Chateau Speedway Hall of Fame announces Class of Inductees for 2025

Chateau Speedway Hall of Fame announces Class of Inductees for 2025
This May six more names will be added to the Chateau Speedway Hall of Fame. The Track, established in Lansing in 1956 will be celebrating its 69th Anniversary Season. This year’s class features a group that ran over the course of 62 of those years. The 2025 class will be the fifth group inducted in to The Tracks Hall of Fame which was established in 2019. This year’s group will grow the Hall of Fame roll call to 40 members. The Hall of Fame Induction Night will be Friday Night May 23rd at The Track during Intermission of that night’s program.
The earliest tenured driver going in to the HOF this year started racing at Lansing during The Tracks Third Season in 1958. Joe Wurst, part of a long line of Drivers out of Blooming Prairie shows up in the racing results up until 1980 spanning 23 seasons. Joe never claimed one of the Track Championships but was always around the top and was always there. At least Four times he finished in the top five in points. His best year was 1968 when he finished 2nd in the Modified Division. He had a pair of 4th place finishes in 1962 and 1964, and a 5th place finish in 1963. He also raced in the Late Model class for several years in the 70’s before getting his final win (a Heat race) in a Hobby Stock in 1980.
The most decorated of this years class is Mike Blowers of Waseca who piled up 5 Track Championships in two divisions over his career. In his third Season of racing he was Senior Hornet Track Champion in 2009. He used that Championship Season as a springboard to move into the WISSOTA Street Stock Class in 2010. Blowers compiled 4 Track Championships in a 5 year period during his Street Stock days. He led the way for 3 years in a row, 2012, 2013, and 2014, than tacked on one more Championship in 2016.
Many different classes have run over the years at Chateau and one of them that came and went a few times was the Mini Sprints. They ran some specials in the 70’s and early 80’s, before becoming a regular class for a few years in the early 90’s. After disappearing again they returned in the early 2000’s. Ken Boeding of New Hampton Iowa put on a dominating run in 3 of those seasons. Ken amassed 22 Feature wins including 10 clean sweep nights where he won his heat and the feature in the same night during that three year period. With those wins he garnered Three Track Championships, 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Driving in 6 different classes over a 20 plus year run at Chateau Speedway Dave Tradup of Viola will have his name added to the Chateau Speedway Hall of Fame this year. Dave raced Street Stocks in the Mid 70’s when he started out before running in the Street/Hobby Class, WISSOTA Modified Class, Chateau Limited Late Models, and WISSOTA Super Stocks over the years. He went back and forth between a few of the classes over the years. However what a lot of Chateau Speedway Fans remembering him most for his 1994 Season and the “61 Chevy he ran that year in the WISSOTA Super Stock Class. He took 11 Feature wins that season at Lansing on his way to taking his lone Chateau Title and finishing 2nd in the National WISSOTA Super Stock Points Standings.
Much like Blooming Prairie, Mapleview has had a long connection with driver’s racings at Lansing. Ray McAlister had about a 20 year career bouncing back and forth between the Street Stocks – or Bombers as they were called for a few years and the Hobby Stocks. Ray’s first win came in a Street in 1972 with his final win in 1991. He chalked up one Track Championship taking top Honors in the Street Stock class in 1986. Ray is one of several drivers whose win total carries an *asterisk. Racing results are missing for portions of many seasons and that 1986 Season is one of them. Only partial results have been found covering 4 of the races from that season showing him with two of those feature wins. Many have said he had over a dozen that year as they remember him dominating that season in fact saying he won 10 or 12 weeks in a row at one stretch during that year. Either way we do know he was that year’s Street Stock Point Champion and that he is headed into the Hall of Fame.
The final spot in the Hall of Fame each year is reserved for an individual who did not necessarily make their contribution on The Track. Dubbed “The Legacy” Inductee the award has gone to a variety of individuals over the years. This year the committee chose to honor one of the many businesses who have sponsored The Track and its Drivers. In fact this particular sponsorship continues to this day with advertising in the program and when you come out to The Track you see their name on a billboard in the infield. This year’s “Legacy” Inductee is Trimbles Cycle Center and Dick Trimble. Trimbles involvement at Chateau started back in the 60’s with advertising and sponsoring of drivers most famously Hall of Fame Inductee Dave Bjorge.
Chateau Speedway Hall of Fame: (no class 2020 Covid, no class 2023 abbreviated season)
2019: “Original Class of 15”: Dave Bjorge, Ole Brua, Verlin Eaker, Mike Guttormson, Don Lowe, Don McAlister, Dave Noble, Greg Pfeifer, LeRoy Scharkey, John “Sonny” VanWilgen, Mert Williams, Gerhard Wollenburg, Don Wytaske, Original Owners/ Builders/ Promoters: Art Smith (Legacy), Howard Smith (Legacy)
2021: Rex Garr, Bryan Hernandez, Ron Kester, Wendell Kuehn, Mike Sorensen, Long Time Flagman: Ron Ross (Legacy)
2022: Louis “Bud” Lomholt, Larry Nelson, Todd Scharkey, Steve Sorensen, Dick Veldman, Mechanic: Maynard White (Legacy)
2024: Maynard “Smokey” Campbell, Jimmy Davis, Steve Eischens, Albert Wytaske, Mark Wytaske, Drivers –Matters Crossflags: Floyd and Carmen Matter (Legacy)
2025: Mike Blowers, Ken Boeding, Ray McAlister, Dave Tradup, Joe Wurst, Trimbles Cycle Center – Track and Driver Sponsor: Trimbles Cycle Center - Dick Trimble(Legacy)