Kirchner Captures Clason Pontiac 25 at LaCrosse! By Pam Haller

June 29, 2002;  West Salem, WI - Brent Kirchner has experienced his share of tough luck during the 2002 La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, but Saturday night he changed that. And he did it in a big way, losing the lead, then regaining it, to grab the checkered flag at the Clason Pontiac 25.

Photo Highlights Brent Kirchner (#8) scored his first NASCAR Weekly Racing Series feature win of the 2002 season at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway.

Before a crowd of 4,244 - a number of which were American Speed Association team members and drivers - Kirchner held off the high-powered 25-car field. The La Crosse veteran driver started on the pole, then fended off powerful charges from cagy veteran Mark Lamoreaux of Bloomington, Minn. Lamoreaux, however, was able to slide his bright yellow No. 26 into the low groove on lap 14, then surge ahead of Kirchner.

It wouldn't last, as Kirchner popped outside to the high groove, then surprisingly was able to hang there. He held the lead for the remaining 11 laps to earn his first Kwik Trip Late Model feature victory of the season. Mike Belling, one of the hottest drivers in the series with two seconds and a first place finish in the last four races, surged into second.

Lamoreaux, who discovered a one-inch gash in his right-front tire when he pulled into the pits, finished third. Late Model Division points leader Kevin Nuttleman - who was third this week in the Weekly Racing Series Heartland Region - finished fourth. Bangor's Steve Holzhausen rounded out the top five.

"He was a little better getting into the corner, but he couldn't keep up with us coming off it," Kirchner said. "After he got by me, my idea was to let him go for a few laps, but our car was working so well on the outside I just stayed there. We worked pretty hard to get the car set up to run out there." Belling thought he had an outside shot at catching Kirchner, but simply ran out of laps as the crowd jumped to its feet on the last lap.

"There were a couple of mishaps early in the race that we were lucky enough to get around, so I don't feel too bad," said Belling, who has moved into the top five in the season points. "You've got to be good, and you've got to be lucky."
It was a wild night overall as there were a number of crashes, including a frightening crash in the Late Model feature when Rick Wateski and Denis Haugrud came together on the front stretch, sending Wateski head-first into the wall. Neither Wateski or Haugrud was hurt, but there cars were destroyed.

In the Ray Hutson Chevrolet Sportsman Division, Rick Steinhoff captured the 15-lap feature event. Steinhoff, who won the feature last week but was later disqualified after a postrace inspection, held off Chand Wehling and Dan Gilster to grab the checkered flag.

The Planet Pages Mid-American Trucks made an appearance at the Fairgrounds Speedway, with Gordy Swanson of Apple Valley, Minn., winning the feature event. Green Bay's Danny Heinritz took second, while Jeff Steenbergen of Waupun, Wis., finished third.

For complete results from the RACESTAT computer click here

RESULTS FROM JUNE 29, 2002

KWIK TRIP LATE MODEL DIVISION
Clason Pontiac 25: 1, Brent Kirchner, La Crosse; 2, Mike Belling, La Crosse; 3, Mark Lamoreaux, Bloomington, Minn.; 4, Kevin Nuttleman, Bangor; 5, Steve Holzhausen, Bangor; 6, Todd Korish, La Crosse; 7, Tony Bagstad, Cashton; 8, Tim Hagen, La Crescent, Minn.; 9, Dan Steele, West Salem; 10, Andy Burgess, Eau Claire; 11, Todd Oliver, Bangor; 12, Blake Horstman, Rockland; 13, J. Herbst, West Salem; 14, Jeff Krueger, La Crescent, Minn.; 15, Greg Croell, Holmen; 16, Troy Goodenough, Mindoro; 17, Kurt Thicke, West Salem; 18, Tom McClintock, Onalaska; 19, Brad Powell, La Crosse; 20, Jim Christenson, La Crosse; 21, Greg Scheck, West Salem; 22, Rick Wateski, La Crosse; 23, Denis Haugrud, Cashton; 24, Kevin Eddy, Hatfield; 25, Jim Hagel, Holmen
Semifeature: 1, Greg Croell, Holmen; 2, Tom McClintock, Onalaska; 3, Kurt Thicke, West Salem; 4, Jim Christenson, Holmen; 5, Bill Niles, Holmen
Heat 1: 1, J. Herbst, West Salem; 2, Todd Oliver, Bangor; 3, Jim Christenson, Holmen; 4, Greg Croell, Holmen; 5, Curt Eckelberg, West Salem
Heat 2: 1, Jim Hagel, Holmen; 2, Jeff Krueger, La Crescent; 3, Kurt Thicke, West Salem; 4, Bill Niles, Holmen; 5, Kraig Burrows, West Salem
Bud Dash Odd: 1, Tony Bagstad, Cashton; 2, Kevin Nuttleman, Bangor; 3, Mark Lamoreaux, Bloomington, Minn.; 4, Blake Horstman, Rockland; 5, Andy Burgess, Eau Claire
Bud Dash Even: 1, Dan Steele, West Salem; 2, Mike Belling, La Crosse; 3, Steve Holzhausen, Bangor; 4, Brent Kirchner, La Crosse; 5, Rick Wateski, La Crosse
Qualifying: 1, Andy Burgess, Eau Claire, 20.343; 2, Steve Holzhausen, Bangor, 20.391; 3, Brad Powell, La Crosse, 20.505; 4, Tim Hagen, La Crescent, Minn., 20.594; 5, Todd Korish, La Crosse, 20.603; 6, Mike Belling, La Crosse, 20.609; 7, Troy Goodenough, Mindoro, 20.617; 8, Denis Haugrud, Cashton, 20.621; 9, Mark Lamoreaux, Bloomington, Minn., 20.628; 10, Rick Wateski, La Crosse, 20.654.11, Blake Horstman, Rockland, 20.679; 12, Brent Kirchner, La Crosse, 20.705; 13, Kevin Nuttleman, Bangor, 20.713; 14, Dan Steele, West Salem, 20.775; 15, Tony Bagstad, Cashton, 20.785; 16, Kevin Eddy, Hatfield, 20.790; 17, Jim Christensen, 20.818; 18, Bill Niles, Holmen, 20.870; 19, Todd Oliver, Bangor, 20.890; 20, Kraig Burrows, West Salem, 20.892.

RAY HUTSON CHEVROLET SPORTSMAN DIVISION
Clason Pontiac 15: 1, Rick Steinhoff, Sparta; 2, Chand Wehling, Stoddard; 3, Dan Gilster, West Salem; 4, Corey Jankowski, Tomah; 5, Scott Beckler, Sparta; 6, Daniel Linnehan, Sparta; 7, Randy Steinhoff, Cashton; 8, Jimmy Gilster, West Salem; 9, Tony Ciano, La Crosse; 10, Sam Andersen, Melrose; 11, Jeff Baker, Holmen; 12, Doug Lee, Holmen; 13, Trent Boettcher, La Crescent, Minn.; 14, Mike Campbell, Bangor; 15, John Olson, Sparta; 16, Todd Lockington, Mindoro; 17, Branden Berg, Melrose; 18, Mike Albrecht, Jr., La Crescent, Minn.; 19, Adam Degenhardt, Coon Valley; 20, Lucas Korish, La Crosse
Semifeature: 1, Branden Berg, North Bend; 2, Jamie Millis, Black River Falls; 3, Aaron Hass, La Crosse; 4, Larry Bolster, Jr., Sparta; 5, Mike Albrecht, Jr., La Crescent
Heat 1: Chris Skrede, Holmen; 2, Mark Olson, Lewiston, Minn.; 3, Al Dobbs, Onalaska; 4, Mark Challet, Bangor; 5, Al Bartels, Tomah
Heat 2: 1, Doug Lee, Holmen; 2, Mike Campbell, Bangor; 3, Jamie Millis, Black River Falls; 4, Bill Miller, Sparta; 5, Scott Clark, Bangor
Heat 3: Todd Lockington, Mindoro; 2, Sam Andersen, Melrose; 3, Larry Bolster, Jr., Sparta; 4, Mike Albrecht, Jr., La Crescent; 5, Morris Proctor, Genoa
Bud Dash Odd: 1, Tom Thill, West Salem; 2, Rick Steinhoff, Sparta; 3, Chand Wehling, Stoddard; 4, Trent Boettcher, La Crescent; 5, Tony Ciano, La Crosse
Bud Dash Even: 1, Adam Degenhardt, Coon Valley; 2, Jeff Baker, Holmen; 3, Danny Gilster, West Salem; 4, Randy Steinhoff, Cashton; 5, Rick Shisler, La Crosse
Qualifying: 1, Trent Boettcher, La Crescent, Minn., 22.935; 2, Corey Jankowski, Tomah, 22.994; 3, Rick Steinhoff, Sparta, 23.045; 4, Dan Gilster, West Salem, 23.079; 5, Tony Ciano, La Crosse, 23.200; 6, Randy Steinhoff, Cashton, 23.201; 7, Chand Wehling, Stoddard, 23.233; 8, Daniel Linnehan,West Salem, 23.251; 9, Jimmy Gilster, West Salem, 23.274; 10, Jeff Baker, Holmen, 23.298. 11, Scott Beckler, 23.304; 12, Rick Shisler, La Crosse, 23.330; 13, John Olson, Sparta, 23.334; 14, Adam Degenhardt, Coon Valley, 23.360; 15, Tom Thill, West Salem, 23.388; 16, Lucas Korish, La Crosse, 23.424; 17, Doug Lee, Holmen, 23.431; 18, Larry Bolster, Sparta, 23.509; 19, Aaron Hass, La Crosse, 23.530; 20, Sam Andersen, Melrose, 23.538.

PLANET PAGES MID-AMERICAN SUPER TRUCKS
Feature (25 laps): 1. Gordy Swanson, Apple Valley, Minn.; 2, Danny Heinritz, Green Bay; 3, Jeff Steenbergen, Waupun, Wis.; 4, Paul Neisius, Hastings, Minn.; 5, Mark Eberhart, Ripon, Wis.
Heat 1: 1, Tony Holm, Prior Lake, Minn.; 2, Brian Brownman, Rush City, Minn.; 3, Art Christofferson, Toddville, Iowa; 4, Jeff Steenbergen, Waupun, Wis.; 5, Michael Schmitz, Northfield, Minn.
Heat 2: 1, Paul Neisius, Hastings, Minn.; 2, Gordy Swanson, Apple Valley, Minn.; 3, Terry Marzofka, Port Edwards, Wis.; 4, Mark Eberhart, Ripon, Wis.; 5, Jerry Seibel, Campbellsport, Wis.
Qualifying: 1, Jerry Seibel, Campbellsport, Wis., 20.966; 2, Terry Marzofka, Port Edwards, Wis., 21.014; 3, Conrad Jorgenson, Lakeland, Minn., 21.197; 4, Danny Heinritz, Green Bay, Wis., 21.204; 5, Mark Eberhart, Ripon, Wis.; 6, Paul Neisius, Hastings, Minn., 21.286; 7, Gordan Swanson, Apple Valley, Minn., 21.356; 8, Jeff Steenbergen, Waupun, Wis., 21.637; 9, Art Christofferson, 21.384; 10, Gary Fredrickson, Northfield, Minn., 21.397; 11, Tony Holm, Prior Lake, Minn., 21.448; 12, Steve Hall, Northfield, Minn., 21.477.