Fans may be seeing double at Oktoberfest as past Oktoberfest champion and Dick Trickle “99” winner Dan Fredrickson is not only preparing a car for himself, but also for his 14-year-old son Ty, who is already turning heads at the different Midwest tracks he has already competed at this season. One of those tracks includes La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway where he started in the back and finished sixth in a Kwik Trip Late Model feature.
“I think he has surprised everybody,” Fredrickson said when asked if his son surprised him with his great start. “I have to tell you, we took him to Elko when he was 12 and like his fourth or fifth lap would have been the fastest in practice and possible ninth or 10th in qualifying. Right away, we were like holy smokes. We didn’t race a full size car at 12 or 13 because we wanted him to have a little more maturity and make sure we can do this without knocking fenders off when we did start.”
“In the few races, we have raced, he has passed over 100 cars in green flag conditions, not freebies you know, and I like that,” Fredrickson exclaimed. “Racing in Wisconsin is so good for development of a young driver because of the huge inverts and the quality of racing. I’m happy with that because its not a stats padding situation. You could finish fifth in Wisconsin and have a huge day because you passed 15 cars after qualifying second or third. You don’t learn racing by setting fast time and starting on the pole, what do you learn? You don’t learn racing, race craft or passing.”
Minnesota Vs. Texas for ASAMT Rookie of the Year
Bryan Syer-Keske comes into Fest with a small lead over Barrett Polhemus for the Rookie of the Year title in the ASA Midwest Tour.
Syer-Keske, from Lakeville, MN, comes to Fest with confidence after winning last year’s Futures race on Thursday night. He also had a strong run leading 40 laps at the Hawkeye 100 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, a track almost similar to La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway.
Polhemus, from Wimberley, TX, is only 35 points behind Syer-Keske in the standings coming into Fest. The young pilot has been tutored by past Fest and ARCAMT champion Casey Johnson during the 2022 season. He has five top-ten finishes in 10 starts this season.
Food Glorious Food!
The one thing you will not hear at the 54th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend is that someone is hungry. There will be a wide variety of food available throughout the four days of racing throughout the Fest grounds. Along with the variety available at the various La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, you can find these food vendors: El Rey De Los Tacos, Corbins Chill and Grill, Mama Lisa’s Pizza, Donut Family, Costas Gyro, and Monkey Business.
Oh yes…don’t forget to get a famous pork chop sandwich and a Queen’s Apple, both are a Fest staple!
They are Coming From All Over
Fest officials have announced that they have received entries from the State of Washington and North Carolina.
Doni Wanat plans to make the 1,778-mile drive from Woodinville, WA to the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway to compete in his first Oktoberfest. Last year, Wanat won the Fall Classic 125 at Tri-City Raceway in Spokane, WA. He is also the 2018 NASCAR Washington State Championship along with the 2018 Budweiser “Bud Crown” championship.
Cameron Clifford is returning to the Midwest to compete at Fest. The Charlotte, North Carolina driver has made two previous attempts to compete in the ASA Midwest Tour’s Gandrud Auto Group 250 at Wisconsin International Raceway. He has also teamed up with Kris Kelly to run in the TUNDRA Series and at Norway Speedway where he won Rookie of the Year honors.
Visit oktoberfestraceweekend.com for the latest news, schedule, lodging, history and more! Come and see why everyone says, “Fest is Best!”
