It's going to be a fast and furious weekend for the Advanced Fastening Supply Badger Midget Auto Racing Association over the Labor Day holiday. Badger closes its season with races this Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day Monday.
SYCAMORE FIRST, WITH BADGER AND MARA
The action kicks off with the last co-sanctioned meet of the year for Badger as they share the track with MARA, their sister series. Parker Jones of Blue Mounds, WI leads the point standings in both organizations as they roll into Sycamore Speedway on Saturday, August 31.
After a disappointing rainout for their last scheduled race at the Illinois track, Todd Kluever will see if he can score another win, like he did there on August 3. That event saw 36 Badger midgets signed in for the co-sanctioned race.
A BIG PAYDAY AWAITS
The next night, while it's not co-sanctioned, MARA teams will be tempted to join Badger at the historic Angell Park Speedway to partake in the prestigious Firemen's Nationals. Here, thanks to Advanced Fastening Supply, the purse has been sweetened and will pay $2,000 to win the A-Main and at least $250 to start the race. This traditional Sunday night go will surely bring a big car count to a track that's on the bucket list of racers and fans alike.
Labor Day Monday will be day-two of The Nationals where the AFS Badger Midget Series will conclude their season and crown a champion.
USAC ON THE CARD WITH BADGER CONNECTIONS
The NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series is also on the card both nights at Angell Park Speedway and will run their own separate show.
Badger fans that may not follow USAC, will still have several horses in the race as Parker Jones is slated to team up with Bill Ecker and pilot a #57 RAB car with a national engine in it.
Former Badger Midget Series champion Chase McDermand, who made the jump to USAC several years ago, advises he will be racing too.
While Cameron Weishoff has never been a BMARA driver, he's "a legacy, his brother races with Badger," to paraphrase a famous movie quote. Cameron is the younger brother of Badger driver Trey Weishoff. Cameron only half jokes that he was born on August 30 of 1995 and he was probably at The Nationals that year. The brothers grew up in Sun Prairie, but Cameron moved to Wyoming in his late teens and never had a chance to field a midget here.
He was eventually able to put a team together and is a regular with the Rocky Mountain Midget Association today, currently running eighth in points. He raced with USAC at The Nationals last year, his first time racing Angell Park. He said his brother will give him some good intelligence on the track and he's excited to make the 16 hour tow to race in his hometown.
UPDATE
Brandon Waelti, a current Badger frontrunner and former BMARA champ is also going to race in the USAC portion of the show. Current estimates have 24 cars for the USAC event at Angell Park Speedway.
LIVE COVERAGE
Saturday's event at Sycamore Speedway will be shown live on BadgerTV, while the Angell Park Speedway shows will be available on FloRacing.
Fans are encouraged to make a weekend of it. There are plenty of hotels in the area and camping is available at Angell Park Speedway, please check their outlets for details.
Article by: Bill Blumer Jr.
- William Blumer on Aug 28, 2024
- Article Date: 8/28/2024