1997 Pontiac/GMC Thunder
Miss Budweiser Victory Sweet Present for Busch
By Gordon Engelhardt
The Miss Budweiser unlimited hydroplane team wrapped up their birthday present to Anheuser-Busch president August Busch III on Sunday afternoon.
Dave Villwock drove Miss Budweiser to victory at Thunder 19 with an average speed of 140.616 mph over the 2-mile Ohio River course.
"It's August Busch's birthday this weekend. I don't think we could've given him a better birthday present," Villwock said.
He said it's never as easy as it looks. "We had a lot of people standing behind us.
"We know it will go away tomorrow," Villwock continued. "We'll sit back and enjoy it. Next week is next week.We're going to enjoy the moment."
Mark Evans drove PICO American Dream to a second-place finish in 138.601. Mark Tate was third, in Close Call, with a speed of 134.165.
Villwock is the first driver to win Thunder in back-to-back years driving different boats. He won in the PICO American Dream last year. The Thunder purse is $149,385.
| O'Doul's High Point Standings (through June 29) | |
|---|---|
| Boats | |
| Miss Budweiser | 3,505 |
| DeWALT Tools | 2,467 |
| Close Call | 2,297 |
| U-2 ARC Construction | 2,121 |
| PICO American Dream | 2,016 |
| Computers & Applications | 1,628 |
| Appian Jeronimo | 1,135 |
| Miss TruckGear | 1,125 |
| Mis Exide | 592 |
| Miss Crazy Tomato | 361 |
| Master Tire | 169 |
| Drivers | |
| Dave Villwock | 3,505 |
| Mike Hanson | 2,467 |
| Mark Tate | 2,297 |
| Steve David | 2,121 |
| Mark Evans | 2,016 |
| Ken Muscatel | 1,628 |
| Mitch Evans | 1,135 |
| Nate Brown | 1,125 |
| Mark Weber | 338 |
| Jimmy King | 338 |
| Mike Jones | 254 |
| Rick Christensen | 169 |
| Scott Pierce | 23 |
(Reprinted from the Evansville Courier, Monday, June 30, 1997)