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It’s not possible.
Schendel, in one of the most dominating touring series performances ever at the Fairgrounds Speedway, lapped 19 of the 22 cars in the starting field en route to winning the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series Oktoberfest 200. In the premier race of the four-day 36th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend, Schendel was untouchable.
Fast, faster and fastest was the only way to describe the Sparta, Wis., driver. Heck, he even lapped nine-time series champion Steve Carlson, who wound up fifth.
Schendel earned $5,350 for his second touring series win of the season and fourth of six-year touring series racing career.
Eddie Hoffman of Wheaton, Ill., finished second ($4,050), while Justin Diercks of Davenport, Iowa, finished third to earn his second straight Midwest Series season championship.
Diercks won three of the series’ eight races and had seven top-five finishes, but he simply was no match for Schendel’s black No. 21 on this night, which performed like a four-wheeled rocket.
“To win Oktoberfest is just awesome. I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. Yeah, we had something we liked (in a set-up),” Schendel said with an almost sheepish smile. “The car handled awesome. The main thing I was thinking was to put cars down (a lap). We’ve had good cars all year. The last half of the year thing really picked up. The first half, we had pure bad luck.“
Luck had little to do with Schendel’s runaway win Saturday night. He was the best car from the start of the race to the end. He grabbed the lead from La Crosse’s Brent Kirchner on Lap 7, and built leads as big as 10 seconds — that’s the equivalent of being on I-90 at West Salem while the leader of the race was in La Crosse — midway through the race.
In a race which featured just two cautions for 17 laps, the biggest challenge for Schendel came on Laps 151-154 when he caught Carlson, but couldn’t immediately blow by the West Salem, Wis., veteran like he did everyone else.
“He was doing what he had to to stay on the lead lap,” Schendel said of Carlson. “He was drifting up a little and I finally got under him. I don’t blame him for doing everything he could to keep his spot. That’s what racing is all about.“
Schendel’s battle with Carlson allowed Erik Darnell of Beach Park, Ill., to close the nearly-half lap lead that Schendel had over him, but even a late-race caution on Lap 172 couldn’t steal his thunder.
“I was points racing all night, but he (Schendel) had a really good car,” Diercks said. “I think I may have been able to catch him but I don’t think I would have been able to get past him. I’m happy for Tim. It’s been a long time coming for him.“
Dexter Bean, an 18-year-old from Westby, Wis., finished seventh, while Kirchner wound up 16th. Cashton’s Tony Bagstad dropped out on Lap 23, and finished 21st.
“To start in the back and move up to seventh, we’re pretty happy with that,” Bean said. “When we pitted after that first yellow, we were running as fast a laps Carlson and some of the others running up front. We just had a long way to work back through.“
Bean was forced to start in back of the pack because he failed to turn a qualifying lap because his car broke a part in the rear axle, forcing him to the pits.
RED-HOT MENARD: New York Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson was known as Mr. Oktober because of his ability to crank his already considerable talent up a notch in the playoffs. Charlie Menard is quickly building a reputation as area racing’s version of Mr. October.
Menard not only won the ASA Late Model Series Oktoberfest 100 in just his second start in the series, he capped a sensational Friday night of racing by winning the Central Wisconsin Racing Association Oktoberfest 25.
“I cannot believe we won two races tonight,” Menard said about 11 p.m. Friday, moments after winning the CWRA 25-lap event. “We’ve got two more races to go. The ARTGO deal will be tough.“
Don’t count Menard out. Who would have believed that Menard would be on the kind of roll that he is? The Eau Claire, Wis., man has won the last five Oktoberfest Race features he has entered — the Wisconsin Late Model, La Crosse Late Model and CWRA at the 2004 Oktoberfest Races, and the ASA Late Model and CWRA features on Friday night.
On Saturday, Menard continued his impressive Oktoberfest by winning an ARTGO heat. Today, Menard will compete in the ARGTO Reunion 100, and the La Crosse Late Model Oktoberfest 25.
SIDE VIEW: Pat Tushoski of Wausau, Wis., took quite a ride in a Wisconsin Late Model heat race Saturday afternoon. Tushoski and Eric Darnell got together entering Turn 3, and Tushoski wound up getting the worst end of the deal. By the time it was over, Tushoski’s car hit the wall, climbed it, and wound up on it’s side. Tushoski’s view outside of his window? The pavement.
