By: Paul Reichert
It was a warm night for racing without any worries about rain. On the track, Steve Carlson continued his hot streak in the NASCAR Late Models with his fourth straight feature win. This time, he would have to contend with older brother Tom to keep his winning streak alive.
The NASCAR Late Model feature started out rough for Matt Henderson and Brad Powell as they tangled in turn three. On the second try to start, Brent Kirchner shot into the lead. He would lead the first seven laps before a rash of yellows would slow things down. On the restart, Nick Panitzke would get around Kirchner to take over the lead. Another rash of yellow happened around the halfway mark of the race. One of those occurred when Panitzke cut a tire and spun out in turn four. Steve Carlson took over the lead, but would have a mirror full of older brother Tom Carlson the rest of the way. Tom stayed within a few car lengths of Steve, who keep Tom in his rear view all the way to the checkered flag. After the race, Steve said his crew gave him some advice. “Keep an eye on the 55 car. Tom’s got a good car tonight. He just might have something for you tonight.” Panitzke came back from his misfortune to get the lucky dog, and mount a comeback to finish third. The number eight cars rounded out the top five, with Kirchner finishing ahead of Nick Clements.
Chris Weber got out to a big lead in the Sportsmen feature, but a yellow flag at the midway point allowed Steve Bachman to close up and challenge for the win after the restart. Bachman’s night started bad with clutch issues, but he would follow in Weber’s tire tracks all the way to the finish. Weber would claim his 2nd win of the season.
John Grosskopf got out to a huge lead in the Thunderstox feature, and would hold back both Kaleb Hardy and Mark Challet to score his first feature win at La Crosse in a long time. A huge 30-car field would compete in the Street Stocks feature. The BMW of Benjamin Arendt would lead the whole race, but have to fend off Chris Larson to claim the win.
Action continues next Saturday night, June 23rd with the NASCAR Late Models, Sportsmen, Thunderstox and Hornets. It is also the night of the annual Autograph Night. The race teams will have hero cards to autograph and hand out. Some teams will be handing out free stuff as well, and a few teams might even have a prize or two to give away. Plus, the first 500 fans also get a FREE Collector’s Poster. Gates open at 6:00, the autograph session kicks off at 6:30 and racing starts at 7:30.
For more information about LaCrosse Speedway or the 2018 schedule of events, please call the office at 608-786-1525 or visit lacrossespeedway.com. LaCrosse Speedway is proud to be a NASCAR Home Track, part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.