 |
Menard Risks High Line to
Steele La Crosse Win!
By David Morgan |
May 24,
2003; West Salem, WI - With the high groove being
slippery all night long, and in some respects, all season long, Charlie Menard was willing
to wait behind CenturyTel 25 race leader Dan Steele. Willing to wait, that is, until he
saw his opening.J. Herbst got by Mike Belling early, then survived three cautions as he
held Todd Korish at bay, and claimed his first win of the season in the Pischke Motors 25
for the Kwik Trip NASCAR Dodge Racing Series Late Models.
Photo Highlights |
Charlie Menard (#17) put his sharp
looking machine in victory lane after capturing the Kwik Trip NASCAR Dodge Racing Series
Late Model feature at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway. |
|
Menard saw the opening on lap 14, and moved to the outside as the pair
came out of turn four. The two cars battled side by side for two laps, before Menard was
able to pull his car down in front for good.
"We knew we had 20 laps to get by him, and there was really no one
coming up to challenge us from behind," Menard said. "The outside line has been
slippery all year for some reason. Every pass on the outside is tough."
The win was Menard’s second at La Crosse, and his first regular
season victory in West Salem. His first win came in a preliminary feature at Oktoberfest.
He also denied Steele his first late model victory.
"Charlie and I had a good race," Steele said afterwards.
"The tires got a little heated up when we were running side by side. He just had the
faster car, but I’ll take a second any night."
Blake Horstman made a run at the lead pair as they battled side by side,
but faded to fifth over the final ten laps, as Tony Bagstad and Steve Holzhausen both
moved by and into the top four at the finish. Kevin Nuttleman was sixth, followed by Todd
Korish, Mike Belling, J. Herbst and Brad Powell.
Holzhausen was quickest in qualifying, turning in a 20.126 second lap
around the .545-mile oval. Qualifying heat winners were Brent Kirchner and Jim Hagel,
while the Odd and Even Bud Dashes went to Gib Schaprf and Mark Lamoreaux. Tom McClintock
won the B-Main, which started off with an eight-car accident at the drop of the green
flag.
It was a truck at the point of the Ray Hutson Chevrolet Grand National
Sportsman feature race from start to finish as Lucas Korish and Randy Steinhoff were the
lone leaders of the 15-lapper. Korish led the first ten circuits, but Steinhoff was able
to duck low heading into turn one, and after a bit of contact at the lead of a tightly
bunched field, he surged into the lead, and held on for the win. Dan Gilster followed
Steinhoff through the hole and finished second, while Chand Wehling, Rick Shisler and
Trent Boettcher rounded out the top five. Korish faded to 13th at the finish.
Gilster was fast timer with a 22.578 seconds lap, as the top 17 drivers
all broke 23 seconds for the first time ever in the division. Jerimy Wagner won the
Non-Qualifying Heat, while Tony Ciano and Shawn Lockington won the Qualifying heats, and
Larry Bolster, Jr. and Steinhoff won the Bud Dashes.
When Tim Steinhoff, Andy Barney and Lance Lee pulled away from the field
in the United Auto Supply Thunderstox feature, it was clear that Steinhoff had the better
car, and Barney would need help to get the win. He got the help when Steinhoff’s car
failed to pass the post race inspection, as he and Lee were both disqualified.
Barney took his first-ever feature win, with Dwayne Anderson, Ed Senn,
Justin Berg and Ron Heller rounding out the top five. Brad Warthan won the B-Main, LaVern
Berg took the Bud Dash, and heat wins went to Trent Tenner, Steinhoff, Berg and Kevin
Burr. Adam Moore was the last survivor in the inaugural Survivor Novelty race.
Amanda Lindvig led all but one foot of the Queen Bees first race of the
season, but Denise Miller led the most important foot, as she took the win with a last
corner pass of Lindvig.
Saturday,
May 24, 2003
///NASCAR Late
Models, Sportsman, Thunderstox, Survivor Race
Saturday, May 31, 2003
///NASCAR Late
Models, Sportsman, Thunderstox, Hornets
Saturday, June 7, 2003
///NASCAR Late
Models, Sportsman, Double Spin-2nd Over the Line Wins
For complete results from the RACESTAT computer click here
La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway
Kwik Trip NASCAR Late Models
CenturyTel 25 Feature- 1) Charlie Menard, Eau Claire; 2) Dan Steele, West Salem; 3) Tony
Bagstad, Cashton; 4) Steve Holzhausen, Bangor; 5) Blake Horstman, Bangor; 6) Kevin
Nuttleman, Bangor; 7) Todd Korish, La Crosse; 8) Mike Belling, La Crosse; 9) J. Herbst,
West Salem; 10) Brad Powell, La Crosse;
11) Greg Scheck, West Salem; 12) Mark Lamoreaux, Bloomington, MN; 13) Rick Wateski, La
Crosse; 14) Brent Kirchner, La Crosse; 15) Gib Scharpf, La Crosse; 16) Tim Nelson, La
Crosse; 17) Adam Degenardt, Coon Valley; 18) Jon Barrette, La Crosse; 19) Jim Hagel,
Holmen; 20) Tom McClintock, Onalaska;
21) Dexter Bean, Westby; 22) Bill Niles, Holmen; 23) Andy Niles, La Crosse; 24) Curt
Eckelberg, West Salem; 25) Troy Goodenough, Mindor
B-Main- 1) Tom McClintock, Onalaska; 2) Bill Niles, Holmen; 3) Dexter Bean, Westby; 4)
Andy Niles, La Crosse; 5) Jimmy Summerfield, West Salem
Qualifying- 1) Steve Holzhausen, Bangor, 20.129 seconds, 97.546 MPH; 2) Tony Bagstad,
Cashton, 20.256 secs., 96.934 MPH; 3) Todd Korish, La Crosse, 20.327 secs., 96.596 MPH; 4)
Kevin Nuttleman, Bangor, 20.347 secs., 96.501 MPH; 5) Brad Powell, La Crosse, 20.365
secs., 96.415 MPH
Qualifying Heat 1- 1) Brent Kirchner, La Crosse; 2) Jon Barrette, La Crosse; 3) Jon
Inglett, La Crosse; 4) David Tradup, Viola, MN; 5) Troy Goodenough, Mindoro
Qualifying Heat 2- 1) Jim Hagel, Holmen; 2) Curt Eckleberg, West Salem; 3) Todd Oliver,
Bangor; 4) Jeff Krueger, La Crescent, MN; 5) Tom McClintock, Onalaska
Odd Bud Dash- 1) Gib Scharpf, La Crosse; 2) Brad Powell, La Crosse; 3) Steve Holzhausen,
Bangor; 4) J. Herbst, West Salem; 5) Todd Korish, La Crosse
Even Bud Dash- 1) Mark Lamoreaux, Bloomington, MN; 2) Charlie Menard, Eau Claire; 3) Adam
Degenhardt, Coon Valley; 4) Kevin Nuttleman, Bangor; 5) Tony Bagstad, Cashton
Ray Hutson Chevy Sportsman
CenturyTel 15 Feature- 1) Randy Steinhoff, Cashton; 2) Dan Gilster, West Salem; 3) Chand
Wehling, Stoddard; 4) Rick Shisler, La Crosse; 5) Trent Boettcher, La Crescent, MN; 6)
John Korish, La Crosse; 7) Mike Albrecht, Jr., La Crescent, MN; 8) Rick Steinhoff, Sparta;
9) Sam Andersen, Melrose; 10) Larry Bolster, Jr., Sparta;
11) Jimmy Gilster, West Salem; 12) Aaron Hass, La Crosse; 13) Lucas Korish, La Crosse; 14)
Daniel Linnehan, Sparta; 15) Tom Thill, West Salem
B-Main- 1) John Olson, Sparta; 2) Rob Mahan, Sparta; 3) Chris Skrede, Holmen; 4) Branden
Berg, North Bend; 5) Morris Proctor, Genoa
C-Main- 1) Mike Campbell, Bangor; 2) Dan Erdman, Holmen; 3) Rob Curran, Rockland; 4) Jeff
Winterfield, La Crosse; 5) Jamie Schlintz, Bangor
Qualifying - 1) Dan Gilster, West Salem, 22.578 secs., 86.965 MPH; 2) Sam Andersen,
Melrose, 22.646 secs., 86.704 MPH; 3) Trent Boettcher, La Crescent, MN, 22.697 secs.,
86.509 MPH; 4) Chand Wehling, Stoddard, 22.725 secs., 86.403 MPH; 5) Rick Shisler, La
Crosse, 22.762 secs., 86.262 MPH
Non Qualifying Heat 1- 1) Jerimy Wagner, Melrose; 2) Troy Anderson, Galesville; 3) Tim
Groth, Winona, MN; 4) Jamie Schlintz, Bangor; 5) Rob Curran, Rockland
Non Qualifying Heat 2- 1) Scott Stingl, Melrose; 2) Ken Lewis, Black River Falls; 3) Jeff
Winterfield, La Crosse; 4) Mike Campbell, Bangor; 5) Randy Hass, La Crosse
Qualifying Heat 1- 1) Tony Ciano, La Crosse; 2) Marv DeGarmo, Chaseburg; 3) Jes Tenner,
North Bend; 4) Morris Proctor, Genoa; 5) Todd Lockington, Mindoro
Qualifying Heat 2- 1) Shawn Lockington, La Crosse; 2) Dan Linnehan, Sparta; 3) Chris
Skrede, Holmen; 4) John Olson, Sparta; 5) Doug Lee, Holmen
Odd Bud Dash- 1) Larry Bolster, Jr., Sparta; 2) Rick Shisler, La Crosse; 3) Dan Gilster,
West Salem; 4) Randy Steinhoff, Cashton; 5) Aaron Hass, La Crosse
Even Bud Dash- 1) Rick Steinhoff, Sparta; 2) Jeff Baker, Holmen; 3) John Korish, La
Crosse; 4) Chand Wehling, Stoddard; 5) Sam Andersen, Melrose
United Auto Supply Thunderstox
CenturyTel 15 Feature- 1) Andy Barney, West Salem; 2) Dwayne Anderson, Sparta; 3) Ed Senn,
La Crosse; 4) Justin Berg, Bangor; 5) Ron Heller, Onalaska; 6) Lester Stanfield, La
Crosse; 7) Kevin Burr, La Crescent, MN; 8) Dean Ashbacher, Rockland; 9) Tony Leis, Middle
Ridge; 10) Ben Allen, Bangor;
11) Travis Schendel, Cashton; 12) Jason Bolster, Sparta; 13) Ryan Pfaff, Melrose; 14)
Jason Pulham, Sparta; 15) Scott Voss, La Crescent, MN
B-Main- 1) Brad Warthan, Sparta; 2) Greg Lindvig, Holmen; 3) Scott Voss, La Crescent, MN;
4) Mary Schill, Wisconsin Rapids; 5) Jamie Dummer, Holmen
Bud Dash- 1) LaVerne Berg, Melrose; 2) Dean Ashbacher, Rockland; 3) Tim Steinhoff,
Cashton; 4) Kevin Burr, La Crescent, MN; 5) Lance Lee, Richland Center
Heat 1- 1) Kevin Burr, La Crescent, MN; 2) LaVerg Berg, Melrose; 3) Tony Leis, Middle
Ridge; 4) Travis Schendel, Cashton; 5) Joey Johnson, West Salem
Heat 2- 1) Justin Berg, Holmen; 2) Dean Ashbacher, Rockland; 3) Jason Pulham, Sparta; 4)
Ryan Pfaff, Sparta; 5) Lester Stanfield, La Crosse
Heat 3- 1) Tim Steinhoff, Cashton; 2) Andy Barney, West Salem; 3) Ron Heller, Onalaska; 4)
Dwayne Anderson, Sparta; 5) John Hendrickson, La Crosse
Heat 4- 1) Trent Tenner, Melrose; 2) Lance Lee, Richland Center; 3) Ed Senn, La Crosse; 4)
Jason Bolster, Sparta; 5) Danielle Neary, La Crosse
Novelty Event (Survivor Race)- 1) Adam Moore, Sparta; 2) Jamie Dummer, Holmen; 3) Jason
Bolster, Sparta; 4) Dean Ashbacher, Rockland; 5) Travis Schendel, Cashton
Queen Bees - 1) Denise Miller; 2) Amanda Lindvig; 3) Christie Anderson;
4) Rosie Zakem; 5) Lisa Simonson; 6) Linda Kuschel; 7) Kim Eckelberg; 8) Brenda Bauher; 9)
Carrie Pralle; 10) Linda Pralle |