By: Paul Reichert
June 20, 2025
The Upper Midwest Vintage Racing Series has made seven appearances at Tomah Sparta Speedway, and they always do an amazing job of putting on a great racing program for the race fans. It is a special treat for the race fans as they get taken back to the heyday of Wisconsin short track racing, while they get to relive some of the memories they have of racing back in 60s and 70s. Tonight’s race was to honor former competitor Greg Cottone, and the cars of the UMVRS once again did not disappoint. Jamie Dummer, behind the wheel of the vintage car formerly driven by Cottone, held off former Midwest Tour driver Nathan Haseleu to capture a very special and emotional win.
The Upper Midwest Vintage Racing Series has always put on a great show, and this year was no exception in the running of the Greg Cottone Memorial. Ryan Manthei shot by Landon Lockington to lead the first three laps of the race. Jamie Dummer stuck right behind Manthei before charging around him on the outside to move into the number one position on lap four. By the mid-race point of the feature, Dummer would have one of the best drivers in recent years coming after him. Former Midwest Tour champ, Oktoberfest champ and former NASCAR Truck Series driver Nathan Haseleu began to whittle away at Dummer’s advantage as the laps counted down. Haseleu tried to close the gap on Dummer over the final remaining laps, but only got as close as four car lengths to Dummer. Piloting the vintage car formerly driven by Greg Cottone, Dummer scored a very emotional win to honor the man that the UMVRS raced for on this night.
Andrew Borntreger made a daring three-wide move low to drive past both Abby Blasel and Dalton Lee for the lead at the start of the 30 lap Great North Legends feature. The rest of the field was struggling to find traction to make any moves forward to try and catch up to Borntreger. That included defending track champion Ayrton Brockhouse, who was working harder than usual to get through traffic after starting tenth. As the crossed flags were displayed, Brockhouse was only up to fourth but powered around both Blasel and Elliott Weiler to move into second with ten laps left to run. Try as he might, Brockhouse just could not make any sort of dent in Borntreger’s lead over those final ten circuits. Tonight was Borntreger’s night as he dominated the feature with a very impressive gate-to-wire performance.
In the first of two INEX Bandolero features, Ethan Jensen shot to the front of the pack but could not shake the challenges of first time visitor Hunter Graham. Graham stuck right with Jensen before diving low to capture the lead position on lap five. Adriana Hawes was having a very impressive showing as she got all the way up to second and was hoping to catch Graham. That was the good news, but the bad news was that she spun in turn four losing second with four laps remaining. Hawes would make an amazing recovery to get back to second with two laps to go, but that left very little to do anything with Graham. This young 11 year old ran a great race for his first time at Tomah Sparta Speedway as Graham captured his first career Bandolero feature win.
Jaxxston Jump surged past Blake Michael to lead the first lap of INEX Bandolero feature #2. Justice Doubrava hounded Jump before shooting around him to take charge of the race on lap two. Roman Crow spun in turn two on lap four, and Michael tried to avoid him but ended up hitting the outside wall. The good word came from the safety team that Michael was doing fine despite his night coming to an early end. Gage Kubicz drove past Doubrava to take command of the race on the fourth lap. While Kubicz was pulling away from the field, the fast cars of the Oldenhoff brothers and Bentley Thompson were coming for the front. Doubrava came to a stop on the front straight with five laps to run after suffering a mechanical issue. Two laps later Axel Oldenhoff and Christopher Flynn tangled in turn four to bring out the yellow. Oldenhoff was doing well despite the contact that brought his race to an end. On the restart Thompson powered past Ace Oldenhoff to take over second with two laps to go, then got a run down the back straight to surge past Kubicz coming to the white flag. Thompson left the field in his wake as he took his fourth checkered flag victory of 2025.
It was a family affair early on in the 20 lap Hornet feature as rookie Hunter Bush led the first lap before being overtaken by sibling and defending track champ Glen Bush, Jr. on lap two. Even though Bush, Jr. was able to open up his advantage, other very fast race cars were making their way through the field. Landon Peterson and fast qualifier Paul Finch were slicing and dicing their way through the field to catch up to Bush, Jr. Rookie Braxtyn Moore was also making forward progress through his competition and also became a factor for the win. Moore drove by both Finch and Peterson to move into second and began to apply pressure to Bush, Jr. for the lead. As they came to the line and four to go, Moore dove low on Bush, Jr. but there was contact between the two drivers. Both went for a spin in front of everybody, and Moore spun right into the path of Tristan Finnigan as they made hard contact. Fortunately both drivers were a-okay despite that hard hit. Finch assumed the race lead as the final four lap showdown began, and he was able to pull away from Peterson to capture his second feature win of the season.
In the Sixers feature, newcomer Austin Shirk drove around Christopher Neal to lead the first two laps. Ghage Moore followed right behind Shirk before shooting past him on the high lane to move into first on lap three. Curtis Hellickson bounced off the front straight wall and left some debris on the track to bring out the yellow on lap seven. Another caution period occurred a lap later when Shirk and Matt Moore got tangled up in turn four. Ghage would have to deal with sibling Alivia Moore on the restart, and Alivia wasted little time to zoom past Ghage to claim the lead down the back straight. While Alivia tried to open up a lead, soon she would have to deal with fast qualifier Dustin McCracken. McCracken threw everything but the kitchen sink at Moore as he looked for a way by her, but Moore began to pull away from McCracken over the last four laps to notch her second feature triumph this year.
Parker Thompson made a very slick move past both Taylor and Trinity Aasen to lead the early going of the High School Racing Association feature. Adria Day followed Thompson’s tire tracks to move into second on lap two, then took advantage of Thompson running wide in the turns to capture the lead on lap four. Noah Waughtal cut his way through traffic to move into second at the halfway point of the race and set his sights on Day. Waughtal slowly chipped away at Day’s lead as the laps counted down, and he was right on her bumper as the white flag flew. Waughtal tried to make one last lunge at the win, but Day held on to claim her first ever HSRA victory.
This week’s Chaos event was the 2nd Over the Line Wins race. The real race begins coming out of turn four to the checkered flag as you try to sike out your competitors to make them flinch first. This was more like a ‘make me move’ battle coming out of turn four. It felt like it was taking about a half hour for the drivers to go the final few hundred feet and settle the race. In the end James Gratz moved first and that allowed Monty Odegard to claim the victory.
We take a break from our Friday night racing battles for some good clean hard hitting fun during the first Wreckfest of the year on Sunday, June 22. We will be running some very unique races like the Relay Race, the Double Decker Race, the Ultimate Eliminator Race, the Red Rover Race and the Obstacle Course Race. You fans could even get in on the action with your car in the Burnout Contest. Gates open at 1 and the Wreckfest mayhem fires up at 2.
Call the track office at 952-994-1282, visit our website at tomahspartaspeedway.com and be sure to like the track’s Facebook page for more information about Tomah Sparta Speedway and the 2025 schedule of events.
RESULTS
Upper Midwest Vintage Racing Series
Feature (20 laps): 1. Jamie Dummer, 2. Nathan Haseleu, 3. Dan Linnehan, 4. Ryan Manthei, 5. Eric Melchior, 6. Tracy Prissel, 7. Mike Breckenridge, 8. Landon Lockington
Heat #1 (10 laps): 1. Nathan Haseleu, 2. Dan Linnehan, 3. Ryan Manthei, 4. Jamie Dummer, 5. Eric Melchior, 6. Landon Lockington, 7. Tracy Prissel, 8. Mike Breckenridge
Great North Legends
Feature (30 laps): 1. Andrew Borntreger, 2. Ayrton Brockhouse, 3. Elliott Weiler, 4. Robby Carter, 5. Abby Blasel, 6. Cael Slater, 7. Riley Goodwin, 8. Art Hahn, 9. Rose Borntreger, 10. Dalton Lee, 11. Marianna Kubicz, 12. Devon Lee, 13. Kooper Heintz, 14. James Berndsen, 15. Peyton Kubicz, 16. Russ Weiler
Heat #1 (10 laps): 1. Russ Weiler, 2. Kooper Heintz, 3. James Berndsen, 4. Marianna Kubicz, 5. Mark Wellman, 6. Peyton Kubicz
Heat #2 (10 laps); 1. Andrew Borntreger, 2. Abby Blasel, 3. Rose Borntreger, 4. Riley Goodwin, 5. Matt Trautsch, 6. Dalton Lee
Heat #3 (10 laps): 1. Ayrton Brockhouse, 2. Elliott Weiler, 3. Cael Slater, 4. Art Hahn, 5. Robby Carter, 6. Devon Lee
Qualifying: 1, Ayrton Brockhouse 15.800, 2. Devon Lee 15.888, 3. Cael Slater 15.959, 4. Robby Carter 15.966, 5. Elliott Weiler 15.985, 6. Art Hahn 16.081, 7. Andrew Borntreger 16.096, 8. Matt Trautsch 16.131, 9. Abby Blasel 16.135, 10. Dalton Lee 16.152, 11. Riley Goodwin 16.199, 12. Rose Borntreger 16.327, 13. Kooper Heintz 16.368, 14. Marianna Kubicz 16.428, 15. Mark Wellman 16.535, 16. Russ Weiler 16.579, 17. James Berndsen 16.588, 18. Peyton Kubicz 17.691
Born Construction INEX Bandoleros
Feature #1 (15 laps): 1. Hunter Graham, 2. Adriana Hawes, 3. Ethan Jensen, 4. Theo Crow, 5. Brody Thompson, 6. Caleb Hawes, 7. Andrew Brelje, 8. Payton Brockmiller
Feature #2 (15 laps): 1. Bentley Thompson, 2. Ace Oldenhoff, 3. Gage Kubicz, 4. Roman Crow, 5. Christopher Flynn, 6. Wesley Baumeister, 7. Jaxxston Jump, 8. Axel Oldenhoff, 9. Justice Doubrava, 10. Blake Michael
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. Adriana Hawes, 2. Brody Thompson, 3. Payton Brockmiller, 4. Theo Crow, 5. Caleb Hawes, 6. Andrew Brelje
Heat #2 (8 laps); 1. Wesley Baumeister, 2. Jaxxston Jump, 3. Justice Doubrava, 4. Blake Michael, 5. Ethan Jensen, 6. Hunter Graham
Heat #3 (8 laps): 1. Axel Oldenhoff, 2. Ace Oldenhoff, 3. Christopher Flynn, 4. Roman Crow, 5. Gage Kubicz, 6. Bentley Thompson
Qualifying: 1, Ace Oldenhoff 17.273, 2. Bentley Thompson 17.336, 3. Christopher Flynn 17.421, 4. Gage Kubicz 17.433, 5. Axel Oldenhoff 17.526, 6. Roman Crow 17.535, 7. Wesley Baumeister 17.675, 8. Justice Doubrava 17.872, 9. Blake Michael 17.915, 10. Jaxxston Jump 17.965, 11. Ethan Jensen 18.123, 12. Hunter Graham 18.413, 13. Adriana Hawes 18.469, 14. Caleb Hawes 18.775, 15. Payton Brockmiller 19.083, 16. Brody Thompson 19.572, 17. Andrew Brelje 19.799, 18. Theo Crow 20.043
Hornets
Feature (20 laps): 1. Paul Finch, 2. Landon Peterson, 3. Joshua Schwartz, 4. Ashtin Quinnell, 5. Hunter Bush, 6. Caleb Uksas, 7.Doyle Cavender, Jr., 8. Braxtyn Moore, 9. Tristan Finnigan, 10. Austin Leis, 11. Glen Bush, Jr. (DQ)
Heat #1 (10 laps): 1. Glen Bush, Jr., 2. Joshua Schwartz, 3. Hunter Bush, 4. Caleb Uksas, 5. Doyle Cavender, Jr., 6. Austin Leis
Heat #2 (10 laps); 1. Tristan Finnigan, 2. Paul Finch, 3. Braxtyn Moore, 4. Landon Peterson, 5. Ashtin Quinnell
Qualifying: 1, Paul Finch 17.479, 2. Tristan Finnigan 17.516, 3. Braxtyn Moore 17.646, 4. Landon Peterson 17.710, 5. Ashtin Quinnell 17.772, 6. Glen Bush, Jr. 17.772, 7. Joshua Schwartz 17.798, 8. Hunter Bush 18.511, 9. Doyle Cavender, Jr. 20.233, 10. Austin Leis 22.944
Sixers
Feature (15 laps): 1. Alivia Moore, 2. Dustin McCracken, 3. Dan Frye, 4. Ghage Moore, 5. Landin Frye, 6. Matt Moore, 7. Christopher Neal, 8. Dawsynn Richmond, 9. Izayah Hughes, 10. Austin Shirk, 11. Curtis Hellickson
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. Christopher Neal, 2. Ghage Moore, 3. Dawsynn Richmond, 4. Izayah Hughes, 5. Austin Shirk, 6. Landin Fyre
Heat #2 (8 laps); 1. Alivia Moore, 2. Dan Frye, 3. Matt Moore, 4. Dustin McCracken, 5. Curtis Hellickson
Qualifying: 1, Dustin McCracken 18.046, 2. Matt Moore 18.217, 3. Dan Frye 18.287, 3. Curtis Hellickson 18.313, 5. Alivia Moore 18.344, 6. Landin Frye 18.575, 7. Ghage Moore 18.598, 8. Dawsynn Richmond 18.747, 9. Austin Shirk 18.755, 10. Christopher Neal 18.898, 11. Izayah Hughes 21.375
Finish Line Towing High School Racing Association
Feature #1 (15 laps): 1. Adria Day, 2. Noah Waughtal, 3. James Gratz, 4. Monty Odegard, 5. Caleb Arneson, 6. Trinity Aasen, 7. Parker Thompson, 8. Jeremiah Neal, 9. Taylor Aasen, 10. Zachary Neal, 11. Eric Gratz, 12. Xander Weeks
Last Chance Race (12 laps/Top 2 advance): 1. Izaak Odegard, 2. Xander Weeks, 3. Tymeka Eisbrener, 4. Jeremiah Neal, 5. LIlly Estenson
Heat #1 (8 laps): 1. Lilly Estenson, 2. Jeremiah Neal, 3. Tymeka Eisberner, 4. Xander Weeks
Heat #2 (8 laps): 1. Caleb Arneson, 2. Trinity Aasen, 3. Parker Thompson, 4. Taylor Aasen, 5. Eric Gratz
Heat #3 (8 laps): 1. Noah Waughtal, 2. Adria Day, 3. James Gratz, 4. Monty Odegard, 5. Zachary Neal
Qualifying: 1. James Gratz 18.088, 2. Monty Odegard 18.301, 3. Zachary Neal 18.343, 4. Adria Day 18.348, 5. Noah Waughtal 18.453, 6. Caleb Arneson 18.666, 7. Parker Thompson 19.111, 8. Eric Gratz 19.211, 9. Trinity Aasen 19.216, 10. Taylor Aasen 19.297, 11. Izaak Odegard 19.313, 12. Jeremiah Neal 19.3878, 13. Lilly Estenson 19.528, 14. Xander Weeks 19.628, 15. Tymeka Eisberner 19.693
Novelty
2nd Over the Line Wins (6 laps): 1. Monty Odegard, 2. Christopher Neal, 3. James Gratz