DU QUOIN, Ill. (March 24, 2011)–Two-time champion Brad Kuhn headlines an outstanding field in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series and Jeremy Camp opens defense of his 2010 POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series title Saturday in the fifth annual Dean King Memorial at the Southern Illinois Center’s Mini Magic Mile.
Kuhn, of Avon, Ind., won the 2006 and 2009 crowns and finished second in the championship in 2010 in the POWRi Midget Series, which opens its seventh season with the Dean King Memorial. Austin Brown, of Millstadt, Ill., Nick Knepper, of Belleville, Ill., Mike Hess, of Riverton, Ill., Dereck King, of Vienna, Ill., Casey Shuman, of Tempe, Ariz., Dave Darland, of Lincoln, Ind., and Tracy Hines, of New Castle, Ind., are also entered. Shuman was victorious in the 2010 Dean King Memorial and also won the Battle of the Center non-points event the Mini Magic Mile in December.
Brown finished third, Knepper fourth, Hess eighth and King ninth in last season’s POWRi Midget title chase. Hess also won the Badger Midget title in 2010 and was the POWRi champion in its inaugural season of 2005. Darland has won championships in USAC’s National Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget divisions. Hines has USAC National titles in Silver Crown and Midgets.
Camp, of Blue Mound, Ill., won the Dean King Memorial in 2010. Andrew Felker, of Carl Junction, Mo., King, Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo., Ryan Guyett, of Springfield, Ill., and Jacob Patton, of Bethalto, Ill., are also entered.
King won the POWRi Outlaw Micro titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Felker was runner-up, Miller seventh, Guyett eighth and Patton ninth in the 2010 championship.
General admission tickets for the Dean King Memorial are $15 with kids 12 and under admitted free. Doors open at 2 p.m., hot laps begin at 4 p.m. with racing following hot laps.
POWRi’s Midgets have been bolstered title sponsor Lucas Oil joining forces with the series, an addition that delivers television coverage on SPEED and a $20,000 point fund with $5,000 to the champion.
“We are thrilled to further develop the sport and are going to take Midget racing to the next level,” POWRi Director Kenny Brown said. “Several of the 2011 event highlights will feature coverage on SPEED with Lucas Oil’s On The Edge produced by NEWAVE Productions. This is really exciting to offer national level exposure. The drivers recognize this and we should draw an all-star cast of drivers from the sport’s top sanctioning organizations.
“Last year, we had 150 different teams participating in the series and between 35 and 45 cars at every event. With events like the two-day (July 29-20) Cornhusker Midget Nationals at Junction Motor Speedway paying $12,000 to the winner, the highest paying Midget purse for 2011, we can expect even more entries this season.”
The POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series has 30 events scheduled and the POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series has 25.
For more information on POWRi Racing, go to www.POWRi.com.
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Contact:
Tim Tuttle
POWRi Racing Media Director
765 246-6335