By: Ashley Iwanski
(West Salem, WI – October 10, 2009) It was a cold night, but the grand stands were filled to see three exciting feature races. Steve Carlson walked away Saturday night with an ASA North feature win while Ross Kenseth took home both the Big-8 feature win and Championship. Paul Neisius also took home a win and Championship in the Mid-American series.

ASA North series was the first feature race of the night. Ross Kenseth jumped to an early lead as the rest of the field runs side by side. Steve Carlson and J. Herbst moved up into the top five. By lap five the leaders caught up to lap traffic. Meanwhile Kenseth was slowly opening up a gap between himself and the rest of the field. Jacob Goede, in second, was trying hard to catch up to the race leader. Within five laps Goede was on the bumper of Kenseth trying to pass while avoiding lapped cars. Goede finally got past Kenseth on the inside of turn two on lap 23. By that time Carlson had closed the gap on the front two leaders. Kenseth wasn’t going to let Goede get away easily. Kenseth fought tooth and nail to hold on to the second place, but Carlson was too strong. Carlson took second on lap 31. For a time Kenseth was safe; the fourth place car was behind him by half a lap. On lap 56 a caution came out when Eddie Hoffman, Herbst and Rebecca Kasten were collected in a wreck in turn one. All three of the cars had severe damage that ended their nights early. This was the last thing Goede wanted to see; it brought Carlson and Kenseth to his back bumper for the restart. On lap 63 Carlson took the lead from Goede on the inside of turn two. Further back in the field Brown and McGrath were battling side by side for fifth place. On lap 66 Thor Anderson spun bringing out the second caution of the night. Carlson, Goede, and Kenseth were bumper to bumper on the restart. With less than 20 laps to go Carlson and Goede were back to fighting over the lead. Goede was all over Carlson’s back bumper trying everything he could to pass. Goede would not let Carlson get out of his sight. When Goede couldn’t get to the inside of Carlson he started to try the high side. On lap 98 Kenseth had caught the leaders again and was just about to pass both when they reached a lap car and Kenseth had to fall back. As the field came around to the checkered flag Goede moved to the inside of Carlson in turn four. Carlson beat Goede to the line by half a car length.

For some drivers one race in the night was not enough. A few of the drivers from the ASA North race had to quickly get ready to start the Big-8 feature. One of those drivers was 16 year old Kenseth who started the race from second. Kenseth overtook Lepak for the lead early in the race. Ty Reedy and Brad Powell were door handle to door handle fighting for fifth place. A caution came out on lap 11 when Andrew Kulka and Shayne Poehnelt crashed in turn four. After both cars were dragged off the track the race was back on. Before long Reedy and Holzhausen were pushing each other trying to get to the fifth position. Five laps after the first caution they were under yellow again when something broke on Adam Degenhardt’s car. Kenseth had held onto the lead through both restarts. Kris Kelly was making his way to the front taking third from Lepak and quickly catching up to Holzhausen in the second position. Holzhausen gave it his all, slowly closing the gap on Kenseth. A third caution came out completely closing the gap between first and second. Todd Oliver spun in turn two, got restarted, and moved to the back of the field; but not before the yellow flag came out another time. On the restart Kenseth, Goede and Holzhausen were packed together, none of them giving an inch. Kenseth held onto the lead to take the race win along with the 2009 Big-8 Championship.

Point leader Paul Neisius would have ended in the back of the field if it wasn’t for a strange turn of events in the Mid-American feature. Justin Neisius started on the pole and held onto the lead when the green flag waved. Lichtfeld and Spoonmore were side by side for fifth as Bobby Gutknecht flew past Justin Neisius for the lead. Justin Neisius fell back to the ninth position and struggled to hold onto his car during a battle with Bill Prietzel. The front of the field was packed together sending cars all over the track. After five laps of all or nothing racing Kevin Lutz was sent spinning into the grass in turn four. On the restart the front three went three wide in turn two. Point leader Neisius flew into the grass as McClintock shot past Gutknecht for the lead. A caution came out for Justin Neisius’ spin and Gutknecht was given the lead. Justin Neisius restarted the race in the fifth position and was up to third in no time. Four laps later Prietzel hit the wall in turn two bringing out another caution. Two laps later the big one came out. Many of the leaders were caught up in the wreckage in turn two. Paul Neisius and Nick Barstad moved into the first and second position. Back under green the field was getting packed together again. Lichtfeld was holding strong in the fourth position waiting for his opportunity to move up. Barstad started to fall back and Lichtfeld took advantage flying to the front to take over second. Paul Neisius held onto the lead to take the win and the Mid-American Championship.

After a successful three days of racing the final day of Oktoberfest Race Weekend is upon us. Sunday brings with it racing from the ASA Midwest Tour, USST North Trucks, Vintage Cars, R.A.Y.S., Modifies and an Enduro. For more information about La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway please visit www.lacrossespeedway.com or contact the office at (608) 786-1525 or lacrossespeedway@yahoo.com.

LA CROSSE FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY
ASA Late Model North
Miller Genuine Draft 100 Feature — 1, Steve Carlson, West Salem; 2, Jacob Goede, Shakopee, Minn.; 3, Ross Kenseth, Cambridge; 4, Chris Eggleston, Erie, Col.; 5, Blake Brown, Franksville, Minn.; 6, Isaak Owen, West Salem; 7, Jordan Sims, Sault Ste Marie, Ont.; 8, Russ Blakely, Maddison; 9, Griffith McGrath, Cedar Rapids, IA.; 10, Thor Anderson, Bandurant, IA.; 11, Josh Nelms, Lockport, Ill.; 12, Joey King, Silvis, Ind.; 13, Brent Brevak, Ashland; 14, Joey Gase, Cedar Rapids, IA.; 15, Tanner Bohlen, Hortonville; 16, Trent Snyder, Ironton, Minn.; 17, Brad Plunkett, Naperville, Ill.; 18, Eddie Hoffman, Wheaton, Ill.; 19, J. Herbst, West Salem; 20, Rebecca Kasten, Mequon; 21, Jim Duchow, Appleton; 22, Bob Varney, Richmond, Mich.; 23, Mark Kraus, Stratford; 24, Nick Lyons, Centralin, Ill.

Qualifying — 1, Steve Carlson, 19.252 secs, 101.989 MPH; 2, Jacob Goede, 19.300 secs, 101.736 MPH; 3, Russ Blakeley, 19.342 secs, 101.515 MPH; 4, Chris Eggleston, 19.365 secs, 101.394 MPH; 5, Griffin McGrath, 19.407 secs, 101.175 MPH; 6, Ross Kenseth; 7, Jim Duchow; 8, Blake Brown; 9, J. Herbst; 10, Eddie Hoffman; 11, Trent Snyder; 12, Joey King; 13, Rebecca Kasten; 14, Brent Brevak; 15, Isaak Owen; 16, Josh Nelms; 17, Thor Anderson; 18, Jordon Sims; 19, Joey Gase; 20, Mark Kraus; 21, Bob Varney; 22, Tanner Bohlen; 23, Brad Plunkett; 24, Nick Lyons.

ASA Midwest Tour
Qualifying Feature 1 — 1, Tim Schendel; 2, ; 3, Donny Reuvers; 4, Skylar Holzhausen; 5, Bryan Reffner.
Qualifying Feature 2 — 1, Chris Weinkauf; 2, Steve Holzhausen; 3, Jeff Storm; 4, Gregg Vangool; 5, Robb Vanderloop.
Qualifying — 1, Steve Carlson, 18.944 secs, 103.648 MPH; 2, Steve Holzhausen, 18.977 secs, 103.467 MPH; 3, Kyle Calmes, 19.032 secs, 103.168 MPH; 4, Mike Carlson, 19.036 secs, 103.147 MPH; 5, Chris Wimmer, 19.050 secs, 103.071 MPH; 6, Andrew Morrissey; 7, Matt Kocourek; 8, Travis Sauter; 9, Tim Sauter; 10, Nick Neville; 11, Blake Brown; 12, Dean Cornelious; 13, Dan Fredrickson; 14, Neil Knoblock; 15, Boris Jurkovic; 16, Mark Kraus; 17, Nathan Haseleu; 18, Nick Murgic; 19, Donny Reuvers; 20, Nick Panizke; 21, Tim Schendel; 22, Chris Weinkauf; 23, Jonathon Eilen; 24, Jamie Iverson; 25, Skylar Holzhausen; 26, Jeff Storm; 27, Brent Kirchner; 28, Griffin McGrath; 29, Eric Fransen; 30, Gregg VanGool; 31, Bryan Johnson Jr.; 32, Mark Lamoreaux; 33, Don Turner; 34, Rob Vanderloop; 35, Bryan Reffner; 36, Tim Cox; 37, Ryan Johnson; 38, Kris Kelly; 39, Shane Morrissey; 40, Dean LaPointe.
Fast Dash 1 — 1, Boris Jurkovic; 2, Nathan Haseleu; 3, Blake Brown; 4, Steve Carlson; 5, Tim Sauter.
Fast Dash 2 — 1, Mark Krause; 2, Neil Knoblock; 3, Nick Murgic; 4, Nick Neville; 5, Steve Holzhausen.

Big-8
Miller Genuine Draft 48 Feature — 1, Ross Kenseth, Cambridge; 2, Skylar Holzhausen, Bangor; 3, Kris Kelly, Norway; 4, Jeremy Lepak, Edgar; 5, Steve Rubeck, Monroe Center; 6, Ty Reedy, La Crosse; 7, Mike Ehde, Praire Du Chien; 8, Zack Riddle, Brooklyn; 9, Todd Korish, Holmen; 10, Kyle Shear, Roscoe, Ill.; 11, Davey Pennel, Sparta; 12, John Baumeister Jr., Lake Geneva; 13, Corey Jankowski, Tomah; 14, Todd Oliver, Bangor; 15, Cardell Potter, Camp Douglas; 16, Scott Broughton, Stoughton; 17, Brady Liddle, Oragon; 18, Bradley Powell, La Crosse; 19, Jeremy Miller, Rockton, Ill.; 20, Dan Ryan, Farmington, Minn.; 21, Adam Degenhardt, Coon Valley; 22, Doug Brown, Prior Lake, Minn.; 23, Rich Shumann Jr., Portage; 24, Andrew Kulka, Deerfield; 25, Jay Foster, Sycamore, Ill.; 26, Shayne Poehnelt, Spring Green.

Qualifying — 1, Steve Rubeck, 20.247 secs, 96.977 MPH; 2, Jeremy Miller, 20.315 secs, 96.653 MPH; 3, Adam Degenhardt, 20.351 secs, 96.482 MPH; 4, Mike Ehde, 20.381 secs, 96.340 MPH; 5, Skylar Holzhausen, 20.413 secs, 96.189 MPH; 6, Brad Powell; 7, Todd Oliver; 8, Ty Reedy; 9, Kris Kelly; 10, Ross Kenseth; 11, Jeremy Lepak; 12, Corey Jankowski; 13, Davey Pennel; 14, Zack Riddle; 15, Dan Ryan; 16, Jesse Bernhagen; 17, Jimmy Dragich; 18, Cliff Rucks; 19, Rich Schumann Jr.; 20, Todd Korish; 21, Kyle Shear; 22, Cardell Potter; 23, Scott Broughton; 24, Dan Heying; 25, Jacob Finney; 26, Rod Brewe; 27, Shayne Poehnelt; 28, John Baumeister Jr.; 29, Andrew Kulka; 30, Travis Stanley; 31, Jay Foster; 32, Steve Lichfield; 33, James Swan; 34, Ed Szelagowski Jr.; 35, Matthew Henderson; 36, Doug Brown; 37, Brent Kirchner; 38, Andy Niles; 39, Rob Myers; 40, Dann Barber; 41, Jon Lemke; 42, Vern Fagerberg; 43, Jody Krueger; 44, Mark Brooner; 45, Rick Devito; 46, Tim Sargent; 47, Chris Eggleston; 48, Brady Liddle; 49, Tony Leis; 50, Jimmy Ganski; 51, Scott Ollerman.

Heat 1 — 1, Kyle Shear; 2, Dan Ryan; 3, Doug Brown; 4, Shayne Poehnelt; 5, Dan Heying.
Heat 2 — 1, Rich Schumann Jr.; 2, Cardell Potter; 3, Jesse Bernhagen; 4, John Baumeister Jr.; 5, Jay Foster.
Heat 3 — 1, Todd Korish; 2, Andrew Kulka; 3, Scott Broughton; 4, Andy Niles; 5, Bradley Liddle.
Last Chance 1 — 1, Scott Broughton; 2, John Baumeister Jr.; 3, Shayne Poehnelt; 4, Andy Niles; 5, Jay Foster.

Mid American Stock Cars
Miller Genuine Draft 40 Feature — 1, Paul Neisius, Hastings, Minn.; 2, Mike Lichtfeld, Pardeeville; 3, Bobby Gutknecht, Oak Creek; 4, Jake Finney, Sycamore, Ill.; 5, Jeremy Spoonmore; 6, Tom McClintock, Onalaska; 7, Scott Null, Lake Mills; 8, Lyle Nowak, Wausau; 9, Travis Rodewald, Mantitowoc; 10, Mark Pluer, Brookfield, Minn.; 11, Bret Barstad, Prior Lake, Minn.; 12, Mike Beyer, Rockford, Ill.; 13, Bill Prietzel, Richfield, Minn.; 14, Kevin Lutz, Lakeville, Minn.; 15, Ryan Gutknecht, Oak Creek; 16, Adam Bendzick, Apple Valley, Minn.; 17, Nick Barstad, Prior Lake, Minn.; 18, Adam Degenhardt, La Crosse; 19, James Swan, Genoa City; 20, Troy Shear, Roscoe, Ill.; 21, Louis Goss, Green Bay; 22, Nick Crawford, New Prague, Minn.; 23, David Verhagen Jr., Green Bay; 24, Justin Neisius, Hastings, Minn.; 25, Brian Back, Rudolph.

Qualifying — 1, Bill Prietzel, 20.778 secs, 94.499 MPH; 2, Paul Neisius, 20.905 secs, 93.925 MPH; 3, Jeremy Spoonmore, 21.014 secs, 93.438 MPH; 4, Nick Barstad, 21.066 secs, 93.207 MPH; 5, Tom McClintock, 21.091 secs, 93.097 MPH; 6, Mike Lichtfeld; 7, Adam Degenhardt; 8, Kevin Lutz; 9, Bobby Gutknecht; 10, Justin Neisius; 11, Travis Rodewald; 12, Brian Back; 13, Mike Beyer; 14, Bret Widdis; 15, Jake Finney; 16, Scott Null; 17, James Swan; 18, Adam Bendzick; 19, Troy Shear; 20, Mark Pluer; 21, Nick Crawford; 22, Louis Goss; 23, Lyle Nowak; 24, Ryan Gutknecht; 25, James Wilson; 26, David Verhagen Jr.; 27, Jerry Wenzel; 28, Matt Pyburn.

Heat 1 — 1, Nick Crawford; 2, James Swan; 3, Mike Beyer; 4, Bobby Gutknecht; 5, Travis Rodewald.
Heat 2 — 1, Louis Goss; 2, Mark Pluer; 3, Ryan Gutknecht; 4, Brian Back; 5, Adam Bendzick.
Heat 3 — 1, Mike Lichtfeld; 2, Kevin Lutz; 3, Nick Barstad; 4, Adam Degenhardt; 5, Tom McClintock.