8/4/2019
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
"Routson continues Badger Midget hot streak with Sycamore victory" "Fourth win increases points lead"
Sycamore, Ill., Aug. 3-Jack Routson scored another late-race victory, winning Saturday Night’s 25-lap Zimbrick Chevrolet of Sun Prairie Badger Midget Racing Series feature at Sycamore Speedway. The win was the seventeen-year old driver from Waterman, Ill.’s second feature win in three races.
Ryan Probst took the lead at the start, closely followed by Chase McDermand. Routson who topped the 25-car field in qualifying was in fourth place, by the completion of the fourth lap.
McDermand passed Probst for the lead entering Turn One on the tenth lap. One lap later McDermand made contact, with a lapped car on the backstretch, giving Probst the lead. The pair then tangled together entering Turn three, bringing out the caution. Both drivers restarted from the tail of the field.
Kevin Olson inherited the lead on the restart leading Routson, Clinton Boyles and Scott Hatton. Contact between several cars behind Olson took place two laps later, and Boyles came to a stop with a flat tire.
Olson continued to hold off the challenges of Routson, and Hatton. Routson abandoned the bottom groove and went to the high side of Olson attempting a pass of Olson entering Turn three, on Lap 23.
Routson took the white flag as the race leader, and quickly moved to the bottom, and scored a 0.528 second victory over Hatton, driving the Tim Routson owned Boss/Chevrolet No. 14. Olson, Jeff Zelinski, and Sean Murphy completed the top five.
"I had to move a groove higher than Olson and at least try for the victory otherwise it was gonna be second place, the move worked because I found some moisture and grip, its great getting another last second win " commented Routson.
Three of his four series victories have come with Routson taking the lead, with two laps or less remaining. Routson leads McDermand by eighty-three points entering the Sunday August 11 event at Angell Park Speedway (Sun Prairie, Wis.).
SUMMARY
25-lap Feature: 1. Jack Routson; 2. Scott Hatton; 3. Kevin Olson; 4. Jeff Zelinski; 5. Sean Murphy; 6. Matt Recheck; 7. Jordan Mattson; 8. Mike Stroik; 9. Chase McDermand; 10. Kurt Mayhew; 11. Zach Boden; 12. Ken Hansen; 13. Kevin Douglas; 14. Shay Sassano; 15. Daltyn England; 16. Ryan Probst; 17. Denny smith; 18. John Smith; 19. Harrison Kleven; 20. Pat Henson; 21. David Alexander; 22. J.R. Corson; 23. Clinton Boyles; 24. Jeremy Douglas.
8-lap AutoMeter Heat Race Winner: D. Smith.
8-lap Engler Machine Heat Race Winner: Probst.
8-lap Madison Extinguisher Heat Race Winner: Murphy.
Schoenfeld Headers Fast Time: Routson, 15.295 seconds.
Cars Present: 25 Feature Lap Leaders: Probst 1-9, McDermand 10, Olson 11-23, Routson 24-25.
Badger Midget Series Points: 1. Jack Routson 1057; 2. Chase McDermand 974; 3. Zach Boden 877; 4. Ryan Probst 830; 5. Kevin Olson 811; 6. Scott Hatton 789; 7. Mike Stroik 623; 8. Jeff Zelinski 594; 9. Brian Peterson 585; 10. Jordan Mattson 569.
RACE NOTES
---Jack Routson becomes the first driver to win two straight feature races at Sycamore since the series made its debut at the track in 2016.
---2018 I-69 Gas City Speedway Sprint Car Track Champion Clinton Boyles made his Badger debut, driving the RMS Racing Entry. Boyles qualified third quick, was second in his heat, but was sidelined by a flat tire running in the top five during the feature.
---With thirteen races completed Badger is averaging 25.3 cars per event.
---Zach Boden won the Howard Law Cash Draw, a bonus for a randomly selected feature finishing position.
---Jeff Zelinski claimed the Advance Race Suspensions Hard Charger Award improving eleven starting positions.
---Remaining Sycamore events in 2019 are: Aug. 17, and the Aug. 31 Franklin B. Alexander Memorial Race which will pay $5,000 to the feature winner.
Article Credit: Bryan Gapinski