Jacob Patton of Bethalto, Ill., should carry over plenty of momentum from 2011 when the POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Sprint Series opens its season at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway on April 27 and Macon (Ill.) Speedway on April 28.
Patton had three victories, two second places and two thirds in the final 11 features in POWRi Micros a year ago. The 20-year-old was third at Jacksonville on Sept. 16 and won at Macon on Sept. 24.
“I really do think we’ve got some real momentum going into this season,” Patton said. “We figured a few things out on our car about midseason that it didn’t seem to matter where we went, it was fast. Anywhere we go this year, we should be able to win.”
Patton enjoys Jacksonville’s quarter-mile and Macon’s one-fifth mile tracks.
“The shape at Jacksonville fits my driving style,” he said. “Macon is very well suited for a Micro Sprint. It’s very similar to Belleville (Belle-Clair Speedway) and it’s like getting laps on both tracks. It’s a lot of fun to drive and one of my favorite tracks.”
Patton finished a career-high third in the championship in POWRi Micros last year. He’s been racing Micros since 2005 and was eighth in the POWRi points in 2010. Patton had one win in each of the 2008 and 2010 seasons in POWRi and has five total.
“Last year was the best year in POWRi we’ve ever had,” he said. “We’re running for the championship this year.”
Patton’s family-owned team is intact for 2012, but they will be driving a new Bodris house car for the first time at Jacksonville. They have their Bodris from a year ago as a backup and are continuing with Suzuki power.
“Bodris owner Broderick Burke built us a new car and told us to go race it,” Patton said. “It’s our team. I think we should be able to have it figured out pretty quick.”
Patton finished second in last year’s car at Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway last Saturday (April 14) to Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo. Miller was second in the points in POWRi Micros a year ago. Third at Clarksville was Kara King of Herrin, Ill., and fifth was Dereck King of Goreville, Ill. Kara King had a feature win and brother Dereck had a win and was fifth in the points in POWRi last year. All four drivers are POWRi regulars.
“We had four of the top five at Clarksville,” Patton said. “It shows the level of competition in POWRi Micros.”
The events at Jacksonville and Macon will also have the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series and will be co-sanctioned by the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association. Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind., the National Midget Driver of the Year the past three seasons, has entered and, in his honor, the events have been titled the “Dirt Road to Indy.” Clauson is expected to compete for a starting position in the Indianapolis 500 in May.
For more information on POWRi Racing, go to www.POWRi.com.