10/18/2018
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
“Tetteron wins WRA title as Hartsfield wins Fair Park finale”
(The Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA) completed their 82nd season of sanctioning midget auto racing last month, the oldest active open wheel organization in the country. The midget series ran under the name of Wisconsin Racing Association but changed it to Badger in 1938 to avoid confusion with the Wisconsin Auto Racing Association, which promoted racing events at the Wisconsin State Fair Park “Milwaukee Mile”, Carl Marchese was both Badger President while his brother handled duties at WARA Inc. prompter at the time.)
West Allis, Wis., Oct. 18, 1936---Toledo Ohio’s Art Hartsfeld led the final two laps to win the 25-lap Wisconsin Racing Association (WRA) season finale Sunday afternoon at the Wisconsin State Fair Park.
Ted Tetteron who was involved in a race-race accident claimed the inaugural season championship for the WRA series.
Tetteron, entered the event with a “guarded” twenty-one point lead over Milwaukee’s Johnny Sawyer. Tetteron then topped the sixteen-car field in qualifying, and bested Sawyer winning heat race one, setting up the showdown for the title.
Tetteron jumped into the lead at the start quickly followed by Sawyer, the pair dominated the feature. With four laps Sawyer slid off the track into the infield area, but kept his car running, rejoining the race, one lap down. With two laps remaining Sawyer attempted to unlap himself by passing Tetteron, but Sawyer struck the outside fence.
Second place running Pip Hansen hit Sawyer’s car, throwing Sawyer from the car onto the racing surface. Sawyer was transferred to Milwaukee County General Hospital, suffered from multiple broken ribs, and a punctured lung. Tetteron was upon the scene along with emergency track workers and Hansen to help Sawyer.
Hartsfeld held off Los Angeles native Pat Warren in the final two laps to win the feature. Cy Drew, Chet Morris, and Al Kaminski completed the top five.
SUMMARY
Qualifications (16-cars): 1. Ted Tetteron#16-17.10 seconds; 2. Art Hartsfeld#6-17.16; 3. Pat Warren#2-17.65; 4. Johnny Sawyer#10-17.75; 5. Al Kaminski#15-17.93; 6. Al Pavacil#AC4-17.98; 7. Cy Drew#25-17.99; 8. Frank Burany#97-18.05; 9. George Lupo#3-18.40; 10. Pip Hansen#20-18.43; 11. Chet Morris#9-18.62; 12. Joe Burany#96-18.63; 13. Bill Luy#L13-18.74; 14. Len Weber#7-19.54; 15. Jack Healey#7-20.85; 15. Joe De#11-20.96.
10-lap Heat Races: First: 1. Tetteron, 2. Sawyer, 3. Drew. 2:58.
Second: 1. Warren, 2. Morris, 3. J. Burany. 3:05.15
Third: 1. Kaminski, 2. Hansen, 3. Luy. 3:03.
10-lap Wisconsin Cars Only Race: 1. J. Burany, 2. Luy, 3. Pavacil, 4. Morris.
15-lap Australian Pursuit Race: 1. Drew, 2. Hartsfeld, 3. Kaminski, 4. Sawyer.
25-lap Feature: 1. Art Hartsfeld; 2. Pat Warren; 3. Cy Drew; 4. Chet Morris; 5. Al Kaminski; 6. Bill Luy.
Feature Lap Leaders: Tetteron 1-23, Hartsfeld 24-25.
Article Credit: Bryan Gapinski