The Scoop
TRACKING ALL TIME STURGEON BAY WINNERS INTO ’23
Posted on: Monday January 9, 2023
When it comes to the racing history in Door County, it’s unlikely anyone will ever pass up Todd “Felix” Dart in terms of -time feature wins anytime soon.
Heading into the 2023 season at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin the Algoma speedster leads all other racers at the track since 1993 with a total of 63 feature wins. 60 of those victories have come in the modified division.
Granted the landscape has changed a bit in recent years. The current schedule at The Hill averages eight to nine races per year. With that said there remains plenty to talk about within the different divisions that square off at the third-mile clay oval affectionately known in racing circles as the “Circle of Death.” And still some movement along the charts and plenty of active drivers who remain near the top.
For example, the famous “streak” by the Sturgeon Bay oval’s true “Ironman” Bernie Reinhardt. The sportmod racer hasn’t missed a race at the track since it reopened in 1993. Heading into the ’23 campaign Reinhardt’s streak stands at 409 nights of racing without missing a show. Even with an abbreviated schedule these days, that’s still an impressive accomplishment.
Sturgeon Bay’s Billy LeMieux scored his 40th career feature win at his home track at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay, WI Aug. 11. (photo courtesy of Billy LeMieux FB page)
Also, in ’23 Billy “The Kid” LeMieux earned his 40th career victory at his home track. In doing so he also cracked the top 10 in the stock car division with his 11th win at the track. Another LeMieux – Randy – moved up to 4th in the sportmods with 10 feature flags.
One cannot recap the ’22 campaign at The Hill without mentioning T-Mac Tim McCormick. The veteran racer scored the street stock feature win July 9, his first feature at his home track since June, 2002. The last time T-Mac found victory in the “new era” was June 5, 1993 with Rick Ledvina and Carolyn Tordeur reopened the track.
As longtime track announcer and track historian Tom Wagner was quick to point out, T-Mac won several times during the old Door County Speedway era, especially in the Sportsman class. T-Mac’s first career win at Sturgeon Bay came on September 6, 1980 in the track’s old Hobby Stock division.
Sturgeon Bay veteran Tim McCormick put his “War Wagon” into victory lane in the Unified Street Stock feature at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay July 9. (Kayla Keen photo)
It was on Hall of Fame night June 25 when a rainout to the south at 141 Speedway prompted a caravan of race teams to scramble north on Highway 42 to make the show. It was ironically former track announcer and Wisconsin IMCA state hobby stock champion Eddie “Eagle” Anschutz who wound up winning the street stock main. Anschutz, who would wind up winning the 141-street stock crown last year, won his 9th career division feature at the track.
With that win “Eagle” soared into the 10th position with all time division feature wins, tied with “The Bulldozer” Dave Bouche.
In 4-cylinder action Cleveland’s Scott Schlafke scored four feature wins to move into 5th place in the division with 11.
Of note there are a pair of “Hammers” tied for 7th in all-time feature wins in the street stocks. Aaron “The Hammer” Thornton and Dave “The Hammer” DeGrave are both tied at 32.
Saturday night, August 5 the track will host Hall of Fame night. Longtime Thunder Hill promoters Bryan “Woody” Wodack and his family of Sturgeon Bay, “Mad Matt” Junio of Casco and Thornton will all be ushered in.
All indications are that Reinhardt’s familiar number 11 will be back at The Hill when the gates swing open for their season opener on Saturday, May 20 to keep his streak alive.
The track will host a Car Show/Test and Tune Saturday, May 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Racing on May 20 kicks off at 6 p.m. You can check The Hill Raceway’s Facebook page for regular updates.
(A huge thanks goes out to track historian, veteran track announcer and Hall-of-Famer Tom Wagner, who contributed significantly to this story. Click on the link below to browse the all-time feature totals which Wagner has kept tabs up for many, many years. Thanks Tom!)
Sturgeon Bay totals after 2022