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Menard, 31, is the new track king.
Menard, who made no secret from the start of the season that he was at the West Salem short track to win a championship, did just that before a crowd estimated at 2,500. Menard, in a poised but purposeful manner, was able to steer clear of two crashes, then pass his teammate, Andy Burgess, to claim his fifth Kwik Trip Late Model feature victory of the season.
Menard's win, combined with a third-place finish by Steve Holzhausen, clinched the track championship for the Eau Claire, Wis., man with one week remaining in the regular season. Menard rolled into Victory Lane, then climbed out through his driver's door window and onto the roof of his No. 17 car. He thrust both arms skyward in Brett Favre touchdown fashion, knowing the chase was finally over.
"I usually don't get this nervous, but my guts were rolling before the race. There is so much hard work by everybody that has gone into this thing. Countless hours," Menard said as he was congratulated by a number of drivers, including eight-time track champion Kevin Nuttleman. "This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me. Winning a track championship at La Crosse, you can hang your hat on that for the rest of your life."
Menard, who entered the night with a 58-point lead over Holzhausen, earned 50 points for winning the feature race. Holzhausen earned 44 points for finishing third, and that margin right there was enough to clinch the title. Menard holds a 62-point lead, and only 56 points are available next week. Menard had succeeded Holzhausen as Fairgrounds Speedway track king.
"I love my brother and Steve Holzhausen, but I am really proud of Charlie Menard for winning a championship," said Toby Nuttleman, Menard's crew chief. "This year was much more than just a job. We've become good friends, too. In a word, Charlie's gotten to be what I call tenacious. He's found a way to get better and work his way through the field. That's what the good guys will do."
Holzhausen didn't go down without a fight. He was fighting a two-against-one war, however, as Burgess held the lead from laps 11 through 15, then settled into second place when Menard dived to the low groove and took the lead on Lap 16. With teammates Menard and Burgess running one-two, Holzhausen — who has three feature wins of his own this season — could only follow the Menards Team cars for the final 10 laps.
Holzhausen finished third, while Paul Proksch — in his first run in a Barry Wehrs Race Team car — came from 25th place to finish fourth. Rookie Sam Andersen rounded out the top five.
"It is a relief. It is so hard to win here," Menard said. "I had to go buy a GameBoy before the races I was so nervous. I was playing Donkey Kong in the truck before the race to take my mind off it."
Now, the Kong is King.
SPORTSMAN: Larry Bolster, Jr., won the Ray Hutson Chevrolet Sportsman Division feature race, while Jes Tenner and Jordan Hess were second and third.
