The Scoop
LACROSSE NABS IMCA MOD WIN NO. 143 – WEEKEND RECAP & A MORE
Posted on: Monday April 21, 2025
Casco’s Benji La Crosse is all smiles in victory lane at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek. (danlewisphoto.net)
Casco’s Benji La Crosse nabbed career IMCA modified feature win 143 at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek Saturday night.
La Crosse, Wisconsin’s winningest IMCA modified driver, topped a stout, 45 car modified field at the high-banked, clay oval located in Francis Creek. 141 boasted a total of 205 cars in five classes in their 2nd weekly race of the ’25 campaign.
Heading into the 2025 season, La Crosse holds a commanding 13 win lead over Brian Mullen and Co. in the IMCA modified all-time feature records in Wisconsin. The current, top five drivers all remain actively racing at this point in time.
ALL TIME WISCONSIN IMCA MODIFIED FEATURE WINNERS
Benji La Crosse, Green Bay, 143
Brian Mullen, Seymour, 130
RM Van Pay, Green Bay, 129
Mike Wedelstadt, Fremont, 116
Todd Dart, Algoma, 83
You’d be hard pressed these days to find any weekly, dirt track program in the United States that can average 41 cars per division.
Granted, as other tracks kick off their respective seasons of racing, these numbers will obviously take a dip. That aside, when a race fan can go and enjoy that many races in any given night with a fast-paced show, it shows how strong the sport is in the region.
Mother Nature wasn’t so kind to other tracks in the area, most of which attempted to run practice sessions and workdays. Planned shakedown sessions at Plymouth Dirt Track and Shawano Speedway were both washed out. And at Gravity Park USA in Chilton, the show on Friday night got canceled during the heat races.
A total of 23 grand nationals turned up to do battle in Round 1 of the Dirt Devil series. A potential makeup date for this event is in the works.
141 ARMED FORCES NIGHT – Active duty and military veterans with their appropriate I.D. can enjoy the races for $5 during Armed Forces night at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek Saturday, April 26. The track’s five weekly classes will be in action, with racing getting underway at 6 p.m.
DIRT KINGS LID LIFTER – Area dirt late model teams will get their first opportunity at some live, in-state action as the Dirt Kings late model tour kicks off their 2025 racing season Saturday, April 26 at Beaver Dam Raceway. The DK series will run with the IRA Outlaw sprint cars and the midgets from the Badger Midget Racing Association (BMARA) at the third-mile, clay oval.
The action gets underway at 6 p.m.
OUTAGAMIE IS OFF – Just a reminder that due a scheduling conflict, the originally planned opener for this Friday, April 25 at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour has been canceled. The season opening event at the third-mile, clay oval is slated for Friday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Outagamie County Fairgrounds.
Best to check the Speedway’s Facebook page for practice day and work day information.
PLYMOUTH OPENER – Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wisconsin is scheduled to kick off it’s 2025 season Saturday, April 26. This Saturday night program features Midwest Sprint Association (MSA) sprint cars, B modifieds, grand nationals and the Midwest Legends Dirt Series. Qualifying takes place at 4:30 p.m. with racing to follow at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds.
OTHER OPENERS – If Mother Nature cooperates, another pair of area tracks will attempt to get their respective season openers in this weekend. Luxy Raceway will attempt to get their opener in Friday, April 25 at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds at 7 p.m. Shawano Speedway will try and get their lid lifter in as well, with a planned season opening race Saturday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. A $1,000-to-win top prize is on the line for the IMCA modifieds.
SHAWANO HALL OF FAME – Shawano Speedway has announced that two former drivers will be inducted into the track’s Hall of Fame during a ceremony on June 7. Former IMCA modified racer Joe Haferkorn of Norway, Michigan and former sportsman and IMCA modified driver Jeff Teske of Shawano.
PAVEMENT PONDERINGS – The All Star Challenge Series kicks off the 2025 racing season at Slinger Super Speedway Sunday, April 27. Also on the card at the world’s fastest quarter-mile, paved oval will be the 602 craters, sportsman, Slinger Bee’s and Figure 8’s. Action gets underway at 2 p.m.
The Norway Speedway Hall of Fame announced it’s four inductees for 2025. They include a quartet of former racers: Appleton, Wisconsin’s Mike Reichenberger, Aurora, Wisconsin’s Ryan Windell, Norway, Michigan’s Steve DeBakker and Escanaba, Michigan’s Ron Jenshak Sr.
The four will be ushered in during a ceremony at the track on Friday, June 27.
Remember to get out and support your local short track whenever you can IN PERSON. Have a great week!
Casco’s Coy Vlies picked up his first feature flag of the 2025 campaign in the IMCA northern sportmod division at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek April 19. (danlewisphoto.net)
2025 REGIONAL DIRT TRACK FEATURE WINNERS (as of 4/20/25)
(Tracks included, but not limited to: Outagamie Speedway, Gravity Park USA, Luxy Raceway, 141 Speedway, The Hill Raceway, Plymouth Dirt Track & Shawano Speedway. We’ll also include feature wins by N.E. Wisconsin drivers scored at other tracks, including out-of-state and series victories. These include both IMCA sanctioned & non-sanctioned wins)
LATE MODELS
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Benji LaCrosse 1
Johnny Whitman 1
Marcus Hoeppner 1
IMCA STOCK CARS
Cole Czarneski 3
Tyler Wilson 2
Phil Mott 1
Trentin Bell 1
IMCA NORTHERN SPORTMODS
Coy Vlies 1
Dustin White 1
Cole Thomas 1
Ryan Schmidt 1
UNIFIED DIRT STREET STOCKS
Cory Romenesko 1
Shannon Guelette 1
Trey Van Straten 1
GRAND NATIONALS
Jeff Muehlbauer 1
FOUR CYLINDERS/IMCA SPORT COMPACTS
Ben Schulte 1
Thomas Schulte 1
Adam Broehm 1