11TH "SUE THIEL MEMORIAL" AT ANGELL PARK SUNDAY;
BELL TAKES “INDIANA MIDGET WEEK” TITLE WITH 2 WINS;
LARSON, CLAUSON, DAUM ALSO SCORE ON INDIANA DIRT
The Honda USAC National Midgets invade Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisc. Sunday night for a race co-sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Powri and Stark Automotive Group/Mid-State Equipment Badger Midget Series and USAC point leader Christopher Bell is riding a wave of success.
Angell Park becomes the third track to host the Thiel event which started in 2002. Midget auto racing was part of the multi-division event from 2006-10, with Jerry Coons Jr. (2006-07), Cole Whitt (2008), Scott Hatton (2009) and Matt Smith (2010) scoring feature victories.
Bell, of Norman, Okla., stamped himself as a prime contender for the 2013 Honda National Midget Dirt title last week, claiming the “Indiana Midget Week” title as a result of four “podium” finishes in five starts!
Bell holds a 25 point lead over Bryan Clauson in the standings after edging Clauson by the same margin after last week’s five-race series. Bell closed out the week with his second feature victory in four nights, taking the finale at the Kokomo Speedway in his Toyota TRD Bullet Speedway Toyota.
Bell also won Thursday night’s race at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind., both wins ending with teammate Kyle Larson taking the runner-up spot! Bell added a second at Bloomington Speedway and a third at Gas City I-69 Speedway.
Larson opened “Indiana Midget Week” with a spectacular last-lap pass to win at Gas City in his Toyota TRD Bullet/Speedway Toyota. He passed Tracy Hines exiting the final turn for the win after Hines had led 28 of the 30 laps. Hines was second ahead of Bell, Andrew Felker and Steve Buckwalter.
Bell led all 30 laps at Putnamville to beat Larson, Brad Mosen, Hines and Rico Abreu.
Abreu led the first 12 laps at Bloomington Friday before yielding to Clauson, who put his Honeybaked of Bloomington/Curb Records Spike/Esslinger in victory lane. Bell was second ahead of Abreu, Davey Ray and Jerry Coons Jr.
Saturday’s hotly-contested 30-lapper at Lawrenceburg Speedway went to Zach Daum of Pocahontas, Ill. in his Daum Crop Insurance/Weld Wheels Eagle/Stanton Toyota. He led the final three laps to beat Brady Bacon, Clauson, Bobby East and Darren Hagen. East, Caleb Armstrong, Abreu and Daum all led the race.
Sunday’s showdown between Bell and Clauson found Bell coming from 10th to win the 30-lapper after running down teammate Larson and leading the last three laps. Larson was second after leading six laps and he was followed by Caleb Armstrong, Brad Mosen and Daum. Mosen led the first 21 laps.