2021-22 Round 4
Halloween Havoc - Quarry Heights Raceway - Wauwatosa, WI
Round 4 of 16
October 21, 2021
Lack All-Time Wins Leader With Havoc Victory
Wauwatosa, WI – With his 48th career victory in the IndySlotCar Series Mike Lack moved to the top of the list in all-time wins. The victory came at the Halloween Havoc and was the first of the season for Lack who is coming on strong after a slow start.
John Wiedemann surprised most everyone with a strong run in the opening session of qualifying and looked to be on top until the last lap was run. That last lap was Steve Rist, crushing Wiedemann’s time of 4.005 seconds with a lap of 3.869 to score the pole for the defending race champion. Dan Margetta, Lack and Mike Kristof, who says he “owns this track” rounded out the top five. Rist’s pole run was the first for him this season and the second of his career.
Heats were set by a last to first-place qualifier pick, leading off with Wiedemann, Ev Kamikawa, Bill Black and Matt Hayek looking for a spot in the final. Black walked away from the field in the first half, but half number two was not as kind to him. Wiedemann chased him down from five laps back at the halfway point to get on the same lap and beat him to the line as time ran out. With Black holding the provisional transfer to the final position, Hayek would finish sixth on the night, his best result of the season, Kamikawa tenth.
The second heat showed that Lack would be a force to reckon with as he stomped the field by 16 laps at the end. The excitement was brought by the CBD team as youngster Brad Core came back from a six lap deficit at the break to run down and race his mentor Pete Dorn. Both drivers battled on the same lap to try to catch their other teammate Black for the transfer. They couldn’t catch Black’s pace but ended with an exciting finish with Dorn seventh and Core eighth. Polesitter Rist couldn’t maintain his speed from qualifying, struggled with handling winding up last.
The final heat was the closest with Kristof, series point leader Dean Strom and veteran Margetta neck and neck challenging for the lead. When Margetta fell back in the second half, the battle continued at the front with Kristof and Strom. Again, it was a fight to the checkers as both drivers ended on the same lap, but it was Strom that got to say “I own you” to the guy who thought he owned the track. Strom moved on to the finals and Kristof just missed the transfer by three laps, leaving him fifth for the night, Margetta ninth.
After exciting heat races, Lack turned the final into a bit of a dud. The now all-time win leader didn’t have much of a challenge as teammate Wiedemann couldn’t display the same pace and fell back after a number of issues in turn one lost him too many laps to make up. Strom and Black held down second and third as there wasn’t any movement of places throughout the race. Lack took the checkers by twelve laps over Wiedemann followed by Strom and Black.
The finishes by the finalists have them set in the top four of the standings. Strom now leads by 11 points over Wiedemann who is just 3 points ahead of Lack. Black moved into the fourth position in the standings just one point ahead of Kristof.
As Jonny and June say “We’re going to Jackson” as up next is the wild and crazy fast Jackson 500 in (where else) Jackson, WI. The high banked shootout is set for November 4th. Lack, looking to add to his victory total is the defending champion.
Halloween Havoc Fast Facts
Race date: Thursday, Oct 21
Track: Quarry Heights Raceway, 2 mile natural terrain road course, Wauwatosa, WI
Race distance: 20 minutes
IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com
2020 race winner: Steve Rist (No. 4 Squirrel Shagged Enterprises Dallara-Chevrolet)
2020 Firestone P1 Award winner: Mike Lack (No. 9 Super High Intensity Team Dallara-Honda)
One-lap qualifying record: Matt Hayek, 3.717 seconds, 2019 (Quarry Heights Raceway)
Race record: Matt Hayek, 282 laps, 2019 (Quarry Heights Raceway)
YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel
At-track schedule (all times local):
6:00 – Gates open
6:30 – Driver introductions
7:00 – Drivers Meeting/Chassis Distribution
7:05 – IndySlotCar Series Practice
7:30 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (group qualifying/ fastest single lap)
7:50 – Heat races
8:40 – Halloween Havoc (20 minutes)
Race Notes:
· Halloween Havoc returns to Quarry Heights Raceway after a one-year relocation to Lack Track due to Covid restrictions. This will be the first time the series has been back to Quarry Heights in two years and will be the 12th running of the Havoc at QHR.
· Dean Strom brings a two-race winning streak into round four, a race that Strom won back in 2014, Strom also has a 16-point lead in the championship.
· John Wiedemann sits second in the Husarsbilt Cup championship standings and is the only driver to make the final in all three rounds so far.
· Steve Rist is the defending Halloween Havoc race winner, it was the #4 pilot’s first career victory.
· There have been three different Firestone P1 Award winners at the first three races, Bill Black, Mike Lack and Dean Strom,
· Strom took home the Pole-to-Win Award of 66,000 IndySlotCar bucks, the largest total in four years, when Matt Hayek took 65,000 at the 2017 Christmas Classic.
· Strom’s win at the WBGP was the 15th of his career, equaling John Shea’s total, they are tied for 12th all-time. Strom also tied another storied name of the series, Jim Kaehny, for 10th on the all-time Heat Wins list with 53, Mike Kristof moved to 15th on that list with his 28th heat win. Brad Core moved to 37th on the all time lists for laps, 790 and starts, 8.
HALLOWEEN HAVOC HISTORY (28 events, 1993 - Present)
Year Race Winner Event Name Track
10/28/93 Jim Chitel Miller Black Cat 250 Shrine Road Course
10/27/94 Dave Austin Happy Hobby Halloween 250 Shrine Road Course
10/27/95 Phil Cianciola Red Dog Halloween 250 HO Road America
10/31/96 Dave Austin Red Dog Halloween 250 HORA
10/30/97 Jim Kaehny Red Dog Halloween 250 HORA
10/29/98 Jim Kaehny NTB Halloween 250 HORA
10/21/99 Phil Marich Texaco-Havoline Halloween 250 HORA
10/31/00 Ev Kamikawa Miller Lite Halloween 250 HORA
10/31/01 Dan Margetta Miller Lite Halloween 250 HORA
10/24/02 Jim Kaehny Halloween 250 HORA
10/30/03 Larry Rotter Halloween 250 HORA
10/28/04 Dan Margetta McDonald’s Halloween 250 HORA
10/27/05 Ev Kamikawa McDonald’s Halloween 400 Road Wisconsin
11/4/06 Mark Walczak State Farm 400 Lake Country Motorplex
10/27/07 Dan Margetta State Farm Halloween 400 LCM
10/23/08 Mark Walczak Milwaukee Sporting Goods Halloween Havoc-Turtle Creek
11/5/09 Mark Walczak SportsClips Grand Prix Quarry Heights Raceway
10/28/10 John Weidemann SportsClips Halloween GP QHR
10/27/11 Dan Margetta Halloween Havoc QHR
10/25/12 Dan Margetta Halloween Havoc QHR
10/24/13 Mark Walczak Halloween Havoc QHR
12/4/14 Dean Strom Nightmare Before Christmas QHR
10/29/15 John Wiedemann Halloween Havoc QHR
10/27/16 John Wiedemann Halloween Havoc QHR
10/26/17 Mike Lack Halloween Havoc QHR
10/25/18 Mike Kristof Bridgestone Halloween Havoc QHR
10/24/19 Matt Hayek Halloween Havoc QHR
10/22/20 Steve Rist Halloween Havoc Lack Track
Most wins: Dan Margetta-5; Mark Walczak-4; John Wiedemann, Jim Kaehny–3; Dave Austin, Ev Kamikawa-2