8/1/2025
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
Can a One-Off Track or Major Driver Shake Up Stop Jones in Badger at Eagle River Speedway?
Could this be the weekend the record setting win streak of Parker Jones is halted? He’s won an amazing nine Lyco Manufacturing Features in a row and sits as Badger’s all-time consecutive win leader in just his third season with the club.
One-off tracks, tracks that AFS Badger Midget Series teams don’t often appear at, have a way of leveling the playing field. While the cream usually rises to the top, such venues often lead to first-time or seldom-seen winners. And so it could be this weekend at Eagle River Speedway when Badger brings its wheel to wheel action to Wisconsin’s Northwoods.
Pulling into a track such as Eagle River, there will be many unknowns for teams. Most will know the configuration, especially if they were there for last year’s rainout. They’ll know the stated size of the track and that’s about it. This leaves guessing when it comes to gearing and set up. Their best calculation to start the night will be to compare the new place to somewhere they’ve been before, according to Brandon Waelti.
RECENT HISTORY ON ONE-OFFS
In 2023 when the Advanced Fastening Supply Badger Midget Auto Racing Association traveled to Menomonie, Wisconsin’s Thunder Hill Speedway is a great example of the one-off theory. Here, rookie Parker Jones scored his first career win in Badger’s only appearance there.
Veteran Kurt Mayhew was not someone who found Victory Lane often in Badger, but among his wins, were scores at Farley, Iowa in 2016 and 2021 at Tomahawk Speedway.
In 2019 Mike Stroik took his only career BMARA feature win to date at Luxemburg Speedway, a track Badger had not visited since 1980. In that race he held off Badger Midget Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Olson.
Will Cody Weisensel, after some 25 years of trying, finally earn his first Badger feature win? Can some of the younger drivers like Nick Kilian who’s had a solid season or Eric Blumer fresh off a top-five at Beaver Dam get the job done? Harrison Kleven made the tow last year and is ready to get his first win.
Perhaps Dave Collins Jr. would lead the polling for most likely to obtain his initial win in the famed club. He is believed to be the only driver in the field who has any laps at the lightning-quick facility as he raced micros there.
Jace Sparks was strong over the past weekend and his family’s business North American Midway Entertainment will be setting up shop in Wausau. Unfortunately logistics won’t allow for him to bring his #40 midget but he’s hoping to find an open seat for Saturday.
Lastly, there’s a new, potentially potent combination for the weekend. In what is expected to be a one-off driver/owner combination, Matt Rechek will hop in the #2 of Harlan Kittleson. Kyle Stark vacated the seat recently and we suspect (but have yet to confirm) that Rechek’s regular car owner Bill Ecker is going racing with his grandson Cade Reisdorf in the #57 Legend. Jake Dohner drove the “Red Duce” last weekend in what was described as just that, just for the three-day weekend at that point. So, Rechek jumps in the car that was second in points to Jones when Stark left.
It’s sure to be an interesting weekend. Either way it’s set to be historic with Jones extending his win streak to ten or with someone ending the run.
NOTES
The races will stream live on Badger TV or fans can follow live scoring on MyRacePass. Please be aware we believe wi-fi can be a bit inconsistent in the Northwoods so there is a possibility for some glitches in the system.
Qualifying/Hot Laps are slated to start at 6 p.m. Please see Eagle River Speedway’s pages for the most accurate and up to date information.
#17 photo of Nick Kilian by Bill Blumer Jr.
Article by Bill Blumer Jr.
Submitted By: William Blumer