By: Paul Reichert
August 2, 2025
As we enter the dog days of August, we begin the stretch run of the 2025 racing season that will result in season points championships for the few that put in a lot of hard work and effort into their racing campaigns. A few of those season points chases here at the LaCrosse Speedway will be settled in the coming weeks, while a number of the big title tussles will be finalized at the 56th Oktoberfest Race Weekend. A special 30 lap feature for the NASCAR Late Models took place to begin their drive to a title with $1,000 to win on the line thanks to Rich Volden and Volden Construction. Jacob Goede took a big hit in the points when he got caught up in a rare accident that ended his race after 12 laps. Skylar Holzhausen took advantage of that opportunity as he powered around Adam Bendzick coming to the white flag to notch his third feature victory of the year.
The 30 lap Auto Value feature for the NASCAR Late Models saw Steve Carlson (West Salem, WI) powered underneath ‘Tuxedo’ Tony Leis (MIddle Ridge, WI) for the lead at the start. Mike Carlson (West Salem, WI) surged by Leis to move into second on lap four and set his sights on dad. The ‘Carlson Gang’ began to open up a healthy advantage as the rest of the field was trying to sort themselves out. Mike began to slowly reel in Steve for the lead, but Mike’s challenge was stymied when Cole Howland (West Salem, WI) made hard contact with Bryan Wrolstad (Faribault, MN) and spun him out in turn four on lap ten. Mike stuck right behind Steve on the restart as Adam Bendzick (New Prague, MN) powered around Leis for third. A mechanical issue ended Mike’s race after completing lap 12, then Goede suffered a flat left rear tire which caused contact with Leis and sent Goede into the outside turn three wall. Bendzick wasted little time to power around Steve Carlson for the lead on lap 14, but he would have his hands full holding off the hard charging Steve Bachman (Bangor, WI). Skylar Holzhausen (Bangor, WI) would maintain third and wait for a slip by one of the two cars ahead of him to go after the lead. Bendzick began to slowly pull ahead of Bachman and Holzhausen as we reached ten laps left to run. Holzhausen finally got that opening to power under Bachman for second with three laps remaining. Coming to the white flag, Holzhausen powered around Bendzick to take over the top spot and run away with his third feature win this year.. After the race Holzhausen said “Just when we thought we were out of the title race, a few circumstances have pulled us back into the fight. We are ready to make that run for a third straight title.”
Charles Vian, Jr. (Sparta, WI) broke out a few too many times while leading in the first four laps of the NASCAR Sportsmen feature. That handed the lead over to Tom Carlson (West Salem, WI), who ran afoul of the breakout time twice while showing the way. Everyone got to reset with four laps to go when Justin Berg (Bangor, WI) spun in turn two. Carlson had to deal with Bob Fort (Fountain City, WI) in the closing laps, and the defending track champion surged forward when Carlson backed off as Fort claimed another feature triumph.
The NASCAR Hornet feature saw Justin Iverson lead an angry pack of racers that even tried to run three-wide in the turns to get to the front of the field. Shaw Strangstalien spun in turn four with three to go to set up a wild finish. Former champion Kris Berg was shot out of a cannon on the restart and surged past Iverson for the lead. He was back to his old racing form as his first feature victory in some time.
Matthew Miller pulled away to a healthy lead in the Six Shooter feature before a tangle between Alex Rud and Ryan Stanfield at halfway slowed the action down. Miller had his hands full holding off some of the top quarter-mile drivers down the stretch. Rob Stanfield made a daring move on the outside in turns three and four to power around MIller and claim another checkered flag for his trophy case
The night came to a grand smashing finale with the World Famous Trailer Race of Destruction. 22 competitors brought out all sorts of trailers, boats and campers that ended up being smashed, destroyed and obliterated to bits. After all the good clean smashing, trashing and crashing took place, it was up to the fans to decide who did the best job of destruction. Colton Jacobson out wrecked and out smashed ‘Reckless’ John Clauson by a few screams and shouts to be crowned the 2025 ‘King of Destruction’.
It is hard to believe that the thrills of weekly racing will be coming to a dramatic conclusion next Saturday, August 9. We will end the excitement of weekly racing with a bang as all divisions will be running not just one, but two features. The Late Models will run their usual pair of 20 lap features, while the Sportsmen, Hornets, Street Stocks and Mini-Vans get a rare treat and run their own pair of features. The High School Racing Association will have even more on the line as their pair of features will crown their 2025 champion. The Flagpole Race will be the final Novelty race of the year, and it will decide their season championship as well. The kids get one last opportunity to ride along in an actual race car during the final KQ98 Kids’ Rides after qualifying. Gates open at 5:15, the race for speed known as qualifying revs up at 5:30 and double the thrills and excitement of big time feature racing finds another gear starting at 7.
For more information about the LaCrosse Speedway and the 2025 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 Regional race track, part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
RESULTS
Kwik Trip NASCAR Late Models
Feature (30 laps): 1. 78-Skylar Holzhausen, Bangor, WI [12], 2. 21B-Adam Bendzick, Prior Lake, MN [9], 3. 14-Steve Bachman, Sparta, WI [11], 4. 48-Jason Stark, Wisconsin Dells, WI [7], 5. 66-Steve Carlson, West Salem, WI [1], 6. 8-Nick Clements, West Salem, WI [8], 7. 5-Tom Luethe, Bangor, WI [13], 8. 40-Michael Beamish, Saint Paul, MN [3], 9. 96-Andy Barney, West Salem, WI [16], 10. 21S-Christopher Skrede, Sparta, WI [14], 11. 7-Don Turner, La Crosse, WI [18], 12. 07-Tony Leis, Bangor, WI [2], 13. 93-Brian Lee, Holmen, WI [19], 14. 4N-Joe Nuttleman, West Salem, WI [17], 15. 77-Jim Summerfield, Rockland, WI [20], 16. 1-Cole Howland, West Salem, WI [5], 17. 50-Michael Carlson, West Salem, WI [4], 18. 72-Jacob Goede, Carver, MN [10], 19. 13-Bryan Wrolstad, Faribault, MN [6], 20. 53-Ryan Brown, La Crescent, MN [15]
6-for-6 Dash (6 laps): 1. 13-Bryan Wrolstad, Faribault, MN [1], 2. 78-Skylar Holzhausen, Bangor, WI [5], 3. 72-Jacob Goede, Carver, MN [6], 4. 14-Steve Bachman, Sparta, WI [2], 5. 8-Nick Clements, West Salem, WI [4], 6. 48-Jason Stark, Wisconsin Dells, WI [3]
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. 66-Steve Carlson, West Salem, WI [1], 2. 40-Michael Beamish, Saint Paul, MN [3], 3. 21B-Adam Bendzick, Prior Lake, MN [6], 4. 07-Tony Leis, Bangor, WI [2], 5. 50-Michael Carlson, West Salem, WI [4], 6. 1-Cole Howland, West Salem, WI [5], 7. 5-Tom Luethe, Bangor, WI [7]
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. 7-Don Turner, La Crosse, WI [2], 2. 96-Andy Barney, West Salem, WI [4], 3. 53-Ryan Brown, La Crescent, MN [5], 4. 21S-Christopher Skrede, Sparta, WI [6], 5. 93-Brian Lee, Holmen, WI [1], 6. 4N-Joe Nuttleman, West Salem, WI [3], 7. 77-Jim Summerfield, Rockland, WI [7]
Qualifying: 1. 72-Jacob Goede, 19.7240; 2. 78-Skylar Holzhausen, 19.7980; 3. 8-Nick Clements, 19.9140; 4. 48-Jason Stark, 19.9290; 5. 14-Steve Bachman, 19.9450; 6. 13-Bryan Wrolstad, 19.9590; 7. 5-Tom Luethe, 20.0140; 8. 21B-Adam Bendzick, 20.0220; 9. 1-Cole Howland, 20.0590; 10. 50-Michael Carlson, 20.1290; 11. 40-Michael Beamish, 20.1520; 12. 07-Tony Leis, 20.2700; 13. 66-Steve Carlson, 20.3670; 14. 21S-Christopher Skrede, 20.3930; 15. 53-Ryan Brown, 20.4000; 16. 96-Andy Barney, 20.4560; 17. 4N-Joe Nuttleman, 20.6640; 18. 7-Don Turner, 20.7530; 19. 93-Brian Lee, 20.8580
TDS Telecom NASCAR Sportsmen
Feature (15 laps): 1. 97-Robert Fort, Winona, MN [6], 2. 51-Tom Carlson, West Salem, WI [2], 3. 13-Mark Challet, Sparta, WI [7], 4. 75-Justin Berg, Bangor, WI [3], 5. 18-Tina Lodermeier, Rosemount, MN [1], 6. 60-Jacob Lodermeier, Elko New Market, MN [5], 7. 8B-Jason Bolster, Sparta, WI [8], 8. 1-Charles Vian Jr, Sparta, WI [4]
4-for-6 Dash (6 laps): 1. 18-Tina Lodermeier, Rosemount, MN [1], 2. 97-Robert Fort, Winona, MN [2], 3. 51-Tom Carlson, West Salem, WI [3], 4. 1-Charles Vian Jr, Sparta, WI [4]
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. 13-Mark Challet, Sparta, WI [3], 2. 60-Jacob Lodermeier, Elko New Market, MN [2], 3. 75-Justin Berg, Bangor, WI [1], 4. 8B-Jason Bolster, Sparta, WI [4]
Qualifying: 1. 1-Charles Vian Jr, 22.0040; 2. 51-Tom Carlson, 22.0170; 3. 97-Robert Fort, 22.0180; 4. 18-Tina Lodermeier, 22.0750; 5. 60-Jacob Lodermeier, 22.1090; 6. 75-Justin Berg, 22.4630; 7. 8B-Jason Bolster, 22.4850; 8. 13-Mark Challet, NO TIME (DQ)
Skyline Fireworks NASCAR Hornets
Feature (15 laps): 1. 25-Kristopher Berg, Mondovi, WI [4], 2. 24-Justin Iverson, Prior Lake, MN [1], 3. 21-Jacob Iverson, West Salem, WI [7], 4. 12B-Al Bartels, Tomah, WI [3], 5. 02-Shane Kohlmeier, Onalaska, WI [9], 6. 3/4-Nick Hadler, Inver Grove Heights, MN [5], 7. 75H-Carter Horstman, Bangor, WI [10], 8. 28-Jimmy Bjorkman, West Salem, WI [8], 9. 32-Joey Johnson III, Holmen, WI [12], 10. 36-Brandon Olson, Eden Prairie, MN [6], 11. 27-Alex Liebsch, Goodview, MN [18], 12. 65-Mitchell Rinartz, Hammond, WI [11], 13. 68B-Ben Kohlmeier, Onalaska, WI [16], 14. 77-Bentley Knaack, Onalaska, WI [15], 15. 5-Brandon Thorson, La Crosse, WI [14], 16. 8-Paityn Barney, West Salem, WI [17], 17. 44-Jake Schomers, La Crescent, MN [13], 18. 111-Shaw Strangstalien, West Salem, WI [2]
6-for-6 Dash (6 laps): 1. 3/4-Nick Hadler, Inver Grove Heights, MN [1], 2. 36-Brandon Olson, Eden Prairie, MN [2], 3. 75H-Carter Horstman, Bangor, WI [5], 4. 02-Shane Kohlmeier, Onalaska, WI [6], 5. 21-Jacob Iverson, West Salem, WI [4], 6. 28-Jimmy Bjorkman, West Salem, WI [3]
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. 25-Kristopher Berg, Mondovi, WI [5], 2. 12B-Al Bartels, Tomah, WI [4], 3. 32-Joey Johnson III, Holmen, WI [6], 4. 22X-Jace Lafleur, La Crosse, WI [7], 5. 24-Justin Iverson, Prior Lake, MN [1], 6. 44-Jake Schomers, La Crescent, MN [3], 7. 111-Shaw Strangstalien, West Salem, WI [2]
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. 77-Bentley Knaack, Onalaska, WI [3], 2. 27-Alex Liebsch, Goodview, MN [5], 3. 5-Brandon Thorson, La Crosse, WI [4], 4. 65-Mitchell Rinartz, Hammond, WI [6], 5. 68B-Ben Kohlmeier, Onalaska, WI [2], 6. 8-Paityn Barney, West Salem, WI [1]
Qualifying: 1. 02-Shane Kohlmeier, 15.4740; 2. 75H-Carter Horstman, 15.5510; 3. 21-Jacob Iverson, 15.6610; 4. 28-Jimmy Bjorkman, 15.8360; 5. 36-Brandon Olson, 15.8380; 6. 3/4-Nick Hadler, 15.9190; 7. 32-Joey Johnson III, 15.9330; 8. 25-Kristopher Berg, 16.0560; 9. 12B-Al Bartels, 16.0580; 10. 44-Jake Schomers, 16.0610; 11. 111-Shaw Strangstalien, 16.1160; 12. 22X-Jace Lafleur, 16.1200; 13. 24-Justin Iverson, 16.3260; 14. 65-Mitchell Rinartz, 16.4710; 15. 5-Brandon Thorson, 16.5060; 16. 77-Bentley Knaack, 16.5150; 17. 68B-Ben Kohlmeier, 16.6980; 18. 8-Paityn Barney, 16.7140; 19. 27-Alex Liebsch, 16.9440; 20. 12J-James Tobias, 20.0210
Auto Value Six Shooters
Feature (15 laps): 1. 77-Robert Stanfield, La Crosse, WI [13], 2. 94-Steve Brasda, Osseo, WI [5], 3. K9-John Clauson, La Crosse, WI [12], 4. 05-Brandon Bion, La Crosse, WI [3], 5. 66M-Marshall Rinartz, Centuria, WI [11], 6. 42R-Alex Rud, La Crosse, WI [14], 7. 26-Dakota Clauson, Sparta, WI [8], 8. 65R-Carlie Jotham, West Salem, WI [10], 9. 24-Colton Jacobson, La Crosse, WI [4], 10. 1-Dan Osthoff, La Crosse, WI [15], 11. 88-Ryan Stanfield, La Crosse, WI [6], 12. 27-Cole Lewis, La Crosse, WI [7], 13. 31-Weston Willette, La Crosse, WI [1], 14. 126-Melissa Rusch, Holmen, WI [16], 15. 68-Brody Rundhaugen, La Crosse, WI [9], 16. 21M-Matthew Miller, La Crosse, WI [2][DQ]
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. 65R-Carlie Jotham, West Salem, WI [1], 2. 77-Robert Stanfield, La Crosse, WI [7], 3. 88-Ryan Stanfield, La Crosse, WI [2], 4. K9-John Clauson, La Crosse, WI [6], 5. 26-Dakota Clauson, Sparta, WI [4], 6. 68-Brody Rundhaugen, La Crosse, WI [5], 7. 27-Cole Lewis, La Crosse, WI [3]
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. 42R-Alex Rud, La Crosse, WI [1], 2. 126-Melissa Rusch, Holmen, WI [3], 3. 21M-Matthew Miller, La Crosse, WI [5], 4. 66M-Marshall Rinartz, Centuria, WI [2], 5. 1-Dan Osthoff, La Crosse, WI [7], 6. 94-Steve Brasda, Osseo, WI [9], 7. 24-Colton Jacobson, La Crosse, WI [8], 8. 05-Brandon Bion, La Crosse, WI [6], 9. 31-Weston Willette, La Crosse, WI [4]
Qualifying: 1. 77-Robert Stanfield, 16.3670; 2. 98-Landin Frye, 16.5520; 3. K9-John Clauson, 16.5710; 4. 68-Brody Rundhaugen, 17.0040; 5. 26-Dakota Clauson, 17.0660; 6. 27-Cole Lewis, 17.2320; 7. 88-Ryan Stanfield, 17.2470; 8. 65R-Carlie Jotham, 17.3380; 9. 94-Steve Brasda, 17.3830; 10. 1-Dan Osthoff, 17.4080; 11. 24-Colton Jacobson, 17.4080; 12. 05-Brandon Bion, 17.4780; 13. 21M-Matthew Miller, 17.4800; 14. 31-Weston Willette, 17.7670; 15. 126-Melissa Rusch, 17.7980; 16. 66M-Marshall Rinartz, 17.9560; 17. 42R-Alex Rud, 18.2860
Novelty
Trailer Race of Destruction (Fan Vote): 1. Colton Jacobson, 2. John Clauson, 3. Kaylee Bath