Wisconsin Dells WI-Mike Lichtfeld authored a masterclass in championship pressure on O'Reilly Auto Parts Championship Night at Dells Raceway Park, sweeping the action to secure his fifth consecutive Gandrud Performance Parts NASCAR Late Model Track Championship in dramatic fashion.
Entering the season finale trailing by 10 points to four-time champion Nick Nolden, Lichtfeld immediately set to work erasing the deficit. Nolden fired the opening salvo by capturing Quick Qualifying honors with a blistering lap of 14.207 seconds, while Lichtfeld timed in third. Lichtfeld quickly responded in the Diamond Racing Wheels Fast Dash, slicing through the field to take the checkered flag and trim Nolden’s championship lead to just six points heading into the 50-lap feature.
When the green flag dropped on the main event, Dallas Kibbe jumped out to the early lead before Rose Borntreger wrestled the top spot away in the opening laps. As a fierce multi-car battle raged at the front, both championship contenders methodically carved their way through traffic, locking into the top five. On lap 35, Lichtfeld made his championship-winning move, powering past Andrew Borntreger for the lead. Lichtfeld never looked back, pulling away over the final circuits to secure the feature victory and cap off a flawless night.Andrew Borntreger crossed the stripe in second, while Nolden brought his machine home in third—a valiant effort that left him agonizingly close, just three points shy of capturing what would have been his seventh DRP crown. Jesse Bernhagen and Rose Borntreger rounded out the top five.
Earlier in the evening, Rose Borntreger picked up the heat race win, while Riley Smith capped off a stellar campaign by earning the Ziegler Crane Late Model Rookie of the Year honors.
Final 2026 Late Model Track Championship Standings
- Mike Lichtfeld (Champion - 5th consecutive)
- Nick Nolden
- Andrew Borntreger
- Jesse Bernhagen
- Rose Borntreger
2026 Ziegler Crane UMA Late Model Rookie of the YearRiley Smith
Media Results for 8/29/2026 at Dells Raceway Park - Wisconsin Dells, WINASCAR Regional Gandrud Performance Late ModelsA Feature 50 Laps | O'Reilly Auto Parts
- 44L-Mike Lichtfeld[7]; 2. 15A-Andrew Borntreger[6]; 3. 67N-Nick Nolden[9]; 4. 28J-Jesse Bernhagen[8]; 5. 51B-Rose Borntreger[4]; 6. 52H-Cole Howard[11]; 7. 5M-Jeremy Miller[10]; 8. 12L-Scott Luck[5]; 9. 3M-Max Larson[13]; 10. 32L-Steve Lichtfeld[2]; 11. 13K-Dallas Kibbe[1]; 12. 7W-Brett Wachowiacz[12]; 13. 35S-Garrett Scott[14]; 14. 3S-Riley Smith[3]; 15. 2T-Dave Trute[15]; 16. 97W-Chris Weber[16]
Dash 6 Laps | Diamond Racing Wheels
- 44L-Mike Lichtfeld[4]; 2. 5M-Jeremy Miller[2]; 3. 15A-Andrew Borntreger[3]; 4. 67N-Nick Nolden[6]; 5. 12L-Scott Luck[1]; 6. 28J-Jesse Bernhagen[5]
Heat 1 8 Laps | Gandrud Performance Parts
- 51B-Rose Borntreger[1]; 2. 32L-Steve Lichtfeld[3]; 3. 52H-Cole Howard[5]; 4. 3S-Riley Smith[2]; 5. 13K-Dallas Kibbe[4]; 6. 7W-Brett Wachowiacz[6]; 7. 3M-Max Larson[7]; 8. 35S-Garrett Scott[8]; 9. (DNS) 2T-Dave Trute; 10. (DNS) 97W-Chris Weber
Qualifying 3 Laps | Gandrud Performance Parts
- 67N-Nick Nolden, 14.207[3]; 2. 28J-Jesse Bernhagen, 14.253[13]; 3. 44L-Mike Lichtfeld, 14.257[16]; 4. 15A-Andrew Borntreger, 14.295[12]; 5. 5M-Jeremy Miller, 14.333[8]; 6. 12L-Scott Luck, 14.425[10]; 7. 51B-Rose Borntreger, 14.439[1]; 8. 3S-Riley Smith, 14.489[7]; 9. 32L-Steve Lichtfeld, 14.511[14]; 10. 13K-Dallas Kibbe, 14.530[11]; 11. 52H-Cole Howard, 14.565[2]; 12. 7W-Brett Wachowiacz, 14.661[9]; 13. 3M-Max Larson, 14.707[6]; 14. 2T-Dave Trute, 14.856[5]; 15. 97W-Chris Weber, 14.906[4]; 16. 35S-Garrett Scott, 15.054[15]