From Bill Blumer Jr.
(January 3, 2024) — The Badger Midget Auto Racing Association has announced its 2024 schedule, marking its 89th season of operation. This year, Advanced Fastening Systems will again be the title sponsor for the series.
The AFS Badger Midget Series is set to visit seven different tracks, with seven doubleheader weekends, making for another interesting campaign. Here is a snapshot of what’s to come.
April 20th marks the season opener as Badger visits Beaver Dam Raceway for the first time in three years. The high-banked, third-mile track offers drivers a chance to go three-wide throughout the race. Badger will return in June as part of a Saturday/Sunday doubleheader with Angell Park Speedway.
Badger makes a return trip to the Chicagoland area on May 10, marking their first twin bill. It starts at the quarter mile of Kankakee County Speedway. In 2023, 37 cars signed into the pits in the first-ever visit to the facility.
The next night, Badger makes their first of five appearances at Sycamore Speedway. Popular among fans and drivers alike, only one track hosts more BMARA events than Sycamore.
The tradition continues, on May 19, for Badger and Angell Park Speedway at the famed Sun Prairie, WI speed plant. The first of eleven dates here, the sanctioning body and track are cornerstones for each other’s programs.
Of the association, APS promoter Gregg McKarns noted, “I went as a race fan to both the BC39 at Indianapolis and the Turkey Night Grand Prix in Ventura. Hearing and seeing the respect fans and drivers alike have for Badger and Angell Park throughout the nation is something we all should be proud of and keep building upon.”
Badger makes a special appearance at the Plymouth Dirt Track on June 22. A fairground track if there ever was one, is known for their close racing and great concessions. According to Bill Weinaug of PDT, “We are extremely happy to have the Badger Midgets back at Plymouth in 2024! They always put on a fast and exciting show.”
Sparks will fly on June 29th and 30th as Beaver Dam and Angell Park host back-to-back Badger tilts. The Sun Prairie date will feature one of the best fireworks shows in the area.
Next, as BMARA President Quinn McCabe puts it, teams will, “Pump the brakes to regroup and prepare for the run to Labor Day,” as Badger will only run three races in July.
That run begins in a big way as teams make the haul to Menomonie, Wisconsin’s, Thunder Hill Speedway on July 13th. Billed as just a sixth of a mile track, don’t let the size fool you. It’s wide enough to easily run side by side and once the leaders catch lapped traffic, the action will resemble goldfish in a blender.
Wilmot Raceway will play host to Badger in a show billed as, “The Open Wheel Special,” on August 24. This will be the only chance for fans to witness the AFS Badger Midget Series at this popular southeastern Wisconsin track.
The following weekend Badger’s back at Sycamore and then it’s on to the Labor Day holiday and Angell Park Speedway’s Firemen’s Nationals. The two-day show is a must for any midget fan and is the perfect way to wind down the season.
The 2024 campaign is just around the corner, please check www.bmara.com or “BMARA Racing,” on Facebook, for more stories and official updates in the coming weeks.
2024 Badger Midget Auto Racing Association Schedule
April
20 Beaver Dam Raceway Beaver Dam, WI
27 Beaver Dam Raceway (Rain Date) Beaver Dam, WI
May
10 Kankakee County Speedway Kankakee, IL
11 Sycamore Speedway Sycamore, IL
19 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
June
2 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
8 Sycamore Speedway Sycamore, IL
9 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
22 Plymouth Dirt Track Plymouth, WI
23 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
29 Beaver Dam Raceway Beaver Dam, WI
30 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
July
13 Thunder Hill Speedway Menomonie, WI
14 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
28 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
August
3 Sycamore Speedway Sycamore, IL
11 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
17 Sycamore Speedway Sycamore, IL
18 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
24 Wilmot Raceway Wilmot, WI
31 Sycamore Speedway Sycamore, IL
September
1 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
2 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie, WI
20 TBA