Sixth-place finish gives Missouri’s Brad Loyet series points lead
MILLSTADT, Ill. (Sept. 4, 2007) – Steve Knepper (Belleville, Ill.) may be thinking of cutting back his time in a racecar after this season, but that doesn’t mean the veteran Midget driver doesn’t still have the ability and mindset to win races on any given night.
The second-generation star survived a late-race tangle Saturday night at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, Ill. to win his first O’Reilly POWRi National Midget Series feature of the season, leading all 30 laps on the tacky sixth-mile Mini Magical Mile in front of a packed house.
Starting from the pole after the six-car inversion, Knepper zipped to the front in his No. 55 Spike Gearte, and withstood a push by Dereck King (Vienna, Ill.) that put Knepper slightly into the wall before bouncing off it and taking the checkered flag first. He became the ninth driver to win a POWRi National Midget feature this season.
Knepper was challenged only heavily in the waning laps, despite a race filled with cautions. King tried to slide underneath Knepper, and the two drifted up the track, leaving Knepper to either tap the wall or let off, which would have given King the victory over the 20-car field.
The 2007 season may be the final fulltime campaign for Knepper, who has won multiple Midget championships previously. Knepper announced earlier this season his intentions to scale back to help his son Nick and others achieve success.
King finished second, ahead of Zach Daum, Nick Knepper and Tim Siner. Brad Loyet (Sunset Hills, Mo.), who finished sixth, came away with the championship points lead thanks in part to the double points giveaway. He leapt from third to first and now leads defending series champion Brad Kuhn and Mike Hess, who were absent from Saturday’s contest.
Stock car veteran Justin Allgaier notched the event’s fastest time and also won one of the 10-lap heats. Donnie Lehmann, Austin Brown and Dave Camfield Jr. also won heat races, while Daum won the 12-lap semifeature.
Six of the top 10 drivers in the Midget feature are either graduates or regulars in POWRi’s micro-Sprint division, which also contested a 30-lapper Saturday evening. In it, King increased his points lead, taking the point on Lap 20 from polesitter Michael Severs and leading the final 11 laps for his sixth micro-Sprint win of 2007 and second straight.
King, the event’s fastest qualifier, charged from sixth on the grid and ran down Severs, who finished second after leading the first 19 laps. Austin Brown, Jimmy Bridgeman and Ryan Leeke rounded out the top five.
The next event for both divisions is Sept. 14 at Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill.
HEAT #1
2-Mark Bush------------31-Donnie Lehmann
87-Rich Camfield------5o-Joey Montgomery
76-Kellen Conover----3-Rob Simpson
Finish : 1. Donnie Lehmann 2. Mark Bush 3. Rich Camfield 4. Rob Simpson 5. Joey Montgomery 6. Kellen Conover
HEAT #2
91-Derek King----------1t-Tony Roney
7-Austin Brown--------05-Brad Loyet
31x-J.C. Bland---------25-Nick Knepper
Finish : 1. Austin Brown 2. Brad Loyet 3. Derek King 4. Nick Knepper 5. J.C. Bland 6. Tony Roney
HEAT #3
17-Kenny Brown---------22-Kenny Biro
25m-Derek Myers-------5d-Zach Daum
4-Ken Scmidt-------------2-Justin Allgaier
Finish : 1. Justin Allgaier 2. Kenny Biro 3. Derek Myers 4. Kenny Brown 5.Zach Daum 6. Ken Schmidt
HEAT #4
86c-Dave Camfield,Jr------10-Donnie Beechler
05r-Mike Riley----------------15-Tim Siner
33a-Steve Arnold------------55-Steve Knepper
Finish : 1. Dave Camfield,Jr 2. Donnie Beechler 3. Steve Knepper 4. Tim Siner 5. Steve Arnold 6. Mike Riley
B-MAIN
5o-Joey Montgomery---------31x-J.C. Bland
5d-Zach Daum------------------33a-Steve Arnold
76-Kellen Conover-------------1t-Tony Roney
4-Ken Schmidt------------------05r-Mike Riley
Finish : 1. Zach Daum 2. Joey Montgomery 3. Kellen Conover 4. Tony Roney
POWRi A-MAIN
55-Steve Knepper--------86c-Dave Camfield,Jr
05-Brad Loyet------------31-Donnie Lehmann
7-Austin Brown-----------2-Justin Allgaier
2m-Mark Bush------------22-Kenny Biro
10-Donnie Beechler-------87-Rich Camfield
3-Rob Simpson-----------91-Derek King
25-Nick Knepper---------25m-Derek Myers
17-Kenny Brown---------15-Tim Siner
5d--Zach Daum----------50-Joey Montgomery
76-Kellen Conover----- --1t-Tony Roney
FEATURE : 1. Steve Knepper 2. Derek King 3. Zach Daum 4. Nick Knepper 5. Tim Siner 6. Brad Loyet 7. Kenny Biro 8. Tony Roney 9. Kenny Brown 10. Austin Brown 11. Donnie Beechler 12. Dave Camfield,Jr 13. Justin Allgaier 14. Rob Simpson 15. Joey Montgomery 16. Mark Bush 17. Kellen Conover 18. Rich Camfield 19. Donnie Lehmann 20. Derek Myers
MILLSTADT, Ill. (Sept. 4, 2007) – Steve Knepper (Belleville, Ill.) may be thinking of cutting back his time in a racecar after this season, but that doesn’t mean the veteran Midget driver doesn’t still have the ability and mindset to win races on any given night.
The second-generation star survived a late-race tangle Saturday night at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, Ill. to win his first O’Reilly POWRi National Midget Series feature of the season, leading all 30 laps on the tacky sixth-mile Mini Magical Mile in front of a packed house.
Starting from the pole after the six-car inversion, Knepper zipped to the front in his No. 55 Spike Gearte, and withstood a push by Dereck King (Vienna, Ill.) that put Knepper slightly into the wall before bouncing off it and taking the checkered flag first. He became the ninth driver to win a POWRi National Midget feature this season.
Knepper was challenged only heavily in the waning laps, despite a race filled with cautions. King tried to slide underneath Knepper, and the two drifted up the track, leaving Knepper to either tap the wall or let off, which would have given King the victory over the 20-car field.
The 2007 season may be the final fulltime campaign for Knepper, who has won multiple Midget championships previously. Knepper announced earlier this season his intentions to scale back to help his son Nick and others achieve success.
King finished second, ahead of Zach Daum, Nick Knepper and Tim Siner. Brad Loyet (Sunset Hills, Mo.), who finished sixth, came away with the championship points lead thanks in part to the double points giveaway. He leapt from third to first and now leads defending series champion Brad Kuhn and Mike Hess, who were absent from Saturday’s contest.
Stock car veteran Justin Allgaier notched the event’s fastest time and also won one of the 10-lap heats. Donnie Lehmann, Austin Brown and Dave Camfield Jr. also won heat races, while Daum won the 12-lap semifeature.
Six of the top 10 drivers in the Midget feature are either graduates or regulars in POWRi’s micro-Sprint division, which also contested a 30-lapper Saturday evening. In it, King increased his points lead, taking the point on Lap 20 from polesitter Michael Severs and leading the final 11 laps for his sixth micro-Sprint win of 2007 and second straight.
King, the event’s fastest qualifier, charged from sixth on the grid and ran down Severs, who finished second after leading the first 19 laps. Austin Brown, Jimmy Bridgeman and Ryan Leeke rounded out the top five.
The next event for both divisions is Sept. 14 at Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill.
HEAT #1
2-Mark Bush------------31-Donnie Lehmann
87-Rich Camfield------5o-Joey Montgomery
76-Kellen Conover----3-Rob Simpson
Finish : 1. Donnie Lehmann 2. Mark Bush 3. Rich Camfield 4. Rob Simpson 5. Joey Montgomery 6. Kellen Conover
HEAT #2
91-Derek King----------1t-Tony Roney
7-Austin Brown--------05-Brad Loyet
31x-J.C. Bland---------25-Nick Knepper
Finish : 1. Austin Brown 2. Brad Loyet 3. Derek King 4. Nick Knepper 5. J.C. Bland 6. Tony Roney
HEAT #3
17-Kenny Brown---------22-Kenny Biro
25m-Derek Myers-------5d-Zach Daum
4-Ken Scmidt-------------2-Justin Allgaier
Finish : 1. Justin Allgaier 2. Kenny Biro 3. Derek Myers 4. Kenny Brown 5.Zach Daum 6. Ken Schmidt
HEAT #4
86c-Dave Camfield,Jr------10-Donnie Beechler
05r-Mike Riley----------------15-Tim Siner
33a-Steve Arnold------------55-Steve Knepper
Finish : 1. Dave Camfield,Jr 2. Donnie Beechler 3. Steve Knepper 4. Tim Siner 5. Steve Arnold 6. Mike Riley
B-MAIN
5o-Joey Montgomery---------31x-J.C. Bland
5d-Zach Daum------------------33a-Steve Arnold
76-Kellen Conover-------------1t-Tony Roney
4-Ken Schmidt------------------05r-Mike Riley
Finish : 1. Zach Daum 2. Joey Montgomery 3. Kellen Conover 4. Tony Roney
POWRi A-MAIN
55-Steve Knepper--------86c-Dave Camfield,Jr
05-Brad Loyet------------31-Donnie Lehmann
7-Austin Brown-----------2-Justin Allgaier
2m-Mark Bush------------22-Kenny Biro
10-Donnie Beechler-------87-Rich Camfield
3-Rob Simpson-----------91-Derek King
25-Nick Knepper---------25m-Derek Myers
17-Kenny Brown---------15-Tim Siner
5d--Zach Daum----------50-Joey Montgomery
76-Kellen Conover----- --1t-Tony Roney
FEATURE : 1. Steve Knepper 2. Derek King 3. Zach Daum 4. Nick Knepper 5. Tim Siner 6. Brad Loyet 7. Kenny Biro 8. Tony Roney 9. Kenny Brown 10. Austin Brown 11. Donnie Beechler 12. Dave Camfield,Jr 13. Justin Allgaier 14. Rob Simpson 15. Joey Montgomery 16. Mark Bush 17. Kellen Conover 18. Rich Camfield 19. Donnie Lehmann 20. Derek Myers
