their first race of the season, I was unable to be there due to prior commitments, believe me I was there in spirit.  I know how you all look forward to my exciting articles and edge of your seat race action news, and today will be no exception, okay it won't be as exciting as most articles, but here goes....

One by one the drivers and their cars showed up at the track, anticipation building as each arrived.  "Will my tires hold up, did I check all those connections, did I remember to buy gas, do I have extra money to buy a hotdog?".

As the cars were unloaded, it was evident that some of our racers had spent some time revamping their cars over the winter, the new paint jobs look fantastic guys!  A warm welcome to Lenny Adams, the substitute driver for the #12 car (Kreft), we wish him luck tonight.

Finally it was time for some hot laps, Benkert had some car trouble that would keep him for racing tonight, a real disappointment for sure.  With the cars tested, it was time for time trials and while most everyone had a good showing, fast time was taken by Bedore with a time of 17.053, congratulations Chris!

With time trials completed, the heat line-ups could be prepared and we thank Dee for taking care of this tonight.  The first heat was won by rookie Jim Thiel, with Lenny Adams taking second followed by Roger Aronson taking third.  Great race guys.

The second heat was won by Jeff LeSage with Findley taking second and Bedore taking third.

The feature consisted of 11 cars and it was anyone's guess what the final outcome would be.  Bedore took first with Christophersen taking second and Gundlach rounding out the top three.  I hear it was an exciting feature, congrats to everyone.

All in all it was a great race night, and I look forward to our next race when I can actually watch the action. 

May 27, 05 Lake Geneva Raceway - With clouds rolling in and out all day, it was anybody’s guess whether RORI would race today or not, but as we got to the track, the sun came out and the excitement rose as we readied ourselves for some hot laps to see how the cars were running.  Soon clouds began rolling in but time trials were started and just as our last driver to qualify entered the track a few rain drops began to fall.  This was no problem for Kip Novotny who took fast time for the day with an amazing time of 15.904!  Our very own Novotny had beaten the track record (which was held since 2001 by our own Jim Veugeler with a time of 16.215).  Congratulations Kip!!

With the drivers checking their times and congratulating Novotny, the winds began to grow and soon the rain fell in buckets.  With a 30 minute rain delay we were told the races would go on, so cars were dried off and tarps removed, Olson found he had a very wet seat.

The first heat had Kreft and Adams out front to start and soon Kreft left the pack with an impressive lead over the other drivers.  Adams held second for several laps with John LeSage close behind.  During the fourth lap Olson lost his steering wheel, literally, and found himself in the infield and a caution was thrown.  Findley did a good job of avoiding a tangle with Olson.  After the restart Kreft again took off ahead of the pack, Adams holding second and John LeSage holding onto third.  With three laps to go and moving ahead in the pack, Findley’s pipe broke and he was forced to drive off the field.  With two laps to go, Kreft held onto his lead taking first, John LeSage took second and Benkert rounded out the top three. 

The second heat had Gundlach and Jeff LeSage out front to start.  On the fourth lap Jeff LeSage overtook first, Gundlach now in second and Thiel in third.  One lap later Thiel had lost third to Jim Veugeler (driving for the Bedore/Veugeler team tonight).  Gundlach held off Veugeler until the 7^th lap when Veugeler was able to overtake him and get third, turns out Gundlach had lost his brakes and simply slowed down to get off the track.  The final out come had Jeff LeSage taking first, Jim Veugeler taking second and Christophersen taking third.

We started out with 15 cars tonight but with Findley’s pipe broken, Gundlach without brakes and Holverson losing a clutch cover, the feature would be running with 12 cars.  After some warm up laps the race began and after a few laps Aronson got involved in a tangle with Christophersen and Jeff LeSage and had to be towed off the field, we were now down to 11 cars.  After the restart Novotny found himself moving up in the pack and it was anybody’s guess what the final outcome would be, but unfortunately Novotny broke a chain and was the next car off the field.  Down to ten cars, the final outcome was Veugeler taking first, John LeSage taking second and Benkert taking third.

When Veugeler was asked how it felt to be back on the track, he stated “I’m getting old, my arms sure were tired”, of course he said this with the grin of a winner.  Listening to the comments of the racers and asking “what happened to Kip out there”, I overheard someone say “The cat got a hairball”.

It was a tough night on the cars tonight and some of the drivers have some work to do on their cars but we’re all excited about our next race, next Friday at Lake Geneva Raceway followed by a race at the Dells Motor Speedway on Saturday.

June 3, 2005 – Lake Geneva Raceway – I anticipate some tension with tonight’s race considering the Rascal Outlaws race again tomorrow at the Dells Motor Speedway.  Our racers will have to be on their toes to ensure a good race tonight and the ability to make tomorrow’s race as well.  The clouds in the skies could possibly give us some rain, resulting in a slick track which can be tricky at best. 

Time trials had Novotny taking fast time again this week and Christophersen took the opportunity to drive the “0” car in the parade lap.  There was a short delay due to a few sprinkles but they quickly subsided and it was time to race. 

The first heat began with Holverson out front followed by Kreft and then Christophersen.  During the third lap Holverson lost a belt and had to leave the field which put Christophersen out front now followed by John LeSage and Adams.  When Christophersen took the lead he waved to his children in the stands and accidentally hit the kill switch, thankfully he was able to flip the switch before his car shut down.  Soon Thiel overtook Adams for the third position and the final result was Christophersen taking first, LeSage taking second and Thiel rounding out the top three.

 The second heat had Novotny out after the first lap with a broken chain, Findley was holding first with Jeff LeSage and Aronson close behind.  Soon LeSage overtook Findley for first with Arson looking to take second from Findley.  The final result was LeSage taking first, Aronson taking second and Shine taking third for the #88 car.

 I expected an exciting feature and that’s exactly what the Rascal Outlaws provided, all in all it was a good race but unfortunate to see Novotny have to leave the race with a suspected blown motor, fortunately it was only a plug problem.  Pollak wasn’t so lucky and was also unable to complete the race due to a blown motor, what a disappointment for us all.  Christophersen was holding on to first but John LeSage was giving him no room for error and the finish was so close I couldn’t even be sure who had actually won.  The Final result was Christophersen taking his first feature win, LeSage taking second and Aronson rounding out the top three.

 Some will work late into the night tonight making minor repairs in order to race at the Dells tomorrow.  Benkert and Pollak will attempt to install a new motor in Pollak’s car so he can race as well.  Thanks for a great race guys, and here’s to a great race day tomorrow at the Dells Motor Speedway.

June 4, 2005 – Dells Motor Speedway – As we drove to the Dells we wondered whether or not we would have rain, the weather reports weren’t too encouraging, but all in all it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, mother nature was on our side today.

 Pollak, Benkert, Christophersen, Dennis and others worked feverishly to install a motor, provided by the LeSage racing team, into the #27 car.  Things looked promising as Pollak was able to get out on the track for some hot laps, but soon he left the field finding other problems they were unable to fix.  Pollak wouldn’t race today, it was a really big disappointment, but heartwarming to see so many people ban together in an attempt to get him on the field.

 Time trials had Novotny taking fast time – 13.598, great job Kip! 

 The first heat had Adams out it front followed by Kreft and Jeff LeSage coming from the back to take over third in the second lap of the heat.  They all held their positions for the first five laps when during the 6^th lap, LeSage overtook Kreft for second.  One more lap and LeSage was in the lead with Adams in second and Kreft holding third.  In the 9^th lap car #88, driven by Mahoney tonight, spun bumping Olson but both continued the race unfazed.  The final outcome was LeSage taking first, Adams taking second and  Kreft taking third.

 The second heat had Christophersen out front with Aronson in second position and car #8, driven by John Benkert tonight, in third.  Soon after the heat began, Gundlach spun dropping him to the back of the pack and Aronson and Benkert changing places.  Christophersen held first for most of the race, with Benkert doing the same with second position but Novotny was hot on their tails coming from the back of the pack.  In the last lap Novotny overtook Christophersen taking first place, Christophersen taking second and Benkert taking third.

 It was now time for our feature and it started with Findley taking a big lead moving away from the pack.  Findley, Olson and Adams held the top three positions for six laps when Novotny came from the back and taking second position on the seventh lap.  Findley still had quite a lead when a caution was thrown on the 9^th lap, with Jeff LeSage leaving the field with car trouble, followed by Kreft who had radiator problems and then Christophersen with a broken belt.  After the restart, Novotny overtook Findley for first and Adams was holding onto third position until the 13^th lap when Thiel passed him taking third.   All three drivers held their positions and the final result was Novotny taking first (a sweep for tonight’s race), Findley taking second and Thiel taking third. 

 We could now relax and watch a few races.  Novotny swept tonights event winning fast time, his heat race and the feature, congratulations Kip!  After all the racing was done, fan’s came into the pits to get some autographs and Olson was especially accommodating letting fan’s actually get in his car and have their pictures taken, thanks a lot Dale.

 The weather held for the Rascal’s tonight and a few brave souls were actually going to camp here at the track, but that’s another story, and it’s coming soon……so make sure you check back.

June 18, 2005 – RORI was asked to appear at the Day's of Summer Car show in Round Lake, Illinois and we happily agreed.  Those representing RORI were Bill Gundlach, Dale Olson, Keith Christophersen and Mark Findley, thanks a lot guys. (Benkerts car came along too!)

It was a beautiful day for the show and our appearance was appreciated.  Imagine the looks on spectators faces when they see our cars among classic cars such as a 55 Chevy and 65 Mustang.

The day was made even more fun when RORI was asked if they would demonstrate what the cars could do, Mark agreed, and the Police cleared the road.  Mark was gentle his first time out and imagine their surprise when they were asked to do it again...this time it was Mark and Dale.  When they'd asked the second time Mark laughed saying "they don't know what their in for!" and they both hit the gas and put on one heck of a show...just how fast did they go?  Check out the photos below.  Click on them for a larger view.

Keith wasn't there to run down the block with us, but he was a "hot dog" anyway!

 June 24, 2005 - Lake Geneva Raceway - It was going to be a very hot day of racing today, of that I was sure.  With the  temperature in the high 90’s and the extreme humidity I was sure to have a bad hair day today but that didn’t keep me from making it to the track.  Pollak had hoped to be back on the track today but car problems kept his car at home, but he was here to help others and keep an eye on the action.  All his help was really appreciated, thanks Rob.  My scoring partner, Dee, was here today, too, so that made the day even better.

 During hot laps, Jeff LeSage discovered he had a radiator leak and was forced into the pits to do some emergency work on his motor.  Before long there was a large group of guys all working together, pulling the motor, attempting repairs, and reinstalling the motor, I was unsure whether or not they could get the car running, though it would not be for lack of trying.  Further down the line of cars, Adams was having troubles as well, turned out to be a cracked cylinder, and he wasn’t sure he could get it fixed in time to race.

 Time trials had Novotny taking fast time again this week.  Gundlach was unable to complete his time trials as he had a minor problem with his car and had to immediately pull off the track.

As work continued on the LeSage car, driver after driver took turns trying to start the car.  But the attempts were not successful and LeSage was done for the evening.  Adams didn’t fare any better, so we would be down two cars tonight.  It was a disappointment for us all. 

As the first heat began, the drivers went into the first turn and Olson pulled off the track, his car had just quit so he watched the race from the infield.  Holverson led the field the entire heat and took first followed by Kreft taking second and Gundlach taking an extremely close third.

 The second heat began with Thiel in the lead spot followed by Benkert and Christophersen but soon that changed as Novotny took first but Benkert held onto second and Bedore overtook Christophersen for third.  With one lap to go, Thiel lost a belt and left the field.  The final result was Novotny taking first, Benkert taking second and Bedore rounding out the top three.  Once back in the pits, track officials came to return Benkerts extension tube which had fallen off during the race.

 With news of bad weather approaching our feature would be cut to 15 laps.  Early in the race Holverson had a bit of car trouble and headed to the infield, but his car came back to life and he was back on the field.  Novotny was out front followed by John LeSage and then Gundlach.   During lap 10 Gundlach had car trouble and headed to the infield.  Findley held his position with Christophersen on his tail but at the finish it was Novotny taking first, LeSage taking second and Findley taking third.  It was another sweep for Novotny, his second this season.

July 1, 2005 – Lake Geneva Raceway – Finally a break from the heat, the Rascal Outlaws are ready for a big weekend of racing, starting off here at Lake Geneva with another race tomorrow at the Dells Motor Speedway.  We are happy to have Rob Pollak and Jeff LeSage back on the track after doing some repairs on their cars.  Steve Kreft is off this weekend and we welcome back substitute driver, Lenny Adams, who will be driving the #12 car this weekend.

 After some hot laps on the track, driver Jeff LeSage, encountered some problems with his car and everyone joined together to get his car back on the track, while he missed time trials, he was back up and running in time for the heat race.  Fast time was taken by Novotny again this week, will Novotny “sweep” again for his third time in a row?

 The first heat, with 8 cars, had John LeSage in first position followed by Benkert in second and Holverson in third, all three were able to hold their positions throughout the heat.

 The second heat, with 7 cars, began with Findley in first position followed by Gundlach in second and Adams in third.  In Lap one, Gundlach left the track with car trouble.  Aronson moved ahead in lap two taking over second position and Adams held on to third.  By lap four Novotny overtook third position and by lap five he was in second with Aronson now in third.  Lap six had Novotny in first, Findley in second and Aronson rounding out the top three and that is how the heat ended as well.

 With Gundlach’s car trouble, our feature would consist of 14 cars, with Holverson out front followed by Jeff LeSage and Bedore.  By lap five Bedore was out front with Holverson holding second and Adams in third.  During lap 12, Lenny Adams had “fuel problems” and was now in the infield, and Novotny had overtaken Adams for third position.  By lap 13 Novotny was in second followed by Holverson holding onto third.  Thiel experienced car trouble and was forced to drop out of the race at lap 16.  During lap 17 Novotny overtook Bedore for first position and Holverson held onto third with Adams very close behind.  The final result was Novotny taking first, Bedore taking second and Adams taking third.  Great race guys.  

 It was a disappointment to hear Gundlach’s car won’t be repaired in time for tomorrow’s race at the Dells Motor Speedway, we look forward to seeing him next week here at the Lake Geneva Raceway on July 8^th.

July 2, 2005 – Dells Motor Speedway – After a great night of racing yesterday, the Rascal Outlaws were up early to head up to the Dells Motor Speedway today.  Upon arriving at the track, we find we’ll be parked in the infield today.  With such great weather and anticipating the fireworks after tonight’s racing, we couldn’t be in a better spot!

 After some hot laps, everyone’s cars seem to be running well as we anticipate the day’s events.  Fast time went to “No No Novotny” today beating his fast time at the Dells on June 4, 05 (13.598) by .004 with a time of 13.594 today, better watch out for that “Cat” today.

 Our first heat of the day started out with Pollak out front followed by Adams (#12) and then Findley.  By lap three Aronson had overtaken Findley for third position.  Lap 5 had Adams in first, Aronson now in second and Pollak in third with Holverson very close behind and taking over third position by lap 6.  Adams and Aronson fought for first and the final result was Aronson taking his first heat win, followed by Adams in second and Holverson rounding out the top three.  Congratulations Roger!

Our second heat began with Adams (#21) out front followed by Benkert and then Thiel.  Thiel experienced spark plug trouble and left the field during lap 3.  By lap 4 Adams was still holding first with Novotny closing in in second position followed by Benkert holding on to third.  Novotny took over first in lap 7 pushing Adams to second position and Benkert remaining in third with Bedore hot on his tail.  While Novotny and Adams were able to hold their positions, Bedore was able to overtake Benkert for third in this heat.  With fast time today and now a heat win, will Novotny take the feature for another sweep?

 With 14 cars out on the track for our feature, it was anybody’s guess what the final outcome would be.  8 laps into the feature both Thiel and John LeSage had some trouble and left the field, leaving 12 cars on the track and the restart showing Bedore in first followed by Holverson in second and Aronson in third with both Christophersen and Findley close behind.  As the race progressed, Bedore had an incredible lead that I feel could only be lost should another restart begin.  By lap 11 Aronson and Findley had overtaken Holverson for the second and third positions with Novotny close behind in position 4.  Bedore, Aronson and Findley (all using Polaris Motors) were all able to hold their positions to the end of the race taking the top three spots for the night, great race guys. 

 With the races done for the night, we packed up our gas cans and sat back to enjoy the wonderful fireworks show here at the Dells Motor Speedway, it was spectacular to say the least.  Now it was time to move to the campground for some rest and relaxation, now that’s another story….which follows by clicking here.

July 8, 2005 – Lake Geneva Raceway – It was a beautiful day for racing and with a close points race for some, tonight would surely be exciting.  Marc Adams is out of town tonight and Gundlach’s car is not yet repaired so we’ll be down a few cars tonight.  As we entered the pit area and unloaded our car it was interesting to see Bedore standing there, it was the first time our points leader had actually arrived before his car!  Bedore brought a guest to the races tonight, his grandfather came all the way from California it was very nice to meet him. 

 As more drivers arrived and unloaded their cars, the pit area became a buzz of motors starting and revving with the exception of Novotny who was having some wiring problems which was keeping his car from starting.  As everyone pitched in to try and find the problem, it was time for qualifying and Novonty would not be on the field.  Fast time went to Christophersen with a time of 16.857, congratuations Keith!  After more work on his car, it was disappointing to hear Novotny (2^nd in points) would not be racing tonight.

 It was finally time for our heats and as heat one was doing some hot laps before the green flag, Olson encountered some problems with his car and drove off the field.  With five cars left – the green flag waved.  Aronson quickly moved out front with Holverson and John LeSage doing the same for second and third positions.  By lap three LeSage and Holverson had switched places but Aronson was holding onto his lead with LeSage vying to take him over.  By lap five that’s just what he did, with LeSage out front now followed by Aronson and Holverson, these three drivers held their positions to the end of the heat in that order.  Great race guys.

 The second heat started out with 6 cars on the field and after some hot laps the green flagged waved and they all took off.  Rounding the second turn Kreft and Bedore tangled leaving Bedore in the infield and Kreft on his side on the track.  With a caution thrown both Bedore and Kreft were towed off the field.  With four cars remaining the race restarted with Jeff LeSage in first position followed by Findley in second and Christophersen in third.  By lap three, Thiel overtook Christophersen for third position but in a quick switch during lap 4 Christophersen moved up two spots knocking Findley into third and Thiel into fourth position.  Experiencing car trouble, LeSage lost his lead while Christophersen moved into first and LeSage dropped to third.  The final result was Christophersen taking first, Findley taking second and Thiel taking third.  It was an exciting race!

 Back in the pits both Kreft and Bedore, with help from many of our drivers, worked on getting their cars ready for the feature, LeSage figured out his problem and all three will make it back on the field for our feature.  A special thanks goes out to Eric Schoffen who’s help getting Bedore’s car back together is greatly appreciated.  Eric was a substitute driver for another class of cars tonight, it just goes to show everyone here at the Lake Geneva Raceway pitches in when needed to help out a fellow driver, what a great bunch of guys. 

With 12 cars out on the field for our feature, and Novotny watching from the pit area, it was anybody’s guess just what the outcome would be.  At the start of the race, Benkert pulled away from the pack quickly and increased his lead by every lap.  By lap 5, Jeff LeSage was in second position followed by Holverson with Aronson very close behind.  By lap 7, Bedore was in the picture taking over position three and Aronson maintained his position.  By lap 10 Bedore had taken over second position pushing LeSage into third, Benkert was still way ahead out in first position and it was uncertain whether Bedore could catch him with only 5 laps to go. 

 Rounding the fourth turn in lap 14, John LeSage ended up in the infield with dust flying but immediately made it back on the field, during the confusion, Bedore and Jeff LeSage dropped back expecting a caution which allowed Findley to come from behind and take second, Jeff hit the gas and maintained third position.  Benkert enjoyed his very first feature win during his history with RORI, I guess a little sand-bagging can pay off!  When Benkert was asked if he planned to do it again next week, his reply was “Not if Novotny’s on the field”.

July 16, 2005 – Lake Geneva Raceway – With temperatures topping 95 degrees it would definitely be a very hot racing day today, but the humidity and heat didn’t dampen the spirits of the Rascal Outlaws.   With 16 cars at the track ready to race, we went out for some hot laps.  Pollak experienced some car problems that would keep him from racing today, a real disappointment for us all.

 Fast time was taken by Novotny today, looks like he’s ready to make up for the car trouble he had last week.  Olson didn’t make it out for time trials as he was having some car trouble and stayed in the pits to work on his car.  After time trials, one of our retired drivers, Dave Colletti (2 time Series Champion) and his wife Yolanda showed up at the track, it was really great to see them.

 The first heat consisted of 8 cars, as they warmed up their tires during some hot laps it was apparent Olson’s car wasn’t running in top shape and he left the field before the green flag flew.  The start of the heat had Kreft out front followed by Jeff LeSage and Aronson with Benkert close behind.  By lap three Benkert came from behind to take over second place and Aronson was pushed to fourth, but LeSage was running weak and started to lag behind.  Midway through the heat Kreft was holding the lead followed by Benkert in second and Aronson holding on to third.  In lap seven Benkert spun and left the track but immediately returned, but Aronson had taken the lead now followed by Thiel in second and Gundlach in third.  With two laps to go these guys held their positions, another heat win for Aronson, second to Thiel and third to Gundlach.

 The second heat consisted of 7 cars with Bedore out front followed by Shine and Holverson and Novotny in 5^th position.  By lap two Novotny overtook Holverson for third and lap three he had Shine for second and by lap four he was in first, followed by Bedore in second and Shine in third.  Holverson had some car trouble and ended up in the infield.  For 5 laps the race went on with Novotny in first, Bedore in second and Shine in third, but John LeSage was still coming and by the final lap he had overtaken Shine for third place, great race guys!!

 After the heat, Findley found that he had broken a pipe which explained his loss of power, Jeff LeSage worked to weld it back together and they had just enough time to get it done, so Findley would be back on the track for the feature.

 With 15 cars in the feature, it would surely be an interesting race.  Findley started out front followed by Gundlach and Aronson.  It was apparent Findley had his power back as he pulled away from the pack.  By lap three Aronson had overtaken Gundlach for second position and had his eyes on Findley and Novotny was moving up as well.  By lap six Novotny had overtaken Findley for first position and Aronson was holding onto third.  Novotny’s lead increased by every lap but Findley and Aronson held their positions.  During lap 12 Holverson lost a shock and had to leave the field and a caution was thrown.  With the restart bunching the cars back together, the race continued.  By lap 17 Novotny was still holding first with Findley in second and Bedore now in third.  By lap 18 Bedore overtook Findley for second and you could see Findley was definitely slowing down, turned out it was two broken pipes.  The final outcome was Novotny in first (his 4^th sweep of the season!), Bedore taking second and Thiel rounding out the top three.  It was a great race guys.

July 22, 2005 – Lake Geneva Raceway – Finally a break from the extremely hot weather we’ve been having, today looks to be a great day for racing.  After a few weeks of car trouble, we were all excited for Pollak who believed his car trouble was done, but after a couple of hot laps, once again he encountered a piston problem and would not be racing tonight.  It was a big disappointment for Pollak, and for everyone else as well.  We sure hope this problem gets fixed and we’re all rooting for you Rob!

 There will be an extra competition today as 12 of our drivers compete in three teams to split a prize of $120.00!!  The teams, lovingly named by our own Kip Novotny, are the “Young Guns”; John LeSage, Jeff LeSage, Keith Christophersen & Bill Gundlach, “Wingy’s Revenge”; John Benkert, Roger Aronson, Chris Bedore & Lee Holverson, and “Team Viagra”; Mark Findley, Jim Thiel, Marc Adams & Steve Kreft.

 Fast time for qualifying was taken by Novotny, blah, blah, blah, blah.  But the really important thing is at present the Young Guns are in the lead, followed by Team Viagra and then Wingy’s Revenge.

 The first heat began with Holverson and Kreft out front but by the end of lap one Aronson had taken the lead followed by Holverson and Kreft.  Lap two had Thiel, moving from the very back of the pack to third position.  These three drivers held their positions to the end with Aronson taking first, Holverson taking second and Thiel rounding out the top three.

 The second heat had Findley and Shine out front, when the green flag waved, Shine moved out front to first position with Findley close behind and Bedore in third position.  By lap three, Adams had to leave the field with car problems, Findley had taken the lead with Shine now in second position and Bedore very close behind.  By lap five, Novotny had moved from the back into third position behind Findley and Bedore.  While Findley held off Bedore they both kept Novotny from overtaking them and at the checkered flag, Bedore managed to overtake Findley for first giving Findley second and Novotny third.

 Adding up the team points, the Young Guns maintained their lead with Team Viagra in second and Wingy’s Revenge still in third.  It would be interesting to see how this would change after our feature event.

 With 15 cars coming out on the field, it was definitely an impressive sight, little did the fans know there was a second competition going on.  The feature’s first lap had Jeff LeSage out front followed by Olson and Benkert.  Jeff continued to hold his lead with an impressive gap but on lap six it was apparent he was having some car trouble and he was forced to leave the field.  With Benkert now in the lead followed by Aronson and Gundlach the race continued.  Thiel soon overtook Gundlach for third with Novotny close behind.  Lap eleven had Adams pulling off the track, leaving 13 cars on the field.  By lap thirteen, with Benkert still in the lead, Novotny was now in second followed by Aronson in third.  But a few laps later Novotny was out front.  While Benkert and Aronson held their positions, Aronson was finally overtaken by Thiel with Bedore close behind.  Thiel managed to hold off Bedore and also overtake Benkert with the final result being Novotny taking first, Thiel taking second and Benkert rounding out the top three.  During the final lap, Gundlach broke a chain and literally coasted across the finish line.  It was a great feature race!

 What a change this feature made, Wingy’s Revenge came from behind taking the prize tonight, congratulations to you all!!

August 6, 2005 – Dells Motor Speedway – With a beautiful day before us, the Rascal Outlaws look forward to a great race day.  With Pollak’s car troubles behind him, we look forward to a full team of 15 cars today.  While everyone is working either to hold their positions or move up a spot or two, the guys decided another competition was in order for today, three teams were set-up consisting of; Team 1 – Kip, Keith, Jeff, Lee, and Steve; Team 2 – Jim, Mark, John L., Marc, and Bill; and Team 3 – Jason, Roger, Benkert, Dale, and Rob.  With the winning team splitting $150.00, and the top finishers of each team’s points thrown out, all will be trying to do their best, or will they?

 Fast time qualifier, Kip Novotny, outdid his fast time at the Dells (13.594) by coming in with a 13.488 lap time, wow!  With Kips points out of the special competition, the first round has Team 3 in third place, Team 1 in second place, and Team 2 winning…so far.

 Our first heat began with Kreft and Holverson out front with Pollak in third position.  Pollak soon overtook Kreft for second and before long Adams was in third.  Midway through the race, with Holverson holding the lead with Pollak in second, Aronson was able to overtake Adams for third and they all managed to hold their positions to the end.  It was a good clean heat, congratulations to Holverson on his win!

 The second heat began with Christophersen out front with Benkert in second and Jeff LeSage in third position.  By lap three Novotny had made his way to second position with Jeff LeSage holding third.  As Novotny rounded the track he took first pushing Christophersen into second and Jeff LeSage struggled to hold onto third with his brother, John, close on his heels.  In the final lap, with Novotny in first and Christophersen in second, brother John, took third from his brother at the finish line.  Great race guys!

 With the heats over, and Novotny looking like he may sweep again, great for points, but not for teams, Team 2 held their lead in the behind the scenes competition.

 With our feature before us, and 15 cars on the track, the green flag waved.  Olson immediately took off and began a significant lead on the track and  Kreft and Aronson battled for second position.  During lap 5, Kreft and Adams tangled sending them both to the wall, Mahoney managed to avoid them but spun and was sent to the back of the pack.  While track officials deflated Adams tire to pull the two cars apart and tow them off the field, the other drivers got back in position to continue the race (car damage appears to be cosmetic only). 

 With the cars now bunched up, Olson’s vast lead was gone but he hit the gas and held first for another couple of laps with Novotny moving ahead through the pack.  Soon Novotny was in first pushing Olson to second and Thiel holding onto third.  Midway through the race Olson noticed he was losing power and began to move backward in the pack (turned out he broke a belt).  With Novotny in first followed by Thiel and then John LeSage, these three held their positions for another couple laps when John LeSage overtook Thiel for second.  With a few laps to go, Pollak had some minor car trouble and chose to leave the track.  The final result was Novotny taking first, John LeSage taking second and Thiel rounding out the top three.  It was a great race guys!  It’s another sweep for Novotny!

 As sweet as a sweep can be, Novotny’s wins weren’t good for his team, Team 2 were the ultimate winners tonight.

The Dells…..Part Two

 In October of 1994, three student film makers disappeared in the woods near Burkittesville, Maryland. One year later, their footage was found…oops, sorry wrong story.

 It was a night, much like any other night.  It was dark, probably because it was nighttime.  The stars shone above illuminating nothing so we decided to build a campfire.  Thankfully Olson was once a weebelow, not to be confused with a wheelbarrow, and before long we were warming ourselves around a great roaring fire.  Okay, it wasn’t roaring, but it was crackling and smoking.  As we sat around the fire, Linda passed her nuts around and I took pictures.   

There I was, sitting around a fire with some of my best friends, and suffering with a headache, when all of the sudden I noticed a glowing light coming from our trailer.  It gave me a feeling of contentment, it beckoned me…..

 …You guessed it, it was early bedtime for me and I missed all the good stuff, of course because I wasn't up most likely nothing good happened!  And if it did, consider yourselves very, very lucky!!

August 12, 2005 – Lake Geneva Raceway – First of all let me say thanks to Dee for her help tonight in my absence, it’s really appreciated.  Sorry to the fans for the lack of  photos, I forgot to send the camera, but alas I will do my best to highlight the days events.

A special thanks, once again, to the Round Lake Roller Rink for sponsoring tonights race, we really appreciate your support!

 We would like to thank the following alternate drivers for stepping in tonight with three of our drivers out for various reasons:  Bob Torkelson driving the #27 car for Pollak, who strained his back earlier this week; Lenny Adams driving the #15 for Benkert, who was attending his daughter’s wedding; and Jack Rabey (a friend of Lenny’s) driving the #12 car for Kreft, so he could get a first hand feel for racing with RORI, could he be a future driver?

 Novotny once again took fast time for the day, his 10^th time this season!  With the line-ups ready the first heat was underway.  With eight cars on the track, the final result was Thiel taking first, Holverson taking second and John LeSage rounding out the top three. 

 The second heat consisted of seven cars.  During the last laps of the heat, Aronson was bumped causing him to spin and resulted in a bent wheel, which wasn’t discovered until the feature, when he found the car wasn’t handling quite right.  The second heat was won by Novotny with Bedore taking second and Jeff LeSage taking third.  Wish I’d been there to see you guys!

 The nights feature was an exciting one from what I hear.  During the race Torkelson slowed in the turn and Gundlach responded in turn but Thiel didn’t have time to react and ran up on Gundlach’s car and then into Jeff LeSage’s which resulted in LeSage flipping his car, ending the race early for him.   Aronson, with a bent wheel from the heat, spun out but was able to finish the race just the same.  The final result was Novotny taking first, followed by Bedore in second position and Holverson rounding out the top three.  Congratulations to you all!

August 20, 2005 – Lake Geneva Raceway – Tonight was a fun night for us all, not only did we have a great night of racing, but also enjoyed watching the trailer races when we were finished.  Future RORI driver, Jason Mahoney, drove the #21 car tonight, and Marc Adams, drove the #33.

 After some hot laps, it was time for qualifying and once again Novotny took top honors, but it was the guys in the pit’s that really had fun this time (see pictures of Novotny’s car going out for the flag parade on our photo’s page). 

As you know, from last weeks article, Jeff LeSage was involved in tangle that resulted in his car being flipped, while his car looked pretty mangled, we are happy to say he’s back to race one week later.  Pictures of his car from last week are included in this weeks photo spread.  You’ll notice Jeff in the pictures with a big smile on his face.  He was a bit worried about losing a special decal given to him by his special fans which he placed on his wing, as you can see his new wing still sports that special decal…as promised to his fans.

 With our line-ups ready, the first heat, with 8 cars, headed on to the track with Gundlach and Pollak out front at the start.  In lap two Gundlach took the lead with Pollak in second and Adams (#33) in third position.  Jeff LeSage and Holverson battled to the front and soon were in second and third positions respectively and Gundlach was still hanging on to the lead.  During lap 7 Holverson headed into the infield with car trouble and Adams was now in third.  In the 9^th lap, LeSage spun causing him to lose 2^nd position and the final result was Gundlach, taking his first heat win, Mahoney (#21) taking second and Kreft rounding out the top three.  Congratulations Bill on your first win!!!

 The second heat, also with 8 cars, began with Olson and Findley out front, but Aronson quickly took second position and then first in the very next lap with Christophersen in second now and Olson moved to position three.  By the fifth lap, Novotny came from the back of the pack into first place pushing Aronson into second and Christophersen into third.  Christophersen was overtaken by Bedore in the next lap and Bedore and Aronson battled for second position, by lap 8 Bedore won the battle and Aronson moved into third.  In the very next lap, John LeSage moved up into third position and the final result was Novotny taking first, Bedore taking second, and LeSage taking third.  Great race guys!

 Our feature was bound to be an exciting one with 16 cars out on the track, we couldn’t be sure how long Pollak would last as he discovered a broken bar that he couldn’t fix as no one had a welder.  Our feature began with Benkert and Adams (#33) in the front two positions, as the green flag waved Benkert took off and Kreft immediately moved into second with Adams in third.  Adams overtook Kreft in the next lap regaining second position with Shine now in third.  By lap 4 Pollak left the track to avoid further damage to his car and Adams found his car had completely lost power causing a caution and restart, unfortunately the #33 car was also out of the tonights race.  The restart began with  Benkert in first, Shine in second and Novotny now in third.  By lap 8 Novonty was in first followed now by Shine and Bedore.  Jeff LeSage suddenly spun but was back with the pack without a caution.  By lap 14 Bedore had overtaken Shine for second position and it looked like that might be the final outcome but in lap 19 Mahoney (#21) spun,  Jeff LeSage left the track, and John LeSage won his battle with Shine resulting in Novotny taking first, Bedore taking second and LeSage rounding out the top three.  It was truly a great race!

Lake Geneva Raceway, August 26, 2005 – With gray clouds looming overhead and the humidity high, it was anyone’s guess as to whether Mother Nature would keep the rain at bay for us tonight.  After some hot laps, we were still rain-free; after time trials (with fast time taken once again by our own No No Novotny) the weather was still on our side.

 With our lineups ready, our first heat began with Olson and Jeff LeSage out front at the start.  LeSage immediately moved out front and Olson, having car trouble went to the back of the pack allowing Gundlach to take second position followed by Thiel in third and they all held their positions to the end of the heat.  Great race guys!

 The second heat would have Findley and Christophersen out front to start but before the green flag could wave, Findley lost a chain and had to watch the race from the infield.  Aronson quickly took first position followed by Shine and then Christophersen, but after a few laps  Novotny was out front with Aronson now in second and Shine holding onto third, and like the first heat, these three managed to hold their positions throughout the heat. 

 Back in the pits, Findley, with the help of Greg LeSage and Benkert, worked to get his sprocket and chain fixed and thankfully he would make tonight's feature.  As they all got in their cars we all held our breath as we began to feel raindrops.  Soon the rain was falling lightly but continuously and we were forced to cover and move our cars into the trailers as other cars went out for their features.  But mother nature had a sense of humor tonight and soon the rain stopped and as the drivers uncovered their cars and moved them out of the trailers, the rain started up again, so cover up again we did.  Then the rain stopped again, and started and stopped.  But finally it was time for our feature, would the rain or the time of night get us?

 The rain held off for our feature and began with Benkert and John LeSage out front and Thiel in third position.  During lap three Bedore, Christopheresen and LeSage tangled in turn four causing a caution but everyone remained on the field.  LeSage later found he had lost a gas cap and had to leave the race.  At the restart Benkert was still in first, followed by LeSage in second and Thiel in third.  By lap 6 Novotny had overtaken Thiel for third position and was now working on LeSage and Benkert.  By lap 8 Novotny was in first position followed by LeSage in second and Benkert now in third.  During lap 9 LeSage spun giving second back to Benkert and Shine was now in third position.  All three managed to hold their positions to the end with Novotny taking first, Benkert taking second, and Shine taking third.

 Upon returning to the pits after the race mother nature finally decided it was time to really rain, and rain it did!  But not after we had a great night of racing!

September 2, 2005, Lake Geneva Raceway – We had some special people in the pits with us tonight, Jim Thiel's mom came to watch her son race and Dave's brother joined us in the pit's as well.  We were happy to have them here with us tonight. 

With our season coming close to the end, with only three races to go after today, everyone is working hard to hold their positions, but that doesn’t stop this group from helping each other out and making sure all their cars are running in top condition.  As they would all agree, they have more fun when all the cars are racing then when one or two are left behind in the pits. 

 A good example of this camaraderie….Holverson’s car broke a piston during hot laps today and wouldn’t be able to run, but another driver (Benkert) thought he might have a spare part at home, he promptly called his wife and asked her to look through his garage for the needed part and sure enough she showed up quickly with it.  Unfortunately the part didn’t quite fit and everyone would miss racing with Holverson tonight.  Holverson may not be racing tonight, but it wasn’t for lack of trying on the groups part, we look forward to Holverson’s being back on the track at our next race.

 Kip Novotny broke another track record tonight, his own from earlier this season.  His qualifying time was 15.781!  Great job Kip!  With qualifying completed and our line-ups ready for our heats, we anticipated a great night of racing.

 Our first heat began with Gundlach and Keft in the front positions, when the green flag flew Gundlach took off like lightning and quickly moved away from the pack.  Adams moved from the back of the pack into second position and Kreft was holding third until the 6^th lap when Aronson overtook him.  The final result was Gundlach taking first, Adams taking second and Aronson rounding out the top three. 

 The second heat began with Thiel and Christophersen out front with Christophersen moving out front followed by Jeff LeSage who came from behind to take second position and Bedore quickly taking third.  Bedore and LeSage battled for position and after a few laps Bedore was able to move into second position with Christophersen still holding onto the lead.  By lap 5 Novotny had moved into third position, lap 6 had Bedore in first position followed by Novotny and then Christophersen.  But on the last lap Novotny moved into first moving Bedore into second and Thiel coming from behind and stealing third from Christophersen.  Great race guys!

 Tonight's feature can only be described as exciting, a true survival of the fittest.  At the start of the race, Gundlach lost a hose clamp and began spewing water on the track, he moved to the infield to avoid damage to his motor and the others completed a lap when Christophersen hit the water he slid and met the wall and Jeff LeSage spun but was okay.  With Christophersen and Gundlach out of the race, a complete restart was the order of the day.  With Olson out front followed by Benkert in second position and Aronson in third, the race continued, Jeff LeSage was having car trouble and chose to leave the field.   Bedore soon overtook Aronson for third position.  Olson left the track with car problems and Bedore overtook Benkert for first.  By lap 8, with Bedore in first followed by Novotny in second and Benkert in third, Kreft & Adams tangled and Kreft had to leave the field. 

 With a restart, Bedore’s lead was tightened up and the race continued but two laps later Novotny had the lead, Bedore held on to second position and John LeSage moved into third.  The race continued and during lap 17 Benkert lost a belt and left the field and Adams spun out putting him to the back of the pack.  The final result was Novotny taking first, Bedore taking second and LeSage rounding out the top three. 

 Some wondered why Novotny didn’t move to the infield to receive his trophy for his feature win tonight, turns out as he passed under the checkered flag he lost a belt and thought it best to drive off the track.  Just think one more lap and he might not have won his 9^th sweep of the season, that cat truly has 9 lives!  It was truly a great race, and though there was some minor damage to some cars, we look forward to everyone being at our next race, September 30^th at the Lake Geneva Raceway. 

 In the pits it was time for Bedore to say goodbye to the old 88 and pass it on to Jason Mahoney who is the new owner.  We look forward to seeing Jason on the field at our next race, and also to see Bedore in his NEW 88 car.  Findley will also be on the track with a new car at our next race, so who will be driving the old 43?  Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

 With 8 season sweeps to date, will “The Legend” make it 9 at our next race?