From Tony Veneziano
BEAVER DAM, Wisc. (April 24, 2018) – The Wipperfurth Memorial Open Wheel Triple Crown, featuring three travelling series, will hit the track at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin on Sunday, April 29.
Headlining the three-division show will be the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints, who will be visiting the high-banked third-mile a total of four times this season. Also in action will be the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA) and the Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Series presented by AutoMeter. The event will mark the first time all three series have raced at the same track on the same night.
The IRA contested four races at Beaver Dam last year, with eight-time series champion Bill Balog picking up three wins. Balog won a total of 13 races in 2017 en route to the IRA championship. Carson Macedo, from California, also won with the series at Beaver Dam in 2017. Scotty Thiel, who was second in points last year, finished second to Balog in two of those races at Beaver Dam. The native of Sheboygan Wisc., won four times with the IRA last year and is a past winner with the series at Beaver Dam Raceway.
The Badger Midgets will be competing at Beaver Dam Raceway for the first time since 2010. Dating back to 1993, BMARA has contested a total of 56 races at the high-banked third-mile. Scott Hatton was the most recent winner with the series at Beaver Dam in 2010. A total of 21 drivers have visited victory lane at the track over the years. The Open Wheel Triple Crown will mark the first of two appearances by the Badger Midgets at Beaver Dam Raceway in 2018.
Last season, Robbie Ray earned the Badger Midget championship on the strength of 12 top-10 finishes in 13 races, including a pair of wins. A new champion will be crowned this season as Ray retired following the 2017 campaign. Hatton led the series with six wins last year on his way to a runner-up finish in points. Balog picked up a pair of Badger Midgets wins over the course of the 2017 season. Bryan Stanfill, Gage Walker and Zach Daum each picked up one Badger Midget win a piece in 2017.
The Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Series will be contesting its third season of competition in 2018. Jordan Mattson of Milwaukee is the defending series champion, after scoring a pair of wins last year, along with recorkding 16 top-10 finishes in 17 starts.
Doug Schenck was the winningest driver with the series in 2017, taking the checkered flag seven times en route to a runner-up finish in points. Tim Cox, who was third in points, won four races, while Allen Hafford and Derek Crane each picked up two wins. Cox won the season opener at Beaver Dam Raceway last year, while Ryan Zielski was victorious in the series return to the track in the fall.
Pit gates will open at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 for the Wipperfurth Memorial Open Wheel Triple Crown. Grandstand gates will open at 2:30 p.m., with qualifying at 3:30 p.m. and racing at 4:30 p.m.
For more information, visit http://www.wismotorsports.net.