6/2/2019
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
"Jones scores Badger Midget clean sweep at Sycamore"
Sycamore, Ill., June 1---Chase Jones "finished off" a clean sweep by winning the 25-lap Zimbrick Chevrolet of Sun Prairie Badger Midget Racing Series feature Saturday Night at Sycamore Speedway.
Jones driving the RAB Racing No. 57 started off the evening by topping the thirty-one car field in qualifying setting a new one-track record. Jones then won his eight-lap heat race. Jack Routson led the opening lap of the feature before Jones took the top position on a second-lap restart.
With Jones leading, attention turned to Semi Feature winner Chase McDermand who started from the outside of row eight. McDermand passed Jones for the lead near the mid-point of the race, leading two laps, before Jones retook the lead on Lap 14. Jones led the remainder of the event finishing ahead of Routson, McDermand, Kevin Olson, and Ryan Probst.
"I got the lead early and it's pretty tough to tell what line is the fastest. Once Chase (McDermand) got by me there, I really saw how far he could run up the track and it showed how much faster he was. I made a couple of adjustments inside the cockpit to the shocks and the car came alive. Once I started hitting my marks, I knew I could get away. The car was good all night - quick time, a heat race win and a feature win. You can't ask for much more than that."
McDermand holds a three-point lead over Routson heading into the Sunday Night June 2 "The 73rd Opening Night" at Angell Park Speedway (Sun Prairie, Wis.).
SUMMARY
25-lap Feature: 1. Chase Jones; 2. Jack Routson; 3. Chase McDermand; 4. Kevin Olson; 5. Ryan Probst; 6. Kurt Mayhew; 7. Kevin Douglas; 8. Kyle Koch; 9. Jason Allen; 10. Mike Ungar; 11. Jeremy Douglas; 12. Dave Collins; 13. Ryan Shilkuski; 14. Sean Murphy; 15. Tyler Baran; 16. Harrison Kleven; 17. Brian Peterson; 18. Denny Smith; 19. Zach Boden; 20. Mike Stroik; 21. Tristan Koenings; 22. Jake Goeglein.
10-lap Semi Feature Winner: McDermand.
8-lap AutoMeter Heat Race Winner: McDermand .
8-lap Engler Machine Heat Race Winner: Boden.
8-lap Madison Extinguisher Heat Race Winner: Murphy.
8-lap Corey Oil Heat Race Winner: Jones.
Schoenfeld Headers Fast Time: Jones, 15.056 seconds (NTR).
Cars Present: 31 Feature Lap Leaders: Routson 1, Jones 2-11, McDermand 12-13, Jones 14-25.
RACE NOTES
---Jones becomes the seventh different driver to win a Badger sanctioned feature for car owner RAB Racing.
---Eight drivers Josh Rehberg, Connor Otten, Kevin Douglas, Jeremy Douglas, Jordan Mattson, R.J. Corson and Dave Collins, competed at Sycamore for the first time.
---For Dave Collins, a former competitor in the Badger 600 Micro Series, it was also his midget auto racing debut.
---Badger returns to Sycamore on Saturday Night June 22.
(Thanks to Stan Kalwasinski to the winners quotes/interview)
Article Credit: Bryan Gapinski