Trokan Cup 500 - Mini Milwaukee Mike - Greendale, WI

Round 1 of 16

September 12, 2019

Hayek Doesn't Finish Seventh

(Greendale, WI) -- The 27th season of IndySlotCar competition opened at it's traditional spot, the Mini Milwaukee Mile for the Trokan Cup 500. A stout collection of regulars lined up for qualifying and it was obvious that Matt Hayek did not be bring a seventh place car. Hayek had finished seventh seven times last season and a new trophy was even built for him, the 7 and 7 Trophy. To start the new season, Hayek nearly set a new single lap record in qualifying, unfortunately, he spun out during one of his four quali laps and his total time sent him back to fifth. Mike Lack would continue his championship ways, starting from the point by setting a new four-lap qualifying record and looking like he would once again dominate the proceedings as he easily won the opening heat, holding off Joe Heitz, who would also transfer to the final. Pete Dorn ran a solid race to fifth place while Mike Kristof would crash out early winding up sixth, the first of many such crashes for the new IndySlotCar AMR safety team to handle.

In the second heat it was more carnage, but Matt Hayek avoided all of it, easily staying ahead of Tom Spehert and picking his way past crashes by John Wiedemann and Dean Strom who would finish seventh and eight respectively, while Hayek and Spehert would live to fight another day in the final.

The battle for the Trokan Cup looked to be setting up between Lack and Hayek as both seemed to have the fastest cars, but just before quarter distance, Mike Lack made a mistake similar to the one he made last season at the very same race a crashed out on lap 120 to finish fourth to start the season, this allowed Tom Spehert to move up to third place, where he would finish and Joe Heitz kept Hayek honest running around 10 laps behind for much of the second half, where he would match his career best finish and Hayek would collect his first victory since the Christmas Classic 2017.

Trokan Cup 500 Fast Facts

Race date: Thursday, Sep 12

Track: Mini Milwaukee Mile, 1 mile bull-ring oval in Greendale, WI

Race distance: 500 lap

Twitter: @indyslotcar

IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com

2018 race winner: Tom Spehert (No. 28 Spehert Autosport

2018 P1 Award winner: Ev Kamikawa (No. 12 Penske HO) 5.458 seconds* new 4 lap quali record

One-lap qualifying record: Ev Kamikawa, 1.102 seconds, 2006

Four-lap qualifying record: Ev Kamikawa, 5.458 seconds, 2018

Race record: Phil Cianciola, 13 minutes 53 seconds, 2000

YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel

At-track schedule (all times local):

6:30 – Gates open

7:00 – Driver introductions

7:30 – IndySlotCar Series Practice

7:50 – Qualifying for the P1 Award (single car/four laps, total time)

8:00 – Heat races

8:30 – Trokan Cup 500 (500 laps)

Race Notes:

· The 27^th IndySlotCar Series season begins, as has become traditional, at the Mini Milwaukee Mile, this will be the 25^th IndySlotCar race at the storied bull-ring oval.

· Last season hometown hero Tom Spehert scored his first win at the Mini Mile and his first victory in 10 years.

· With all new club chassis making their first appearance last season, four drivers could not handle the speed and crashed out, including pole sitter Ev Kamikawa, defending champion Mike Lack, Matt Hayek and Bill Black.

· Mike Lack comes into the season with a record six straight Husarsbilt Cup championships.

MINI-MILWAUKEE MILE HISTORY (24 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

9/8/2016 Dan Margetta Trokan Cup 500

8/31/2017 Mike Lack Trokan Cup 500

9/6/2018 Tom Spehert Trokan Cup 500

*- From 2008-2012 the Mini Mile was renamed RJ Foyt’s All American Raceway

** - The opening round trophy was the Trokan Cup from 1997-2000, this was restored for the 2006 race.

Most Wins – Ev Kamikawa-4; Dan Margetta-3; Mike Lack, John Baas, Phil Cianciola, John Shea, Mark Walczak-2