By Bill Blumer Jr.
Despite some tenuous weather around mid-day, the Advanced Fastening Supply Badger Midget Auto Racing Association raced in front of another huge crowd at Angell Park Speedway on Sunday, June 28, for Fanaktive fire works night at the historic track.
It was here that hometown driver Eric Blumer scored his first-ever Badger Midget Series win. The victory came at the cost of one of his mentors, veteran Cody Weisensel.
PRELIMINARY ACTION
Luke Wackerlin started the night by earning Rod End Supply Fast Time honors with a run of 14.78, just .02 seconds faster than current point leader Brandon Waelti. Going into the event Waelti led Wackerlin by 90 points in the Badger standings.
Another first for a Sun Prairie driver came in Auto Meter Heat-One as Trey Weishoff driving his Fanaktive sponsored car claimed his first Badger heat win. With family in the stands and a Fanaktive contingent on the Seminary Springs Tavern Party Deck it was a particularly popular win. For the A-Main after starting in the sixth row, Weishoff backed this win up with a career-best fifth place run.
Hoosier Racing Tire Heat-Two saw Davis take a convincing win after an impressive run by Mike Unger for second over Waelti.
Mark Chisholm who’s had tough luck at Angell Park won Behling Racing Equipment Heat-Three. Unfortunately his bad luck creeped in again as he had to exit the Lyco A-Main early.
LYCO MANUFACTURING A-MAIN
RJ Corson and Jace Sparks led the field of 22 down for the Lyco Manufacturing 25 lap A-Main. It was Corson who would get the jump at the start over Sparks. Behind them Cody Weisensel and Waelti went side by side. On the next circuit Sparks took an exceptionally high groove down the straightaway to cross the line in first.
Sparks, in the Sober Racing entry, had a sizable lead while the other three were working over each other to see who would get second place. This also allowed Zach Boden to come into the picture from behind them.
The track conditions were excellent this night with a smooth surface and a lot of room to find the perfect groove for how a car was set up. It did not seem to be a night when the “huggy pole” was going to be favored. Rather a reasonable cushion about mid-track and a width down from there were the places to be.
Sparks was comfortable in first when on lap-5 a charging Waelti came to a halt on the track bringing out the yellow. He could not refire. Sparks, the reigning Midget Auto Racing Association (MARA) champ led the field down on the restart ahead of Weisensel, Corson, Boden and Blumer.
Sparks got the jump on Weisensel who is the longest tenured Badger driver without an A-Main win. Three laps later, just when it looked like the duo would be the class of the field another yellow came out, this time for Chisholm’s stalled car.
The restart order was going to be the same it appeared until they were on the back chute coming to the start when Sparks pulled off unexpectedly. The green flew without him and Weisensel in the No.5 Jones-Spray car pulled away from the Corson. Blumer got by Boden for third and Wackerlin was back in the picture. Eight laps in Blumer got by Corson on the outside of turn-two and then as Wackerlin was looking to advance also, Corson stalled in turn-three.
The new running order included Davis driving Mike Raymond’s Phantom Chassis car in fourth. Weisensel took the green again, but Blumer didn’t let him out of his sight this time. When Blumer was perfect he could get within three-lengths of Weisensel. When he bobbled he lost that distance.
With ten to go Weisensel was extending his lead while Wackerlin was now on Blumer’s tail. There was speculation, later confirmed with the driver, that he was “falling out of the seat,” he was getting tired.
With six laps left Weisensel started to maneuver around lapped traffic without issue. And then Wackerlin blew up as he was challenging Blumer. With a puff of smoke he came to a rest on the backstretch. The safety crew brought out a fire extinguisher but it was never deployed. The hook was needed to get Wackerlin’s car to the pits.
This set up a shootout that was likely to be for third through fifth because Weisensel looked so strong over Blumer and Blumer was stronger than those behind him. As it turned out, the yellow was just what Blumer needed. While they rolled around waiting for the green, Blumer pulled up next to Weisensel. Those who noticed probably thought, as Weisensel did, Blumer was trying to intimidate one of his elder. When Weisensel asked him about it later, Blumer knowing how long his third cousin has been trying to win a Badger A-Main, indicated he just wanted him to know that he was behind him and the pair could count on a clean race.
On the restart it was Weisensel, Blumer, Davis, Miles Doherty starting from the back of the field in a Wackerlin back up car and Boden. With more than twice the laps on the Angell Park surface than anyone else in the field Weisensel took off with Blumer in tow some three lengths behind.
With two laps left coming out of turn-two it looked like Blumer had a run on Weisensel. What he didn’t realize was Weisensel was low on fuel. When they got to turn-three Weisensel’s slowing caught Blumer by surprise and he nearly drove over Weisensel’s rear wheel. Disaster was averted as Blumer got on the binders hard. Blumer later thanked his crew for concentrating on his brakes during the week has he used all he had to avoid the crash.
Blumer was alone in turn-one on the last lap when Weisensel’s car sucked up the last of its methanol and he was at speed again. Blumer sailed to the win while Weisensel suffered a heartbreaking second place finish.
In Bank of Sun Prairie Victory Lane the crowd erupted when Blumer exited his Club LaMark No. 68. After a hug with his crew and from announcer Eric Huenefeld, an emotional Blumer thanked his grandfather Bill Blumer Sr. for his support along with his crew, family and former Badger Midget standout Bill Berg for his advice going into the A-Main, among others.
Afterward Weisensel confirmed he ran out of fuel and stated with a chuckle, “I guess I’ll wait another twenty years to try and get one.” In the tech line after the race Weisensel had Blumer autograph his second place banner.
NOTES
The Bob Tattersall Spankins Motorsports Hard Charger Award went to Miles Doherty who drove from twenty-first to fourth. Doherty’s regular mount had mechanical issues early in the program. After a week where the Wackerlin team had to borrow a car, they put Doherty in their back up. As the two are embattled in the top-five in Badger points, this was a particularly fine display of sportsmanship by the Wackerlin camp.
It was a big night for second generation driver Karter Stark. In his first effort racing a midget, driving the second car from the Kleven stable, Stark earned Spankins Motorsports Rookie of the Race honors and finished ninth, gaining eleven spots in the A-Main.
Wackerlin earned the Schoenfeld Headers Invert Draw.
CASM Hard Luck Award and Last Place Bonus in Loving Memory of Addison Dahlke went to Jake Goeglein.
The AFS Badger Midget Series would like to thank High Performance Lubricants and 1855 Saloon & Grill in Cottage Grove for their continued support.
UP NEXT
The AFS Badger Midget Series is off for the July 4th weekend. They will be back in action Sunday, July 12 at Angell Park Speedway for the popular Racers’ Reunion and Badger Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame race. Get your reservations in now (details in past BMARA stories) as the deadline for the luncheon is pending.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Lyco Manufacturing A – Feature (25 Laps): 1. 68-Eric Blumer[7]; 2. 5X-Cody Weisensel[3]; 3. 56-Mitchell Davis[10]; 4. 8D-Miles Doherty[21]; 5. 45-Trey Weishoff[11]; 6. 51-Zach Boden[4]; 7. 67U-Mike Unger[13]; 8. 7-Brian Peterson[14]; 9. 29K-Karter Stark[20]; 10. 40JR-Dave Collins Jr[15]; 11. 17-Nick Kilian[17]; 12. 59-Kyle Koch[18]; 13. 73W-Luke Wackerlin[6]; 14. 57-Matt Rechek[8]; 15. 2-Jake Dohner[9]; 16. 15C-RJ Corson[1]; 17. 31-Jace Sparks[2]; 18. 56X-Mark Chisholm[12]; 19. 3W-Brandon Waelti[5]; 20. 29-Harrison Kleven[16]; 21. (DNS) 8-Jake Goeglein
Auto Meter Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 45-Trey Weishoff[3]; 2. 57-Matt Rechek[4]; 3. 15C-RJ Corson[5]; 4. 51-Zach Boden[6]; 5. 40JR-Dave Collins Jr[1]; 6. 17-Nick Kilian[2]; 7. 8-Jake Goeglein[7]
Hoosier Tire Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 56-Mitchell Davis[4]; 2. 67U-Mike Unger[3]; 3. 3W-Brandon Waelti[7]; 4. 68-Eric Blumer[5]; 5. 31-Jace Sparks[6]; 6. 29-Harrison Kleven[2]; 7. 59-Kyle Koch[1]
Behling Racing Equipment Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 56X-Mark Chisholm[2]; 2. 5X-Cody Weisensel[5]; 3. 73W-Luke Wackerlin[6]; 4. 2-Jake Dohner[3]; 5. 7-Brian Peterson[1]; 6. 29K-Karter Stark[7]; 7. (DNS) 8D-Miles Doherty
Rod End Supply Fast Time Qualifying (25 Laps): 1. 73W-Luke Wackerlin, 14.780[4]; 2. 3W-Brandon Waelti, 14.800[16]; 3. 51-Zach Boden, 14.847[10]; 4. 5X-Cody Weisensel, 14.870[12]; 5. 31-Jace Sparks, 14.885[7]; 6. 15C-RJ Corson, 14.901[21]; 7. 8D-Miles Doherty, 14.956[18]; 8. 68-Eric Blumer, 15.013[11]; 9. 57-Matt Rechek, 15.025[9]; 10. 2-Jake Dohner, 15.060[6]; 11. 56-Mitchell Davis, 15.115[15]; 12. 45-Trey Weishoff, 15.116[13]; 13. 56X-Mark Chisholm, 15.123[20]; 14. 67U-Mike Unger, 15.367[14]; 15. 17-Nick Kilian, 15.402[19]; 16. 7-Brian Peterson, 15.483[8]; 17. 29-Harrison Kleven, 15.706[5]; 18. 40JR-Dave Collins Jr, 15.945[2]; 19. 29K-Karter Stark, 16.174[22]; 20. 59-Kyle Koch, 16.294[17]; 21. 8-Jake Goeglein, 16.379[1]; 22. (DNS) 73-Logan Wackerlin