It’s Down to the Wire at Madison; Three Points Separate Wilberg and Miller

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It all comes down to the final night…the final race. We’ve saved the best for you at Madison, and you don’t want to miss what’s on tap for you this Friday night.

Join the excitement for Whelen Engineering Season Championship Night with track champions to be crowned in our three NASCAR weekly divisions. Double features in each division will add to the drama and intrigue with track titles still up for grabs. In addition to the twin features it will also be the second annual Mad Town Meltdown where drivers will attempt to break the all-time speed record at Madison.

The race for the championship can’t get much closer in the NASCAR Whelen All American Late Models where Bobby Wilberg leads Jeremy Miller by just three points (890-887) in one of the tightest battles in the country. Wilberg is coming off a big feature win this past Friday that helped him erase a nineteen point deficit to go up by three points. Zack Riddle is in third with 790 points followed by Michael Bilderback (765) and Will Rece (697).

Both drivers are no strangers to Late Model championships at Madison. Wilberg is in pursuit of his fourth crown at Madison while Miller is after his fifth in the division. This season each driver has two feature wins to his credit. Both Riddle and Bilderback are still in the chase so we can only wait to see what happens when the green flag waves.

Robert Hansberry Jr. leads Mike Taylor (950-888) in the Dave’s White Rock Sportsman. Ray Hellenbrand (801), Gary Hellenbrand (723), and Trevor Robinson (722) round out the top five. Hansberry Jr. is going for his fourth crown at Madison while Taylor is seeking his first. Hansberry Jr. has earned four wins this year while Taylor has two victories.

In the Pellitteri Waste Systems Bandits, Dave Schmidt is going for his first title at Madison and leads two-time champion Dan Snyder (887-813). McKayla Adams (730), Bill Kohn (648), and Steve Dickson (645) complete the top five. Schmidt has four feature wins this season.

A total of 215 points is possible for any driver who can set fast time and win both features. No heat races will be run on Friday due to the twin features. Qualifying points at stake are 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for all subsequent positions. Feature points earned are 100, 93, 87, 82, and 78 for the top five positions followed by 72, 69, 66, 63, 60 with remaining points descending by two for each place.

RA Heating and Air Conditioning Dash leaders going into the final night are Riddle in the Late Models, Hansberry Jr. in the Sportsman, and Schmidt in the Bandits. Dash points do not calculate into season championship totals.

Will we see a new track record set this Friday? The second annual Mad Town Meltdown will also take place with $1000 going to the driver who can set a new track record in either stock cars or open wheel cars.

The open wheel and all-time record was set last year by David Byrne who took his winged sprint car around Wisconsin’s Fastest Half-Mile with a time of 14.624 (123.09 mph). The stock car record was set more than five years ago by the super late model of Chris Wimmer who turned a lap of 17.245 (104.38 mph). Drivers from throughout the Midwest have shown interest in attempting to break the records especially since the rules are rolled back.

Grandstands open at 6:00 PM with qualifying at 6:15 PM and racing at 7:30 PM. Adult admission is $14.00 / Whelen Heroes and Seniors $12.00 / Students 12-17 $8.00 / Kids 6-11 $5.00 / Five and under are free. A “Family” ticket is just $30.00 and includes two adults and up to four students / children.

Madison International Speedway is family owned and operated and thanks you for your support of local racing. The track is located two miles east of Oregon just south of Highway 138 on Sunrise Road.