2016-17 Round 1
Trokan Cup 500 - Mini Milwaukee Mile - Greendale, WI
September 8, 2016
Round 1 of 16
Margetta Goes Back-to-Back
Greendale, WI -- For the second straight year Dan Margetta has captured the opening round of the IndySlotCar Series season with a easy victory at the Trokan Cup 500 at the Mini Milwaukee Mile. The win also extends Margetta's record to 18, the number of seasons in a row, where he has had at least one victory.
The night started with Mike Kristof capturing the first Chick-fil-A Brookfield P1 award with his Target Fitz Ganassi Chevrolet speeding to a 6.607 second qualifying effort, beating out Dean Stom by .001 of a second to take the pole. "I love chicken" was the comment from the delirious fast qualifier.
However, the heat races bunched the fastest qualifiers together and it would be the man who started P3 that would advance out of that first heat as Strom's MaD Motorsports teammate Matt Hayek took advantage of Kristof's inability to handle the fast car he was given and Strom had several mechanical issues that held him back. Hometown favorite Tom Spehert held off Amy Butler in the second heat, to take his #28 Spehert Autosport Honda into the final. The "slow" heat saw Mike Fitzlaff take the win over Margetta who advanced to the 500 lap feature by scoring the most laps of the non-winners, setting up his opportunity for the repeat.
The Trokan Cup 500 started off with tight racing between all four competitors but Matt Hayek moved out to a lead that held until just past half way, when a long pit stop and chassis adjustments would render his car uncompetitive to the finish meanwhile, the hometown crowd started heading for the exits following Tom Spehert's pit stop when his DHL-sponsored car expired during service, that left a battle between Mike Fitzlaff and Dan Margetta, who had moved to the point on the quick pit work of his Penske HO crew and fast and sure handling Chevy-Tyco. Eventually, "Fitz" could not keep pace and Margetta would move out to a 15 lap lead and the checkers for back-to-back Trokan Cup 500 victories and putting himself at the top of the Husarsbilt Cup championship points list.
"We went and got this car from Lucky Bob's on the way over here," reported the 39 time race winner,"and I told Bob, this is the winning car tonight" That total ties him with Ev Kamikawa for second on the IndySlotCar Series all-time wins list.
The series now moves to the tricky street course at Rapids in two weeks, where it is hoped, three-time defending series champion Mike Lack will return to health and the track.
Trokan Cup 500 Fast Facts
Race date: Thursday, Sep 8
Track: Mini Milwaukee Mile, 1 HO-scale mile oval in Greendale, WI
Race distance: 500 laps
Twitter: @indyslotcar
IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com
2015 race winner: Dan Margetta (No. 3 Penske HO Chevrolet)
2015 Chick-fil-A Brookfield P1 Award winner: Dean Strom (No. 16 MaD Motorsports Honda) 6.864 seconds
One-lap qualifying record: Ev Kamikawa, 1.102 seconds, 2006
Four-lap qualifying record: Mike Fitzlaff, 5.940 seconds, 2012
Race record: Phil Cianciola, 13 minutes 53 seconds, 2000
YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel
At-track schedule (all times local):
6:30 – Driver introductions
7:00 – IndySlotCar Series Pactice
7:15 – Qualifying for the Chick-fil-A Brookfield P1 Award (single car/four timed laps)
7:30 – Heat races
8:00 – Trokan Cup 500 (500 laps)
Race Notes:
· Last season’s Trokan Cup 500 winner, Dan Margetta, extended his career streak of 17 straight seasons of at least one victory, only Phil Cianciola comes close, with a streak of 12 seasons with at least one win.
· Ev Kamikawa has won this event the most, with 4 victories.
· Mike Fitzlaff is the last driver to win the Trokan Cup 500 from the pole, setting a track record in qualifying in 2012 and going on to take the checkers.
· Mike Lack comes into the season with three straight Husarsbilt Cup championships, a feat only attained once before.
TROKAN CUP 500 PRE-EVENT QUOTES:
MINI MILE HISTORY (21 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
9/5/2013 Mike Lack Trokan Cup 500
9/3/2015 Dan Margetta 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; Dan Margetta, John Baas, Phil Cianciola, John Shea, Mark Walczak-2