BELLEVILLE, Ill. (May 18 2012)—Danny Stratton won the fifth feature of his career in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series and Travis Senter took his third career victory in the POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series Friday at Belle-Clair Speedway.
Stratton, of Brownsburg, Ind., passed Brett Anderson, of Belleville, Ill., for the lead on the 27th of 30 laps on the one-fifth mile track and was two car lengths ahead at the checkered flag.
Anderson had a comfortable lead before a caution with six laps remaining.
“Anderson could pull away if he got far enough away from me,” Stratton said. “I just tried to get him off his timing after that restart. We crossed paths (with slide jobs) a couple of times and I got the lead. It’s been a while since I won and even though I don’t race that much any more, it feels good to be back. It was good to get the monkey off my back.
“We’ve been performing well, but we haven’t been able to close the deal.”
Stratton, 32, has finished second at Jacksonville, Ill., and fifth at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas, in four starts in POWRi Midgets this season. Belle-Clair was his first POWRi win since July 24, 2007 at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction,Neb. Stratton hadn’t won a Midget race since March, 2010, at Cowtown.
Anderson was running third when leader Bubba Altig of Mechanicsburg, Ill., and second-running Brad Loyet of Sunset Hills, Mo., were caught up in an accident in Turn Two on the 20th lap, bringing out the first caution. Altig had started on the front row next to pole sitter Loyet and passed him for the lead on the third lap.
Ryan Guyett of Springfield, Ill., was hit from behind and hit the wall, flipping him upside down. Altig was running the outside and collided with Guyett’s Midget. Altig was forced out of the race with a flat tire. Loyet, a three-time POWRi Midget champion driving in his first event of the season, was able to stop, but had to restart at the back of the field.
Anderson had driven to the inside, missed the wreck and took over the lead. Nick Knepper was second and Stratton, who had started 15th, was third.
Anderson held the lead through two restarts. Stratton passed Knepper on the lap 20 restart for second.
“I lost momentum a little bit when the caution came out,” Anderson said. “We started doing a couple of slide jobs, just back and fourth, and he (Stratton) got ahead. I feel like I gave it away. Second is all right, but without that yellow, I think I would have won.”
Knepper, of Belleville, Ill., finished third. He’d had a difficult season, crashing out of the previous two features, both POWRi events. Knepper began Friday’s event by tearing up a rear end in hot laps.
“I’ve wadded up three cars in three races,” Knepper said. “It was good to bounce back. It was a good run.”
Senter made a spectacular pass on the far outside in Turn Four to take the lead from Andrew Felker on the 17th of 20 laps and held it to the checkered flag.
The 34-year-old from Osceola, Ark., started on pole and led the opening 12 laps. Felker, of Carl Junction, Mo., started sixth and was second by the third lap. He passed Senter on the lap 13 restart exiting Turn Two on the inside.
Senter’s Micro bounced off Felker’s and the wall in Turn Four, but he kept it straight and retook the lead.
“I didn’t think there was a chance for a hole up there and he found a hole,” Felker said. “It was just good, hard racing. I have a lot of respect for Travis.”
“When he (Felker) got in front of me, it got me mad,” Senter said. “I thought I’d let one slip away from me. I was going to win it or wear it. I made a hole. I never lifted, stood on the gas.”
Senter’s previous two POWRi wins were on consecutive nights in 2007, April 27 at Jacksonville, Ill., and April 28 t Lincoln, Ill.
“I can’t believe it’s been five years since I won a POWRi event,” Senter said.
Jeremy Camp of Blue Mound, Ill., finished third in the Micro feature.
“It was a good run for us,” Camp said. “We’ve got a new car, an Edge chassis, and it’s running pretty good and I think with fine tuning, it will be a little better.”
POWRi’s Midgets and Micros race at Peoria (Ill.) Saturday.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series results (30 laps): 1. Danny Stratton, 2. Brett Anderson, 3. Nick Knepper, 4. Andrew Felker, 5. Brad Loyet, 6. Austin Brown, 7. Garrett Aitken, 8. Mario Clouser, 9. Steve Knepper, 10. Tyler Thomas, 11. Tim Siner, 12. Daniel Robinson, 13. Cameron Hagin, 14. Darren Kingston, 15. Jake Neuman, 16. Dillon Welch, 17. Chett Gehrke, 18. Bubba Altig, 19. Ryan Guyett, 20. Dave Camfield Jr., 21. Gavin Galbraith, 22. Derrick Myers.
POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series (20 laps): 1. Travis Senter, 2. Andrew Felker, 3. Jeremy Camp, 4. Aaron Andruskevitch, 5. Brad McDaniel, 6. Joe B. Miller, 7. Steven Russell, 8. Jacob Patton, 9. Spencer Montgomery, 10. Nic Harris, 11. Derek Schuett, 12. Devin Feger, 13. Justin Peck, 14. Kurt Westerfield, 15. Jimmy Stearns, 16. Kurt Hermann, 17. Parker Price-Miller, 18. Jake Neuman, 19. Tim England, 20. Michael Bustamante, 21. Cale Thomas, 22. Zach Hampton.
For more information, go to www.POWRi.com.