Anderson Clinches POWRi Midget Championship with Win at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, IL – Brett Anderson of Belleville, IL led all 30 laps of the O’Reilly POWRi presented by Lucas Oil “Herb Barlow Memorial” race at Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, IL driving his family owned Spike chassis Fontana powered midget. Anderson would start outside front row and charge straight for the cushion while pole sitter Daniel Robinson would run the low line. Brad Loyet, who started sixth, would also follow on the cushion and give chase to Anderson. Anderson would hold a comfortable lead until he came up on lapped traffic allowing Loyet to close the gap. A spin on lap 23 would bring out the caution bunching the field up for a re-start. On lap 24 Loyet would attempt to pass Anderson coming out of turn four with a slide job but started to spin while attempting to pass. Anderson would come into contact with the spinning Loyet car but did not sustain any damage. Anderson would lead the final six laps untouched and cross the line with the win and championship in hand. Following Anderson at the finish was Derek King, Zach Daum, Jonathan Hendrick and Donnie Lehmann rounding out the top five.
National Midget Feature: Brett Anderson, Dereck King, Zach Daum, Jonathan Hendrick, Donnie Lehmann, Steve Knepper, Daniel Robinson, Tony Roney, Brad Loyet, Rich Camfield, Tim Siner, Kent Schmidt, Austin Brown, Brian Wallace, Danny Smith, Danny Frye III, Jay Mounce, Nick Knepper, Kenny Brown, Tyler Robbins, Derrick Myers, Dave Camfield Jr
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Prelude to The Gold Crown
Mike Hess of Petersburg, IL driving the Brian Holderfield owned Stealth/Mopar midget won the O’Reilly POWRi “Prelude to the Gold Crown” twenty five lap midget event at Tri-City Speedway. Nick Knepper, who started on the pole, would lead the first four laps followed by Brad Loyet and Hess. Knepper and Loyet would run the bottom while Hess chose the cushion. Hess would sweep around the pair and take the lead on lap five. The only caution of the race came on lap ten for a spin by Loyet that would bunch the field up. On the restart, Hess would jump back out to a comfortable lead with Brett Anderson and Scott Hatton joining the pursuit on the cushion. Hess proved too strong for Anderson and Hatton and won by a comfortable margin with Rich Camfield and Tim Siner rounding out the top five.
National Midget Feature: Mike Hess, Brett Anderson, Scott Hatton, Rich Camfield, Tim Siner, Ryan Criswell, Dereck King, Daniel Robinson, Kevin Olson, Donnie Lehmann, Kellen Conover, Travis Berryhill, Mike Riley, Brad Loyet, Austin Brown, Derrick Myers, Kent Schmidt, Danny Frye III, Jay Mounce, Nick Knepper, Daniel Adler, Matt Fox.
“T’was the Midgets before Christmas”
O’Reilly POWRi National Midget Series officials have announced a second indoor venue for its 2008-2009 “Indoor Winter Nationals,” as Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. will host racing for the first time ever Dec. 19-20.
Not only will the facility – located downtown just east of the Missouri River and the Kansas-Missouri border – feature two nights of racing on a 1/5-mile temporary dirt track, Kemper Arena will also highlight a Saturday night payout rivaling some of the top Midget race purses in the U.S. this season. POWRi’s National Midget and 600cc Micro-Sprint divisions will both be in attendance.
“It’s a privilege to bring our racing to the Kansas City area and the historic Kemper Arena,” said Kenny Brown. “Kansas City has one of the richest histories in sports in the country, and we are proud we will become a part of that history.
“We continue to expand our schedule at venues throughout the Midwest, and Kansas City’s strong racing history and fan base is important in our growth. As this is no definitive offseason in racing anymore, this will give our competitors a chance to prepare for the 2009 season without missing a beat.”
Competitors will find the pay enticing, with the winner of Friday’s race taking home $5,000 and a minimum $300 to start. Saturday’s winner will earn a $10,000 prize, while starters are guaranteed $500 for a feature starting position. 600cc Outlaw Micro-Sprint competitors will earn $1,000 to win Friday’s race and $2,000 for Saturday’s race. Feature starters will earn $100 minimum each night.
Though not sanctioned by POWRi, Legend cars have been added to the program along with the Racing Experience Midwest Outlaw Lightening Sprints. Details on the complete program, including the feature lap count and preliminary events, entry forms etc. will be released when they become firm.
Kemper Arena, which was completed in 1974 as part of the American Royal Complex, has hosted numerous sporting events in its 35-year history, most notably the 1988 NCAA Men’s Final Four and the 1998 NCAA Women’s Final Four, among many NCAA and Big XII Tournament and the NAIA Tournament games in men’s and women’s basketball. The Kansas City Comets, part of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), and the Kansas City Knights, members of the American Basketball Association (ABA), both began competition at the facility earlier this decade. The Kansas City Blades played in the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1990-2001. Other events held at Kemper Arena – which holds 17,585 seats for its soccer games and expands to 18,344 for concerts – include family shows and the annual American Royal.
Tickets are now on sale are now on sale at the Kemper Arena Box Office or Ticketmaster. For more information about ticket pricing, call the Kemper Arena Box Office at (816) 513-4000 or log onto ticketmaster.com
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“Prelude to the Gold Crown”
The O’Reilly POWRi National Midgets and Micro Sprints make their first appearance of the year at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL in a “Prelude to the Gold Crown” on Friday September 19th. The POWRi Midgets along with USAC will sanction the $15,000 to win Gold Crown Nationals in October and this will give teams an opportunity to tune up for the big show. Brett Anderson of Belleville, IL holds a substantial lead over Zach Daum of Pocahontas, IL and Brad Loyet of Sunset Hills, MO. Derek King of Vienna, IL and Mike Hess of Petersburg, IL will battle along with Anderson, Daum and Loyet for the POWRi championship. Hess just clinched the Badger Midget Auto Racing Assn. championship and would like to add the POWRi championship along with it. Hess was the inaugural champion of POWRi in 2005.
Derek King is the Micro Sprint point leader and has the opportunity to clinch the 2008 POWRi 600cc Outlaw Micro Sprint Championship. This will be the first time that the micros will compete on the newly configured track. Following King in the standings is Brad McDaniel of Carbondale, IL, Ryan Guyett of Springfield, IL, Austin Brown of Millstadt, IL and Tony Roney of Herculaneum, MO rounding out the top five.
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