By: Ashley Iwanski
(West Salem, WI – October 4, 2014) The final 15 laps of the Big-8 feature were some of the most exciting, action-packed racing on the third day of the 45th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in front of a near-capacity crowd.
Austin Nason made it through two restarts to capture the feature win.
Nason was leading the race by 10 car lengths when Chris Marek and Brent Edmunds took a hard hit with 13 laps to go. The yellow flag waved when the two made contact on the front stretch and crashed into the Turn 1 wall. The two ended up against the wall nose-to-nose and were pulled off the track on the hooks of a wrecker.
The caution brought the field to the back bumper of the leader.
Nason was able to get away on the restart when John DeAngelis Jr. jumped up to challenge Jeremy Miller for second. One more lap was in the books before the two drivers battling for second made contact in the middle of Turns 1 and 2. DeAngelis Jr. went sliding into the wall.
Once again Nason had to fend off the rest of the field.
This time Nason had Zack Riddle, Casey Johnson and Jon Lemke trailing him. None of the three drivers were going to let Nason slip too far out of their sights.
But as the laps ticked by Nason was able to outrun the competition while Riddle, Johnson and Lemke were left behind to fight for the second spot.
Riddle was able to escape Johnson, the 2014 Big-8 Series champion, and Lemke to hold onto a second place finish.
Johnson beat Lemke by a bumper for the third position.
The action of the ARCA Midwest Tour heated up Saturday night after Nick Murgic, Tim Schendel and Ty Majeski were caught up in a wreck during the Top 16 race. The fastest 16 cars in qualifying battled it out for starting position in Sunday’s Oktoberfest 200 feature.
Tires were flying as Murgic and Majeski slammed into the wall on lap five after making contact with Schendel. Schendel drove away while Murgic and Majeski were stranded with significant damage.
Travis Sauter won the race followed by Griffin McGrath. The duo will start on the front row Sunday in the main event.
Jeremy Spoonmore won the 40-lap Mid-American Oktoberfest feature, beating Tyler Bauknecht across the line. West Salem driver Danny Gilster, a longtime regular at the La Crosse Speedway, finished sixth.
Jeff Holtz wrapped up his 2014 season with a championship. He finished fourth in the feature.
Kyle Stark beat Adam Eckes by inches to capture the checkered flag in the Midwest Dash feature.
Stark, Eckes and Kevin Eckes, Adam’s father, were in a heated three-car battle for the last five laps. The three drivers were trading spots and paint as the laps wound down.
As the drivers came around to take the white flag Stark pulled a sling-shot move around Adam Eckes that put the two door handle-to-door handle for the final lap.
Stark was running the inside line and as the group exited Turn 4 for the last time he was able to edge his car slightly ahead of Adam Eckes’ for the victory.
Oktoberfest Race Weekend wraps up on Sunday with the ARCA Midwest Tour Oktoberfest 200 feature. Other events include the JMcK Big-8 Invitational and Vintage Cars. For more information please call the Speedway office at (608) 786-1525 or visit www.lacrossespeedway.com.
LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a proud NASCAR Hometrack, part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series – www.hometracks.nascar.com.
LA CROSSE FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY
Big-8 Late Models
Coca-Cola 68 Feature (28 Cars) — 1, Austin Nason, Roscoe, Ill.; 2, Zack Riddle, Brooklyn; 3, Casey Johnson, Stoughton; 4, Jon Lemke, Shakopee, Minn.; 5, Michael Beamish, Eagan, Minn.; 6, J. Herbst, La Crosse; 7, Doug Brown, Prior Lake, Minn.; 8, Michael Ostdiek, Lakeville, Minn.; 9, Rich Schumann Jr., Portage; 10, Jerry Mueller, Richfield; 11, Caleb Adrian Walcott, Iowa; 12, Harley Jankowski, Sparta; 13, Wayne Freimund, Elkmound, Minn.; 14, Matthew Henderson, La Crosse; 15, Dave Edwards, Salem; 16, Mike Ehde, Prairie du Chien; 17, Brady Liddle, Oregon; 18, Jerimy Wagner, Onalaska; 19, Adam Bendzick, Apple Valley, Minn.; 20, Casey Strese, Johnson Creek; 21, John DeAngelis Jr., Hubertus; 22, Jeremy Miller, Rockton, Ill.; 23, Chris Marek, Lakeville, Minn.; 24, Brent Edmunds, Monticello; 25, Bobby Wilberg, Beloit; 26, Jesse Bernhagen, Markesan; 27, Mark Miller, Columbus; 28, Lawrence Berthiaume, unknown.
Qualifying — 1, Jeremy Miller, 20.413 seconds, 96.189 MPH; 2, Casey Johnson, 20.451 secs, 96.010 MPH; 3, Lawrence Berthiaume, 20.457 secs, 95.982 MPH; 4, Bobby Wilberg, 20.506 secs, 95.752 MPH; 5, Harley Jankowski, 20.521 secs, 95.682 MPH; 6, Rich Schumann Jr.; 7, Michael Beamish; 8, Austin Nason; 9, Brent Edmunds; 10, Jerry Mueller; 11, Zack Riddle; 12, Matthew Henderson; 13, Jon Lemke; 14, Jesse Bernhagen; 15, J. Herbst; 16, Mike Ehde; 17, Alex Papini; 18, Caleb Adrian; 19, Brady Liddle; 20, John DeAngelis Jr.; 21, Christopher Marek; 22, Doug Brown; 23, Dave Edwards; 24, Cole Anderson; 25, Todd Oliver; 26, Ryan De Stefano; 27, Michael Ostdiek; 28, Garett Goodwin; 29, Mark Miller; 30, Morgan Schissel; 31, Ryan Kamish; 32, Kyle Smith; 33, Casey Strese; 34, John Ovadal; 35, Duke Long; 36, Wayne Freimund; 37, Adam Bendzick; 38, Ricky Heinan; 39, Collin Olson; 40, Kyle Taylor; 41, Todd Kamish; 42, Jason Dummer; 43, Larry DeVito; 44, Matt Inglett; 45, Jeff Nowak; 46, Gary Krueger; 47, Ken Jacoby; 48, Tiffany Desjarlais; 49, Tom Jasinski; 50, Jared Lannert; 51, Rick Devito; 52, Brad Conant.
Qualifying Heat 1 — 1, Michael Ostdiek.; 2, Dave Edwards; 3, Brady Liddle; 4, J. Herbst; 5, John Ovadal, Watertown.
Qualifying Heat 2 — 1, John DeAngelis Jr.; 2, Mike Ehde; 3, Garett Goodwin, Three Oaks, Mich.; 4, Cole Anderson, Northfield, Minn.; 5, Ryan Kamish, Farmington, Minn.
Qualifying Heat 3 — 1, Chris Marek; 2, Wayne Freimund; 3, Todd Oliver, Bangor; 4, Adam Bendzick; 5, Todd Kamish, Lakeville, Minn.
Qualifying Heat 4 — 1, Mark Miller; 2, Doug Brown; 3, Caleb Adrain, Walcott, Iowa; 4, Ryan DeStefano, Colgate; 5, Jerimy Wagner.
Dash 1 — 1, Jon Lemke; 2, Zack Riddle; 3, Brent Edmunds; 4, Michael Beamish; 5, Lawrence Berthiaume.
Dash 2 — 1, Jesse Bernhagen; 2, Casey Johnson; 3, Austin Nason; 4, Rich Schumann Jr.; 5, Matthew Henderson.
Last Chance 1 — 1, Mike Ehde; 2, Dave Edwards; 3, Adam Bendzick; 4, Gary Krueger, New Lisbon; 5, Ryan Kamish, Farmington, Minn.
Last Chance 2 — 1, J. Herbst; 2, ; 3, Doug Brown; 4, Todd Oliver, Bangor; 5, .
Mid-American Stock Cars
Coca-Cola 35 Feature (22 Cars) — 1, Jeremy Spoonmore, Somonauk, Ill.; 2, Tyler Bauknecht, Reedsville; 3, Rick Corso, McHenry, Ill.; 4, Jeff Holtz, Franksville; 5, Maxwell Schultz, Reedsville; 6, Dan Gilster, West Salem; 7, Lyle Nowak, Wausau; 8, Brian Bach, Rudolph; 9, Rick Tackman Jr., Waukesha; 10, Jack Stern, Slinger; 11, Erik Pierce, Crystal Lake, Ill.; 12, Brian Holtz, Muskego; 13, Scott Dunning, Bollingbrook, Ill.; 14, Kenny Joosten, Wonder Lake, Ill.; 15, Craig Stark, Sandwich, Ill.; 16, Dusty Krebs, Hartford; 17, Chris Storey, Burlington; 18, Mark Brooner, Tomah; 19, Kody Hubred, Utica; 20, David Slack, Engadine, Mich.; 21, Ryan Gutknecht, Oak Creek; 22, Greg Beebe, Waukesha.
Qualifying — 1, Maxwell Schultz, 20.978 seconds, 93.598 MPH; 2, Jeremy Spoonmore, 21.076 secs, 93.163 MPH; 3, Rick Corso, 21.121 secs, 92.964 MPH; 4, Dan Gilster, 21.135 secs, 92.903 MPH; 5, Brian Bach, 21.172 secs, 92.740 MPH; 6, Jeff Holtz; 7, Tyler Bauknecht; 8, Lyle Nowak; 9, Kody Hubred; 10, Scott Dunning; 11, Brian Holtz; 12, Ryan Gutknecht; 13, Jack Stern; 14, Kenny Joosten; 15, Erik Pierce; 16, Rick Tackman Jr.; 17, Craig Stark; 18, Dusty Krebs; 19, Chris Storey; 20, Mark Brooner; 21, Greg Beebe.
Heat 1 — 1, Rick Tackman Jr.; 2, Craig Stark; 3, Chris Storey; 4, Erik Pierce; 5, Dusty Krebs.
Heat 2 — 1, Kody Hubred; 2, Jack Stern; 3, Brian Holtz; 4, Brian Bach; 5, Maxwell Schultz.
Heat 3 — 1, Jeff Holtz; 2, Dan Gilster; 3, Jeremy Spoonmore; 4, Kenny Joosten; 5, Scott Dunning.
Midwest Dash Cars
Coca-Cola 20 Feature (25 cars) — 1, Kyle Stark, Waterloo; 2, Adam Eckes, Auburndale; 3, Kevin Eckes, Auburndale; 4, Adam Krzykowski, Wisconsin Rapids; 5, Phil Malouf, Manitowish Waters; 6, Dave Auringer, Prior Lake, Minn.; 7, Mike Heidmann, Edgar; 8, Jamie Shelley, Edgerton; 9, Scott Ciesielske, Stevens Point; 10, Devon Dixon, Janesville; 11, Merek Pankow, Jefferson; 12, Ashley Bell, Lester Prairie, Minn.; 13, Justin Schelitzche, Lester Prairie, Minn.; 14, Bobby Sheldon, Rhinelander; 15, Danielle Behn, Waupaca; 16, George Sparkman, Loves Park, Ill.; 17, Hunter Nelson, Rushford, Minn.; 18, Justin Mondeik, Gleason; 19, Taylor Dawson, Burlington; 20, John Radtke, La Crosse; 21, Seth Reamer, Lake Mills; 22, George Brandl, Milladore; 23, Trent Rueth, Jefferson; 24, David Harvath, Stevens Point; 25, Chris Gottschalk, Fort Atkinson.
Qualifying — 1, Kyle Stark, 23.188 seconds, 84.677 MPH; 2, Adam Krzykowski, 23.331 secs, 84.158 MPH; 3, Adam Eckes, 23.451 secs, 83.728 MPH; 4, Phil Malouf, 23.548 secs, 83.383 MPH; 5, Kevin Eckes, 23.623 secs, 83.118 MPH; 6, George Sparkman; 7, Mike Heidmann; 8, Taylor Dawson; 9, Dave Auringer; 10, Scott Ciesielske; 11, Devon Dixon; 12, Justin Mondeik; 13, Jamie Shelley; 14, Chris Gottschalk; 15, Trent Rueth; 16, Seth Reamer; 17, George Brandl; 18, David Harvath; 19, Merek Pankow; 20, Danielle Behn; 21, Bobby Sheldon; 22, Ashley Bell; 23, Justin Schelitzche; 24, John Radtke; 25, Hunter Nelson.
Heat 1 — 1, Phil Malouf; 2, Kyle Stark; 3, Marek Pankow; 4, Scott Ciesielske; 5, Seth Reamer.
Heat 2 — 1, Trent Rueth; 2, Justin Mondeik; 3, Adam Eckes; 4, George Sparkman; 5, Dave Auringer.
Heat 3 — 1, Adam Krzykowski; 2, George Brandl; 3, Devon Dixon; 4, Taylor Dawson; 5, Kevin Eckes.
ARCA Midwest Tour
Qualifying — 1, Ty Majeski, 18.939 seconds, 103.675 MPH; 2, Dan Fredrickson, 18.940 secs, 103.669 MPH; 3, Nick Murgic, 18.941 secs, 103.664 MPH; 4, Tim Schendel, 18.943 secs, 103.653 MPH; 5, Chris Wimmer, 18.959 secs, 103.566 MPH; 6, Nick Panitzke; 7, Matt Kocourek; 8, Skylar Holzhausen; 9, Travis Sauter; 10, Nathan Haseleu; 11, Griffin McGrath; 12, Tim Sauter; 13, Joel Theisen; 14, Jim Sauter Jr.; 15, Jeremy Lepak; 16, Derek Lemke; 17, Chris Weinkauf; 18, Jonathan Eilen; 19, Mark Kraus; 20, Jacob Goede; 21, Andrew Morrissey; 22, Jason Weinkauf; 23, Collin Reffner; 24, Ryan Ferrell; 25, James Swan; 26, Travis Volm; 27, Dean LaPointe; 28, Cardell Potter; 29, Nick Barstad; 30, Natalie Decker; 31, Austin Nason; 32, Justin Oertel.
Top 16 — 1, Tim Sauter; 2, Griffin McGrath; 3, Travis Sauter; 4, Nick Panitzke; 5, Jim Sauter Jr.; 6, Chris Wimmer; 7, Skylar Holzhausen; 8, Nathan Haseleu; 9, Dan Fredrickson; 10, Derek Lemke; 11, Jeremy Lepak; 12, Joel Theisen; 13, Matt Kocourek; 14, Nick Murgic; 15, Tim Schendel; 16, Ty Majeski.
Qualifying Feature 1 — 1, Andrew Morrissey; 2, Mark Kraus; 3, Chris Weinkauf; 4, James Swan; 5, Nick Barstad.
Qualifying Feature 2 — 1, Jacob Goede; 2, Jonathan Eilen; 3, Jason Weinkauf; 4, Ryan Ferrell; 5, Travis Volm.