Coons captures 75th Anniversary Race at Angell Park
Kuhn takes Badger point lead; Win #92 for Wilke at APS

By Bryan Gapinski
Sun Prairie, Wis., July 17---Jerry Coons Jr. captured the "75th Anniversary Night" 30-lap feature Sunday Night at Angell Park Speedway. The event was co-sanctioned by the Stark Automotive Group/Mid-State Equipment Badger Midget Series and POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series. The race capped off a doubleheader weekend and special off-track activites celebrating Badger's 75-years of sanctioning midget auto racing.
Pole sitter Davey Ray jumped into the lead at the start. Coons made a major position advancement on Lap 4 passing three cars moving into four place. One lap later Coons took over third, and on Lap 7 moved into the runner-up position behind Ray. Brad Kuhn looking for his fourth straight Badger victory, passed nine cars in the first ten laps, after starting in the 17th position.
Coons closed onto the rear bumper of Ray and took the lead on Lap 12, however the caution appeared before the lap was completed putting Ray back into the top position. On the restart Scott Hatton and Chet Gehrke tangled, with an additional five cars being involved in the accident. The race was red flagged to allow safety equipment to remove the cars from the track.
Ray held off Coons on the restart,while Kuhn continued his march through the field into the top five on the restart. Coons made a run on "the cushion" on Lap 17 and took the lead from Ray exiting Turn 2. Coons then increased his lead over Ray, and began lapping the tail of the field with seven laps remaining. Kuhn took over second position, with the caution appearing for a stalled car with four laps remaining.
Coons pulled to a three-car length lead on the restart, and led the final four laps unchallenged driving the Ralph Wilke owned Spike/Toyota No. 5 finishing ahead of Kuhn, fast qualifier Darren Hagen, Ray and Brad Loyet. "The different types of track conditions is what makes Angell Park such a challenge and fun place to race at" commented Coons after the victory.
For the Wilke team it marked their 92nd feature victory at the track. Chad Bogar captured the Badger 600 Micro Series feature. Kuhn now holds a 14-point lead over Bubba Altig heading into the July 24 event at Angell Park.
NOTES:
---Forty-six retired drivers, numerous past car owners crew members, and officials attended the reception in the track's pavillion before the racing began. The group included past Badger Driver Champions: Keith Thomas, Owen Snyder, Jim McClean, and John Hartwig. Two-time Car Owner Champion Walter Whitehorse ('61, '63) was also in attendance.
---Frank Burany was at the event. Burany competed in the first ever Badger race on June 4, 1936 at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway.
---Seven drivers competed at AngellPark Speedway for the first time in their career. daniel Adler finished the best among the group placing eleventh in the feature.
---Thirteen different drivers have won for the Wilke team at Angell Park Speedway, totaling 92 feature victories.
---Tom Venturini from the ARCA team Venturini Motorsports was in attendance watching his first ever dirt midget race.
| QUALIFY |
|
|
|
HT 1 |
|
|
B FEAT |
|
A FEAT |
|
| 1 |
3H |
HAGEN |
14.957 |
1 |
FUERST |
|
1 |
KUHN |
1 |
COONS |
| 2 |
3 |
R.RAY |
15.135 |
2 |
NEAL |
|
2 |
ANDERSON |
2 |
KUHN |
| 3 |
11A |
ANDERSON |
15.145 |
3 |
GALBRATH |
|
3 |
WAELTI |
3 |
HAGEN |
| 4 |
17 |
KUHN |
15.176 |
4 |
FELKER |
|
4 |
ARMSTRONG |
4 |
D.RAY |
| 5 |
15 |
HATTON |
15.223 |
5 |
ARMSTRONG |
|
5 |
BUDRES |
5 |
LOYET |
| 6 |
5 |
COONS |
15.274 |
HT 2 |
|
|
6 |
A.BROWN |
6 |
ALTIG |
| 7 |
55F |
FERNS |
15.305 |
1 |
HESS |
|
7 |
FERNS |
7 |
HESS |
| 8 |
7A |
ARMSTRONG |
15.355 |
2 |
ADLER |
|
8 |
JOHNSON |
8 |
HATTON |
| 9 |
31 |
BUDRES |
15.408 |
3 |
KNEPPER |
|
9 |
K.BROWN |
9 |
BUDRES |
| 10 |
19 |
ALTIG |
15.422 |
4 |
WALTERS |
|
|
|
10 |
FELKER |
| 11 |
55 |
N.KNIPPER |
15.460 |
5 |
ANDERSON |
|
|
|
11 |
ADLER |
| 12 |
11F |
FELKER |
15.483 |
HT 3 |
|
|
|
|
12 |
WALTERS |
| 13 |
7 |
A.BROWN |
15.507 |
1 |
GEHRKE |
|
|
|
13 |
GEHRKE |
| 14 |
41 |
WAELTI |
15.517 |
2 |
COONS |
|
|
|
14 |
ANDERSON |
| 15 |
1 |
HESS |
15.542 |
3 |
ALTIG |
|
|
|
15 |
GALBRATH |
| 16 |
28 |
FUERST |
15.551 |
4 |
R.RAY |
|
|
|
16 |
FUERST |
| 17 |
2 |
D.RAY |
15.568 |
5 |
K.BROWN |
|
|
|
17 |
WAELTI |
| 18 |
11C |
GEHRKE |
15.624 |
HT 4 |
|
|
|
|
18 |
KNEPPER |
| 19 |
5W |
WALTERS |
15.634 |
1 |
LOYET |
|
|
|
19 |
R.RAY |
| 20 |
98G |
GALBRAITH |
15.646 |
2 |
HAGEN |
|
|
|
20 |
A.BROWN |
| 21 |
o5 |
LOYET |
15.815 |
3 |
D.RAY |
|
|
|
21 |
NEAL |
| 22 |
7B |
K.BROWN |
15.872 |
4 |
HATTON |
|
|
|
22 |
ARMSTRONG |
| 23 |
15S |
ADLER |
15.877 |
5 |
A.BROWN |
|
|
|
|
|
| 24 |
38 |
NEAL |
15.881 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 25 |
82 |
JOHNSON |
16.019 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 26 |
57 |
ROBINSON |
16.892 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 27 |
19C |
CAMBPELL |
NT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 28 |
20 |
EWISENSEL |
NT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| POSITION |
DRIVER |
POINTS |
PASS PTS |
CAR # |
OWNER |
POINTS |
| 1 |
BRAD KUHN |
608 |
34 |
57 |
RWB MOTOR SPORT |
608 |
| 2 |
BUBBA ALTIG |
594 |
28 |
19 |
IMHOFF-DAVIS |
594 |
| 3 |
MIKE HESS |
573 |
10 |
1H |
JERRYATRIC MOTOR SPORTS |
573 |
| 4 |
SCOTT HATTON |
422 |
15 |
15 |
HUSTON SOLUTION RACING |
422 |
| 5 |
DAVEY RAY |
341 |
6 |
3 |
MARK RAY |
325 |
| 6 |
ROBBIE RAY |
325 |
1 |
2 |
DAVEY RAY |
322 |
| 7 |
DAVID BUDRES |
308 |
29 |
57 |
RAB RACING |
301 |
| 8 |
DANIEL ROBINSON |
301 |
10 |
5 |
BRYON WALTERS |
298 |
| 9 |
BRYON WALTERS |
298 |
15 |
31 |
MANIC RACING |
250 |
| 10 |
BRANDON WAELTI |
271 |
9 |
5 |
WILKE PAK |
214 |
| 11 |
JERRY COONS |
214 |
9 |
20 |
KEVIN WEISENSEL |
208 |
| 12 |
CODY WEISENSEL |
208 |
13 |
13 |
STEVE SMITH |
200 |
| 13 |
MATT SMITH |
200 |
11 |
41 |
JONES MOTORSPORTS |
198 |
| 14 |
ERIC JOHNSON |
166 |
8 |
82 |
CHUCK JOHNSON |
166 |
| 15 |
KURT MAYHEW |
141 |
16 |
21k |
KURT MAYHEW |
141 |
| 16 |
COURTNEY ERFURTH |
122 |
21 |
25 |
JERRYATRIC MOTOR SPORTS |
122 |
| 17 |
MATT JACKSON |
101 |
0 |
6 |
MANIC RACING |
116 |
| 18 |
KEVIN OLSON |
100 |
11 |
97au |
MATT JACKSON |
101 |
| 19 |
TRAVIS BERRYHILL |
73 |
4 |
1o |
JERRYATRIC MOTOR SPORTS |
100 |
| 20 |
JIM FUERST |
73 |
0 |
15X |
HUSTON SOLUTION RACING |
73 |
| 21 |
DERICK GOUGH |
58 |
4 |
28 |
JIM FUERST |
73 |
| 22 |
BOB SHREFFLER |
57 |
0 |
21 |
BERNIE SHREFFLER |
57 |
| 23 |
BILLY BAYLOG |
47 |
0 |
57X |
RAB RACING |
47 |
| 24 |
JASON DULL |
38 |
4 |
56 |
JASON DULL |
38 |
| 25 |
TROY DeCLAIRE |
0 |
0 |
19T |
IMHOFF-DAVIS |
12 |
|