For the first time, we will have two NASCAR celebrities involved in the evening’s events.

Bark River’s Greg Ives, who is still actively working with the team of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Justin Allgaier, has confirmed that he will be there for this special holiday weekend event. He’ll be bringing his son Parker who is one of the top go-kart drivers in the South.

Also attending again will be NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Johnny Sauter. He is coming off a good run in the American Speed Association Midwest Tour, where he got to participate with his son Penn for first time.

Sauter will be driving a car provided by Coleman Racing Products. The June 21 ASA Midwest Tour race at Norway Speedway drew 25 late models and any number of participants in that race could end up racing in this year’s Stateline Challenge.

Bark River native and NASCAR crew chief Greg Ives will be on hand for Saturday’s Stateline Challenge at Norway Speedway. (NASCAR photo)

The Speedway is expecting some surprises.

Headliners so far besides Sauter include 2024 winner Andy Monday, who is enjoying one of his best seasons in his young career. Also coming to Norway are two-time Marshfield Speedway champion Darren Jackson from Wisconsin Rapids, Tim Baumann, WIR champion TJ Spierowski, Midwest Truck Series driver Parker Cain, former track champion Dan Lindsley and Norway’s Adam Faull.

Also look for Norway Speedway’s weekly warriors, including point leader Joey Pontbriand. He had an amazing run in the ASA Midwest Tour race and looks to be ready to win his first Stateline Challenge. Scott Stanchina, 2023 track champion, has his car repaired after a bad crash in the tour race and led several laps last year at the Stateline.

Hall of Famer Bruce White is the only driver to compete in every single one of the Stateline Challenges and he will be lining up. Other weeklies include Kingsford’s Cory Cootware, Escanaba’s Joey Stankowicz, Parker Summerfield, Mike Lantagne, Abi Yelle and many more.

One big change this year will be an autograph session that involves all drivers that qualify for the Stateline Challenge along with Greg Ives, Johnny Sauter and Parker Ives.

Eli Whittkopf, defending track champion in the Whelen Fab 4 division, won his first feature event of the 2025 season at Norway Speedway on Friday. (Lia Olson photo)

Time trials start at 5:45 pm and racing starts at 7 pm. Go to the Facebook page for driver updates. Camping is available. For information, please contact 906-361-0597.

Cootware and Nooyen get their firsts

Friday was Veteran’s Night and also Norway Speedway Hall of Fame night brought to you by Sayklly’s Candies of Escanaba.

The Norway Speedway Hall of Fame is located at the Thirty Whale Bar in Norway and its four new members include Escanaba’s Mark Jenshak Sr. and Spread Eagle’s Ryan Windell. Both drivers represented the best in Auto Value Super Stock racing.

Also inducted were Coca-Cola Late Model drivers Mike Reichenberger of Neenah, Wis., and Steve DeBakker of Norway. Reichenberger won three track championships at Norway Speedway and was a regular competitor for many years.

The late DeBakker won a championship in 1994 and had raced at Norway Speedway for almost 30 years. Stevie’s race car was parked outside the Legends Row Speedway Gift shop for all the fans to see. The ceremony was emceed by John Koehler and the families of all the drivers were in attendance.

In the Coca-Cola Late Model division the fast qualifier was Pontbriand at 14.589 and in the Auto Value Super Stock division it was Ryan Wender at 15.904. The Speedway used the twin feature format for the first time in a couple of years.

Cootware started toward the rear of the field, made his way up to the front and held on for his first feature win of the summer. Finishing second was defending track champion Pontbriand; third was Stanchina who worked diligently on his car all week after a hard crash in the ASA race.

Rounding out the top five were Stankowicz and Florence’s Devon Wilcox, who recorded his first top five after a great run.

In the second feature, Pontbriand came from the rear of the field and passed Cootware with seven laps to go and held on for the win. Cootware, meanwhile, had another great run holding onto second. Third was Stankowicz; fourth was Stanchina, and fifth was White of Spread Eagle, Wis.

Marquette High School graduate Yelle had her best finish with an impressive sixth place on her grandpa Allan Yelle’s memorial night.

In the Auto Value Super Stock division Hermansville’s Dean Bellmore swept both feature events in an impressive manner holding off hard charging rookie Andy Secrist and current track champion Wender. Fourth was rookie Zach Hanson and fifth was Izayah Reed. The second feature went to Bellmore, followed by Hanson, Secrist, Wender, and Payton Linder. It was Linder’s first night pulling double duty as the impressive young talent competed in her first late model event as well.

In the 141 Auto Sportsman division Green Bay’s Jeff Nooyen was a double winner, taking the fast heat and winning his first feature event. Second was Kingsford’s Jon Maenpaa; third, Menominee’s Travis Hulsizer; fourth, Baraga’s Dan De Kleyn, and fifth, BJ Schoneck of Marion, Wis. Fast qualifier was Nick Kroehler at 18.061.

In the Whelen Fab 4 division current track champion Eli Whittkopf took his first feature event of the season. He was followed by Trever Cronick, Cody Gunville, Andy Street and Ashlyn Van Den Heuvel. Fast qualifier was Cody Gunville at 17.773.

Summaries

Coca-Cola Late Models-Qualifying: Joey Pontbriand 14.589. Feature 1: 1st Cory Cootware, 2nd Joey Pontbriand, 3rd Scott Stanchina, 4th Joey Stankowicz, 5th Devon Wilcox, 6th Bruce White, 7th Abi Yelle, 8th Kaden Kostichka, 9th John Ostermann, and 10th Payton Linder. Feature 2: 1st Joey Pontbriand, 2nd Cory Cootware, 3rd Joey Stankowicz, 4th Scott Stanchina, 5th Bruce White, 6th Abi Yelle, 7th Kaden Kostichka, 8th John Ostermann, 9th Devon Wilcox, 10th Payton Linder.

Auto Value Super Stocks-Qualifying: Ryan Wender 15.904. Feature 1: 1st Dean Bellmore, 2nd Andy Secrist, 3rd Ryan Wender, 4th Zach Hanson, 5th Izayah Reed, 6th Payton Linder, 7th Anthony Schiefelbein, 8th Joe Ostermann, 9th Tom Neely, 10th Stewart Hornick. Feature 2: 1st Dean Bellmore, 2nd Zach Hanson, 3rd Andy Secrist, 4th Ryan Wender, 5th Payton Linder, 6th Joe Ostermann, 7th Anthony Schiefelbein, 8th Stewart Hornick, 9th Izayah Reed, 10th Tom Neely.

141 Auto Sportsman-Qualifying: Nick Kroehler 18.061. Heat 1: 1st Cole Neely, 2nd Paul Holton. Heat 2: 1st Jeff Nooyen, 2nd Travis Hulsizer. Feature: 1st Jeff Nooyen, 2nd Jon Maenpaa, 3rd Travis Hulsizer, 4th Dan De Kleyn, 5th BJ Schoneck, 6th Cole Neely, 7th Nick Kroehler, 8th Darren Peterson, 9th Todd Schmidt, 10th Troy LaFave, 11th Jordan Massicotte, 12th Emily Vincent, 13th Stewart Hornick, 14th Paul Holton, 15th Justin Larson.

Whelen Fab 4-Qualifying: Cody Gunville 17.773. Heat 1: 1st Trever Cronick, 2nd Cody Gunville. Feature: 1st Eli Whittkopf, 2nd Trever Cronick, 3rd Cody Gunville, 4th Andy Street, 5th Ashlyn Van Den Heuvel, 6th Chris Hallenbeck.