LUXEMBURG SPEEDWAY CROWNS 2004 CHAMPIONS By Joe Verdegan

February 5, 2005; Nueren, WI. - More than 300 drivers, race officials and fans took part in the 2004 Luxemburg Speedway awards banquet at Rendezvous Pleasure Palace in nearby Nueren Saturday night.

Photo Highlights

(Luxemburg Speedway 2004 champions from left to right Tyler Smith (sport fours); Shawn Kilgore (IMCA stock cars); Scott Mullen (IMCA modified) and Keith Kickbush (IMCA hobby stock).

Seymour's Scott Mullen captured his first ever IMCA modfied track championship. A model of consistency all season long, Mullen escaped brother Brian's shadow with numerous top five finishes, including a $1,500 Labor day weekend victory. Scott Mullen beat out Algoma's Jeremy Jacobs by sixteen points with one week of points racing remaining.

Kewaunee's Shawn Kilgore had the best season of his young career. The IMCA stock car ace scored seven feature wins en route to the division title, beating out Rod Snellenberger ofPulaski by nine points. Highlighting Kilgore's season was a $3,000 mid-season victory down in Iowa. Kilgore scored 12 wins total on area tracks in 2004.

In it's second year of existence the IMCA hobby stock class saw it's tightest points battle ever. For the second straight year Kewaunee's Keith Kickbush would emerge the champion, edging Zion, Illinois visitor Tony Schlei by one point.

Forestville's Von Echenson beat hometown driver Fred Davister by 19 points in the five race street stock series. 49 different drivers representing five different dirt tracks in northeast Wisconsin took part in the five race series, which will again take place in 2005.

Hometown driver Tyler Smith netted the sport four season title, beating out Freedom's DJ Jorgenson by eight points.

Rookie-of-the-year honors went to Green Bay's Tim Van De Hei in the IMCA modified class; Shawn Havel of Brussels in the IMCA stock cars; Denmark's Tom Brumlic and Luxemburg's Dave DeGrave in the IMCA hobby stock class and Gary Novitski Jr. of Mishicot in the sport fours.

Track photographer John Garniss wowed the crowd with his annual slide show. Bobby "Trackmaster" Marquis was presented an appreciation award for all the countless hours he puts into preparing the third-mile, clay oval for the weekly Friday night program.

A total of 329 drivers in seven different divisions competed at the track during the 2004 season. That field included 90 different IMCA modified drivers and 54 different IMCA stock car drivers.

The 2005 season will begin Friday night, April 29 at 7 p.m. IMCA modifieds, IMCA stock cars, IMCA hobby stocks and sport fours will compete weekly through Labor day weekend. A complete season schedule which will include specials events with other divisions is expected to be released soon. For more information call 920 863 8446. The track's website is luxemburgspeedway.com

Luxemburg Speedway is located 15 minutes east of Green Bay off highway 54 at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds.