By: Ashley Iwanski
(West Salem, WI – July 17, 2010) Storm clouds were on the horizon at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway Saturday, but steered clear of West Salem long enough to finish one of the most exciting nights of racing this season. Two 20-lap Kwik Trip NASCAR Late Model features had the drivers racing all-or-nothing for the checkered flags.

Mike Koeneke won the first Late Model 20-lap feature. Koeneke started third and quickly moved into second after Matthew Henderson took the race lead from Troy Rave. Once Henderson and Koeneke cleared Rave the two opened a gap between themselves and the rest of the field.

At the halfway point, lap 10, Koeneke looked to the outside of Henderson for first. Henderson might have been able to hold him off, but was held up by lap traffic and Koeneke took the lead. Henderson tried to get back around Koeneke, but failed. Henderson finished second followed by Rave, Mike Carlson and Brad Powell.

“It feels good to finally win one,” said Koeneke in a post race interview. “I’m so pumped up I can’t think straight.”

Shawn Pfaff walked away with a win after three cautions in the second 20-lap Late Model feature. The first caution came on lap 2 when Brad Powell got loose in turn four. Powell’s car went straight into the field collecting five other drivers. Two laps later Pfaff moved into the lead.

Again, the halfway point seemed to be a pivotal moment in the race, but not for the leader. Pfaff was holding steady with Tim Schendel on his bumper followed by a fast-charging J. Herbst. A second and third caution came out when lap cars spun, thus triggering a single-file restart. When the green flag waved Schendel and Herbst made contact and Schendel fell back. Herbst finished second, Kirchner third, Schendel fourth and Korish fifth.

Jason Dummer held off hard-charging Nick Clements for the North Country Contractors Sportsmen feature win. On the first lap Joe Rinartz went into the wall with no caution flag. On the next lap Dummer and Clements were running three and four when the second place car slowed. The three of them went three wide into turn three. Dummer and Clements then took over second and third. The duo passed the race leader then held fast to first and second with Dummer in the lead. Clements tried multiple times to get around Dummer, but finished the race on his bumper. Greg Scheck finished third, Rick Schermerhorn fourth and Aaron Hass fifth.

Rain couldn’t stop Matt Inglett from taking the win in the United Auto Supply Thunderstox feature. Inglett was battling car after car to get and keep the lead during the race. Then the rain started to come down with three laps to go, but the race stayed green. Cars started to spin all over the track including one stuck in turn four. Inglett and second place finisher Jesse Vian went high and low around the car to get to the finish line. Inglett narrowly edged out Vian for the win.

Join us next week, July 24, for a full night of racing fun. The Window World Hornets will accompany the Late Models, Sportsmen and Thunderstox divisions. Then, on July 31 a regular night of racing will end with a Trailer Race of Destruction. For more information about LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway and the 2010 schedule of events, call the Speedway office at (608) 786-1525 or visit the speedway on the web at www.lacrossespeedway.com.

Click here for the full results.