Mullen, Parker, White and Colwell share spotlight during the 3rd Annual Budwesier Nationals!
By Dave Panske

September 25, 1999; Seymour, WI - The 3rd Annual Budweiser Nationals brought to a close the 1999 N.E.W. DIRT season Saturday night at the Seymour Tri Oval Raceway. A total field of 127 cars put on an excellent show with each division crowning a different Nationals champion for the third time.

Joe White (#11) was declared the Budweiser Nationals IMCA Stock Car champion after the apparent winner was disqualified from the event after a post race inspection.  White's victory was his first Nationals title at Seymour Tri-Oval.

The IMCA Stock Car feature took the track first with Joe White taking the initial lead before John Heinz powered by on lap 2. Heinz immediately pulled away from the field leaving the battle for the runner up spot. Track champion, Rod Snellenbeger was running third followed by Benji LaCrosse, Jay Matthias, Tim Van De Hei and Jerry Wilinski. Cautions on laps 5 and 6 bunched and changed the leader board with Heinz able to pull away on each restart for a 10 lap run which saw a good battle for second.

White, LaCrosse, Matthias, Shawn Wagner and Witinski swapped positions several times until a final caution on lap 19 set up a 6 lap dash to the finish and a final shot at the leader. Heinz again pulled away on the restart and crossed the finish line first to become the third different Nationals champion in the division. White, Matthias, Doug Kropp, LaCrosse and Tom Coel rounded out the top six finishers. In a post race inspection, Heinz was found to have an illegal rear end in the car. which disqualified his fi'om the race, giving the win to White, his first Nationals title.

$1,600!  Not bad for a nights work!  Brian Mullen (#72) became the third different IMCA Modified driver to become a Budweiser Nationals Champion Saturday night on the third-mile clay oval.  Mullen also won a special "winner takes all" dash to boost his winnings on the night to $1,600!

Bill Lemmens took the lead for the opening 2 laps of the Modified feature followed by V.J. Giguere, Jerry Muenster, Travis Spaulding, Scott Mullen and Luke Roffers. Giguere took over the lead on lap 3 and led the way until the first of three cautions appeared on laps 8 and 9.

On the restart, Spaulding made his move and took over the top spot from Giguere. Brian Mullen moved into the runner up spot 2 laps later and R.M. Van Pay moved into the top four. A spin brought out the final caution on lap 15, leaving a 10 lap race to the finish. Spaulding, Mullen, Giguere, Van Pay, Mike Klenz and Muenster made up the front runners. The leaders stayed grouped over the final laps, with Mullen hounding Spaulding at every turn to get by. On lap 22, Mullen received the opening he was looking for out of the tri oval, and was able to take over the top spot. Spaulding chased Mullen to the finish line with Van Pay right behind in third. Giguere held off Muenster for fourth with Dale Boerschinger rounding out the top six. The win was the first Nationals title for Mullen and he is the third different winner in the division.

Frequent visitor!  Second year Street Stock racer Jesse Colwell (#67) won his fourth division feature of the season at Seymour Tri-Oval.  The win was the biggest of his young career taking the Budweiser Nationals title for the class.  With him is Budweiser representative Larry Smarzinski (left) to present his trophy.

Shawn Olson set the pace for the opening lap of the Street Stock feature before Tom Daubner took over leading through a caution on lap 4 and until a caution on lap 10. During the stretch, Jesse Colwell moved up through traffic into the runner-up spot with Gregg Siebold, Olson, Jared Siefert and Jason Czarapata right behind. One lap after the restart, Colwell took over the top spot and 2 laps later, Siefert moved into the runner-up spot.

Siefert moved right up on the leader as the two pulled away a bit from the pack. On tap 21, a main breaker for 4 poles of track lights blew, leaving the back stretch and the tri-oval dark. The race was stopped while crews looked at the problem. After several attempts to reset the breaker failed, club officers called on late model driver, Tim Buhter, an electrician by trade, who was able to patch the problem enough to get the race and the rest of the program finished.

With the lights back on, so was the race for a 4 lap dash to the finish Colwell held on to the top spot to the finish tine for his fourth feature win of the season here and his first Nationals title. Siefert was right behind at the finish with Daubner holding off Siebold for the third place finish. Czarapata and Olson rounded out the top six.

First multiple title holder at the Budweiser Nationals!  Pete Parker (#10) scored a win in the WISSOTA Late Model portion of the program.  That feature victory coupled with a win in the Modified division in 1997 has made Parker the only driver to earn more that a single title at the Nationals.   The victory was also Parker's 97th feature win in a Late Model at Seymour Tri-Oval.

By luck of the draw, Pete Parker started the Wissota Late Model feature on the pole and took the lead at the start. Doug Blashe, Tim Buhler, Terry Casey and Scott Cramer were behind. Only 2 cautions, both for single spins, slowed the race on laps 2 and 12.

Each time Parker powered away to cruise alone at the front. The run for the runner up spot was close after the final caution, with Blashe, Cramer, Buhler and Casey in the bunch. While everyone else ran low, Casey took to the far outside of the track and started to make it work. Over the final 8 laps, Casey moved forward taking over the second spot two laps from the finish. Parker collected his 5th feature win of the season and his 97th of his stellar career here at the tri-oval for his first late model Nationals crown. Casey took the second place finish followed by Blashe, Cramer, Buhler and T.M. Miller.

Parker became the first repeat Nationals titlist with the late model win. He also won the national crown the opening year of the series driving a modified.

N.E.W. DIRT would like to THANK all of the fans, drivers, crews and sponsors for their support during this, their 16th season, at the Seymour Tri Oval Raceway. Plans are already set for an April 30th, 2000 opener at the track. Plans will be finalized starting with the first off season meeting which will be election time for next season. The meetings take place on the first Monday of every month at the Edgewood Supper Club just south of Seymour on Hwy C.

RESULTS

WISSOTA LATE MODEL:
25 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Pete Parker, Kaukauna; 2.) Terry Casey, New London; 3.) Doug Blashe, Marion; 4.) Scott Cramer, Sheboygan; 5.) Tim Buhler, Glenbeulah; 6.) T.M. Miller, Bear Creek
FIRST HEAT: 1.) Parker; 2.) Buhler
SECOND HEAT: 1.) Casey; 2.) Blashe

IMCA MODIFIED
25 LAP FEATURE: 1) Brian Mullen, Seymour; 2.) Travis Spaulding, Greenville; 3.) R.M. Van Pay, Green Bay; 4.) V.J. Giguere, Green Bay; 5.) Jerry Muenster, Green Bay; 6.) Dale Boerschinger, Green Bay
FIRST 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Brad Rohloff, Pulaski; 2.) Mike Klenz, Sobieski; 3.) Eddie Muenster, Green Bay; 4.) Dean Wilcox, Pulaski
SECOND 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1.) Van Pay; 2.) Kevin Ferfecki, Sobieski; 3.) Kyle Fredrick, Sobieski; 4.) Bryan Miller
FIRST HEAT: 1) Giguere; 2.) Boerschinger
SECOND HEAT: 1) Bill Lemmens, Green Bay; 2.) Luke Roffers, Oneida
THIRD HEAT: 1.) Brian Drexler, Oshkosh; 2.) Scott Mullen, Seymour
FOURTH HEAT: 1.) Brian Drexler, Oshkosh; 2.) Scott Mullen, Seymour

IMCA STOCK CARS:
25 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Joe White, Oconto Falls; 2.) Jay Matthias, Green Bay; 3.) Doug Kropp, Green Bay; 4.) Benji LaCrosse, Green Bay; 5.) Tom Coel, Green Bay; 6.) Jon Wolf, Green Bay
FIRST 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1) Kropp; 2.) Tony Bouche, Algoma; 3.) Brad Buckarma, Pulaski; 4.) Bob VandenAvond, Green Bay
SECOND 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1) Wolf; 2.) Larry Ingerbreston, DePere; 3.) Bob Czarapata, Krakow; 4.) John Mahlberg, Luxemburg
FIRST HEAT: 1) Tim Van De Hei, DePere; 2.) Rod Snellenbgrger, Pulaski
SECOND HEAT: 1) Alan Spoehr, Seymour; 2.) Chad Bartel, Shiocton
THIRD HEAT: 1) Charlie Kroll, Algoma; 2.) LaCrosse
FOURTH HEAT: 1.) Matthias; 2.) Jerry Wilinski, Seymour

STREET STOCKS
25 LAP FEATURE: 1.) Jesse Colwell, Greenleaf; 2.) Jared Siefert, Green Bay; 3.) Tom Daubner, Carlsville; 4.) Gregg Siebold, Denmark; 5.) Jason Czarapata, Pulaski; 6.) Shawn Olson, Algoma
FIRST 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1) Kevin Jandrin, Forestville; 2.) John Belschner, Green Bay; 3.) Bobby Rezek, Green Bay; 4.) Travis Van Straten, Shiocton
SECOND 12 LAP CONSOLATION: 1) Siefert; 2.) Darci Czarapata, Pulaski; 3.) Justin Stuck, Neenah; 4.) Lance Arenson, Krakow
FIRST HEAT: 1) James Tebon, Algoma; 2.) Darci Czarapata
SECOND HEAT: 1) Jerry Wilinski, Seymour; 2.) Chas Van Ooyen, Appleton
THIRD HEAT: 1) Brandon Czarapata, Pulaski; 2.) Tom White, Green Bay
FOURTH HEAT: 1.) Marc Marcille, Neenah; 2.) Darren Otto, Pulaski