7/22/2019
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
"Olson edges Hatton by one-car length for Angell Park victory" "First win at APS for Olson in twenty-one years!”
Sun Prairie, Wis., July 21-- Kevin Olson captured Sunday Night’s 25-lap Zimbrick Chevrolet of Sun Prairie Badger Midget Racing Series feature at Angell Park Speedway. The win his 47th career feature victory at the track (3rd place on all-time feature win list), and his first at the track since Sept. 6, 1998.
Rookie Matt Recheck jumped into the lead at the start of the event. Fast qualifier Scott Hatton passed seven cars in the first three laps, advancing to third place. Recheck held the lead over Hatton, when the caution appeared for a stalled car on Lap 6. Hatton passed Recheck on the eighth lap for the lead. Two laps later Recheck’s car began to misfire and he retired from the race before the midway point.
Hatton continued to lead the field, running the cushion with most other competitors using the lower groove. Olson closed to Hatton’s rear bumper, when the caution appeared, with ten laps remaining. On the restart Olson challenged Hatton for the lead, taking the lead on Lap 17, with Hatton regaining it the next lap. Olson reclaimed the lead the following lap.
Over the final five laps, with Olson on the bottom groove and Hatton on the cushion, the pair would lose/ or gain a car length or two to each other as the battle continued with Olson leading each lap. A wild scramble occurred for the lead as the pair encountered lapped traffic entering the final two turns on the white flag lap.
Olson driving the Don Kleven owned Spike/Ford Duratech No. 9 finished 0.40 seconds ahead of Hatton. Heat winner Jeff Zelinski, points leader Jack Routson, and Chase McDermand rounded out the top five.
"I was committed to the bottom of the track, the final lap I thought the lapped cars were gonna be a problem, but Scott (Hatton) also had cars in front of him, it’s great to be back in Angell Park victory lane I’m so happy its win number one for this team” commented Olson after the victory. The win was the first for car owner Don Kleven.
Routson leads McDermand by thirty-one points entering the July 27-28 series doubleheader. The action starts on Saturday, July 27 at Beaver Dam (Wis.) Raceway, and is followed by Sunday, July 28’s “Norm Nelson Classic” at Angell Park Speedway.
SUMMARY
25-lap Feature: 1. Kevin Olson; 2. Scott Hatton; 3. Jeff Zelinski; 4. Jack Routson; 5. Chase McDermand; 6. Kevin Douglas; 7. Zach Boden; 8. Kurt Mayhew; 9. Mike Stroik; 10, Tristan Koenings; 11. Ryan Probst; 12. Tyler Baran; 13. Jeremy Douglas; 14. Marty Saso; 15. Kyle Koch; 16. Shay Sassano; 17. Denny Smith; 18. Pat Hensen; 19. Ken Hanson; 20. Brian Peterson; 21. Matt Rechek; 22. Joe Ebben; 23. Mike Ungar.
10-lap Saldana Race Products Semi Feature Winner: Koenigs.
8-lap AutoMeter Heat Race Winner: Ungar.
8-lap Engler Machine Heat Race Winner: Zelinski.
8-lap Madison Extinguisher Heat Race Winner: Rechek.
Schoenfeld Headers Fast Time: Hatton, 14.931 seconds.
Cars Present: 28 Feature Lap Leaders: Rechek 1-8, Hatton 9-16, Olson 17, Hatton 18, Olson 19-25.
Badger Midget Series Points: 1. Jack Routson 790; 2. Chase McDermand 761; 3. Zach Boden 664; 4. Ryan Probst 656; 5. Kevin Olson 601; 6. Scott Hatton 548; 7. Brian Peterson 491; 8. Mike Stroik 488; 9. Chase Jones 435; 10. Matt Rechek 428.
RACE NOTES
---Kevin Olson’s last feature victory in a Badger sanctioned event came on Sept. 1, 2000, at the Hales Corners Speedway (Franklin, Wis.).
---Shay Sassano, and Davey Ray both flipped in separate Schoenfeld Headers Grand Prix Style Qualifying Sessions.
---With ten races completed Badger is averaging 25.5 cars per event.
---Mike Ungar (Autometer Heat Race One) and Tristan Koenings (Saldana Race Products Semi Feature) both scored their first career midget preliminary race victory.
---Kevin Douglas scored his career-best feature finish sixth place in the event, and won
the Howard Law Cash Draw, a bonus for a randomly selected feature finishing position.
---Tyler Baran claimed the Advance Race Suspensions Hard Charger Award improving ten starting positions.
Article Credit: Bryan Gapinski
