2013-14 Round 1
Trokan Cup 500 - Mini Milwaukee Mile, Greendale, WI
Round 1 of 16
September 5, 2013
Greendale, WI -- Mike Lack outlasted a charging Mark Walczak to take the opening round of the 2013-14 IndySlotCar season at the Mini Milwaukee Mile Thursday. For the seventh year in a row the series raced outdoors for the Trokan Cup, this year's 500 saw the renewal of a rivalry between five-time defending Husarsbilt Cup champion Mark Walczak and two-time runner-up Mike Lack. Lack became a new father a little over a year ago and chose to scale back his IndySlotCar schedule, this year he has returned to a full time schedule and immediately showed that Walczak will have to work extra hard to score a sixth championship. Mike Kristof took the third step of the podium at a track where he scored his first series victory ten years ago.
Dungeons & Dragon Racing teammates Matt Hayek and Kristof ruled the qualifying session with Hayek winning the pole and Kristof timing in just two tenths of a second back over the four lap run on the short oval.
The first heat race ran fine until the second half when two power outages slowed the pace of the race and confused series officials and scorekeepers. The race continued with two restarts and Kristof bested Target Mark Walczak Racing driver Dean Strom. The second and third heat races were able to be completed without incident with Lack and Ev Kamikawa winning. Walczak captured the feature transfer spot in the final heat race.
Lack wasted no time in the feature grabbing the lead and lapping his competitors early in the event. Walczak tried to keep pace and ran in second with Kristof in third and Kamikawa succumbing to handling problems in the opening half. The top three drivers pitted with nearly identical times at the start of the second half with the order remaining the same. Running in the inside lane, Lack struggled with handling as Walczak made his move to get laps back from the JMM Racing driver. Closing in with the race winding down, a couple of spins by Walczak sealed the deal for Lack and he took the checkers with a two lap advantage over Walczak. Kristof and Kamikawa completed the top four in the finishing order.
The 21st season of the IndySlotCar Series continues at the Road Course at Badger Raceway on September 19th for the Badger Grand Prix.
FAST FACTS
WHAT: Trokan Cup 500
WHERE: Mini Milwaukee Mile, Greendale, WI
WHEN: Thursday, September 5, 2013 7pm
U.S. TELEVISION SCHEDULE: MBC Slotcar Network, YouTube
2012 CHAMPION: Mike Fitzlaff
2012 POLESITTER: Mike Fitzlaff
TRACK LAYOUT: “Bullring” Oval
RACE LENGTH: 500 laps
TRACK RECORDS: Qualifying – 2012 – Mike Fitzlaff – 5.940
Race – 2000 – Phil Cianciola – 13:53
Fast Lap – 2006 – Ev Kamikawa -1.102
RACE ROUND: 1 of 16 in the 2013-2014 IndySlotCar Series
INSTANT REPLAY:
Mike Fitzlaff opened the 20th IndySlotCar season with a comeback win in the Trokan Cup 500 at the newly repaved RJ Foyt's All-American Raceway. The win was Fitzlaff's eight career win in the series and combined with his setting fast time in qualifying won him the Pole Award and a cool $11,000. Heat winners Fitzlaff, Chris Spehert and John Wiedemann were joined by transfer spot qualifier Mike Lack to contest the five hundred lap final at the quick oval. Fitzlaff took the lead at the start while teammate Wiedemann was able to grab the top spot a few laps into the race. A quick spin out of turn two dropped Wiedemann a half-lap back while Fitzlaff retook the lead followed closely behind by second-place driver Spehert. A few laps later, Wiedemann again made his way to the front and led the rest of the first half of the feature. Fitzlaff started to suffer handling issues and dropped eight laps behind by the time the halfway break rolled around. Starting the second half, both Wiedemann and Spehert had trouble in the pits with 20 second stops while Fitzlaff's crew got him in and out in only ten seconds. Racing the low line, Fitzlaff sped to the lead and rocketed away from the rest of the field. Left to race for second, Spehert took over the position after the pit stops and held off Wiedemann by a half lap when the checkers flew. Lack never could get the power out of his car and settled for the fourth place spot.
Four-time defending Husarsbilt Cup points champion and defending winner of the Trokan Cup 500 Mark Walczak finished fifth, followed by his Target Mark Walczak Racing teammate Dean Strom, Mike Kristof made a solid debut with RJ Foyt Enterprises in seventh, followed by Dan Margetta, the only representative of Amy Butler-Margetta Racing with RJ Foyt's lead car #14 Matt Hayek ninth, hometown favorite Tom Spehert in tenth with Ev Kamikawa struggling to find the handle on the series new cars coming in last.
MINI MILE HISTORY (19 events, 1996 - Present)
Date Race Winner Event Name
1/4/1996 Arnie Lueders Firestone 400
9/26/1996 Chad Sorce Ford 500
10/6/1997 John Baas Ford 500 (2 races in the
1/8/1998 Ev Kamikawa Firestone 400 97-98 season)
9/17/1998 John Baas Ford 500
10/7/1999 Ev Kamikawa Aero Race Wheels 500
9/21/2000 Phil Cianciola Aero Race Wheels 500
9/20/2001 Dan Margetta Aero Race Wheels 500
9/19/2002 Jim Iverson Chancery Restaurants 500
9/18/2003 Mike Kristof Krispy Kreme 500
10/21/2004 Phil Cianciola Milwaukee Mile presents the Mini Mile 500
9/8/2005 John Shea Milwaukee Mile 500
9/7/2006 John Shea Trokan Cup 500**
9/7/2007 Chris Spehert Trokan Cup 500 presented by the Milwaukee Mile
10/2/2008* Mark Walczak Trokan Cup 500
9/10/2009* Ev Kamikawa Trokan Cup 500
9/23/2010* Ev Kamikawa Trokan Cup 500
9/8/2011* Mark Walczak Trokan Cup 500
9/6/2012* Mike Fitzlaff Trokan Cup 500
*-From 2008-2012 the Mini Mile was renamed RJ Foyt’s All American Raceway
** -Since 1997 the opening round trophy was the Trokan Cup, this was restored for the 2006-07 season
Most Wins – Ev Kamikawa-4; John Baas-2; Phil Cianciola-2; John Shea-2; Mark Walczak-2
Top Stories
This will be the 20th race run on the Mini Milwaukee Mile, originally owned by Milwaukee Mile PR Director Dave Austin, and the race took place in the Mile offices, the track later moved to South Milwaukee and Franklin before finally making a permanent move to Greendale in 1999.
Mark Walczak takes his five Husarsbilt Cup championships into a new season as the field attempts to make a change at the top.
Who’s Hot
Mike Fitzlaff won the two 500’s last season on route to winning the Oval Track Championship.
Ev Kamikawa has more wins (4) on the Mini Mile than any other driver in history.
Stats Watch
Mike Fitzlaff’s wins last season moved him to a tie with Chad Sorce for 10th in all time wins (9)
Mike Kristof’s start at the HO Indy 500 moved him to fifth in all time (176)
Mark Walczak’s DNF at the HO Indy 500 moved him to a tie for 10th all-time with Dave Austin