By Tim Tuttle
MACON, Ill. (Sept. 17, 2013)–Andrew Felker remains in contention for a second straight championship in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series, but he’s running out of events to overtake leader Zach Daum going into Macon (Ill.) Speedway on Saturday night.
Daum has steadily pulled away from Felker by finishing in front of him in the last seven events and holds a 280-point advantage, 3,850-3,570, with five events remaining. POWRi’s rules require each driver to drop their lowest two finishes, which cuts Daum’s advantage by 90 points to 190. Those numbers are fluid, serving as a reference point that makes the chase substantially closer, but Felker still faces a rugged uphill climb.
Felker had performed well in his Spike-Fontana, four top-fives included in eight top-eights in the last eight features. But the 20-year-old from Carl Junction, Mo., has gained points on Daum in only one event in the stretch, a fourth to Daum’s eighth—a plus 40–at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on Aug. 16.
Daum has been sensational in his Eagle-Toyota. The eighth was his worst result and the next seven have been top-fives including three feature victories and a pair of seconds. Going back a little farther, the 22-year-old from Pocahontas, Ill., has 12 top-fives including four victories in the last 14 events.
Saturday will be POWRi’s fourth stop this season at Macon. Felker won on the one-fifth mile track on June 8 and has a pair of sevenths; Daum was second on Aug. 17 and fifth and 11th in the two previous events. Felker has scored 480 points and Daum 470 at Macon this season.
Four events follow Macon: Sept. 28 at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill., for the Charlene Meents Memorial and three nights, Oct. 3-5, in a co-sanction with the Honda USAC Dirt National Midgets, at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill.
The POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series also races Saturday with Nathan Benson of Concordia, Mo., trailing Cale Thomas of Fairland, Ind., by 150 points, 2,340-2,190. When the requirement of dropping of two races is included, Thomas leads by 110 points.
Thomas has five feature wins, three seconds and 12 straight top-five finishes in the 14 season events. He’s won twice and finished second at Macon and will be going for this third straight win overall.
Benson has three feature wins in his first full POWRi season and eight top-fives.
Jeremy Camp of Blue Mound, Ill., is third with 1,865 points, Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo., is fourth with 1,660 and Aaron Andruskevitch of Riverton, Ill., fifth with 1,635.
POWRi’s Micros have two events following Macon, Belle-Clair on Sept. 28 and Tri-City on Oct. 5.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series top-10 points standings (after 25 of 30 events): 1. Zach Daum 3,850, 2. Andrew Felker 3,570, 3. Brad Kuhn 2,490,4. Tyler Thomas 2,405, 5. Jake Blackhurst 2,275, 6. Parker Price-Miller 2,145, 7. Austin Brown 2,125, 8. Garrett Aitken 1,760; 9. Terry Babb 1,215, 10. Colten Cottle 1,080.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series feature winners: Jacksonville, Ill.—Shane Cockrum; Belleville, Ill.—Chris Bell; Macon, Ill.—Brady Bacon; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Michael Pickens; Jacksonville, Ill.—Kyle Larson; Lincoln, Ill.—Michael Pickens; Macon, Ill.—Andrew Felker; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Rico Abreu; Bloomington, Ind.—Zach Daum; Belleville, Ill.—Darren Hagen; Belleville, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; Wilmot, Wis.—Brad Kuhn; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Darren Hagen; Pontoon Beach Ill.—Terry Babb; Cameron, Mo.—Austin Brown; Grain Valley, Mo.—Zach Daum; Belleville, Ill.—Bryan Clauson; Lincoln, Ill.—Rico Abreu; Macon, Ill.—Chris Bell; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Bryan Clauson; Wayne City, Ill.—Zach Daum; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Zach Daum; Sun Prairie, Wis.—Zach Daum; Jacksonville, Ill.—Rico Abreu; Canton, Ill.—Chris Bell.
POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series top-10 points standings (after 14 of 17 events): 1. Cale Thomas 2,340, 2. Nathan Benson 2,190, 3. Jeremy Camp 1,865, 4. Joe B. Miller 1,660, 5. Aaron Andruskevitch 1,635, 6. Jake Neuman 1,465, 7. Jason Harms 1,230, 8. Kyle Schuett 1,105, 9. Dereck King 1,055, 10. Max Pozsgai 1,045.
POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series feature winners: Jacksonville, Ill.—Dereck King; Belleville, Ill.—Joe B. Miller; Macon, Ill.—Dereck King; Jacksonville, Ill.—Mike Dicely; Lincoln, Ill.—Nathan Benson; Macon, Ill.—Cale Thomas; Bloomington, Ind.—Nathan Benson; Belleville, Ill.—Joe B. Miller; Belleville, Ill.—Cale Thomas; Belleville, Ill.—Cale Thomas; Belleville, Ill.—Nathan Benson; Lincoln, Ill.—Joe B. Miller; Macon, Ill.—Cale Thomas; Jacksonville, Ill.—Cale Thomas.
For more information, go to www.POWRi.com.