7/27/2025
Rice Lake Speedway
Cooper Sundby Wins First Late Model Feature at Rice Lake Speedway
Rice Lake WI – It was an incredibly hot and steamy Saturday night at the Rice Lake Speedway but it also turned out to be a most memorable one. Two drivers earned their first ever feature wins at the track with one also winning for the first time ever, one of the closest feature races of the year saw a father and son battle it out for the win and two drivers continued their domination of their class by winning once again. All this on a race program that was completed by 9 pm.
Perhaps the biggest story happened during the USRA Late Model feature. This class was making their third appearance at the track in 2025 and while their previous appearances had produced good results, Saturday night's feature race was by far their best of the year.
There was a local twist to this race also as Rice Lake native Josh Wahlstrom came from the second row to take the initial lead in the race after the first attempt at a start was waved off when outside front row starter Mitchell Fenske lost a wheel in turn two with all drivers able to avoid the ambling wheel. Fenske was able to replace the wheel and restart the event at the back of the pack.
Wahlstrom continued to lead with Clayton Hofteig running in the second spot but receiving much pressure from Cade Nelson who was riding his rear bumper. Nelson would eventually get past Hofteig for second and then began to close on Wahlstrom who continued to hold the lead.
By the halfway point of the race, Nelson had caught Wahlstrom for the lead and was riding his rear bumper while Cooper Sundby, who started sixth, had advanced to the fourth spot as he also challenged Hofteig for position.
Eleven laps were completed when a spin bunched the field once again and on the restart, Hofteig lost control and went spinning down the back straightaway with Ryan Howe and Patrick Kelley a part of the collision. Kelley was collateral damage with a flat tire as he retired to the pits while the other two restarted the race.
With only four laps to go, the field formed up in a Delaware restart and while up until this point, most of the drivers had been running the low line, Sundby, who was restarting on the outside, made a bold move to the second lane and farther up the track and it was a brilliant move, as he immediately pulled up beside leader Wahlstrom who was running the inside line. For the next two laps, Sundby would get up beside Wahlstrom down the chutes but then push out slightly in the corners but he kept narrowing the margin each lap.
Finally, with the white flag in sight, Sundby was able to clear Wahlstrom and take over the lead. He extended his advantage, continuing to use the upper part of the track successfully as he won over Wahlstrom. For Sundby, a former kart racer with under ten starts to his record, it was his first ever feature win and it was an excited victory lane ceremony. The Sundby family and the Mars family of MB Customs fame, are close family friends and among the first to greet Cooper were Sam and Jimmy Mars. Cooper Sundby's mother has been battling cancer but she was able to join Cooper and family in victory lane for the emotional reunion.
Speaking of greet beginnings, Taylor Mars, in just his second ever race in a Late Model, made his own great move on the final lap as he followed Sundby's lead, jumped to the cushion and was able to edge out Nelson and take the third place honors.
The other feature race that produced a most thrilling finish was the Super Stock feature where father and son, Curt and Alex Myers battled it out for the win with the result being a razor thin victory for son Alex.
It was a night were everything was in place for a historic event to take place. Curt Myers is tied with Don Drew for the lead in all time feature wins in the Super Stock division at the track and he had the opportunity on Saturday night to break that tie and take over the all time lead. Myers was also sitting at three hundred and ninety nine feature wins, with the next one moving him to a historic plateau. The stars seemed to be in alignment for a historic race. But then stepped in Alex Myers. Curt took the lead from the start, moving with speed to pass the front row cars and lead the opening lap. Curt was riding the cushion and it appeared that he would dominate the race.
However, Alex quickly moved into the second spot and slowly but gradually he began to reel in his father. Each lap he would gain a bit and by lap eight, he was ready to drive underneath Curt and take over the top spot.
As the race reached its halfway point, Alex was firmly in charge as the leader while Curt continued to work the top side and hope that he could gain back the lost ground. While family members battled for the lead, another family was fighting for third as Leslie Leu and Dylan Leu traded that spot several times while they battled for position.
Things took a dramatic turn when the lone yellow of the race flew with just five laps to go when Andrew Davis and Dylan Leu got together while engaged in a wild slide job battle for position.
Alex took off again as the leader but Curt again pounded the cushion and suddenly it was working better for him. He pulled up beside his son and they ran side by side, inches apart as they circled the track. Alex refused to yield though and while Curt got up beside his son, he couldn't quite clear him. They took the white flag still side by side and on the final tour, nothing changed as they were still as if welded together.
They came out of the final corner as one, and at the line Alex took the win by the narrow margin of
.103 seconds, or about a foot. It was Alex's third feature win of the year at Rice Lake, tying him with Curt for the division lead and postponing the Myers celebration for breaking the record. In the Leu family battle, Leslie edged out Dylan for third with Davis racing back up through the field to complete the top five.
A second driver won his first ever feature race at Rice Lake on Saturday and that was Tyler Wahlstrom after a surprise turn of events saw both of the top two cars lose their positions.
George Richards led for most of the feature after he started in the outside of the front row and took the lead. Richards was running a smooth race and looked to be in control as Tyler Wahlstrom moved into second with his father Bob racing right behind him. By the halfway point of the race, Bob had gotten past his son to take over second and while he was pushing hard, Richards still seemed to be in control.
That all changed though, when a late yellow for a spin bunched the field for a two lap sprint to the finish. On the green, Richards, who had been showing some increasingly heavy smoke from the rear end of his car, got sideways in turn one. Bob Wahlstrom got into the back of his car and Richards spun, triggering the yellow once again. Bob was tagged for the yellow and went to the tail of the field, while Richards' car refused to re fire and he was pushed to the pits.
Inheriting the lead was Tyler Wahlstrom and he hung on for one final lap to take the win. Tyler, who has not raced for several years, was making only his second start of the season, and actually is driving his father's old car which proved to be plenty fast on this occasion.
Jake Smith made the long pull down from the West Range of Minnesota to race and while he was mired in a battle for fifth for most of the race, the last lap scramble opened the door for him and he drove up to the second spot, with Rob Grabon, Mark Barta and Steve Karshbaum trailing.
The Pure Stock class continues to be the most competitive of the season with Wahlstrom's win marking the seventh different driver in the class to visit victory lane.
Two drivers who have shown dominance in their respective divisions continued that on Saturday too. Nick Koehler has had a great season so far on northwestern Wisconsin dirt ovals and he continued what has been a winning weekend for himself by winning his sixth Midwest Modified feature race at the track this year. His win makes him the most successful driver of the year to date and he led the event from start to finish in a race that went nonstop from green to checkered. While he got quickly out to the cushion, where he has been dominant all year and pulled away, there was a great battle for second going on as Kenny Kincaid and Jake Stai raced hard for that spot, trading lines on the track and producing some exciting slide jobs as they battled back and forth.
As Koehler continued to dominate, the battle for second ended when bad luck struck Stai when he got a flat tire and dove into the infield so the race could continue. Blake Adams had not been having a good run, mired back in the pack for much of the contest but he suddenly caught fire near the end of the race and was able to move up to third, behind Kincaid who marched on for second.
While Adams had to settle for less than victory in the Midwest Modified feature, he made up for it in the Modified class as he led from start to finish to take his fifth Modified feature win here so far in 2025. He got away from the pack early and in a race that was slowed only once, he dominated from sart to finish.
The battle for second was a good one though, as Steve Hallquist held that spot for many laps, despite constant pressure from Darrell Nelson who was trying his best to get past. Soon the second through sixth place cars were running nose to bumper and diced for position. Jack Rivord was having a fine run when he got a flat tire and triggered the lone yellow with twelve laps completed. Finally, on the restart, Nelson was able to slide past Hallquist and take over second but he couldn't catch Adams who drove on for the win.
A great battle for fourth saw Simon Wahlstrom hold off Aiden Hoffman for that spot. For Adams, it was his twenty third feature win of the season to date between the two classes he races in as he continues to lead the WISSOTA National point standings in the Modified class.
All eyes now turn to the signature event on the annual race schedule for the Rice Lake Speedway. This coming Tuesday night, July 29th, the thirty first annual Street Stock Little Dream race will be held at the speedway. This nationally known event, for which the speedway is famous, offers the largest Street Stock purse of any race in the entire country and the unique aspect of it sees fans and businesses contributing to the purse, making for an electric atmosphere as everyone waits to find out what the final total will be that the racers are running for.
Last year, this event set a record as it has done for every year of it's existence with winner Cody Kummer taking home thirty thousand dollars for his thirty five lap win. The rain date for this event, if needed, is Wednesday night.
All the information on times, pricing etc is available on the speedway website and face book page. There will be no racing next Saturday night, August 2nd but when the speedway returns to action on Saturday night, August 9th, it will be to host the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series as the WISSOTA Late Models make their lone appearance at the track in 2025. They will be joined by the Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Modifieds on that night.
Results
11 entries
WISSOTA Modifieds
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 40D-Blake Adams[2]; 2. 44N-Darrell Nelson[3]; 3. 27H-Steve Hallquist[1]; 4. 38-Simon Wahlstrom[8]; 5. 9MM-Aiden Hoffman[9]; 6. 5-Joe Chaplin Jr[6]; 7. 308-Pat Hoffman[11]; 8. 3-Bryan Hessler[5]; 9. 204-David Mayala[10]; 10. (DNF) 19J-Jack Rivord[4]; 11. (DNF) 20-Austin Ellis[7]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 44N-Darrell Nelson[2]; 2. 38-Simon Wahlstrom[5]; 3. 27H-Steve Hallquist[3]; 4. 19J-Jack Rivord[6]; 5. 9MM-Aiden Hoffman[4]; 6. 308-Pat Hoffman[1]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 40D-Blake Adams[5]; 2. 5-Joe Chaplin Jr[4]; 3. 3-Bryan Hessler[3]; 4. 20-Austin Ellis[2]; 5. 204-David Mayala[1]
10 entries
WISSOTA Super Stock
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 21M-Alex Myers[5]; 2. 1M-Curt Myers[4]; 3. 14X-Leslie Leu[6]; 4. 14L-Dylan Leu[2]; 5. 20*-Andrew Davis[7]; 6. XJR-Austin Harris[8]; 7. 01-Michael Anderson[10]; 8. 22AT-Austin Tilton[1]; 9. (DNF) 28-Josh Cappo[9]; 10. (DNF) 1-Ryan Olson[3]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 1M-Curt Myers[3]; 2. 20*-Andrew Davis[1]; 3. 14L-Dylan Leu[2]; 4. 22AT-Austin Tilton[5]; 5. 28-Josh Cappo[4]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 14X-Leslie Leu[1]; 2. 21M-Alex Myers[5]; 3. XJR-Austin Harris[2]; 4. 1-Ryan Olson[4]; 5. 01-Michael Anderson[3]
15 entries
WISSOTA Midwest Mods
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 13-Nick Koehler[2]; 2. 4K-Kenny Kincaid[4]; 3. 40D-Blake Adams[8]; 4. 19H-Cody Cimfl[6]; 5. 37-Travis Anderson[7]; 6. 00-Joseph Swearingen[3]; 7. 7-Mike Schnider[12]; 8. 25-Justen Seipel[9]; 9. 88-Jacob Toepper[11]; 10. 24-Liz Toepper[10]; 11. 4L-Carey LePage[15]; 12. 88K-Donavan Knutson[14]; 13. (DNF) 1-Jake Stai[1]; 14. (DNF) 101-Michael Grover[13]; 15. (DNF) 410-Jesse Young[5]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 37-Travis Anderson[1]; 2. 40D-Blake Adams[8]; 3. 4K-Kenny Kincaid[3]; 4. 19H-Cody Cimfl[4]; 5. 25-Justen Seipel[2]; 6. 88-Jacob Toepper[6]; 7. 7-Mike Schnider[5]; 8. 101-Michael Grover[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 13-Nick Koehler[4]; 2. 1-Jake Stai[7]; 3. 00-Joseph Swearingen[2]; 4. 410-Jesse Young[3]; 5. 24-Liz Toepper[6]; 6. (DNF) 88K-Donavan Knutson[1]; 7. (DNF) 4L-Carey LePage[5]
13 entries
WISSOTA Pure Stock
Lakes Gas A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 83-Tyler Wahlstrom[3]; 2. 86J-Jake Smith[7]; 3. 16-Rob Grabon[10]; 4. 78-Mark Barta[4]; 5. 89-Steve Karshbaum[9]; 6. 7D-Trevor Phillips[1]; 7. 925-Dnae Rose[11]; 8. 88-Robert Wahlstrom[5]; 9. 9M-Marlene Lannet[13]; 10. 3D-Sean Duffy[12]; 11. (DNF) 5R-George Richards[2]; 12. (DNF) 1-Carsyn Olson[8]; 13. (DNF) 93-CJ Wagner[6]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 93-CJ Wagner[1]; 2. 78-Mark Barta[4]; 3. 7D-Trevor Phillips[2]; 4. 5R-George Richards[5]; 5. 89-Steve Karshbaum[6]; 6. 925-Dnae Rose[3]; 7. 9M-Marlene Lannet[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 86J-Jake Smith[3]; 2. 83-Tyler Wahlstrom[2]; 3. 88-Robert Wahlstrom[4]; 4. 1-Carsyn Olson[1]; 5. 16-Rob Grabon[5]; 6. 3D-Sean Duffy[6]
20 entries
USRA Late Models
A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 20S-Cooper Sundby[6]; 2. 19-Josh Wahlstrom[3]; 3. 428-Taylor Mars[7]; 4. 44-Cade Nelson[5]; 5. LXV-Lucas Peterson[9]; 6. 52-Jason McFadden[8]; 7. 14-Steven O'Brien Jr[10]; 8. 77-Ryan Howe[11]; 9. 42K-Patrick Kletschka[16]; 10. 90-Hoyt Cournoyer[4]; 11. 73-Larry Fitzsimmons[12]; 12. 99F-Mitchell Fenske[2]; 13. 55-Clayton Hofteig[1]; 14. 3-Tyler Stargardt[14]; 15. 62-Todd Green[19]; 16. 11-Reginald Felzkowski[17]; 17. (DNF) 26D-Chad Dawson[15]; 18. (DNF) 63-Patrick Kelley[13]; 19. (DNF) 511JR-Maison Poston[20]; 20. (DNF) 17J-Jared Bamberger[18]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 90-Hoyt Cournoyer[1]; 2. 99F-Mitchell Fenske[2]; 3. 55-Clayton Hofteig[5]; 4. 14-Steven O'Brien Jr[4]; 5. 63-Patrick Kelley[6]; 6. 42K-Patrick Kletschka[7]; 7. 17J-Jared Bamberger[3]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 20S-Cooper Sundby[1]; 2. LXV-Lucas Peterson[2]; 3. 44-Cade Nelson[3]; 4. 77-Ryan Howe[4]; 5. 3-Tyler Stargardt[6]; 6. 11-Reginald Felzkowski[5]; 7. (DNF) 511JR-Maison Poston[7]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 19-Josh Wahlstrom[1]; 2. 52-Jason McFadden[2]; 3. 428-Taylor Mars[3]; 4. 73-Larry Fitzsimmons[6]; 5. 26D-Chad Dawson[4]; 6. (DNF) 62-Todd Green[5]
Article Credit: Ed Reichert
