6/3/2019
RacinBoys
Ray wins Angell Park opener from Eighth Row
By Bryan Gapinski (Sun Prairie, WI) -- Davey Ray won the "The 73rd Opening Night" 20-lap Zimbrick Chevrolet of Sun Prairie Badger Midget Racing Series feature Sunday Night at Angell Park Speedway. The event also kicked off the 73rd year of racing at the track and is the first of nine nights of racing this season at the facility.
Mike Ungar led the opening lap, before fast qualifier Justin Peck took over the top position. Ray who after failing to record a qualifying lap, won the Semi Feature, to start in the 15th position. Ray passed four cars on the first lap and improved another four positions by the completion of Lap 3.
Ray moved into fourth position, when the events only yellow appeared for a stalled car. On the restart Peck led Chase Jones, Andy Baugh, and Ray. Ray passed Baugh on the restart. Peck increased his lead over Jones and Ray as the paired battled for the second position. Ray gained the position on Lap 12, and then chased down Peck, taking the lead at the start/finish line with five laps remaining.
Ray driving the Mark Ray No. 3 DRC/Honda finished 1.953 seconds ahead of Peck, Jones, Jack Routson and Jordan Mattson who competed the top five. "It was a big drive to come from deep in the field, but the caution helped us and we chased eveyrone down, Mark and Robby had the car perfect for the feature" commented Ray after winning his eighteenth career midget feature at the track.
Jones leads Routson by six points entering the tripleheader weekend, with the series visiting Luxemburg (Wis.) Speedway for the first time since 1980 on Friday Night June 7. The following evening Saturday June 8 Badger returns to the Plymouth (Wis.) Dirt Track for the first time in twelve years. Capping off the weekend will be Sunday Night June 9 at Angell Park Speedway.
SUMMARY
25-lap Feature: 1. Davey Ray; 2. Justin Peck; 3. Chase Jones; 4. Jack Routson; 5. Joran Mattson; 6. Andy Baugh; 7. Chase McDermand; 8. Ryan Probst; 9. Kevin Olson; 10. Kurt Mayhew; 11. Brian Peterson; 12. Matt ReCheck; 13. Mike Ungar; 14. Mike Stroik; 15. Zach Boden; 16. Kevin Douglas; 17. Dave Collins Jr.; 18. Pat Henson; 19. Jeremy Douglas; 20. Kyle Koch; 21.. Harrison Kleven; 22. Jeff Sparks.
10-lap Semi Feature Winner: Jones.
8-lap AutoMeter Heat Race Winner: McDermand .
8-lap Engler Machine Heat Race Winner: Probst.
8-lap Madison Extinguisher Heat Race Winner: Baugh.
Schoenfeld Headers Fast Time: Peck, 14.769 seconds.
Cars Present: 26 Feature Lap Leaders: Ungar 1, Peck 2-14, Ray 15-20.
Badger Midget Series Points: 1. Chase Jones 252; 2. Jack Routson 246; 3. Chase McDermand 239; 4. Kevin Olson 225; 5. Zach Boden 166; 6. Brian Peterson 160; 7. Ryan Probst 145; 8. Kevin Douglas 127; 9. Mike Ungar 119; 10. Bill Balog 116.
RACE NOTES
---The 73rd opening Night event also fell on the exact anniversary date of the first ever Angell Park Speedway event on the 1/3-mile on June 2, 1946. Other June 2nd Angell Park races occurred in 1963, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1990, and 1991.
---Three drivers Jeremy Douglas, Matt ReCheck, and Jeff Sparks competed at Angell Park for the first time in their career.
---The feature winner will receives the Terry Vaughn Award at the series year-end awards banquet, a tradition dating back to 1980. Ray has previous Vaughn award wins in 2001, and 2003.
---Tenth place finishing Kurt Mayhew won the Howard Law Cash Draw, a bonus for a randomly selected feature finishing position. Ray
claimed the Advance Race Suspensions Hard Charger Award improving fourteen starting positions.
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott