June 14, 2009 Live Updates

From Bill Blumer:  In racing, it’s as hard to control quantity as it is quality at the track. You can offer a fair purse and a fast track, but that never guarantees you will get either of the , "‘Q’ Words." Of those two words, in the end what folks will recall is the quality. When two or more drivers are going wheel to wheel in a midget, risking life and limb, no one is paying attention to how many other cars are in the field. Their eyes are glued to the gladiators battling for position. On Sunday at Angell Park Speedway for the Flag Day 25, presented by Mounds Pet Food Warehouse and the Sun Prairie Tourism Commission, fans got the quality they have come to expect from the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association. With Davey Ray out due to injury, several others, including Brad Kuhn racing in USAC’s Speedweek and a couple of more regulars with damaged mounts from running the night before, the stage was set for some new faces to show their stuff...Scott Hatton started the night with the fast time in qualifying, as he was the only car in the 14-second range. He then backed that up with a win in the Fast Dash, after starting from the front row...The first heat had Brad Loyet jump to the lead. While he made the track his personal testing ground, the battle to watch was for fourth. Illinois native Jason Dull held that position for about six laps, as 2008 champion Mike Hess and Dick Kaiser tried everything to solve him. Dull, a bit under-powered, did his best to hold off the pair as they tried high and low to get around him, while also battling each other. With about four to go, Hess and Kaiser finally dipped under Dull but got no further as Loyet took the win over Bubba Altig and Aaron Fiscus. It was Kaiser’s first go of the year at Angell Park, as it was also for Jason Therkelsen who finished at the tail of the field...Rookies occupied the front row for the second heat, with Courtney Erfurth and Eric Johnson leading the parade lap. Once the green flew it only took until the third turn for Beloit’s David Budres to assume the lead from his fourth starting spot. Budres, a standout for Badger’s Most Improved Driver Award (him or Walters, I was thinking...maybe one day for us - JD), kicked the clay as he tooled around on the top groove, putting half a straightaway between Brandon Waelti and himself by lap-two. Meanwhile, the battle for fourth was the one to watch as Erfurth and Johnson were trying to hold off each other plus Bryon Walters and Bob Shreffler. If the track were wide enough it seemed these drivers would have been willing to go four abreast to gain an advantage over the other. Back at the front, while Budres has improved, he still seems prone to a miscue at least slightly, at some point on the tricky Angell Park cushion. Every time he did, Waelti reeled him in a little more. With three to go, Waelti had erased the lead totally and tailed Budres as they crossed the line. Waelti, ever patient, seemed to be waiting for one last bobble, but Budres nailed his marks forcing Waelti to hope for the best in diving low out of turn-four as they came to the checkers. But Budres was smooth enough on the superior groove to earn the trip to Victory Lane for the second week in a row...From the outside of the front row, Dull lead every lap of the qualifying race and was truly pleased to make an appearance at Victory Lane. He took the time to thank his dad, Ken Dull (a former Badger driver), his uncle Tom Dull, Andy Jones and others, for their support in the pits...Walters lead every lap of the Semi. Of note was Erfurth running well the cushion as she continues to hone her skills...In the 25 lap main event, it was Kaiser and Budres on the front row. At the drop of the green, they went three-wide going into turn one, on a freshly rolled racing surface. Budres had the preferred topside, Kaiser was at the rail, while Loyet was the meat of the sandwich. As they gassed it down the back straight, Budres and Loyet broke out with Budres scored in the lead on the first lap. Like Waelti, Loyet seemed content to wait for things to sort out in the early going with Budres. But on the third circuit, he was given an opening he couldn’t refuse as Budres found the fourth turn marbles. As the leader’s right rear swung out shooting clay at the wall, Loyet powered under him to take the point. Before he could run away though, lapped traffic quickly slowed his progress and on the ninth lap a yellow bunched everyone up. A lapped car separated Loyet from Budres, Hatton, Waelti and Chad DeSelle as racing resumed. The lapper slowed the progress of the fast qualifier enough that Loyet got a good jump on the green. Within a lap Hatton took second and set his sights on Loyet. Hatton, the most experienced driver in the field, kept gaining a little on Loyet. With five to go, Loyet lost momentum as he approached two lapped cars dueling for position. This gave a small, quickly closing, window of opportunity for Hatton, who dove lower than Loyet in turn-two, drawing nearly even with the leader. Wheel to wheel exiting the turn it was Loyet who had the advantage when the dust settled as Hatton had to back off or run over one of the lapped cars. By the time Hatton cleared the scene, it was too late and Loyet took the checkers. Loyet told the crowd in his Victory Lane interview that the lapped traffic, "Is part of racing, they’re running for positions too." In the end, Loyet dedicated the win to Marty Boyer, the well known backbone behind the popular website, www.midgetmadness.com . Boyer is recuperating from a serious stroke...