By: Paul Reichert
August 10, 2024
When you lose a very dear friend or relative that meant something to you personally, you feel the need to give them some sort of special salute or tribute. Here at the LaCrosse Speedway we were all saddened by the news last month of the passing of former pace truck driver Don Dionne. Dionne spent a decade leading fields around the track in the pace truck and was a beloved friend to many people behind the scenes. The family and friends of Dionne wanted to do something in his honor, so they wanted to run a pair of 25 lap features for the Late Models instead of the usual pair of 20 lap features on a double feature night. Skylar Holzhausen surged past Bryan Wrolstad with four laps left to pull himself closer to Jacob Goede with his win in the first feature, while Adam Degenhardt dominated feature number two for his first victory in over a year.
Bryan Wrolstad (Faribault, MN) powered by Jeremy Wolff (Chaska, MN) on the outside to take the lead at the start of the first Don Dionne 25 lap NASCAR Late Model feature. Wrolstad was pulling away from the field and looked like he was going to run away with his second LaCrosse feature win until the yellow flag reared its ugly head. Newly crowned Hornet Dash champion Thomas Farra (Cataract, WI) spun out into the grass in turn two on lap 14. Coming back to the restart, more chaos ensued as Steve Carlson (West Salem, WI) and Adam Degenhardt (Coon Valley, WI) touched in turn four as Degenhardt went for a spin. Fortunately the other drivers were able to avoid making contact with the spinning Degenhardt. Starting fifth on the restart, Skylar Holzhausen (Bangor, WI) went right to work making his way towards the front. Holzhausen caught up to and passed Wrolstad on the outside with four laps remaining, then pulled away from the field to score his second checkered flag win of the year and pocket a big $2,500 payday. After the race Holzhausen said “We are getting the car closer to where it was last year, and it is happening at the right time of the year.”
Don Dionne 25 lap NASCAR Late Model feature #2 got off to a rocky start when Andy Barney (West Salem, WI) and Ryan Brown (LaCrescent, MN) touched entering turn one. Brown spun and slid into the turn one wall to end his night early. The second try to get the race started saw Nick Clements (West Salem, WI) shoot past Adam Degenhardt to take early command of the race. Chad Walen (Prior Lake, MN) and Steve Bachman (Bangor, WI) got together in turn two on lap five and made contact with the outside wall. Degenhardt waited for the right moment after the restart to make his move around Clements, which came on lap seven. As Degenhardt began to open up his lead on his competition, Adam Bendzick (New Prague, MN) began to slowly reel in Clements before powering around the blue 8 machine with ten laps to go. Holzhausen surged past Clements with seven laps left, but would not be able to find a way around Bendzick for second. Degenhardt was the man to beat in the nightcap as he captured his first feature win in over a day and earned $2,500 for his efforts. After the race Degenhardt said “I wanted to make sure I had a big enough lead with Skylar and Jacob coming, plus hoping for no more yellows helped too.”
Bill Schott (LaCrosse, WI) took the lead right from the start of the 15 lap Bobcat of the Coulee Region NASCAR Sportsmen feature. As the laps wound down, Schott’s mirrors would fill up with the bright yellow machine of point leader Bob Fort (Fountain City, WI). Being mindful of not pushing the boundaries of the breakout time, Schott was able to keep Fort behind him and make a long overdue trip to Altra Federal Credit Union Victory Lane.
Shaw Stragestalien used a lapped car to hold off a late rally by Carter Horstman with four laps remaining in the NASCAR Hornet feature. With two laps to go Stragestalien got caught behind a slower car, which allowed Horstman to surge into the lead and claim his second feature win this season.
Landon Lockington led the first two-thirds of the Street Stock feature before suffering a sudden mechanical issue. Keith Larson was ‘Johnny on the spot’ as he surged past Lockington before that happened to drive off with the victory.
The lead during the second half of the Mini-Van feature turned into a seesaw battle between John Huebner and Kevin Laufenburg. Huebner got the lead at halfway from Laufenburg, but Laufenburg wrestled it away from Huebner with two laps left to hit the finish line in first.
The High School Racing Association ran double features to decide their season champion. Noah Waughtal took over the lead of the first feature after Charlie Thompson collided with a lapped car and suffered a flat right front tire. Teammate Caleb Arneson dove underneath Waughtal on the final lap to claim the win and added a little more ground in the points race.
The second High School Racing Association feature saw Curtis Hellickson charge his way to the front on lap five. Hellickson endured two late race cautions and a mirror full of Caleb Arneson to capture his first ever HSRA win at LaCrosse. Arneson’s runner-up effort netted him the 2024 LaCrosse HSRA championship.
The wild and nerve racking Spin to Win Novelty Race capped off a season of thrilling and entertaining Novelty events. In this competition you have to take a spin when the ‘spin flag’ is displayed. John Huebner made a quick 360 pay off with another Novelty victory and the season points crown for the division.
The LaCrosse Speedway takes a short two week break from the on-track wars, then we hold a couple of fun events before we wrap the 2024 season up with the 55th Oktoberfest Race Weekend. The annual Big Cheese 200 Enduro takes place on Saturday, August 31 as four and six-cylinder cars will compete in a non-stop 200 lap race around the ‘action track’ quarter-mile. Before that ‘on the edge of your seat’ racing action comes to life at 7, we will hold both an ugly contest and a beauty contest for the worst and best cars competing that night.
For more information about the LaCrosse Speedway or the 2024 schedule of events, please call the track office at 608-786-1525 or visit our website at lacrossespeedway.com. LaCrosse Speedway is proud to be a NASCAR Hometrack, part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
RESULTS
Kwik Trip NASCAR Late Models
Feature #1 (25 laps): 1. Skylar Holzhausen, 2. Bryan Wrolstad, 3. Jacob Goede, 4. Tom Luethe, 5. Adam Bendzick, 6. Steve Bachman, 7. Tony Leis, 8. Chad Walen, 9. Jeremy Wolff, 10. Mike Carlson, West Salem, WI [13], 11. Adam Degenhardt, 12. Nick Clements, 13. Jason Stark, 14. Devin Schmidt, 15. Michael Beamish, 16. Steve Carlson, 17. Ryan Brown, 18. Andy Barney, 19. Don Turner, 20. Chris Skrede, 21. Ken Donais, 22. Thomas Farra, 23. Brian Lee
Feature #2 (25 laps): 1. Adam Degenhardt, 2. Adam Bendzick, 3. Skylar Holzhausen, 4. Jacob Goede, 5. Nick Clements, 6. Mike Carlson 7. Tom Luethe, 8. Bryan Wrolstad, 9. Devin Schmidt, 10. Tony Leis, 11. Jeremy Wolff, 12. Steve Carlson, 13. Jason Stark, 14. Michael Beamish, 15. Andy Barney, 16. Thomas Farra, 17. Don Turner 18. Ken Donais, 19. Chad Walen, 20. Chris Skrede, 21. Steve Bachman, 22. Ryan Brown
Qualifying: 1. Skylar Holzhausen 19.602, 2. Jacob Goede 19.690, 3. Adam Bendzick 19.702, 4. Adam Degenhardt 19.792, 5. Nick Clements 19.850, 6. Tom Luethe 19.923, 7. Michael Beamish 19.974, 8. Chad Walen 20.004, 9. Steve Bachman 20.034, 10. Tony Leis 20.043, 11. Bryan Wrolstad 20.070, 12. Jeremy Wolff 20.074, 13. Mike Carlson 20.095, 14. Steve Carlson 20.230, 15. Devin Schmidt 20.256, 16. Jason Stark 20.407, 17. Ryan Brown 20.518, 18. Don Turner 20.527, 19. Andy Barney 20.611, 20. Chris Skrede 20.785, 21. Ken Donais 20.896, 22. Brian Lee 20.926, 23. Thomas Farra 21.268
NASCAR Sportsmen
Feature (15 laps): 1. Bill Schott, 2. Bob Fort, 3. Dan Gilster, 4. Mark Challet, 5. Justin Berg, 6. Mike Krueger, Jr., 7. Tom Carlson, 8. Tina Lodermeier, 9. Charles Vian, Jr., 10. Taylor Goldman, 11. Travis Gordon, 12. Andy Muller, 13. Ashton Kinsey, 14. Jason Bolster
6-for-6 Dash (6 laps): 1. Mike Krueger, Jr., 2. Mark Challet, 3. Bob Fort, 4. Dan Gilster, 5. Travis Gordon
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. Tina Lodermeier, 2. Justin Berg, 3. Taylor Goldman, 4. Ashton Kinsey, 5. Andy Muller, 6. Jason Bolster, 7. Charles Vian, Jr., 8. Tom Carlson, 9. Bill Schott
Qualifying: 1. Zach Olver 21.818, 2. Mark Challet 21.831, 3. Dan Gilster 21.859, 4. Mike Krueger, Jr. 21.879, 5. Bob Fort 21.901, 6. Travis Gordon 21.911, 7. Charles Vian, Jr. 21.924, 8. Tina Lodermeier 21.930, 9. Bill Schott 21.940, 10. Justin Berg 21.944, 11. Tom Carlson 21.971, 12. Ashton Kinsey 22.203, 13. Andy Muller 22.300, 14. Taylor Goldman 22.498, 15. Jason Bolster 23.530
Skyline Fireworks NASCAR Hornets
Feature (15 laps): 1. Carter Horstman, 2. Thomas Farra, 3. Shaw Strangstalien, 4. Al Bartels, 5. Terry Lafleur, 6. S\hane Kohlmeier, 7. Kristopher Berg, 8. Christopher Lofquist, 9. Nick Hadler, 10. Kyle Ritter, 11. Ben Thurk, 12. Brandon Thorson, 13. Alex Liebsch, 14. Jacob Lodermeier, 15. Gregory Lofquist, 16. Jimmy Bjorkman, 17. Doyle Cavender, Jr., 18. Paityn Barney, 19. Mitchell Rinartz, 20. Colten Pennel, 21. Mandi McKinney, 22. Abigail Knaack
6-for-6 Dash (6 laps): 1. Thomas Farra, 2. Christopher Lofquist, 3. Al Bartels, 4. Jimmy Bjorkman, 5. Shane Kohlmeier, 6. Ben Thurk
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. Shaw Strangstalien, 2. Brandon Thorson, 3. Nick Hadler, 4. Terry Lafleur, 5. Carter Horstman, 6. Kyle Ritter, 7. Mitchell Rinartz, 8. Colten Pennel
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. Kristopher Berg, 2. Alex Liebsch, 3. Jacob Lodermeier, 4. Mandi McKinney, 5. Doyle Cavender, Jr., 6. Paityn Barney, 7. Abigail Knaack
Qualifying: 1. Ben Thurk 15.767, 2. Jimmy Bjorkman 15.827, 3. Shane Kohlmeier 15.970, 4. Christopher Lofquist 16.037, 5. Al Bartels 16.044, 6. Thomas Farra 16.068, 7. Nick Hadler 16.090, 8. Carter Horstman 16.107, 9. Colten Pennel 16.407, 10. Kyle Ritter 16.442, 11. Mitchell Rinartz 16.480, 12. Terry Lafleur 16.774, 13. Brandon Thorson 16.823, 14. Shaw Strangstalien 16.974, 15. Paityn Barney 17.078, 16. Mandi McKinney 17.098, 17. Jacob Lodermeier 17.338, 18. Gregory Lofquist 17.825, 19. Abigail Knaack 17.930, 20. Alex Liebsch 19.109, 21. Doyle Cavender, Jr. 22.859, 22. Kristopher Berg (DQ)
Auto Value Street Stocks
Feature (15 laps): 1. Keith Larson, 2. Matt Moore, 3. Matthew Bornheimer, 4. Tim Murphy, Sr., 5. Al Bartels, 6. Rob Stanfield, 7. Chris Larson, 8. John Huebner, 9. Steven Brasda, 10. Kyle Cottone, 11. Ryan Stanfield, 12. Mike Heyer, 13. Chad Aasum, 14. Joey Miller, 15. Landon Lockington, 16. Josh Heyer
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. Landon Lockington, 2. Kyle Cottone, 3. Ryan Stanfield, 4. Al Bartels, 5. Joey Miller, 6. Josh Heyer, 7. Mike Heyer, 8. Chad Aasum
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. Chris Larson, 2. Keith Larson, 3. Rob Stanfield, 4. Steven Brasda, 5. John Huebner, 6. Matthew Bornheimer, 7. Matt Moore, 8. Tim Murphy, Sr.
Qualifying: 1. Chris Larson 16.080, 2. Matt Moore 16.232, 3. Keith Larson 16.282, 4. Tim Murphy, Sr. 16.503, 5. Rob Stanfield 16.529, 6. John Huebner 16.677, 7. Matthew Bornheimer 16.822, 8. Steven Brasda 16.843, 9. Ryan Stanfield 16.994, 10. Al Bartels 17.091, 11. Josh Heyer 17.339, 12. Mike Heyer 17.339, 13. Kyle Cottone 17.495, 14. Landon Lockington 17.627, 15. Joey Miller 18.077, 16. Chad Aasum 18.413
Auto Value Mini-Vans
Feature (15 laps): 1. Kevin Laufenburg, 2. Al Bartels, 3. John Huebner, 4. Miranda McCarthy, 5. Matthew Parent, 6. Matthew Miller, 7. Adam Milene, 8. Marshall Rinartz, 9. Fletcher Milene
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. Kevin Laufenburg, 2. John Huebner, 3. Al Bartels, 4. Marshall Rinartz, 5. Matthew Parent, 6. Fletcher Milene, 7. Matthew Miller, 8. Miranda McCarthy, 9. Adam Milene
Qualifying: 1. John Huebner 16.859, 2. Fletcher Milene 17.197, 3. Matthew Parent 17.266, 4. Al Bartels 17.392, 5. Kevin Laufenburg 17.649, 6. Marshall Rinartz 17.576, 7. Miranda McCarthy 18.147, 8. Matthew Miller 18.536, 9. Adam Milene 27.896
Finish Line Towing High School Racing Association
Feature #1 (15 laps): 1. Caleb Arneson, 2. Noah Waughtal, 3. Curtis Hellickson, 4. Alivia Moore, 5. Kennedy Krueger, 6. Peyton Payne, 7. Parker Thompson, 8. Xander Weeks, 9. Charlie Thompson, 10. Lilly Estenson, 11. Alexis Beard, 12. Bella Bolduan, 13. Gunner Nagy, 14. Ayla Rueter
Feature #2 (15 laps): 1. Curtis Hellickson, 2. Caleb Arneson, 3. Parker Thompson, 4. Charlie Thompson, 5. Kennedy Krueger, 6. Xander Weeks, 7. Peyton Payne, 8. Noah Waughtal, 9. Alivia Moore, 10. Alexis Beard, 11. Gunner Nagy, 12. Ayla Reuter, 13. Bella Bolduan, 14. Lilly Estenson
Qualifying: 1. Xander Weeks 16.034, 2. Alivia Moore 16.736, 3. Curtis Hellickson 16.815, 4. Caleb Arneson 16.819, 5. Charlie Thompson 16.874, 6. Parker Thompson 17.070, 7. Peyton Payne 17.157, 8. Belle Bolduan 17.303, 9. Ayla Reuter 17.446, 10. Kennedy Krueger 17.514, 11. Noah Waughtal 17.643, 12. Lilly Estenson 18.723, 13. Alexis Beard 20.451, 14. Gunner Nagy 21.802
Novelty
Spin to Win Race: 1. John Huebner, 2. Kyle Cottone, 3. Steven Brasda, 4. Al Bartels, 5. Rob Stanfield