[JessicaJ]

POWRi Banquet Perfect End to a Great 2016 for Bruns
By Jessica Jenkins

On the final Sunday of February, POWRi gathered in St. Louis to celebrate their champions. One of those title winners, in partnership with the ILLINI Racing Series, was D2 victor Patrick Bruns. Coming on the heels of four ILLINI D2 midget championships, Bruns picked up his first in association with POWRi.

2016 was an up and down year for Patrick Bruns as he faced a host of challenges and struggles. But the Champaign, IL driver and his MWR Technology team dug deeper and worked hard to come out on top when the season wrapped up at Jacksonville Speedway in mid-October. Even as the points tightened up some in the second half of the year, he still claimed a 70 point lead over runner-up and Rookie of the Year Tyler Vantoll. Proud of all his team accomplished, Bruns shared, "It's definitely an honor to be the first POWRi D2 champion. I think in the past 5 or 6 years, we have 11 championships total, but this one probably ranks up at the top just because it is the first with POWRi. You have no idea how proud I am of the team I represent. Hopefully we have the opportunity to back it up again."

In the 26 race schedule that spanned from April to October, Bruns racked up 10 wins, 17 top fives and 23 top tens, the longtime racer experienced the level of success he has become accustomed to. When asked what stood out from the year, he chose the awards banquet, crediting having his family and so many good friends present, along with the good food and championship ceremony. Bruns acknowledged, "I couldn't have done it without my crew. Between Brad, Scott, Andrew and Paul, these guys worked tireless hours to give us a good car each and every night. I don't think we missed setup on one single night. Definitely a big thanks to my wife and kids and all the families that support us. The Boss Chassis was right on and MWR Technology had good power. We had some great sponsors with Cain's Marine Welding, Mobil 1, Triple T Car Wash and Lube, Vital Signs and Graphics, Harold R. Colbert Plumbing & Heating, Advanced Financial Inc and Bell Helmets. Everybody has made it count and I'm just proud to have this many people that are willing to dedicate themselves to giving me an opportunity to go out and do what I love to do."

Speaking about the POWRi series, Bruns proclaimed, "What Kenny Brown has done with D2 is kind of leading the revolution of unionizing the rules. I think more and more people are starting to gain interest. You are going to start seeing car counts really increase for the coming years."

2017 is already shaping up to be a great season for Bruns and he is very excited about what is to happen in the coming months. Keep an eye out to see where this established, championship-caliber driver shows up next!