USAC MIDGETS: ANGELL PARK’S FIREMEN’S NATIONALS SEPT 1-2

(Dave Olson Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (August 29, 2024)………The Firemen’s Nationals at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway boasts a list of past winners that includes eight inductees of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

On that same list, you’ll find 11 United States Auto Club (USAC) National Champions, and all those individuals happily rank a Firemen’s Nationals victory right near the top of their list of motorsports achievements.

A win at the Firemen’s Nationals is also something that this weekend’s winners will certainly put at the top of their list as well when all is said and done on Sunday-Monday, September 1-2.

It’s a Labor Day weekend Midget racing tradition dating back to 1982. It’s a legendary race. It’s a legendary place, and now we get to take you through six of the biggest storylines heading into the 39th running of the Firemen’s Nationals on this national holiday weekend.

THREE ALARMS AT THE FIREMEN’S NATIONALS

A trio of past Firemen’s Nationals winners will attempt to repeat their past successes at Angell Park this weekend – namely Logan Seavey, Zach Daum and Ryan Timms.

Seavey (Sutter, California) is a two-time winner at the Firemen’s Nationals, having scored the 2019 installment under POWRi sanction after charging from his fifth starting position to win, and then repeated the feat just last season in 2023 on night two of the event.

Daum (Pocahontas, Illinois) is among the select few multi-time winners of the Firemen’s Nationals, having scored in both 2013 and 2017. He remains one of only seven drivers to win the event at least twice alongside Kevin Olson (1983-86-87-97-98), Dan Boorse (1984 & 1999), Kevin Doty (1988-89-90-94-95), Tracy Hines (2001-02-10), Scott Hatton (2004-05) and Seavey (2019-23).

Timms (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) won the 2023 Firemen’s Nationals opener, emerging from a fantastic duel versus Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammate Gavin Miller to score the win after setting fast qualifying time earlier in the evening.

PURSLEY’S PURSUIT RESUMES

Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Oklahoma) looks to continue to pour on his 2024 USAC Midget success which has seen him post a 59-point lead in the standings over his closest challenger, Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Oklahoma).

In three Angell Park starts with USAC, Pursley has finished 8th, 9th and 7th, including a fast qualifying run in 2021.

He’s had the hot hand for much of the year, winning four of his past seven series starts, and a series-leading five overall triumphs for his CB Industries team.

There’s still much racing left to do, and while McIntosh trails by 59 and Ryan Timms is 95 out of the lead, it’s a jumble behind them. At press time, fourth through eight in the standings are separated by a mere 71 points: 4-Zach Daum-709, 5-Logan Seavey-678, 6-Jacob Denney-662, 7-Justin Grant-661 and 8-Gavin Miller-638.

A NEW ROYAL, A NEW KING

A pair of USAC National Midget winners will appear at Angell Park in brand new USAC National Midget rides.

Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Alabama) has teamed with 4Kings Racing to compete in several upcoming races with the series. Thomas, a six-time USAC National Midget feature winner, captured a Badger Midget victory at Angell Park in 2015. Thomas will occupy the seat of the 4Kings #14, which had been driven throughout the year by Jake Andreotti.

Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Illinois), currently the fourth-ranked driver in USAC National Midget points, will wheel the Royal Power Sports No. 16 at both Angell Park as well as the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Presented By Avanti Windows & Doors on September 26-27-28 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Daum owns five midget victories at Angell Park, two of which came during the Firemen’s Nationals.

ANGELL PARK WAS MADE FOR JADE

Jade Avedisian’s only two USAC appearances at Angell Park resulted in podium finishes with a 3rd and a 2nd across each night of the Firemen’s Nationals one year ago in 2023.

Avedisian (Clovis, California) was on the move in both events, having gone 7th to 3rd and from 6th to 2nd, which equaled her best career USAC National Midget result to date, a feat she’s accomplished three times in her career.

Now she’s ready to become the first woman to win a USAC National Midget feature this weekend at Angell Park. She’s finished inside the top-five in each of her two most recent USAC National Midget starts in July at Nebraska’s Jefferson County Speedway.

DOUBLE-DIPPIN’ KIND OF WEEKEND

It’s just a quick six-plus hour jaunt from Du Quoin, Illinois to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Over the years on Labor Day weekend, many individuals (and trailers) have made the voyage from one place to another, and vice versa. Both are traditional Labor Day weekend stops, and both are on tap for USAC Racing this weekend.

The USAC Silver Crown National Championship makes a stop at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds during the day on Saturday, August 31, for the 70th running of the Ted Horn 100. A little more than 24 hours later, the USAC Midget National Championship finds itself at Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway for the 39th running of the Firemen’s Nationals on Sunday-Monday night, September 1-2.

While the USAC crew will be saddled up for the ride to both venues, there are three drivers also planning to compete in both events: Justin Grant, Logan Seavey and Daison Pursley. Two teams will also be making the double pull: Abacus Racing (Logan Seavey in Silver Crown & Midget) and Cornell Racing Stables (Don Droud Jr. in Silver Crown & Frankie Guerrini in the Midget).

In 1991, Stevie Reeves scored at both Du Quoin and Angell Park on back-to-back days. Grant, Seavey and Pursley are seeking to become the next.

FIREMEN’S HISTORY

Few events have the cache of the Firemen’s Nationals with it being one of the longest-running and famed Midget racing events still going strong today in the USA.

With the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame literally in the backyard of Angell Park’s 1/3-mile oval, winning the Firemen’s Nationals is one in which drivers will immediately put near the top of their resume in the section of accomplishments.

In terms of longevity, the Firemen’s Nationals’ 39th running in 2024 trails only the Turkey Night Grand Prix (82 years) and the 4-Crown Nationals (41 years).

The Firemen’s Nationals can boast a list of past winners that includes eight inductees of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame: Billy Engelhart, Kevin Olson, Dan Boorse, Rich Vogler, Kevin Doty, Page Jones, Jay Drake and Stevie Reeves.

In addition, there’s 11 past USAC National Champions who’ve won the race, including Olson, Vogler, Reeves, Tracy Hines, Jerry Coons Jr., Brady Bacon, Josh Wise, Christopher Bell, Rico Abreu, Logan Seavey and Tanner Thorson, just to name a few.

EVENT DETAILS:

This Sunday and Monday night’s 39th running of the Firemen’s Nationals features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship with both nights paying $5,000-to-win. The Badger Midget Racing Association is also on the card both nights.

Pits open at 1:30pm Central, stands open at 4pm and cars on track at 5pm followed by qualifying and racing.

Advance tickets are on sale now at www.angelpark.racing. Advance ticket prices are $22 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for students age 12-17, $5 for kids age 6-11 & free for children age 5 and under. Race day ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $10 for students age 12-17, $5 for kids age 6-11 & free for children age 5 and under. Pit passes are $25 for members & $30 for non-members.

Both nights of the Firemen’s Nationals can be watched live on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/usac.

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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-839, 2-Cannon McIntosh-780, 3-Ryan Timms-744, 4-Zach Daum-709, 5-Logan Seavey-678, 6-Jacob Denney-662, 7-Justin Grant-661, 8-Gavin Miller-638, 9-Kale Drake-595, 10-Zach Wigal-538.

PAST FIREMEN’S NATIONALS WINNERS:

1982: Billy Engelhart

1983: Kevin Olson

1984: Dan Boorse

1985: Rich Vogler

1986: Kevin Olson

1987: Kevin Olson

1988: Kevin Doty

1989: Kevin Doty

1990: Kevin Doty

1991: Stevie Reeves

1992: Marty Davis

1993: Page Jones

1994: Kevin Doty

1995: Kevin Doty

1996: Randy Koch

1997: Kevin Olson

1998: Kevin Olson

1999: Dan Boorse

2000: Jay Drake

2001: Tracy Hines

2002: Tracy Hines

2003: Davey Ray

2004: Scott Hatton

2005: Scott Hatton

2006: Rained Out

2007: Jerry Coons Jr.

2008: Brady Bacon

2009: Josh Wise

2010: Tracy Hines

2011: Rained Out

2012: Caleb Armstrong

2013: Zach Daum

2014: Christopher Bell

2015: Rico Abreu

2016: Carson Macedo

2017: Zach Daum

2018: Tanner Carrick

2019: Logan Seavey

2020: Not Held

2021: Tanner Thorson

2023: Ryan Timms & Logan Seavey

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINS AT ANGELL PARK SPEEDWAY:

6-Bryan Clauson

5-Kevin Olson

3-Christopher Bell, Kevin Doty & Brad Kuhn

2-Rico Abreu, Billy Engelhart & Larry Rice

1-Tommy Astone, Tom Bigelow, Dan Boorse, Steve Cannon, Pancho Carter, Danny Caruthers, Jerry Coons Jr., Ryan Durst, Jeff Gordon, Scott Hatton, Tracy Hines, Levi Jones, Lee Kunzman, Bobby Olivero, Michael Pickens, Stevie Reeves, Logan Seavey, Brad Sweet, Tanner Thorson, Ryan Timms, Rich Vogler, Roger West & Josh Wise

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS AT ANGELL PARK SPEEDWAY:

1970: Larry Rice (8/30)

1971: Lee Kunzman (6/27), Billy Engelhart (8/29) & Danny Caruthers (9/5)

1972: Roger West (6/4), Pancho Carter (7/9), Tom Bigelow (7/16) & Rich Vogler (8/13)

1973: Billy Engelhart (6/21), Bobby Olivero (7/8) & Steve Cannon (8/12)

1974: Larry Rice (6/13) & Tommy Astone (7/7)

1986: Kevin Olson (8/31)

1987: Dan Boorse (5/24), Kevin Doty (7/18) & Kevin Olson (9/6)

1988: Kevin Olson (5/29), Kevin Olson (6/18), Kevin Olson (7/17) & Kevin Doty (9/4)

1990: Jeff Gordon (7/14) & Kevin Doty (9/2)

1991: Stevie Reeves (9/1)

2005: Scott Hatton (8/27)

2006: Ryan Durst (8/26)

2007: Jerry Coons Jr. (8/25) & Michael Pickens (8/26)

2008: Brad Kuhn (8/23) & Levi Jones (8/24)

2009: Bryan Clauson (8/30) & Josh Wise (9/5)

2010: Brad Kuhn (7/3), Brad Sweet (7/4), Bryan Clauson (8/28), Bryan Clauson (8/29) & Tracy Hines (9/4)

2011: Bryan Clauson (8/21)

2012: Bryan Clauson (7/8) & Brad Kuhn (8/19)

2013: Rico Abreu (6/23) & Bryan Clauson (8/18)

2014: Christopher Bell (7/5), Christopher Bell (7/6) & Christopher Bell (8/17)

2015: Rico Abreu (7/5)

2021: Tanner Thorson (9/5)

2023: Ryan Timms (9/3) & Logan Seavey (9/4)

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL MIDGETS AT ANGELL PARK SPEEDWAY:

1 Lap – 7/5/2015 – Bryan Clauson – 14.316

6 Laps – 8/26/2007 – Chris Windom – 1:34.07

8 Laps – 9/4/2023 – Daison Pursley – 1:59.64

10 Laps – 8/19/2012 – Rico Abreu – 2:26.60

12 Laps – 7/6/2014 – Rico Abreu – 3:00.28

30 Laps – 8/30/1970 – Larry Rice – 9:11.56