By: Paul Reichert
October 2, 2025
We have witnessed many ‘Faster Than a Speeding Bullet’ awards handed out at the Oktoberfest Race Weekend, along with many Oktoberfest champions crowned and banners handed to veteran drivers, newcomers to the sport and drivers who came great distances to race at such a prestigious race. The 56th edition of the Oktoberfest Race Weekend kicked off at the LaCrosse Speedway with some spectacular weather that plans to stick around for all four days. The fans from far and wide were treated to some heart stopping racing action that not only had Oktoberfest titles on the line, but also had season points championships hanging in the balance for the last of our weekly divisions competing. Fans were hanging on the edge of their seats for those thrilling race and points finishes.
Newly crowned Slinger and Kaukauna champion Grant Griesbach (Pewaukee, WI) saw Riley Stenjem (Utica, WI) surge to the lead in the Super Late Model ‘Futures’ feature. Griesbach got his wheels under him and began to come back after Stenjem for the lead. Soon both drivers would have to contend with Tristan Swanson (Elko New Market, MN), who made the lead battle that much more interesting. Soon the whole front running pack would make it a tight and nerve racking fight over the top spot. Griesbach stuck to his guns on the inside lane looking for a way around Stenjem. Contact with Stenjem by Penn Sauter (DeForest, WI) allowed Griesbach to power into the top spot as the crossed flags were displayed. With Swanson and Michael Hinde breathing down his exhaust pipes, Griesbach began to make ‘pick and roll’ moves with the lapped traffic to remain at the head of the field. As Swanson and Hinde got into their own fight over second, Griesbach began to open up a slight advantage as the laps ticked away. Griesbach’s amazing year continued with his first ever Oktoberfest feature win.
Justin Mondeik (Gleason, WI) shot past Jacob Goede (Carver, MN) in the famed Chase Motorsports car to give the 2022 TUNDRA champion the lead at the start of the Super Late Model Knights feature. Goede was relentless as threw everything but the kitchen sink at Mondeik for the lead, but Mondeik was up to the challenge to hold onto first place. Soon Goede would have to deal with three-time Midwest Tour champion Casey Johnson (Edgerton, WI) as they fought side-by-side before and after the crossed flags were shown. Johnson lived up to his nickname of ‘Ultra Fast’ as he shot under Goede for the runner-up spot on lap 13. Johnson was eating up ground on Mondeik like he was Pac-Man, then made a killer crossover move to drive around the outside of Mondeik for the top spot with five laps to go. Former Oktoberfest champion Andrew Morrissey (DeForest, WI) got underneath Mondeik to settle into second with four laps remaining. A Midwest Tour title is the ultimate goal on Sunday, but Johnson started his Oktoberfest week off right with an impressive drive to be crowned the Knight of Oktoberfest for 2025.
The first of four 22 lap LaCrosse NASCAR Late Model features saw Nick Clements (West Salem< WI) powered by Nick Barstad (Prior Lake, MN) to settle into the lead. Championship rivals Skylar Holzhausen (Bangor, WI), Jacob Goede (Carver, MN) and Adam Bendzick (New Prague, MN) were trying to make their way through the field when disaster struck. Adam Degenhardt made contact that turned Tom Luethe entering turn one on lap three, and that unfortunately caught Bendzick as he took a wild rollover ride. Clements began to open up his lead on Barstad on the restart, but then chaos returned in turn three on lap four. Randy Sargent (South Beloit, IL) blew an oil line that sent Tony Leis (Middle Ridge, WI) into the wall and a wild tumble that also collected veteran Steve Carlson (West Salem, WI). Barstad found new life in his racecar as he stuck right behind Clements on the restart. Both drivers would soon have to deal with two-time track champion Holzhausen as he moved into third on lap five. Barstad got loose coming out of turn two on lap eight and that allowed Holzhausen to power around him to capture the runner-up spot. Goede was trying to hold onto his tenuous championship lead and keep pace with Holzhausen as he drove around Barstad for third at halfway. As Holzhausen tried to find a way around Clements for the lead, that allowed Goede to close the gap. Holzhausen got a good run out of turn two to dive under Clements for the top spot with eight laps left. Two laps later Goede also dove under the 8 machine to claim second and seek out Holzhausen. Goede got as close as a few car lengths, but Holzhausen held steadfast as he claimed feature win number five this year. After the race Holzhausen said “That was a wild race, but we will have some work to do on the car after our first feature.”
Ryan Varner (Mayer, MN) got the jump on Steve Bachman (Bangor, WI) to lead the opening circuit of the second Kwik Trip LaCrosse NASCAR Late Model 22 lap feature. Bachman fought back and powered around Varner to take over the number one position on lap two. Two laps later Mike Carlson (West Salem, WI) drove around Varner to give the 50 machine second place. As those two drivers began to open a gap on the field, Jacob Goede (Carver, MN) and Skylar Holzhausen (Bangor, WI) began to make their presence known as both broke into the top five on lap seven. Just before halfway Goede shot past Varner to take over third and set his sights on the lead twosome. Carlson knew it was ‘go time’ as Goede started to close up on him, and that made the 2022 champion close the gap on Bachman as we reached the five laps left to run. Carlson tried to look low over the final few laps for a way around Bachman. The complexion of the race changed when Jeremy Wolff spun in turn four coming to the white flag. Carlson lined up on the outside of Bachman in a fast and furious one lap dash to glory. Bachman stepped on the gas and never looked back to win his first feature of the year. After the race Bachman said “I was hungry for a win with the car and the driver improving throughout the season.”
Taylor Goldman (Saint Louis Park, MN) powered to the lead at the start of the LaCrosse NASCAR Sportsmen feature. A year of rough luck had ‘Rollergirl’ sitting pretty in the lead, although Stephen Szymkowiak (Amherst, WI) was trying to close the gap between them. Quickly making forward progress through the field were both Cameron Vandermier (Sheridan, IL) and Chris Weber (West Salem, WI), who both moved up to second and third spots on lap eight. After receiving the crossed flag, former five-time Mid-Am champion Vandermier began to slowly reel in Goldman. A slip by Vandermier with four laps to run allowed Goldman to open her lead again. An Oktoberfest title helps you forget your struggles that plagued you all season and that was capped by her first career feature win at LaCrosse. A fourth place run gave Justin Berg (Bangor, WI) his second Chase Championship in three years, while Bob Fort (Fountain City, WI) already secured the championship and played it safe with a tenth place finish.
Christopher Lofquist (Prior Lake, MN) bolted to the lead at the start of the season finale for the Skyline Fireworks LaCrosse NASCAR Hornets, but had four cylinder hot shoe Karter Stark (Marshall, WII) on his tail. Championship leader Carter Horstman (Bangor, WI) hit the tire hard in turn one hard and then collected his title rivals Shane Kohlmeier (West Salem, WI) and Jimmy Bjorkman (West Salem, WI). Stark went right after Lofquist on the restart, but Lofquist remained cool under pressure as he pulled away and gave Nick Schmidt (Watertown, WI) an opening to challenge Stark for second. Lofquist survived some contact with Schmidt coming out of turn four on lap eight and began to draw away from the field. Lapped traffic tried to give Stark one last shot at the win, but Lofquist was dominant as he claimed the victory. A fourth place run gives Brandon Olson (Minneapolis, MN) the Chase Championship. Despite being collected in that early incident, a 15th place effort gives Kohlmeier the title by just three points.
Melissa Rusch (Holmen, WI) battled last year’s champion Steven Brasda (York, WI) early in the going of the last Street Stock feature of 2025, but Andy Moore (Sparta, WI) powered around both of them on lap three to take over first place. The field was struggling to keep up with Moore as they encountered a fair amount of lapped traffic as they reached the halfway point of the race. It was like old times for Moore as the former Hobby Stock champion took his daughter Alivia’s HSRA championship car to victory lane. A solid top ten run helped John Clauson (LaCrosse, WI) wrap up the championship, his second points crown of the year.
The grand finale of Thursday night’s racing of Oktoberfest was the thrilling and competitive Double-O Race. This is something like a figure 8 race going 12 laps, with the competitors running on the big 5/8-mile track and then tackling the ‘action track’ 1/4-mile. As the field was about to complete the first lap, cars began to spin and chaos ensued in turn four. Among the cars that were collected in this incident were Charles Vian, Jr. (Sparta, WI), Eric Breitenfeldt (Wausau, WI) and Bentley Knaack (Onalaska, WI). Once the race fired up again, Jay Raines, Jr. (Sparta, WI) held the top spot. By lap three, Hornet veteran Justin Schelitzche (Waconia, MN) powered around Raines, Jr. down the back straight to settle into first. Vian, Jr. was making equally fast progress through the field, but slammed on the brakes and spun to avoid a slower race vehicle. Mike Krueger, Jr. (Sparta, WI) wasted little time to charge around Schelitzche to settle into first at halfway. No one had anything to challenge Krueger, Jr. down the stretch as he ran away with the victory for the second straight year.
That was just the warm-up to what exciting and thrilling racing action you will witness during the 56th edition of the Oktoberfest Race Weekend at the LaCrosse Speedway. We will ramp up the intensity a bit more on Friday, October 3 as the best Super Late Models from across the country will battle for the prestigious Dick Trickle 99 title. Now that the LaCrosse Sportsmen have wrapped up their season, they will go head-to-head with the top Sportsmen drivers from across the Midwest to determine who is the top gun of the Sportsmen division. A long and intense racing season concludes for the LaCrosse NASCAR Late Models as they wrap up the season points title, the Chase Championship and the prestigious Festmaster Champion following the second of their pair of 20 lap features. Gates open at 2:45, the fight to be the speed demon of the speedway in qualifying revs to life at 3 and the wheel-to-wheel high speed on-track competition goes live at 5:30.
For more information about LaCrosse Speedway or the 2025 schedule of events, please call the track office at 608-786-1525 or visit our web site at lacrossespeedway.com. Be sure to check out oktoberfestraceweekend.com for the latest news and results on Wisconsin’s biggest racing weekend. LaCrosse Speedway is proud to be a NASCAR Regional race track, part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
RESULTS
Super Late Model ‘Futures’
Feature (22 laps): 1. Grant Griesbach, 2. Tristan Swanson, 3. Michael Hinde, 4. Penn Sauter, 5. Kendrick Kreyer, 6. Ty Fredrickson, 7. Riley Stenjem, 8. Carter Christenson, 9. Jerad deBoer, 10. Braison Bennett, 11. Mitch Haver, 12. Maxwell Schultz, 13. Bryce Miller, 14. Cody VanderLoop, 15. Michael Haggar, 16. Kody King, 17. James Storey, 18. Michael Ostdiek, 19. Jerry Mueller, 20. Matthew Gajewski. 21. Joey Stankowicz, 22. Ridge Oien
Qualifying: 1. Michael Hinde 18.544 (New Track Record), 2. Ty Fredrickson 18.759, 3. Kendrick Kreyer 18.802, 4. Tristan Swanson 18.823, 5. Penn Sauter 18.883, 6. Riley Stenjem 18.893, 7. Grant Griesbach 18.901, 8. Carter Christenson 18.944, 9. Braison Bennett 18.946, 10. Joe Valento 18.957, 11. Mitch Haver 18.971, 12. Randy Sargent 19.001, 13. Kody King 19.007, 14. Maxwell Schultz 19.015, 15. Adam Bendzick 19.038, 16. Bryce Miller 19.007, 17. James Storey 19.080, 18. Jerad deBoar 18.080, 19. Michael Ostdiek 19.083, 20. Michael Haggar 19.219, 21. Jerry Mueller 19.403, 22. Matthew Gajewski 19.615, 23. Cody VanderLoop 19.619, 24. Joey Stankowicz 19.622, 25. Ridge Oien 21.052
Super Late Model ‘Knights’
Feature (22 laps): 1. Casey Johnson, 2. Andrew Morrissey, 3. Justin Mondeik, 4. Levon VanderGeest, 5. Billy Mohn, 6. Derek Kraus, 7. Jeremy Lepak, 8. Corey Jankowski, 9. Jacob Goede, 10. Jeff Weinfurter, 11. Skylar Holzhausen, 12. Bryan Syer-Keske
Qualifying: 1. Andrew Morrissey 18.555, 2. Casey Johnson 18.656, 3. Derek Kraus 18.662, 4. Bryan Syer-Keske 18.721, 5. Jeremy Lepak 18.733, 6. Billy Mohn 18.760, 7. Levon VanderGeest 18.807, 8. Justin Mondeik 18.837, 9. Jacob Goede 18.839, 10. Corey Jankowski 18.946, 11. Skylar Holzhausen 18.995, 12. Jeff Weinfurter 19.622
LaCrosse Kwik Trip NASCAR Late Models
Feature #1 (22 laps): 1. Skylar Holzhausen, 2. Jacob Goede, 3. Nick Barstad, 4. Nick Clements, 5. Steve Anderson, 6. Bryan Wrolstad, 7. Steve Bachman, 8. Mike Carlson, 9. Jason Stark, 10. Jeremy Wolff, 11. Ryan Varner, 12. Michael Ostdiek, 13. Chris Marek, 14. Michael Beamish, 15. Don Turner, 16. Brian Lee, 17. Brent Kirchner, 18. Randy Sargent, 19. Tony Leis, 20. Steve Carlson, 21. Adam Degenhardt, 22. Tom Luethe, 23. Adam Bendzick, 24. Joe Nuttleman
Feature #2 (22 laps): 1. Steve Bachman, 2. Jacob Goede, 3. Mike Carlson, 4. Skylar Holzhausen, 5. Nick Barstad, 6. Ryan Varner, 7. Adam Degenhardt, 8. Bryan Wrolstad, 9. Steve Anderson, 10. Nick Clements, 11. Michael Ostdiek, 12 Jason Stark, 13. Chris Marek, 14. Jeremy Wolff, 15. Michael Beamish, 16. Don Turner, 17. Brian Lee, 18. Brent Kirchner, 19. Tom Luethe
B-Feature (15 laps/Top 4 advance): 1. Michael Ostdiek, 2. Brent Kirchner, 3. Chris Marek, 4. Michael Beamish, 5. Braison Bennett, 6. Ryan Kamish, Sr., 7. Andy Barney, 8. Chris Skrede, 9. Gregory Borchardt, 10. Todd Schmitz, 11. Brad Warthan, 12. Jimmy O’Mears, 13. Adam Hebb, Jr.
Qualifying: 1. Jacob Goede 19.535, 2. Mike Carlson 19.697, 3. Skylar Holzhausen 19.750, 4. Bryan Wrolstad 19.759, 5. Adam Bendzick 19.783, 6. Adam Degenhardt 19.807, 7. Steve Bachman 19.824, 8. Tom Luethe 19.845, 9. Jason Stark 19.851, 10. Nick Barstad 19.855, 11. Steve Anderson 19.918, 12. Nick Clements 19.947, 13. Jeremy Wolff 19.973, 14. Ryan Varner, 20.003, 15. Randy Sargent 20.015, 16. Steve Carlson 20.044, 17. Tony Leis 20.050, 18. Chris Marek 20.065, 19. Michael Bemaish 20.071, 20. Nick Panitzke 20.089, 21. Brent Kirchner 20.108, 22. Michael Ostdiek 20.115, 23. Gregory Borchardt 20.124, 24. Ryan Kamish, Sr. 20.139, 25. Thayran Rezin 20.271, 26. Braison Bennett 20.281, 27. Andy Barney 20.403, 28. Todd Schmitz 20.451, 29. Colton Morgan 20.502, 30. Chris Skrede 20.523, 31. Don Turner 20.541, 32. Jimmy O’Meara 20.747, 33. Brian Lee 20.776, 34. Joe Nuttleman 21.248, 35. Adam Hebb, Jr. 21.837
LaCrosse TDS Telecom NASCAR Sportsmen
Feature (20 laps): 1. Taylor Goldman, 2. Cameron Vandermier, 3. Chris Weber, 4. Justin Berg, 5. Charles Vian, Jr., 6. Bill Schott, 7. Kyle Wahlgren, 8. Mark Challet, 9. Rick Redig-Tackman, 10. Bob Fort, 11. Stephen Szymkowiak, 12. Cris Harmon, 13. Mike Kreuger, Jr., 14. Tina Lodermeier, 15. Henry Vian, 16. Brad Warthan, 17. Kurt Kleven, 18. Jacob Lodermeier, 19. Joshua Fehrmann, 20. Tytus Helgestad, 21. Dan Linnehan, 22. Zach Oliver
B-Feature (12 laps/Top 4 advance): 1. Rick Redig-Tackman, 2. Kurt Kleven, 3. Joshua Fehrmann, 4. Tytus Helgestad, 5. Joey Miller, 6. Austin Schott, 7. Landon Lockington, 8. Bobby Turzinski, Jr., 9. Mark Sontag, Jr., 10. Dan Gilster, 11. Randy Humfeld, 12. Brian Back, 13. Jacob Lodermeier, 14. Zach Oliver
Qualifying: 1. Chris Weber 21.810, 2. Mark Challet 21.811, 3. Dan Linnehan 21.811, 4. Bill Schott 21.812, 5. NIck Bruley 21.818, 6. Henry Vian 21.841, 7. Ron Vandermier, Jr. 21.841, 8. Cris Harmon 21.847, 9. Taylor Goldman 21.852, 10. Dave Trute 21.854, 11. Stephen Szymkowiak 21.859, 12. Justin Berg 21.860, 13. Kyle Wahlgren 21.860, 14. Mike Krueger, Jr. 21.874, 15. Brad Warthan 21.878, 16. Tina Lodermeier 21.889, 17. Joshua Fehrmann 21.919, 18. Bob Fort 21.921, 19. Jacob Lodermeier 21.936, 20. Rick Redig-Tackman 21.944, 21. Zach Oliver 21.969, 22. Kurt Kleven 22.122, 23. Joey Miller 23.394, 24. Austin Schott 24.049, 25. Landon Lockington 24.532, 26. Charles Vian, Jr. NO TIME (DQ), 27. Dan Gilster NO TIME (DQ), 28. Andrew Borntreger NO TIME (DQ), 29. Tom Sorem NO TIME (DQ), 30. Dusty Mann NO TIME (DQ), 31. Scotty Gardner, Jr. NO TIME (DQ), 32. Tytus Helgestad NO TIME (DQ), 33. Kody Hubred NO TIME (DQ), 34. Dillon Sellner NO TIME (DQ), 35. Brian Back NO TIME (DQ), 36. Bobby Turzinski, Jr. NO TIME (DQ), 37. Mark Sontag, Jr. NO TIME (DQ)
Skyline Fireworks NASCAR Hornets
Feature (20 laps): 1. Christopher Lofquist, 2. Karter Stark, 3. Eric Breitenfeldt, 4. Brandon Olson, 5. Adam Moore, 6. Jimmy Bjorkman, 7. Nick Hadler, 8. Al Bartels, 9. Jake Schomers, 10. Taylor Dawson, 11. Glen Bush, Jr., 12. Jacob Iverson, 13. Mitchell Rinartz, 14. Colten Pennel, 15. Shane Kohlmeier, 16. Nick Newton, 17. Tom Lecher, 18. Alex Liebsch, 19. Bradley Hansen, 20. Bentley Knaack, 21. Carter Horstman, 22. Ben Thurk, 23. Joey Johnson III, 24. Nick Schmidt, 25. Kristopher Berg
B-Feature (10 laps/Top 4 advance): 1. Joey Johnson III, 2. Nick Newton, 3. Tom Lecher, 4. Bradley Hansen, 5. Lee Dechant, 6. Ben Kohlmeier, 7. Paityn Barney, 8. Tyler Muller, 9. Tristan Drazkowski, 10. Kendon Thurk, 11. Zach Liebsch, 12. Talon Fielitz, 13. Shawn Breese, 14. Andy Burhow, 15. Brandon Thorson, 16. Greg Oliver
Qualifying: 1. Shane Kohlmeier 15.402 (New Track Record), 2. Carter Horstman 15.475, 3. Adam Moore 15.553, 4. Jacob Iverson 15.607, 5. Taylor Dawson 15.620, 6. Eric Breitenfeldt 15.655, 7. Nick Schmidt 15.673, 8. Nick Hadler 15.728, 9. Karter Stark 15.755, 10. Brandon Olson 15.761, 11. Jimmy Bjorkman 15.807, 12. Christopher Lofquist 15.845, 13. Ben Thurk 15.862, 14. Colten Pennel 15.875, 15. Kristopher Berg 15.877, 16. Glen Bush, Jr. 15.912, 17. Al Bartels 15.945, 18. Joey Johnson III 15.956, 19. Bradley Hansen 15.933, 20. Tom Lecher 16.024, 21. Jake Schomers 16.051, 22. Mitchell Rinartz 16.104, 23. Nick Newton 16.153, 24. Lee Dechant 16.165, 25. Bentley Knaack 16.175, 26. Andy Buhrow 16.200, 27. Ben Kohlmeier 16.208, 28. Greg Oliver 16.224, 29. Alex Liebsch 16.258, 30. Payton Barney 16.377, 31. Tyler Muller 16.429, 32. Brandon Thorson 16.441, 33. Tristan Drazkowski 16.482, 34. Shawn Breese 16.560, 35. Kendon Thurk 16.762, 36. Zack Lilebsch 16.967, 37. Talon Fielitz 17.114
Auto Value Street Stocks
Qualifying: 1. 0NO-Jay Raines Jr, 15.9890; 2. 81-Jeff Graf, 16.0570; 3. 9-Matt Moore, 16.1740; 4. 1-Andrew Moore, 16.3070; 5. 0-Tim Murphy, 16.4130; 6. K19-Dakota Clauson Sr, 16.4630; 7. 14-John Huebner, 16.4910; 8. 19-Andy Moore, 16.5060; 9. 01-Trevor Salber, 16.5360; 10. K91-Shawn Mccarthy, 16.5790; 11. 19P-Peyton Payne, 16.6560; 12. K9-John Clauson, 16.6870; 13. 11D-Tristan Drazkowski, 16.7230; 14. 126-Melissa Rusch, 17.0330; 15. 88-Ryan Stanfield, 17.1180; 16. 94-Steve Brasda, 17.3150; 17. 66-Isayah Hughes, 17.5670; 18. 42R-Alex Rud, 17.6830; 19. 77S-Robert Stanfield, 17.7260; 20. 24-Colton Jacobson, 17.8000; 21. 1220B-Bryon Olsen, 17.9150; 22. 05-Brandon Bion, 18.3480; 23. 27L-Cole Lewis, 18.6170; 24. 23-Thomas Dreger, 19.6620; 25. 295-Ronald Mckibben, 29.8440
Feature 20 Laps: 1. 19-Andy Moore, Sparta, WI [8], 2. 1-Andrew Moore, Tomah, WI [12], 3. 9-Matt Moore, Kendall, WI [16], 4. 0NO-Jay Raines Jr, Sparta, WI [14], 5. 0-Tim Murphy, Sparta, WI [11], 6. 126-Melissa Rusch, Holmen, WI [3], 7. 94-Steve Brasda, Osseo, WI [1], 8. K9-John Clauson, La Crosse, WI [15], 9. 88-Ryan Stanfield, La Crosse, WI [2], 10. K19-Dakota Clauson Sr, Sparta, WI [10], 11. 19P-Peyton Payne, Elroy, WI [5], 12. 24-Colton Jacobson, La Crosse, WI [19], 13. 81-Jeff Graf, Oak Creek, WI [13], 14. 77S-Robert Stanfield, La Crosse, WI [18], 15. 01-Trevor Salber, Schofield, WI [7], 16. K91-Shawn Mccarthy, Sparta, WI [6], 17. 27L-Cole Lewis, La Crosse, WI [23], 18. 42R-Alex Rud, La Crosse, WI [20], 19. 05-Brandon Bion, La Crosse, WI [22], 20. 23-Thomas Dreger, Sparta, WI [24], 21. 295-Ronald Mckibben, Edgar, WI [25], 22. 1220B-Bryon Olsen, La Crescent, MN [21], 23. 11D-Tristan Drazkowski, Winona, MN [4], 24. 66-Isayah Hughes, Tomah, WI [17], 25. 14-John Huebner, Lacrosse, WI [9]
Double-O Race (12 laps): 1. Mike Kreuger, Jr., 2. Justin Schelitzche, 3. Charles Vian, Jr., 4. Karter Stark, 5. Jay Raines, Jr., 6. Tim Murphy, Sr., 7. Trevor Salber, 8. Austin Schott, 9. Zack Liebsch, 10. Alex Liebsch, 11. Tom Lecher, 12. Andy Buhrow, 13. Ronald McKibben, 14. Thomas Dreger, 15. Bradley Hansen, 16. Steven Brasda, 17. Mitchell Rinartz, 18. Bentley Knaack, 19. Nick Newton, 20. Eric Breitenfeldt
