Despite a freezing cold night in the Coulee Region, drivers and their race teams got together to celebrate their accomplishments of the racing season completed at the LaCrosse Speedway’s 2025 Champions’ Banquet. To start we held our banquet at Features Fieldhouse, a brand new venue right across from the track. Features even catered our banquet with a delicious buffet dinner. During the social hour and the dinner a silent auction was held that raised approximately $1,500 for the Chloe Eckelberg Scholarship Fund. After all of those preliminary events, it was time to get down to the main event and hand out championships and trophies.
Four drivers earned their first career LaCrosse track championships this season. Jacob Goede claimed his first LaCrosse Late Model crown to go along with his 2025 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national title, and his dad John also was named the Mechanic of the Year. Shane Kohlmeier put together an impressive year to claim his first Hornet championship. Alivia Moore had a dominant year to claim the High School Racing Association points title, as well earning the division’s Most Improved Driver and fan-voted Best Appearing Car awards. Known as a popular ‘Reckless’ stunt man, John Clauson showed why he is a very talented pilot behind the wheel as he claimed seven awards. They included the Street Stock and Six Shooter championships, fan-voted Best Appearing Six Shooter, driver-voted Best Appearing Street Stock, the Showmanship Award, the Most Popular Street Stock driver and second in Novelty points.
Despite missing out on claiming the Hornet championship by a mere three points, it was a phenomenal season for Carter Horstman as he racked up four additional honors for the season. The Budweiser Dash champion, the fan-voted Best Appearing Car, the Outstanding Performance Award and the division’s Most Popular Driver. Peyton Payne was a major force throughout the HSRA in 2025 and received five awards for her efforts. Second in LaCrosse points, third in Wisconsin State Championship points, second in series points, LaCrosse Rookie of the Year, and she earned a special “Road Warrior” award from HSRA Executive Director Jonathan Eckelberg for her traveling to every single one of their 27 races last season. Piloting the ‘Ghostbusters’ Mini-Van this season, Matthew Parent drove a popular race vehicle and it got him the division’s Most Popular Driver honor along with three other awards. Parent was third in Mini-Van points, the fan-voted Best Appearing Vehicle, and he even received a Competition Achievement Award from scoring tower staff member Andy Jandt.
Marshall and Mitchell Rinartz brought their family name back into prominence at LaCrosse as they received a combined six awards for their racing efforts. Marshall was fourth in Mini-Van points, second in Six Shooter points, driver-voted Best Appearing Six Shooters, and the fan-voted Best Appearing Mini-Van for his gone but not forgotten ‘Batvan’. Mitchell was ninth in Hornet points and earned the division’s Most Improved Driver award. The best known racing name now at LaCrosse is Stanfield, and that family racing team had their arms full with eight awards at the end of the night. Rob was the Mini-Van and Novelty champion to go along with the driver-voted Best Appearing Mini-Van, the Hard Charger of the Mini-Vans and a Special Recognition Award from announcer Connor Pelch. Son Ryan finished fourth in Six Shooter points and was the Most Improved Street Stock Driver. Another good year in the HSRA netted team member Bella Bolduan an eighth place effort in points.
The night came to a dramatic finish with the announcement of the recipient of this year’s Sportsman of the Year honor. The unexpected winner of this year’s award is Tyler Mickschl, who you may know when it comes to the Trailer Race of Destruction or the Shipwreck Boat Race. He is very much involved in the pre and post activities to hold those events, but also helps out quite often at the LaCrosse Speedway when he is needed. He is also now a successful businessman with the recent opening of Spartan Recycling, the new sponsor of the Novelty division.
With the 2025 racing season now officially in the books, teams can begin their preparations for the upcoming 2026 campaign in their race shops and garages as the winter snow and cold remains in charge. Soon the April showers will wash everything away and allow the LaCrosse Speedway to kick off their 57th season of weekly racing on Saturday, May 16. The Late Models, Sportsmen, Hornets, Six Shooters, Mini-Vans and the first Novelty Race will get us back into our normal Saturday routine that day. Gates open at 12:15, qualifying roars to life at 12:30 and the first green flags of the new year will wave at 2.
For more information about the LaCrosse Speedway and the 2026 schedule of events, you can call the track office at 608-786-1525, visit our website at lacrossespeedway.com and be sure to Like the track’s Facebook page. LaCrosse Speedway is proud to be a NASCAR Regional race track, part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series.
RESULTS
LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway 2025 Champions’ Banquet
Kwik Trip NASCAR Late Models–Jacob Goede
TDS Telecom NASCAR Sportsmen–Bob Fort
Skyline Fireworks NASCAR Hornets–Shane Kohlmeier
Auto Value Street Stocks–John Clauson
Auto Value Six Shooters–John Clauson
Auto Value Mini-Vans–Rob Stanfield
Spartan Recycling Novelty–Rob Stanfield
Finish Line High School Racing Association presented by TDS Telecom–Alivia Moore
Wisconsin State Champion–Caleb Arneson
Minnesota State Champion–Caleb Arneson
Illinois State Champion–Peyton Payne
Series Champion–Caleb Arneson
High School Champion–Melrose-Mindoro High School
Sportsmanship Award–Lilly Estenson
Competition Achievement Awards–Lauralee Stanton (presented by LaCrosse HSRA Director Andy Jandt), Destiny Schneider (presented by Tomah HSRA Director Chris Rada),
Peyton Payne (presented by HSRA Series Director Jonathan Eckelberg)
Rookie of the Year–Jason Stark (NASCAR Late Models), Jacob Lodermeier (NASCAR Sportsmen), Kyle Herlitzke (NASCAR Hornets), Peyton Payne (HSRA LaCrosse), Jakob Koppers (HSRA Series)
Budweiser Dash Champions–Skylar Holzhausen (NASCAR Late Models), Charles Vian, Jr. (NASCAR Sportsmen), Carter Horstman (NASCAR Hornets)
Chase Champions–Skylar Holzhausen (NASCAR Late Models), Justin Berg (NASCAR Sportsmen), Brandon Olson (NASCAR Hornets)
Best Appearing Car (Fan Vote)–Skylar Holzhausen (NASCAR Late Models), Justin Berg (NASCAR Sportsmen), Carter Horstman (NASCAR Hornets), Dakota Clauson (Street Stocks), John Clauson (Six Shooters), Matthew Parent (Mini-Vans), Alivia Moore (HSRA)
Best Appearing Car (Driver Vote)–Adam Bendzick (NASCAR Late Models), Zach Oliver (NASCAR Sportsmen), JImmy Bjorkman (NASCAR Hornets), John Clauson (Street Stocks), Marshall Rinartz (Six Shooters), Rob Stanfield (Mini-Vans), Noah Waughtal (HSRA)
Hard Charger Award–Nick Clements (NASCAR Late Models), Tina Lodermeier (NASCAR Sportsmen), Jake Schomers (NASCAR Hornets), Jay Raines, Jr. (Street Stocks), Steven Brasda (Six Shooters), Rob Stanfield (Mini-Vans)
Outstanding Performance Award–Steve Bachman (NASCAR Late Models), Mark Challet (NASCAR Sportsmen), Carter Horstman (NASCAR Hornets)
Showmanship Award–Adam Degenhardt, Jacob Lodermeier, John Clauson
Competition Achievement Awards–Al Bartels (presented by Jim Compton), Greg Oliver (presented by Rick Conway), Tom Carlson (presented by Andy Jandt), Matthew Parent (presented by Sharon Johnson), Tom Luethe (presented by Paul Reichert), Conrad Powell (presented by Mary Schill)
Most Improved Driver–Bryan Wrolstad (NASCAR Late Models), Charles Vian, Jr. (NASCAR Sportsmen), Mitchell Rinartz (NASCAR Hornets), Ryan Stanfield (Street Stocks), Carlie Jotham (Six Shooters), Fletcher Milene (Mini-Vans), Alivia Moore (HSRA)
Community Award–Zach Oliver
Mechanic of the Year–John Goede
Social Media Award–Andy Barney
Special Recognition–Joe Nuttleman (by Barry Folgate, Sr.), Rob Stanfield (by Connor Pelch), Adam Milene (by Rick Wilson)
Dedication to Motorsports–Sharon Johnson
Good Luck Award–Adam Bendzick (NASCAR Late Models), Travis Gordon (NASCAR Sportsmen), Bentley Knaack (NASCAR Hornets)
Most Popular Driver–Skylar Holzhausen (NASCAR Late Models), Justin Berg (NASCAR Sportsmen), Carter Horstman (NASCAR Hornets), John Clauson (Street Stocks), Marshall Rinartz (Six Shooters), Matthew Parent (Mini-Vans)
Sharing Award–Nick Lodermeier
Sportsmen of the Year–Tyler Mickschl