MACON, Ill. (Sept. 20, 2011)—Brad Loyet has taken a 10-point lead over Nick Knepper for the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series championship with two events remaining, Saturday (Sept. 24) at Macon (Ill.) Speedway and Oct. 1 at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill.
Loyet won’t decide to race at Macon until late Friday night after racing in an American Sprint Car Series’ Warrior Region event at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. The 23-year-old from Sunset Hills, Mo., has a 227-point advantage in the Warrior championship, a winged Sprint Car Series powered by 360-cubic inch engines, with three races left on the schedule. The Warrior series also runs Saturday night at Wheatland.
“We’ll have to see what happens on Friday,” Loyet said. “If we can add points to our lead, we’ll probably drive to Macon.”
Knepper, of Belleville, Ill., had been the POWRi Midget points leader the entire season prior to last weekend. Loyet, the series’ champion last season and in 2007, finished second at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway and Spoon River Speedway in Canton, Ill., to overtake Knepper, who was sixth at Jacksonville and fourth at Spoon River.
Loyet and Knepper are in a two-driver battle for the title. Brad Kuhn of Avon, Ind., is third, 390 points behind Loyet. POWRi awards 200 points for a feature win and it descends by 10 points per finishing position to 10 points for 20th place and below.
Loyet has three wins, 13 top-fives and 15 top-10s in 19 features in POWRi Midgets this season. Knepper has one win, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10s in 20 features.
Trent Beckinger of Evansville, Ind., has a commanding 650-point advantage over Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo., in the POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series going into Macon. Andrew Felker of Carl Junction, Mo., is third, 860 behind Beckinger with four events remaining.
Beckinger leads the series with four victories. He also has five second-place finishes and two thirds. Beckinger could clinch his first POWRi Micros championship at Macon.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series top-10 points standings (after 21 of 23 events): 1. Brad Loyet 2,890, 2. Nick Knepper 2,880, 3. Brad Kuhn 2,500, 4. Austin Brown 2,210, 5. Chett Gehrke 1,875, 6. Andrew Felker 1,865, 7. Tim Siner 1,850, 8. Brett Anderson 1,480, 9. Dereck King 1,180, 10. Jake Blackhurst 1,135.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series 2011 race winners: Du Quoin, Ill.–Tony Roney; Grain Valley, Mo.–Brett Anderson; Wheatland, Mo.–Brad Loyet; Belleville, Ill.–Brad Loyet; Brownstown, Ill.–Michael Pickens; Peoria, Ill.–Michael Pickens; West Plains, Mo.–Tyler Thomas; Springfield, Mo.–Brad Loyet; Belleville, Ill.—Nick Knepper; Belleville, Ill.—Brad Kuhn; Wilmot, Wis.—Brad Kuhn; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Jerry Coons Jr.; Macon, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; McCool Junction, Neb.—Brad Kuhn; McCool Junction, Neb.—Brad Kuhn; Cameron, Mo.—Kyle Larson; Belleville, Ill.—Brad Kuhn; Macon, Ill.—Dave Darland; Lincoln, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; Jacksonville, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; Canton, Ill.—Kyle Larson.
POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series top-10 points standings after 18 of 22 events: 1. Trent Beckinger 3,040, 2. Joe B. Miller 2,390, 3. Andrew Felker 2,180, 4. Jacob Patton 2,105, 5. Dereck King 1,820, 6. J.B. Gilbert 1815, 7. Paul Nienhiser 1,490, 8. Jordan Campbell 1,465, 9. Ryan Guyett 1,405, 10. Natasha Cox 1,195.
POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series 2011 race winners: Du Quoin, Ill.–Ryan Langston; Belleville, Ill.–Aaron Andruskevitch; Wayne County, Ill.–Dereck King; Brownstown, Ill.–Trent Beckinger; Peoria, Ill.-Andrew Felker; West Plains, Mo.–Triston Tidmore; Springfield, Mo.–Trent Beckinger; Lincoln, Ill.—Mike Hudson; Marion, Ill.—Jacob Patton; Marion, Ill.—Christopher Bell; Belleville, Ill.—Kara King; Belleville, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Macon, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Washington, Mo.—Jacob Patton; Belleville, Ill.—Joe B. Miller; Macon, Ill.—Trent Beckinger; Lincoln, Ill.—Trent Beckinger; Jacksonville, Ill.—Aaron Andruskevitch.
For more information on POWRi Racing, go to www.POWRi.com.