[Andrew S. Quinn]

2nd Annual Turnpike Challenge to Serve as the 2015 POWRi Season Opener
March 9, 2015

MILLSTADT, IL - After a long winter, the 2015 POWRi race season will commence at the 2nd Annual Turnpike Challenge in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Port City Raceway will host the two nights of racing on Friday, March 20th and Saturday, March 21st. The 1/8 mile dirt oval will showcase plenty of action, as both the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series and POWRi West Midget Series will compete in the first event of the 2015 race season.

The inaugural Turnpike Challenge was dominated by Christopher Bell, as he took home feature wins both nights. Bell, an Oklahoma native, will return to Port City Raceway for the 2nd Annual Turnpike Challenge in hopes to continue the supremacy. Zach Daum, the 2013 and 2014 POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series champion, will also travel to Tulsa and attempt to carry the powerful momentum he had during the 2014 season into 2015. The 2014 POWRi West Midget Series champion, Alex Sewell, will be looking to start 2015 at Port City Raceway with a performance that will put him on a path to a repeat championship as well.

With a field of tough competitors on a track that delivers an exciting show for the fans, the 2nd Annual Turnpike Challenge will be an incredible kick off and preview of the 2015 POWRi race season.

For more information, visit www.powri.com.

Contact:
Paige Elbe
POWRi Media
info@powri.com

[Andrew S. Quinn]

I read there were 69 midgets last night.

1 Christopher Bell 71 (10), 2 Kevin Thomas Jr. 67 (3), 3 Andrew Felker 11a (1), 4 Tanner Thorson 67 (15), 5 Zach Daum 5d (7), 6 Geoff Ensign 3f (6), 7 Matt Sherrell 35 (11), 8 Blake Hahn 8k (9), 9 Brad Loyet 05 (4), 10 Darren Hagen 17 (2)

[miledirt]

Crazy car count for Powri opener .... going to be a good season

[Andrew S. Quinn]

Bell Three-for-Three at Port City Raceway
March 21, 2015

Tulsa, OK - Open-wheel star Christopher Bell hailing from Norman, Oklahoma claimed the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series feature in the opening night of the Second Annual Turnpike Challenge in convincing fashion. A graduate of the PCR micro sprint ranks, Bell charged from the 10th position on the 1/8th mile Port City Raceway bull ring in the familiar Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports' Toyota-powered Bullet that fans have become accustomed to seeing run up front.

Andrew Felker of Carl Junction, Missouri started on the inside front row in the Danny Felker-owned Stanton-powered BOSS Chassis and powered into the early lead at the drop of the green flag. Attempting to chase down Felker from the second position, Riverside, California-native Darren Hagen would work relentlessly to hold off the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports' Toyota-powered Bullet of Kevin Thomas, Jr. as both drivers labored to gain ground on Felker.

As Felkerquickly closed in on lap traffic and begun weeding his way through, Darren Hagen gaining ground in second would get collected as a lap car slid up off the bottom and spun bringing out the first caution of the main event. With 14 laps in the books, Felker would lead the field back to green with Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Christopher Bell in tow. As Felker again pulled away from the field and took off leaving Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Christopher Bell to battle for second, the caution would fly again as Westley Smith would slow atop turn three.

With 19 laps in the books, Felker would lead the field back to green flag racing, but this time Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Christopher Bell would make their move. With Bell ultimately coming out ahead and Felker back in second, Thomas, Jr. would have to settle for third for one lap. With Bell comfortably out front and working to pull away, Thomas, Jr. would make his move and take second from Felker on lap 21. Thomas, Jr. and Felker would try to give chase, but neither driver could mount a charge as Bell would cross the line first followed by Thomas, Jr. and Felker in third. Coming in fourth was Tanner Thorson of Minden, Nevada and rounding out the top five was defending POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series Champion, Zach Daum of Pocahontas, Illinois.

"I just love this place," commented Bell. "This place is just awesome. You have to finesse it, but you really have to run the crap out of it. I put this car through hell and back tonight and I just can't thank Keith Kunz and Pete Willoughby enough. I made a mistake during the qualifier and spun it out. Luckily I was able to get back up there and into a transfer spot. I knew the feature being 40 laps, I'd have plenty of time to get up there.

"I'm real fortunate to be a part of this team," explained Thomas, Jr. "As much rain as we had, it was a very good racetrack. I had fun tonight and congratulations to Chris. Maybe we can come back tomorrow and get one better.

"This is a good way to start the season off," remarked Felker. "We came up a little short; we were just too goo too early, but we're standing on the same front stretch as Keith Kunz tonight, so I'd say that was a step in the right direction."

POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series feature results (40 laps):1. 71 - Christopher Bell 2. 67K - Kevin Thomas Jr. 3. 11A - Andrew Felker 4. 67 - Tanner Thorson 5. 5 - Zach Daum 6. 3F - Geoff Ensign 7. 35 - Matt Sherrell 8. 8K - Blake Hahn 9. 05 - Brad Loyet 10. 17 - Darren Hagen 11. 8J - Jonathan Beason 12. 3R - Daniel Robinson 13. 96 - Cody Brewer 14. 8 - Alex Sewell 15. 21 - Ty Hulsey 16. 5$ - Danny Smith 17. 7 - Austin Brown 18. 4M - Michelle Decker 19. 9K - Kyle Schuett 20. 7M - Chance Morton 21. 5C - Colten Cottle 22. 44X - Don Droud Jr. 23. 18P - Payton Pierce

For more information, visit www.powri.com.

Contact:
Derek Schuett
POWRi Media
info@powri.com

[Andrew S. Quinn]

Bell Reigns Undefeated in Turn Pike Challenges at Port City Raceway
Tulsa, OK. – As if Christopher Bell’s dominating performance during the Inaugural Turn Pike Challenge left room for doubt in anyone’s mind, the Norman, Oklahoma native’s dominating performances easily laid those questions to rest as he backed up a clean sweep of the 2014 event with another pair of triumphs this weekend.
While Bell started the 40 lap feature event for the Second Annual Turn Pike Challenge from the pole, it would be Bell’s teammate, Kevin Thomas, Jr., who would pounce into the lead on the opening lap from the second position. Thomas, Jr. piloting a Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports’ Toyota-powered Bullet would only be able to hold off Bell until lap 8 when Bell would gain enough momentum to slide Thomas, Jr. entering turn one. Thomas, Jr. would attempt to return the favor, sliding Bell entering turn three on the same lap, but Bell would prove to be too strong to tame as he would power right around Thomas, Jr. on the outside, all the while Blake Hahn’s Hard 8 Racing, Esslinger-powered Spike would inch closer to the dicing duo.
With Bell’s Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports’ Toyota-powered Bullet cruising in a league of its own, Hahn would set his sights on the second position held by Thomas, Jr. On lap 12 with the moment just right, Hahn would make his move for second and take the position from Thomas, Jr. Five laps later, Bell’s torrential pace would be temporarily slowed as Thomas, Jr.would bring out the first caution of the feature event after ending up spun around in the middle of turns one and two.
Just three laps shy of the half way point, Bell would lead the field back to green with a comfortable cushion of lap cars between himself and Blake Hahn running in second and Zach Daum running in third.While Hahn struggled to get by the lap cars, Bell didn’t waste any time working to reel back in those that he left off with before the caution. Within a matter of a few laps, Bell would resume lapping as Hahn’s Hard 8 Racing teammate Jonathan Beason worked his way into the mix and the third position, as Andrew Felker of Carl Junction, Missouri worked his way into the top five.
With six laps left, Brad Loyet of Sunset Hills, Missouri would stall in the middle of turns three and four, bringing out the caution while Justin Peck, Seth Motsinger, Matt Sherrell and Terry Babb would pile up on the front stretch. Peck, Motsinger, Loyet, and Sherrell would all be done for the remainder of the event. Knowing full well that nothing could slow Bell’s roll, when the field returned to green flag racing, Bell would sprint across the line solidly in first, followed by Jonathan Beason in second and Zach Daum in third. Coming in fourth was Blake Hahn and rounding out the top five was Andrew Felker.
“This place has definitely been good to me the last couple of years,” remarked clean-sweeping Christopher Bell. “That was really fun. The track definitely had similar characteristics [to last night’s track surface] but still different. Hats off to the track crew; the track was pretty wide tonight. I had a lot of fun and look forward to this event next year.”
“It was fun,” explained second place finisher Jonathan Beason. “I wish Blake could have stayed up there. There at the end of the race we both got going. I think he lost a cylinder or a piston went bad. I’m glad to finish second and I’m glad we’re out here. This is a fun track.”
“It’s never too early to start with momentum,” said third place finisher Zach Daum of Pocahontas, Illinois. “These fifths and these thirds and getting up on the podium and being in the top five every night is what pays off at the end of the year.”
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series feature Results presented by Great Clips (40 laps): 1. 71 - Christopher Bell 2. 8J - Jonathan Beason 3. 5 - Zach Daum 4. 8K - Blake Hahn 5. 11A - Andrew Felker 6. 17 - Darren Hagen 7. 67 - Tanner Thorson 8. 9K - Kyle Schuett 9. 39 - Spencer Bayston 10. 67K - Kevin Thomas Jr. 11. 7 - Austin Brown 12. 3T - Kevin Battles 13. 88 - Terry Babb 14. 18P - Payton Pierce 15. 87F - Andrew Deal 16. 05 - Brad Loyet 17. 35 - Matt Sherrell 18. 2 - Seth Motsinger 19. 5X - Justin Peck 20. 21 - Ty Hulsey 21. 27 - Tucker Klaasmeyer 22. 96 - Cody Brewer
Ford Heat Race Winners:
Heat 1:8J - Jonathan Beason
Heat 2:71 - Christopher Bell
Heat 3:9K - Kyle Schuett
Heat 4:27 - Tucker Klaasmeyer
Heat 5:17T - Travis Scott
Heat 6:9$ - Kyle Clark
Heat 7:11A - Andrew Felker
Heat 8: 3R - Daniel Robinson
Heat 9: 67K - Kevin Thomas, Jr.
For more information, visit www.powri.com.
Contact:
Derek Schuett
POWRi Media
Derek.schuett@gmail.com