Hess, Kuhn and Loyet separated by only 255 points
MILLSTADT, Ill. (Aug. 2, 2007) – As O’Reilly POWRi National Midget Series competitors embark on the final third of their season Wednesday at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill. for the 16th Annual Arnie Knepper Memorial, a trio of drivers have made it a breakaway for the point championship, with only 255 points separating them.
Leading the field is Mike Hess (Petersburg, Ill.), who has led the standings since early in the 2007 season. His three victories this season are tied with third-place Brad Loyet (Sunset Hills, Mo.), and Hess won earlier at Belleville.
However, a pair of finishes outside the top five has shortened Hess’s lead to just 65 markers over defending O’Reilly POWRi champion Brad Kuhn (Avon, Ind.). Kuhn, who started the season late, has come on strong in recent races,
Loyet also has three wins this season, including one at Belle-Clair. He returned to POWRi competition late last month after nearly a month of absence following a crash in the “Knoxville Midget Nationals” in Iowa. Loyet sits 255 points behind Hess, but with eight races remaining, still has a chance to close.
Brett Anderson (Belleville, Ill.), who did not compete in the last two POWRi-USAC co-sanctioned races at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., and Hud Cone (Oakland City, Ind.) round out the top five in points. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the only other driver with multiple POWRi Midget victories this season, but is not competing for the championship.
Complementing the field Wednesday will be Sprint car veteran Cory Kruseman (Ventura, Calif.) , who has made this POWRi stop a regularity in past seasons leading up to USAC’s “Indiana Midget Week.” Kruseman will drive the No. 4 Spike/Mopar sponsored by Mopar and Oakley. Kruseman is the defending USAC/CRA Sprint champion and is a past Chili Bowl Nationals victor.
Kruseman’s return to POWRi is a continuation of top Midget drivers competing in the series in recent weeks. Aside from the POWRi-USAC co-sanctioned events at Junction Motor Speedway, the entry lists have recently included two-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard champion Tony Stewart, ARCA veteran A.J. Fike and NASCAR Busch Series rookie Josh Wise.
MILLSTADT, Ill. (Aug. 2, 2007) – As O’Reilly POWRi National Midget Series competitors embark on the final third of their season Wednesday at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill. for the 16th Annual Arnie Knepper Memorial, a trio of drivers have made it a breakaway for the point championship, with only 255 points separating them.
Leading the field is Mike Hess (Petersburg, Ill.), who has led the standings since early in the 2007 season. His three victories this season are tied with third-place Brad Loyet (Sunset Hills, Mo.), and Hess won earlier at Belleville.
However, a pair of finishes outside the top five has shortened Hess’s lead to just 65 markers over defending O’Reilly POWRi champion Brad Kuhn (Avon, Ind.). Kuhn, who started the season late, has come on strong in recent races,
Loyet also has three wins this season, including one at Belle-Clair. He returned to POWRi competition late last month after nearly a month of absence following a crash in the “Knoxville Midget Nationals” in Iowa. Loyet sits 255 points behind Hess, but with eight races remaining, still has a chance to close.
Brett Anderson (Belleville, Ill.), who did not compete in the last two POWRi-USAC co-sanctioned races at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., and Hud Cone (Oakland City, Ind.) round out the top five in points. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the only other driver with multiple POWRi Midget victories this season, but is not competing for the championship.
Complementing the field Wednesday will be Sprint car veteran Cory Kruseman (Ventura, Calif.) , who has made this POWRi stop a regularity in past seasons leading up to USAC’s “Indiana Midget Week.” Kruseman will drive the No. 4 Spike/Mopar sponsored by Mopar and Oakley. Kruseman is the defending USAC/CRA Sprint champion and is a past Chili Bowl Nationals victor.
Kruseman’s return to POWRi is a continuation of top Midget drivers competing in the series in recent weeks. Aside from the POWRi-USAC co-sanctioned events at Junction Motor Speedway, the entry lists have recently included two-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard champion Tony Stewart, ARCA veteran A.J. Fike and NASCAR Busch Series rookie Josh Wise.
