40 Years ago: 1966- Wood bags seventh Badger crown
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| Paul Krueger owned cars finished 1-2 in 1966 with drivers Billy Wood and Keith Thomas. |
As the 1966 season approached, Badger competitors were focusing on how to defeat the number 81 & 82 cars owned by Paul Krueger. The Dari Kool sponsored cars entered by Krueger finished first and second the previous year in owner points with Keith Thomas emerging as driver champion. In 1964 Ron Erfurth won the title driving for Krueger. For the 1966 season Krueger was fielding both Billy Wood and Thomas.
Don Vogler scored his only career Angell Park Speedway feature victory on opening night Saturday May 21. The Angell Park management switched to Saturday Night racing for the 1966 season. Vogler edged David Whitehorse in a photo finish for the victory. Earlier in the evening Whitehorse set fast time and won the trophy dash. Dick Jones was third.
The next week Wood easily captured the 25-lap feature over Jones and John Hartwig.
Warren Hintz and Boyd Koneck formed Racing Enterprise Inc., during the off-season, with the group leasing the Hales Corners Speedway (Franklin, Wis.) for a series of 13 Friday Night events beginning on June 3.
Opening night saw Mel Cornett driving the Leader Card entry win the first midget feature at the track since August 1962. Trailing Cornett in the 30-lap feature were Frank Burany, Hartwig, Todd Barton and Ken Gottwein. Barton set fast time and won the 25-lap feature the following evening at Angell Park, closely followed by Cornett and Whitehorse.
Tradegy struck the series on June 10 at Hales Corners. On the sixth lap of the second heat race, Whitehorse’s car made contact with another car just past the start/finish line.
Whitehorse’s car hit the first turn wall at an angle, and with the throttle stuck and rode the wall, until the front axle broke, causing it to flip over.
Whitehorse was transported to County General Hospital (Milwaukee, Wis.); he succumbed to head injuries the following morning. Whitehorse, 27 was a University of Wisconsin graduate, and captured the 1962 Badger Rookie of the Year honors. His best point finish in Badger was fifth in 1964. For the second straight week Cornett and the Leader Card number four easily won the feature over Duane Hanson and Thomas. The Angell Park event the following evening was rained out.
The following Friday at Hales, Cornett made it three straight wins, which saw four different drivers lead the 30-lap event. Burany, Thomas, Pedro Ruehl and Jones completed the top five.
Thomas driving the Dari Kool entry stunned the Angell Park field on June 18 passing nine cars on the opening lap to take the lead and scored an easy victory over teammate Wood and Vogler.
Cornett’s three- race win streak was snapped at Hales on June 24. Bob Hauck driving the Bud Doty Chevy II topped the Wood and Thomas in the 30-lap feature. Cornett rebounded the next evening at Angell Park driving the Ken Johnson owned number 18 scoring a three-car length victory over Thomas and Wood.
Jones driving the Tom Kruehl Cobra passed Cornett for the lead on the 11th lap to win the July 1st 30-lapper at Hales. Trailing the Whitewater, Wis. driver were Burany, Cornett, Dick Schetter and Thomas.
Jones made it two straight the following night leading the entire distance at Angell Park finishing ahead of Gene Weyant and Jim Scharmer. On Monday afternoon July 4 the series visited the Wausau (Wis.) County Fairgrounds. Cornett driving the Johnson#18 won his fifth Badger feature of the season, topping the 15-lap feature on the big half-mile over Lars Lein, Jones, Hartwig and Wood.
Jones continued his hot streak at Hales Corners four days later winning the feature over Burany, Tom Bigelow, Ruehl and Wood. Wood stretched his series point lead winning the July 9 event at Angell Park passing Dale Dable on the final lap for the victory.
Burany shook a series of runner-up finishes at Hales to win the July 15 event driving the Mike Cascio entry. Burany led the entire distance finishing two-car lengths ahead of Cornett and Wood.
Cornett in the Johnson #18 put his name on the Bill Hortmeyer Memorial traveling trophy by winning the 50-lap Memorial feature at Angell Park the following night. Cornett driving the Leader Card entry six days later at Hales Corners passed Hauck for the victory with less than three laps remaining. The victory moved Cornett into a tie with Burany for the point lead at Hales Corners.
Feature win eight for Cornett came the following day at Angell Park. Trailing the Wauwatosa, Wis. driver were Thomas, Dick Ritchie, Lein and Jones. Cornett could do no wrong again at the next event on July 29 at Hales Corners winning his fifth at the track for the Wilke team and ninth in Badger. Burany suffered minor injuries in an accident and was later released from the hospital, increasing Cornett’s track point lead.
Wood completed a clean sweep of action at Angell Park by scoring a four-car length victory over Lein, Jones, Thomas and Terry Vaughn the following evening. The Hales Corners finale on Aug. 5 saw Cornett easily finish over a half-lap ahead of Vogler,Wood and Burany. Promoters Hintz and Koneck decided to cancel the final three events to avoid schedule conflicts with the Milwaukee Mile and Wisconsin State Fair.
The next night Wood made it two straight at Angell Park capturing the Al Fredenberg Memorial 50. Wood finished three-car lengths ahead of Cornett and Thomas for the victory.
Wood set a blistering pace winning on Aug.13 at Angell Park, setting a new 25-lap track record. Cornett, Thomas, rookie Deb Langsdorf, and Lein completed the top five. The
track was closed the following week for the annual Corn Festival.
When action resumed on Aug. 27 at the 1/3-mile track Thomas led his teammate Wood across the finish line in front of Hartwig, Jones and George McBeath. The 50-lap Angell Park finale on Sep. 3 saw Cornett easily finishing ahead of Wood, Schetter, Ron Pfeil and fast timer Thomas.
The season concluded two days later at the Shawano (Wis.) Fairgrounds with Cornett scoring his 12th Badger feature victory of the season easily outdistancing fast qualifier Wood, Thomas, Bob Clements, and Hartwig.
The awards banquet was held on Nov.12 at Kuglitsch’s Hall (Milwaukee, Wis.), with Wood receiving the driver’s championship trophy. Trailing Wood in the final points were Thomas, Cornett, Jones, Hartwig, Lein, Rookie of the Year Langsdorf, Hanson, McBeath and Warren Norton. For the second straight year Krueger swept the top two positions in car owner points.
On Dec.14 Tom Krehl was voted new Badger President with Krueger moving up to the Vice President position. Thomas was named secretary, with Bob Wilson handling the treasurer duties. Two days later Angell Park management announced weekly Badger racing would move back to Sunday Night for the 1967 season.