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Winning. Having fun. Quick-wit.
And both were able to share some of each Friday night as they sat on the pit wall after the inaugural running of the Oktoberfest “Dick Trickle 99” at the La Crosse Faigrounds Speedway. The race, a unique setup that consisted of three separate 33-lap segments, used a point system similar to golf, or cross country.
In other words, the lowest score won.
The winner of each segment of the Dick Trickle 99 received one point, second place got two points, third place was worth three points, etc. When it was all said and done, the official score was this: Holzhausen, by virtue of his second, fifth and second-place segment finishes, had nine points. But hold on. Dan Fredrickson of Elko, Minn., also wound up with nine points. Fredrickson was first, fourth and fourth in the three segments.
So what gives? Or, more appropriately, what gives in a tie?
The answer is this: Holzhausen recorded a higher finish (second) in the third segment than Fredrickson (fourth), therefore won the tiebreaker. And, just for good measure, he also received a block of wood that represented a block of cheese, that was signed by none other than Trickle himself.
“We always seem to have a good car at the Fest,” said Holzhausen. “I got to thank Pete Kemp for letting me drive a great car. It means a lot to win this. I raced a lot with Dick. I partied a lot with Dick. Going back, I probably raced a good 10 years with him.”
And now, Holzhausen will go down in Oktoberfest Race Weekend history as the driver who won the first Dick Trickle 99. That couldn’t please Trickle more.
“I think it’s good race. I think the fans thoroughly enjoyed and I think the drivers enjoyed it,” said Trickle, who wound up in a minor accident in the first segment and never really had a competitive car after that. “I was kind of glad a local guy won it. I think it’s kind of neat to have that happen.”
Fredrickson wasn’t quite sure how the tiebreaker worked, but he was happy with the way his car performed in the three segments.
“It was fun to me. We got the first one, but were not really good in the second one (segment),” Fredrickson said. “Steve and I were so much better than everyone else in the first one, I didn’t want to overadjust (the car’s setup). I figured he would win and I would get second in the last one (segment). I won one race and he didn’t win any… that’s cool.”
Steve Carlson, the Whelen All-American Series short-track national champion, won the third segment. Overall, Carlson was third, 11th and first, leaving him third in the overall standings with 15 points. Blake Horstman of Rockland was fourth with 19 points.
“Steve Holzhausen, he’s got a rocket ship,” Carlson said of Holzhausen’s car. “I was really hoping we would get one win tonight, and we did. I think it’s (concept) is really cool.”
The race kept fans guessing as to whom was leading in the points, who had to do what in each segment, and who would be the final winner. Fredrickson won the first segment, then Kevin Nuttleman won the second, then Carlson the third. If you weren’t paying close attention, however, you really didn’t know who the overall winner would be.
That’s exactly what John McKarns, who borrowed the idea of a three-segment race from Tom Curley, promoter of Thunder Road Speedway in Barre, Vt., wanted to have happen.
“I think it was pretty successful for the first time,” McKarns said. “We might make a few changes next year, but it will be back.”
Trickle, who will likely have to undergo hip replacement surgery in the near future, said he would like to be back, too.
“I have no idea what management wants to do. If they want me back, I’d like to be back,” said Trickle, who finished 18th in the event. “If I can do it (race) on a bad hip, I can certainly do it on a good one.”
Few would argue that.
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
