BELLEVILLE, Ill. (Oct. 2, 2012)— Andrew Felker can ensure becoming the 2012 champion in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series by finishing 17th in the feature Saturday (Oct. 6), but the 19-year-old from Carl Junction, Mo., has his sights on a stronger run in the season-ending eighth annual Charlene Meents Memorial at Belle-Clair Speedway.
“The key will be getting through the heat race and get the best starting position we can for the main,” Felker said. “The safest place to be is up front. We want to stay up front, use our head and pick up the championship. The better we run, the better off we’ll be.
“Little Belleville is my favorite track of all the POWRi tracks and I definitely like having Little Belleville as the last place to run for the championsihip.”
Felker leads Brett Anderson, 2,980-2,790. POWRi awards 200 points for feature wins, decreasing by 10 per position to awarding 10 for 20th place and below. POWRi also requires a driver to drop its lowest two finishes. Felker has raced in all 28 features this season and must drop 20 points–22nd and 20th places– effectively reducing his lead to 170 points.
Anderson of Belleville, Ill., didn’t enter eight events this season, five due to illness, and doesn’t have to eliminate any of his 20 feature results. He’s the sole driver who can overtake Felker for the points lead and has clinched second place.
“I know we have a good chance to win the race, but it’s going to be tough to win the championship unless Andrew (Felker) has a DNF,” Anderson said. “We missed too many races this season and it would be different if we hadn’t. It would definitely be great to win the race. It’s the last race with my dad and it’s my home track.”
Keith Anderson, Brett’s team owner and crew chief, will retire from racing to spend more time with their family. Brett Anderson has won the Meents twice, last season and in his POWRi Midget championship season of 2008.
Anderson has finished second and third and Felker has two fourths in the previous features this season at one-fifth mile Belle-Clair. Both drivers have two wins in 2012, Anderson at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., and Fayette County Speedway in Brownstown, Ill., and Felker at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway and Wilmot (Wis.) Raceway.
The POWRi Midgets will be televised on SPEED’s Lucas Oil on the Edge on a date and time to be announced.
POWRi’s Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series will also close out the 2012 season at Belle-Clair. Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo., secured the title with three events remaining, but Aaron Andruskevitch with 2,165 points leads 2010 champion Jeremy Camp’s 2,085 in a close battle for second.
Trent Beckinger of Evansville, Ind., the 2011 POWRi Micro champion who has run a partial schedule this season, will be trying for this third straight victory and fifth in nine events.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series top-10 points standings (after 28 of 29 events); 1. Andrew Felker 2,980, 2. Brett Anderson 2,790, 3.Austin Brown 2,310, 4. Tyler Thomas 2,300, 5. Jake Blackhurst 2,255, 6. Daniel Robinson 2,205, 7. Brad Kuhn 2,190, 8. Chett Gehrke 2,000, 9. Dillon Welch 1,730, 10. Garrett Aitken 1,685.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series 2012 race winners: Kennedale, Texas—Brady Bacon; Kennedale, Texas—Dave Darland; Jacksonville, Ill.—Mario Clouser; Grain Valley, Mo.—Brett Anderson; Wheatland, Mo.—Jake Blackhurst; Macon, Ill.—Zach Daum; Belleville, Ill.—Danny Stratton; Peoria, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Brownstown, Ill.–Brett Anderson; Haubstadt, Ind.—Brady Bacon; Grain Valley, Mo.—Michael Pickens; Springfield, Mo.—Michael Pickens; Lincoln, Ill.—Danny Stratton; Macon, Ill.—Bubba Altig; Wilmot, Wis.—Andrew Felker; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Rico Abreu; Beloit, Kan.—Scott Hatton; McCool Junction, Neb.—Rico Abreu; Cameron, Mo.—Kyle Larson; Belleville, Ill.—Rico Abreu; Lincoln, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; Macon, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Brad Kuhn; Du Quoin, Ill.—Tyler Thomas; Du Quoin, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; Jacksonville, Ill.—Danny Stratton; Canton, Ill.—Brad Kuhn; Macon, Ill.—Tyler Thomas.
POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series top-10 points standings (after 18 of 19 events): 1. Joe B. Miller 2,450, 2. Aaron Andruskevitch 2,165, 3. Jeremy Camp 2,085, 4. Cale Thomas 2,020, 5. Jacob Patton 1,980, 6. Justin Peck 1,870, 7. Andrew Felker 1,770, 8. Trent Beckinger 1,450, 9. Spencer Montgomery 1,320, 10. Derek Schuett 1,310.
POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series 2012 race winners: Jacksonville, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Macon, Ill.—Alex Harris; Belleville, Ill.—Travis Senter; Peoria, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Brownstown, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Haubstadt, Ind.—Trent Beckinger; Lincoln, Ill.—Justin Peck; Macon—Aaron Andruskevitch; Marion, Ill.—Chris Andrews; Marion, Ill.—Justin Peck; Marion, Ill.—Chris Andrews; Belleville, Ill.—Jeremy Camp; Lincoln, Ill.—Trent Beckinger; Macon, Ill.—Joe B. Miller; Du Quoin, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Du Quoin, Ill.—Jake Neuman; Jacksonville, Ill.—Trent Beckinger; Macon, Ill.—Trent Beckinger.
For more information, go to www.POWRi.com.