By: Ashley Iwanski and Kevin Ramsell
Chris Weinkauf has tried for years to get a big win at the Oktoberfest Race Weekend. Tonight he finally breaks through to win the third annual Dick Trickle “99” on the second day of the 40th annual event.

Weinkauf, who was also the fast qualifier, would win the third segment and have the tie-breaker over Eddie Hoffman to win the event. “I started racing in 1990 but before that my dad would take me to all of those ARTGO races, that is how my dad got us started in racing,” an excited Weinkauf said in victory lane. “This is truly an honor that we put on for Dick (Trickle), he was an awesome short track racer in Wisconsin, you can’t even put it into words. This is an honor to be here and to have a car this good.”

It was more special for Chris to have his brother, who finished second overall in last year’s event behind him at the checkered flag, “This is fantastic and it’s even better that he got to finish second behind me in the final segment,” Chris Weinkauf said. “I know he was probably hungry and he actually could have gotten me a little bit if he wanted too. But, I think he knew we were going for the overall title so he was letting me go.” Weinkauf finished second in the first segment, 14th in the second and first in the final to take the overall title with 17 points. This race is decided by an overall point system with the winner getting the lowest amount of points. Boris Jurkovic was third with 21points with Jason Weinkauf in fourth with 25 points. Skylar Holzhausen rounded out the top-five with 28 points.

Fast qualifier Chris Weinkauf and Tim Sauter led the field to the green flag for segment one with Weinkauf taking the lead at the drop of the green flag. Frank Kreyer moved past Sauter for second on lap two. Kreyer would chase down Weinkauf on lap 11 and take over the top spot as he went to the inside of Weinkauf coming off of turn four. Steve Holzhausen and Steve Carlson were making their moves to the front as they both got past Eddie Hoffman for fourth and fifth on lap 20. Kreyer would win the first segment with Weinkauf in second and Sauter in third. Holzhausen was fourth with Carlson rounding out the top-five. A 22-car invert would set the field for the second segment.

Mark Lamoreaux and Dennis Prunty led the field to the start of the second 33-lap segment. The two raced side-by-side on the first lap with Prunty taking over the top spot on lap two. Fredrickson didn’t waste any time moving to the front as he got past Lamoreaux for second on lap three. Fredrickson would then get by Prunty heading into turn three on lap seven. Behind the leaders, Eddie Hoffman started 17th and worked his way up to seventh while Boris Jurkovic moved from his 18th starting spot up to sixth. Fredrickson would get some pressure from Joel Theisen in the final laps but would hold on to win the second segment. Fredrickson would spin a “6” to create a 14-car invert for the final segment.

Weinkauf would start on the pole for the final segment with Tim Schendel on the outside. Weinkauf would get the jump out to the lead. Schendel was battling with Steve Holzhausen for second when the two made contact going into turn one. Holzhausen would then get loose in turns one and two spinning in front of the field. Holzhausen’s car would roll into the infield where it would collect Frank Kreyer who had nowhere to go. Both were all right but done for the night. Weinkauf would continue to lead on the restart with his brother in second. Hoffman would work his way up to fourth and he needed to move up to third in order to be the overall winner. But, Dean Cornelius would get by him then past Schendel for third in the late going and Hoffman would follow him past Schendel for fourth. At the checkers it was Chris Weinkauf holding off his brother Jason to win the third segment and take the overall title in a tie-breaker as he finished ahead of Hoffman in the third segment.

Nick Murgic started on the pole for the 30-lap “Stubby” Race and jumped to the lead over Robb Vanderloop. Murgic pulled out to a 15-car length lead with 10 laps to go with Vanderloop in second and Jeremy Lepak in third while being challenged by Tim Rothe. Murgic would go on to win the “Stubby” with Vanderloop in second and Lepak in third. Rothe would hold off Eric Fransen to finish fourth. Don “Thunder” Turner beats Dean La Pointe by a bumper to win the Dick Trickle “99” C-Main race. Turner has competed in all 40 Oktoberfest Race Weekends.

The Area Sportsmen division provided the fans with 25 lap of exciting racing. Nick Clements started on the pole and quickly opened a four car lengths gap ahead of the rest of the field. Larry Bolster Jr., Jes Tenner and Tony Leis were working hard to lessen the gap. Bolster Jr. caught up to Clements on the outside of turn one on lap ten. The two raced door handle to door handle for multiple laps. Clements was glued to the inside line as Bolster Jr. passed him for the lead on the outside on lap fifteen. Clements then struggled to hang onto second as Tenner moved to his bumper. Tenner passed Clements and set his sights on Bolster Jr. Cars were strung out around the track and the leaders had to race around lap traffic. Bolster Jr. managed to hang onto the lead for the win. To make Bolster Jr.’s win even sweeter Richard Elander Racing gave an additional $1000 to the winner of the event. Tenner finished 2nd, Leis 3rd, Clements 4th, and Dan Gilster 5th.

The fans witnessed one of the best races of the night in the Super Sportsmen feature. Within the first lap Randy Humfeld worked his way into the lead while the rest of the field started to check up due to a car off the pace. A lap later a car spun in turns one and two bring out the first caution. Humfeld held onto the lead while Jason Dummer and Matt Pyburn were racing side by side for second. Just when Pyburn took over the position John Olson moved up to take it away. Behind them Scott Luck and Colin Reffner were battling for fourth as Eugene Gregorich came out of nowhere to take the lead from Humfeld. On lap fourteen Luck spun in turn two bringing out the second caution. On the restart Olson and Reffner were fighting for second. Reffner took second and started to work on the leader. Reffner and Gregorich were racing nose to tail coming around to the checkered when Gregorich spun out. A caution came out and both Reffner and Gregorich were sent to the back of the field giving Brian Back the race lead. On the restart Scott Hamel’s tire came off sending him straight for the wall. The lap was finished and Back took the checkered flag. Leis finished 2nd and Olson 3rd.

The Oktoberfest Race Weekend continues Saturday and Sunday with exciting racing from the ASA North Series and Midwest Tour along with the Big 8 Late Models, Mid-American Series, Vintage Cars, R.A.Y.S., and Modifies. For more information about La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway please visit www.lacrossespeedway.com or contact the office at (608) 786-1525 or lacrossespeedway@yahoo.com.

LA CROSSE FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY
Coca-Cola Super Late Models
Dick Trickle 99 Feature — 1, Chris Weinkauf, Merrill; 2, Eddie Hoffman, Wheaton, Ill.; 3, Borus Jurkodie, Manhatten, Ill.; 4, Jason Weinkauf, Merrill; 5, Skylar Holzhausen, Bangor; 6, Tim Schendel, Sparta; 7, Joel Theisen, Maple Grove, Minn.; 8, Dennis Prunty, Knowles; 9, Steve Carlson, West Salem; 10, Dan Fredrickson, Lutherville, Minn.; 11, Jacob Goede, Shakopee, Minn.; 12, Thor Anderson, Bondurant, IA.; 13, Neil Knoblock, Wausau; 14, Steve Holzhausen, Bangor; 15, Frank Kreyer, Wisconsin Dells; 16, Chris Eggleston, Erie, Col.; 17, Dean Cornelius, Chaska, Minn.; 18, Jamie Iverson, Escanaba, Mich.; 19, Mike Carlson, West Salem; 20, Chad Walen, Prior Lake, Minn.; 21, Tim Sauter, Necedah; 22, Steve Apel, Colgate; 23, Mark Lamoreaux, Bloomington, Minn.; 24, Jeff Storm, East Troy.

Qualifying — 1, Chris Weinkauf, 19.090 secs, 102.855 MPH; 2, Tim Sauter, 19.252 secs, 101.989 MPH; 3, Frank Kreyer, 19.287 secs, 101.804 MPH; 4, Dean Cornelius, 19.290 secs, 101.788 MPH; 5, Eddie Hoffman, 19.290 secs, 101.788 MPH; 6, Mike Carlson; 7, Jamie Iverson; 8, Chad Walen; 9, Steve Holzhausen; 10, Thor Anderson; 11, Chris Eggleston; 12, Jeff Storm; 13, Steve Carlson; 14, Neil Knoblock; 15, Steve Apel; 16, Skylar Holzhausen; 17, Andrew Morrissey; 18, Travis Sauter; 19, J. Herbst; 20, Dennis Prunty; 21, Jason Weinkauf; 22, Tim Schendel; 23, Mark Lamoreaux; 24, Jeremy Lepak; 25, Josh Wallace; 26, Eric Fransen; 27, Don Turner; 28, Dan Fredrickson; 29, Borus Jurkodie; 30, Joel Theisen; 31, Donny Reuvers; 32, Trent Snyder; 33, Griffin McGrath; 34, Jacob Goede; 35, Blake Horstman; 36, Nick Murgic; 37, Jonathan Eilen; 38, Chris Wimmer; 39, Greg Vangool; 40, Robb Vanderloop; 41, Chris Skrede; 42, Darren Wolke; 43, Tim Rothe; 44, Mike Egan; 45, Shane Morrissey; 46, Tim Cox; 47, Joey Gase; 48, Bryan Reffner; 49, Toby Rott; 50, Dean La Pointe; 51, Chad Selk; 52, Jimmy Dragich; 53, Ronnie Rihn; 54, Rob Myers; 55, Jack Greenwood; 56, Brent Kirchner; 57, Chris Grimes; 58, Joe King; 59, Monte Gress; 60, Bobby Williams; 61, Gregg Haese; 62, Nick Neville.
“The Stubby” 30 Feature — 1, Nick Murgic, Rosemount, Minn.; 2, Robb Vanderloop, Kaukauna; 3, Jeremy Lepak, Edgar; 4, Tim Rothe, Appleton; 5, Eric Fransen, West Bend; 6, Griffin McGrath, Cedar Rapids, IA.; 7, Andrew Morrissey, De Forest; 8, Mike Egan, Slinger; 9, J. Herbst, La Crosse; 10, Jonathan Eilen, Merrill; 11, Joey Gase, Cedar Rapids, IA.; 12, Donny Reuvers, Dundas; 13, Tim Cox, Park City, Ill.; 14, Tim Schendel, Sparta; 15, Darren Wolke, Belle Plaine, Minn.; 16, Chris Wimmer, Wausau.
C-Feature — 1, Don Turner; 2, Dean La Pointe; 3, Blake Horstman; 4, Jimmy Dragich; 5, Rob Myers.
Last Chance 1 — 1, Tim Schendel; 2, Borus Jurkodie; 3, Trent Snyder; 4, J. Herbst; 5, Eric Fransen.
Last Chance 2 — 1, Jason Weinkauf; 2, Joel Theisen; 3, Griffin McGrath; 4, Greg Vangool; 5, Nick Murgic.
Last Chance 3 — 1, Mark Lamoreaux; 2, Jacob Goede; 3, Andrew Morrissey; 4, Dan Fredrickson; 5, Donny Reuvers.

Area Sportsmen
Coca-Cola 25 Feature — 1, Larry Bolster Jr., Sparta; 2, Jes Tenner, Melrose; 3, Tony Leis, Onalaska; 4, Nick Clements, Holmen; 5, Dan Gilster, West Salem; 6, Jason Dummer, Holmen; 7, Rick Schermerhorn, Westby; 8, Jimmy Gilster, West Salem; 9, Greg Scheck, La Crosse; 10, Brent Kane, Lansdale, Minn.; 11, Branden Berg, Melrose; 12, Rob Curran, Rockland; 13, Jamie Millis, Black River Falls; 14, Jerrod Loging, West Salem; 15, Chand Wehling, Stoddard; 16, Rob Mason, Preston, Minn.; 17, Jerimy Wagner, Ettrick; 18, Jake Arneson, Taylor; 19, Jamie Dummer, Holmen; 20, Kurt Kleven, Cambridge; 21, Matt Inglett, La Crosse; 22, Jason Stark, Sparta; 23, Brett Wenzel, Two Rivers; 24, Jamie Schlintz, Bangor; 25, Chris Ehrhart, Deerfield; 26, James Lindgren, Apple Valley, Minn.
Qualifying — 1, Rick Schermerhorn, 21.903 secs, 89.645 MPH; 2, Dan Gilster, 21.916 secs, 89.592 MPH; 3, Jes Tenner, 21.924 secs, 89.559 MPH; 4, Greg Scheck, 21.939 secs, 89.498 MPH; 5, Tony Leis, 21.943 secs, 89.482 MPH; 6, Brent Kane; 7, Larry Bolster Jr.; 8, Rob Curran; 9, Branden Berg; 10, Jason Dummer; 11, Nick Clements; 12, Jake Arneson; 13, Jimmy Gilster; 14, Jerimy Wagner; 15, Jamie Millis; 16, Jerrod Loging; 17, Rob Mason; 18, Jamie Dummer; 19, Kurt Kleven; 20, Chand Wehling; 21, Chris Ehrhart; 22, Matt Inglett; 23, Todd Lockington; 24, Jamie Schlintz; 25, Jason Stark; 26, James Lindgren; 27, Craig Furlong; 28, Brett Wenzel; 29, Mark Challet; 30, Joe Rinartz; 31, Jake Capek; 32, Justin Mullikin; 33, Dave Meyerhofer; 34, Brian Hesselberg; 35, Ben Capek; 36, Justin Woller; 37, Jesse Cowell; 38, Mark Kalata; 39, Adam Gallagher; 40, Michael Hanson; 41, Dan Weber; 42, Jeffrey Bagstad.
Last Chance — 1, Jason Stark; 2, James Lindgren; 3, Kurt Kleven; 4, Brett Wenzel; 5, Jamie Schlintz.
Qualifying Heat 1 — 1, Chris Ehrhart; 2, Rob Mason; 3, Jason Stark; 4, Mark Challet, 5, Jake Capek.
Qualifying Heat 2 — 1, Matt Inglett; 2, Chand Wehling; 3, Jamie Dummer; 4, James Lindgren; 5, Jamie Schlintz.
Odd Heat — 1, Larry Bolster Jr.; 2, Jimmy Gilster; 3, Jamie Millis; 4, Jes Tenner; 5, Rick Schermerhorn.
Even Heat — 1, Jerimy Wagner; 2, Jerrod Loging; 3, Brent Kane; 4, Dan Gilster; 5, Rob Curran.

Super Sportsmen
Coca-Cola 25 Feature — 1, Brian Back, Rudolph; 2, Tony Leis, Onalaska; 3, John Olson, Sparta; 54, Randy Humfeld, Chaseburg; 5, Brad Muller, Hillsboro; 6, Jason Dummer, Holmen; 7, Scott Luck, Praire Du Sac; 8, Ryan Hinner, Stevens Point; 9, John Zuch, Baraboo; 10, Mark Langreck, Marchfield; 11, Matthew Raykowski, Stevens Point; 12, Terry Knupp, Arkdale; 13, Eugene Gregorich Jr., Kewanee; 14, Colin Reffner, Wisconsin Rapids; 15, Scott Hamel, Wisconsin Rapids; 16, Daniel Linnehan, Leon; 17, Dale Schultz, Mauston; 18, Erin Schlough, Greenwood; 19, Matt Inglett, La Crosse; 20, Matt Pyburn, Wisconsin Rapids; 21, Jason Backus, Tomah.
Qualifying — 1, Colin Reffner, 20.952 secs, 93.714 MPH; 2, Eugene Gregorich Jr., 21.158 secs, 92.802 MPH; 3, Brian Back, 21.169 secs, 92.754 MPH; 4, John Olson, 21.186 secs, 92.679 MPH; 5, Tony Leis, 21.266 secs, 92.330 MPH; 6, Scott Luck; 7, Dale Schultz; 8, Matt Pyburn; 9, Brad Muller; 10, Randy Humfeld; 11, Jason Backus; 12, John Zuch; 13, Matthew Raykowski; 14, Jason Dummer; 15, Daniel Linnehan; 16, Ryan Hinner; 17, Mark Langreck; 18, Matt Inglett; 19, Erin Schlough; 20, Terry Knupp; 21, Scott Hamel.
Qualifying Heat 1 — 1, Scott Hamel; 2, Terry Knupp; 3, Ryan Hinner; 4, Erin Schlough; 5, Mark Langreck.
Odd Heat — 1, Tony Leis; 2, Colin Reffner; 3, Brad Muller; 4, Matthew Raykowski; 5, Dale Schultz.
Even Heat — 1, Scott Luck; 2, Eugene Gregorich Jr.; 3, Matt Pyburn; 4, John Olson; 5, Randy Humfeld.