By: Paul Reichert
July 15, 2026
The Central Wisconsin Racing Association has had a long and proud history of racing at various race tracks throughout the great state of Wisconsin. While some tracks may be long gone, no track will ever be forgotten when you got to witness the greatest names in Wisconsin racing history compete. Dick Trickle, Tom Reffner, Marv Marzofka, Jim Back and Jim Sauter made their mark here in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the racing world. Of course it all started when the LaCrosse Speedway went to a pavement race track in 1970. The legacy of the CWRA is now in the hands of a new generation of stars who are out to take it to a whole new level. Four-time champion Jeff Weinfurter scored a clean sweep of the CWRA portion of the Fair Time Family Fun Night, including a dramatic last turn pass of Tyler Sauter to run his LaCrosse CWRA winning streak to three straight features.
The opening 25 lap CWRA Late Model feature saw Mark Mackesy (Wausau, WI) powered by a wide running Wesley Slimp (Marietta, GA) in turn four to lead the early laps. Chris Skrede (Rockland, WI) was doing his best to keep up with the 2024 champion in second, but the first yellow of the race flew on lap seven. Rob Christen (Holmen, WI) tagged and turned Kurt Jankowski (Sparta, WI) in turn four. Tyler Sauter (Necedah, WI) started alongside of Mackesy on the restart, but ‘The King’ got a better run in turns one and two to move into first. Robert Fort (Fountain City, WI) spun in turn two to cause another slowdown on lap nine. A little bump in turn one allowed Jeff Weinfurter (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) to power around Mackesy and move into the number one position on lap ten. Former LaCrosse Sportsmen champion Corey Jankowski (Tomah, WI) was feeling very racy as he took over third just before halfway and set his sights on the leaders. Sauter would be relentless in battling with Jankowski over third and took back the spot on lap 14. Mackesy and Sauter tried to go up a lane in the turns as they tried to close back up on Weinfurter, but that move was not yielding much progress. Tyler Bauknecht (Reedsville, WI) and Darek Gress (Neillsville, WI) tangled in turns three and four, resulting a hard wall collision for Buaknecht with just two laps to go. Weinfurter quickly pulled away from Mackesy to drive away with a CWRA feature win at LaCrosse for the second straight year. After the race Weinfurter said “The car felt pretty good in the first feature and I think we may have saved a little something for the second feature.”
Tyler Sauter (Necedah, WI) got a big run down the back straight to wrestle the lead from Wesley Slimp (Marietta, GA) to lead the second CWRA 25 lap feature. A lap later Corey Jankowski (Tomah, WI) powered around Slimp to move into second and began to track down Sauter. Right behind Jankowski was Jeff Weinfurter (Wisconsin Rapids, WI), who gobbled up the distance between them before driving underneath Jankowski to claim the runner-up spot on lap six. Ted Griffith (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) and Joe Nuttleman (Holmen, WI) collected each other in turn two on lap 11. The incident did happen right in front of Sauter and Weinfurter, but both slowed down enough to avoid the calamity. Weinfurter worked the outside lane perfectly on the restart to claim first place. Darek Gress (Neillsville, WI) and Mark Mackesy (Wausau, WI) banged into each other down the back straight as sparks flew from both cars. Mackesy may have had no brakes as he slammed hard into the turn three wall and nearly went over. The good news was despite the violent hit he took, Mackesy was doing just fine according to the safety team. Weinfurter stuck to the low line on the restart, but Sauter ran a bit high in turns one and two to fall back into the clutches of Jankowski. Sauter gathered himself back up to pull himself closer and closer with Weinfurter, but was losing ground to the four-time CWRA champion in the turns. Sauter finally moved to the high line to get around Weinfurter with just eight laps remaining. A rare spinning mistake by Jankowski while running third in turn four set up a five-lap shootout between the leaders. The leaders pulled away from the pack as Sauter and Weinfurter prepared to settle things between themselves, but Nuttleman looped his car in turn three to set up another restart. Sauter maintained a few car lengths between Weinfurter and himself. Weinfurter came back to life coming to the white flag, but a sideways Sauter in turn four allowed Weinfurter to zoom by and capture his third straight CWRA feature triumph at LaCrosse and a clean sweep of the night. After the race Weinfurter said “We could not ask for a better night of racing despite being better in the short runs during the second feature.”
Henry Vian bumped with Devin Schmidt as they entered turn one at the start of the Sportsmen Showdown Series feature. Vian shot past Schmidt to take command of the race down the back straight. Schmidt was not letting Vian get away that easily as he stuck right on Vian’s bumper. Mike Krueger, Jr. was holding back a hornet’s nest looking to take third away from him. Dillon Sellner used the outside groove to power by Krueger, Jr. to settle into the last podium spot on lap five. Over the next five laps Sellner was able to close the distance between him and the leaders. Vian began to open up a sizable gap on the field as Schmidt had to fend off the hard charging Sellner for second. Schmidt’s car came back to life as he was slowly closing the gap on Vian over the final five laps. Vian maintained a few car lengths between himself and Schmidt to hold on and hit the finish line in first.
Danny Mann got off to a fast start over Matt Schecklman to lead the early laps of the Great North Legends feature. Kooper Heintz moved into second on lap three, and began to slowly reel in Mann for the lead. Quickly taking care of lapped traffic on lap nine, Mann saw Heintz growing larger and larger in his rear view mirror. Heintz got a perfect run out of turn two to shoot by Mann and into first place with eight laps remaining. Mann had his hands full fighting off a large pack of four Legend cars who wanted second. That pack included the dominant force in Legends racing of Ayrton Brockhouse. Yellow was not what Heintz wanted to see with four laps left to run when Russ Weiler spun in turn four and made slight contact with the tractor tire. Heintz pulled away from the pack to hold onto the lead, but Colorado racer Darrell Stewart spun down the back straight with only two laps to go. Another great restart for Heintz allowed him to drive away with the biggest win of his young career on his home track.
This was just the start of the many fun times, action and great memories that will be made during the 135th LaCrosse Interstate Fair through Sunday. Join us for our very special Fair Time program with the NASCAR Local Racing Series on Saturday, July 18. A big 50 lap feature for the NASCAR Late Models will headline the Wisconsin Kenworth Fair Time 50, plus the Upper Midwest Vintage Racing Series will bring back some memorable moments from the heyday of racing. The Sportsmen, Hornets, Six Shooters, High School Racing Association and the Flagpole Novelty Race will also be gunning for some blue ribbons during the night as well. Gates open at 5:15, the battle to be the fastest in qualifying starts at 5:30 and the competition to be ‘best in show’ fires up at 7.
For more information about the LaCrosse Speedway and the 2026 schedule of events, 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 Local Racing Series powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts.
RESULTS
Central Wisconsin Racing Association Late Models
Feature #1 (25 laps): 1. Jeff Weinfurter, 2. Mark Mackesy, 3. Tyler Sauter, 4. Corey Jankowski, 5. Wesley Slimp, 6. Monte Gress, 7. Chris Skrede, 8. Kurt Jankowski, 9. Ted Griffith, 10. Tyler Bauknecht, 11. Darek Gress, 12. Kevin Burr, 13. Robert Fort, 14. Rob Christen, 15. Joe Nuttleman
Feature #2 (25 laps): 1. Jeff Weinfurter, 2. Tyler Sauter, 3. Monte Gress, 4. Wesley Slimp, 5. Corey Jankowski, 6. Chris Skrede, 7. Kurt Jankowski, 8. Ted Griffith, 9. Joe Nuttleman, 10. Mark Mackesy, 11. Darek Gress, 12. Robert Fort, 13. Kevin Burr
Qualifying: 1. Jeff Weinfurter 20.736, 2. Tyler Bauknecht 20.903, 3. Corey Jankowski 20.952, 4. Darek Gress 21.022, 5. Tyler Sauter 21.036, 6. Monte Gress 21.108, 7. Chris Skrede 21.196, 8. Wesley Slimp 21.317, 9. Mark Mackesy 21.459, 10. Kurt Jankowski 21.742, 11. Ted Griffith 22.352, 12. Rob Christen 22.426, 13. Robert Ford 22.429, 14. Joe Nuttleman 22.966, 15. Kevin Burr 23.496
Sportsmen Showdown Series Round 2
Feature (20 laps): 1. 39-Henry Vian, Sparta, WI [2], 2. 20S-Devin Schmidt, Belle Plaine, MN [1], 3. 07-Dillon Sellner, Northfield, MN [6], 4. 6-Kody Hubred, Milton, WI [10], 5. 2-Dave Trute, New Lisbon, WI [11], 6. 23B-Nicholas Bruley, Johnson Creek, WI [12], 7. 10M-Dustin Mann, Waterville, MN [9], 8. 71-Matt Pyburn, Wisconsin Rapids, WI [7], 9. 42-Brad Blenker, Stevens Point, WI [3], 10. 69-Jacob Meyer, Reedsburg, WI [14], 11. 67-Jesse Vian, Sparta, WI [13], 12. 34M-Mike Krueger Jr, Sparta, WI [4], 13. 51T-Robert Turzinski Jr, Georgetown, TX [8]
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. 20S-Devin Schmidt, Belle Plaine, MN [2], 2. 10-Zach Oliver, Rockland, WI [6], 3. 42-Brad Blenker, Stevens Point, WI [4], 4. 34M-Mike Krueger Jr, Sparta, WI [5], 5. 39-Henry Vian, Sparta, WI [3], 6. 67-Jesse Vian, Sparta, WI [1], 7. 69-Jacob Meyer, Reedsburg, WI [7]
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. 07-Dillon Sellner, Northfield, MN [2], 2. 71-Matt Pyburn, Wisconsin Rapids, WI [3], 3. 23B-Nicholas Bruley, Johnson Creek, WI [8], 4. 10M-Dustin Mann, Waterville, MN [5], 5. 2-Dave Trute, New Lisbon, WI [7], 6. 6-Kody Hubred, Milton, WI [6], 7. 51T-Robert Turzinski Jr, Georgetown, TX [4]
Qualifying: 1. 23B-Nicholas Bruley, 21.1060; 2. 2-Dave Trute, 21.1980; 3. 6-Kody Hubred, 21.2660; 4. 10M-Dustin Mann, 21.3820; 5. 51T-Robert Turzinski Jr, 21.5220; 6. 71-Matt Pyburn, 21.6820; 7. 07-Dillon Sellner, 21.6860; 8. 5-Todd Kamish, 21.7480; 9. 10-Zach Oliver, 21.7490; 10. 34M-Mike Krueger Jr, 21.7780; 11. 42-Brad Blenker, 21.8270; 12. 39-Henry Vian, 21.8440; 13. 20S-Devin Schmidt, 21.9190; 14. 67-Jesse Vian, 22.4440; 15. 69-Jacob Meyer, 22.5620
Great North Legends
Feature (20 laps): 1. 57-Kooper Heintz, La Crosse, WI [5], 2. 12A-Ayrton Brockhouse, Shakopee, MN [9], 3. 13M-Danny Mann, Waterville, MN [1], 4. 11G-Kolton Guralski, Wausau, WI [10], 5. 69-Devon Lee, New Lisbon, WI [8], 6. 80-Art Hahn, Hartford, WI [12], 7. 15-Justice Doubrava, Apple Valley, MN [18], 8. 81-Russ Weiler, Marshfield, WI [15], 9. 01W-Elliott Weiler, Marshfield, WI [6], 10. D1-Dalton Lee, New Lisbon, WI [3], 11. 51-Rose Borntreger, Elroy, WI [14], 12. 03-Darrel Stewart, Arvada, CO [4], 13. 22-Bentley Thompson, West Salem, WI [16], 14. 29P-Colten Pennel, Sparta, WI [13], 15. 13B-James Berndsen, Necedah, WI [17], 16. 27-Riley Goodwin, Hudson, WI [7], 17. 4-Johnny Kemp, Meredith, NY [11], 18. 30-Michael McKay, Sparta, WI [19], 19. 11M-Matt Schecklman, Marshfield, WI [2]
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. 22-Bentley Thompson, West Salem, WI [4], 2. 15-Justice Doubrava, Apple Valley, MN [2], 3. 81-Russ Weiler, Marshfield, WI [5], 4. 29P-Colten Pennel, Sparta, WI [7], 5. 13B-James Berndsen, Necedah, WI [3], 6. 51-Rose Borntreger, Elroy, WI [6], 7. 30-Michael McKay, Sparta, WI [1]
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. 80-Art Hahn, Hartford, WI [1], 2. 4-Johnny Kemp, Meredith, NY [2], 3. 13M-Danny Mann, Waterville, MN [3], 4. 03-Darrel Stewart, Arvada, CO [6], 5. D1-Dalton Lee, New Lisbon, WI [5], 6. 11M-Matt Schecklman, Marshfield, WI [4]
Heat #3 (8 laps): 1. 57-Kooper Heintz, La Crosse, WI [1], 2. 12A-Ayrton Brockhouse, Shakopee, MN [5], 3. 11G-Kolton Guralski, Wausau, WI [6], 4. 27-Riley Goodwin, Hudson, WI [3], 5. 69-Devon Lee, New Lisbon, WI [4], 6. 01W-Elliott Weiler, Marshfield, WI [2]
Qualifying: 1. 11G-Kolton Guralski, 14.2220 (New Track Record); 2. 12A-Ayrton Brockhouse, 14.3430; 3. 69-Devon Lee, 14.3440; 4. 27-Riley Goodwin, 14.3530; 5. 01W-Elliott Weiler, 14.3690; 6. 57-Kooper Heintz, 14.3830; 7. 03-Darrel Stewart, 14.6120; 8. D1-Dalton Lee, 14.6180; 9. 11M-Matt Schecklman, 14.6240; 10. 13M-Danny Mann, 14.6630; 11. 4-Johnny Kemp, 14.7130; 12. 80-Art Hahn, 14.7320; 13. 29P-Colten Pennel, 14.7540; 14. 51-Rose Borntreger, 14.7730; 15. 81-Russ Weiler, 14.7880; 16. 22-Bentley Thompson, 14.7930; 17. 13B-James Berndsen, 14.7950; 18. 15-Justice Doubrava, 14.9200; 19. 30-Michael McKay, 15.7410