Devon Piper opened the season with a career-best third place in the POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series. It has given the 19-year-old from Springfield, Ill., some extra spring in his step going into the second event of the season Friday at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill., and the third event Saturday at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.

“Third felt great,” Piper said. “It definitely has given us a lot of energy and confidence to run those races at Belle-Clair and Macon.”

Piper led to the midway point in his Eagle-Honda at the Southern Illinois Center’s Mini Magic Mile in Du Quoin on March 26 and he was passed by winner Ryan Langston, of Greenfield, Ind., and runner-up Dereck King of Vienna, Ill.

“My car started going away when the tires heated up,” Piper explained. “I didn’t have as much traction as the start of the race.”

Piper’s previous top finish in the POWRi 600cc Micros had been fifth. He ran only a partial POWRi season in 2010 because of motor problems and intends to run for the championship in 2011.

“We’re gong to try to make it to every POWRi race this year,” Piper said. “We’ve worked on the car over the winter, changed shock manufacturers, and I think that helped us a lot at Du Quoin.”

Piper has been competing in the 600cc Micros for five years. He has two wins at Coles County Speedway in Mattoon, Ill., both in 2009.

“It felt great to win finally,” Piper said. “It would be amazing to win in POWRi.”

Piper’s results at Belle-Clair and Macon, both 1/5th-mile tracks, have been different.

“I’ve had a lot of bad luck at Belle-Clair and I’m hoping to change that Friday,” he said. “I like Belle-Claire, it has two grooves and there’s room to race. I love Macon. It’s one of my favorite tracks and I’ve run there a lot. We’ve finished sixth and seventh in POWRi races there.”

Piper believes his win in POWRi is coming.

“We haven’t won in POWRi,” he said. “Yet.”

POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series top-10 points (after one of 25 events): 1. Ryan Langston 200, 2. Dereck King 190, 3. Devon Piper 180, 4. Joe B. Miller 160, 5. Kara King 150, 6. Jordan Campbell 140, 7. J.B. Gilbert 130, 8. Mike Terry Jr. 110, 9. Alex Harris 100, 10. Randy Brown 80.

POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series 2011 race winners: Du Quoin–Ryan Langston.

For more information on POWRi Racing, go to www.POWRi.com.