Angell Park All Stars/IRA and BMARA Results and Stories

Angell Park (Video Highlights from FloRacing.com) 6/6/21

Angell Park Speedway
Sun Prairie, WI

All Stars/IRA
Badger Midgets (BMARA)

26 Sprints
31 Midgets

All Stars/IRA

Angell Park Speedway has always been a special place to watch a race.  In younger days, it was midgets that we flocked for.  When sprints were reintroduced, I doubted their success, but I’ve never been disappointed in several trips for them.  One thing missing on this trip was friend Bryan Gapinski.  I miss bantering with him about the current state of midgets and life in general.  New promotion had the place full and buzzing on Sunday.

This was the fourth night in a row of All Stars/IRA action following nights in Fairbury, Wilmot and Plymouth.  There was a big of attrition for the local contingent, including Scotty Thiel who crashed hard Saturday at Plymouth.

Ian Madsen (3rd car out to time) set quick time on the 1/3-mile oval at 11.990 seconds.  Bill Balog (11th car out) was second quick, followed by Rico Abreu (6th), Scott Neitzel (5th), Jake Blackhurst (1st), Spencer Bayston (9th), Kyle Schuett (4th), Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2nd), Parker Price-Miller (21st) and Cory Eliason (13th). 

Heat one (started): 1. Eliason 26 (1) 2. Neitzel 2w (3) 3. Schuett 9K (2) 4. Madsen 11 (4) 5. Hunter Schuerenberg 55 (8) 6. Paul McMahan 5 (5) / 7. Kyle Reinhardt 91 (7) 8. Zeb Wise 10 (6) 9. Kris Spitz 4K (9)

8-lap heats took the top six to the feature.  Heat winners and the next four fastest cars finishing in the top six made the Dash.  Most sprint car heats at Angell Park are single-file while the track slowly widens as the cushion gives way.  Tonight was no different, though Neitzel found his way under Schuett for second in this one.  Schuerenberg knocked on Madsen’s door at the checkers for fourth but fell short.

Heat two (started): 1. Jeremy Schultz 5J (1) 2. Balog 17B (4) 3. Sam Hafertepe Jr. 15H (2) 4. Tyler Courtney 7BC (7) 5. Cap Henry 4 (5) 6. Jordan Goldesberry 65 (8) / 7. Blackhurst 39 (3) 8. TJ Michael 8m (6) 9. Hunter Custer 29 (9)

Schultz led the distance.  Henry performed a 360 to bring caution two laps in.  Balog used the opportunity to sanch second from Hafertepe, while Courtney who had a disappointing qualifying effort, shot from sixth to fourth.  Henry would find his way from the tail to work his way to a top five.  Goldesberry was outside looking in until finding his way by Blackhurst coming for the white flag to snatch the final transfer.

Heat three (started): 1. Carson Short 21 (1) 2. Price-Miller 19 (2) 3. Bayston 13 (3) 4. Abreu 24 (4) 5. Skylar Gee 07 (7) 6. Russel Borland 23 (6) / 7. Dave Uttech 68 (5) 8. Rob Pribnow 20R (8)

This one was mostly single-file.  Bayston continues to sub for an injured Justin Peck in the Buch 13.

Dash (started): 1. Abreu (1) 2. Balog (3) 3. Neitzel (2) 4. Schultz (5) 5. Madsen (7) 6. Bayston (6) 7. Eliason (8) 8. Short (4)

The 6-lapper determined starting spots in the top four rows of the feature.  Abreu and Balog have many laps and wins here in midgets and sprints and it showed.

B main (started): 1. Blackhurst (1) 2. Reinhardt (3) 3. Wise (4) 4. Michael (5) 5. Spitz (7) 6. Uttech (2) / 7. Pribnow (6) 8. Custer (8)

A 26-car A main field may have been interesting, but we decided to trim two, including Pribnow, who won a week ago with the IRA at 141 Speedway.  The 12-lapper had Blackhurst leading Reinhardt throughout.  Wise cracked Michael on lap two for third.  Uttech looked in trouble early, but held down the sixth and final transfer.

Bill Balog A main (started): 1. Balog (2) 2. Madsen (5) 3. Abreu (1) 4. Henry (13) 5. Eliason (7) 6. Courtney (12) 7. Bayston (6) 8. Schuerenberg (15) 9. Neitzel (3) 10. McMahan (16) 11. Schultz (4) 12. Price-Miller (9) 13. Hafertepe Jr. (11) 14. Wise (21) 15. Borland (17) 16. Goldesberry (18) 17. Short (8) 18. Schuett (10) 19. Reinhardt (20) 20. Gee (14) 21. Blackhurst (19) 22. Michael (22) 23. Uttech (24) 24. Spitz (23)

Abreu shot out to the early lead in the 30-lapper paying $6,000 to win.  Balog followed, with Madsen taking third from Neitzel on lap four.  The bullring succumbed to lapped traffic on lap six.  Eliason moved by Neitzel into fourth at that point.  Things got exciting up front.  Balog slowly reeled in Abreu, first tempting him high and then passing him on the low side on lap 11.  Blackhurst slowed on lap 13, bringing the first caution.  Balog led Abreu, Madsen, Eliason and Bayston back to green.  Eliason took third from Madsen, but Ian came back on lap 15.  Henry was on the move, taking a liking to the low side of the track and was in the top five by the halfway mark.  On lap 18, Gee suffered a flat right rear and Spitz exited after visiting the work area.  Henry shot by Eliason for fourth on that restart.  Balog pulled away again, not having to deal with many lappers until there was five to go.  The cushion reached the turn two wall, and he was bouncing off it nearly every lap.  Abreu faded a bit, and Madsen took second with two to go.  It was IRA win #130 for the “North Pole Nightmare” and his second All Star win in as many days.

David Budres BMARA

Heat one (started), *qualified for feature): 1. Scott Hatton 1 (5*) 2. Kevin Olson 9K (4*) 3. Lamont Critchett 14 (7*) 4. Harrison Kleven 29 (1) 5. Jeff Zelinski 15z (6*) 6. Jack Dohner 87 (2) 7. Jake Goeglin 8 (8) 8. Kyle Stark 2 (3)

8-lap heats took the top 16 in passing points to the feature.  Stark flipped in turn one before a lap could be completed.  He was ok.  H. Kleven led early over the ageless Olson and Hatton.  Hatton took second from Olson on lap two and then the lead a lap later.  Olson and Critchett would both work by H. Kleven with three to go.  Hatton and Olson have both turned a few laps at Angell Park.

Heat two (started, *qualified for feature): 1. Derek Doerr 20D (3*) 2. Mike Stroik 9s (4*) 3. Zach Boden 51 (7*) 4. Tyler Roth 18 (8*) 5. Denny Smith 10 (5) 6. Aaron Muhle 24 (2) 7. Dan Kleven 92 (1) 8. Jordan Nelson 98 (6)

Doerr would lead the distance in this one.  Stroik took second from Muhle on lap three, and was joined by Boden, who was up from row four.

Heat three (started, *qualified for feature): 1. Chase McDermand 40 (6*) 2. Kevin Douglas 5K (1*) 3. Cody Weisensel 20 (2*) 4. Chase Jones 57 (4*) 5. RJ Corson 15c (3) 6. Nick Baran 11T (5) 7. Kurt Mayhew 21K (7) DNS – Jerremy Douglas 6

It was hard to take the eyes of McDermand.  K. Douglas led Baran and Corson early.  Corson took second on lap two, and Mayhew followed him into third.  Mayhew would claim second and then took the lead at the halfway point.  Weisensel had a tough start but battled back to third.  McDermand was trapped in side by side battles in the back, but once he found his way clear on lap five, he shot from fourth to the lead.  Mayhew exited and was done for the night.  McDermand rode the high side the rest of the way to win going away.

Heat four (started, *qualified for feature): 1. Andy Baugh 6B (7*) 2. David Budres 31B (4*) 3. Mike Unger 76 (1*) 4. Kyle Koch 71 (2*) 5. Jim Fuerst 28 (5) 6. Todd Kluever 55 (3) 7. Shay Sassano 31 (6)

Unger was your early leader before Budres and Baugh both shot around on lap two.  Baugh used the low side to take the lead on lap three.  Budres wasn’t going away however as the pair battled side by side to the checkers, with Baugh winning by a narrow margin.

B main (started): 1. Baran (5) 2. H. Kleven (1) 3. Fuerst (3) 4. Smith (2) 5. Corson (4) 6. Dohner (8) / 7. Muhle (7) 8. D. Kleven (10) 9. Sassano (9) 10. Goeglein (6) 11. Nelson (11) DNS – Kluever, Mayhew, J. Douglas, Stark

The 12-lapper took the top six to the feature.  H. Kleven led Smith and Corson early.  Baran shot from fifth to third on the second lap.  Fuerst claimed fourth from Corson on lap four.  Muhle spun on lap five bringing caution.  On lap seven, Baran worked by Smith for second.  The final caution came for a Goeglin spin with thee to go.  Baran took advantage by roaring to the lead and the win.  Fuerst passed Smith for third with two to go.

A main (started): 1. Budres (1) 2. Baugh (8) 3. Olson (3) 4. Boden (4) 5. Weisensel (12) 6. McDermand (9) 7. Doerr (6) 8. Hatton (7) 9. K. Douglas (11) 10. Koch (16) 11. Stroik (2) 12. Dohner (22) 13. Jones (13) 14. Unger (14) 15. H. Kleven (18) 16. Fuerst (19) 17. Corson (21) 18. Critchett (5) 19. Roth (10) 20. Zelinski (15) 21. Smith (20) 22. Baran (17)

The 25-lapper was the first midget feature at Sun Prairie since 2019.  Budres led early over Stroik and Olson.  Things leveled out before Baugh took third from Olson on lap eight.  Meanwhile, McDermand had been buried in the field by a near accident and was one of the only cars on the high side.  It was entertaining watching the Springfield youngster training himself.  He was back in the top ten by lap eleven.  Stroik worked on Budres before taking the point on lap 13.  Baugh worked into second, but on lap 15 gave the leader the chrome horn and spun him.  Baugh was penalized three spots, while Stroik restarted at the tail.  Budres inherited the lead ahead of Olson, Boden, Baugh and Critchett.  Zelinski flipped on lap 17, bringing the red.  He was ok.  Critchett bowed out at the same time  Baugh worked back into third behind Budres and Olson when the green flew again, but one final yellow came for an incident involving Fuerst and Corson with six to go.  McDermand was still entertaining, but would peak at sixth.  Budres maintained his lead, while Baugh took second on the last lap. Dohner was the hard-charger.