Andrew Felker Hard-Charges to Victory with POWRi Midgets at SSMC

Andrew Felker with his family and crew after winning the feature event Saturday at Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex. (Image courtesy of POWRi)

From POWRi

SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. (October 1, 2022) — Andrew Felker would smoothly ride the low-line to perfection in Night Two of the Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex Fall Brawl to capture his eighth career victory with the Lucas Oil POWRi National and West Midget League in an impressive showing of fortitude in the thrilling thirty-lap feature for the Chad Shields Memorial.

Early Sweet Springs competition with thirty-one entrants of Lucas Oil POWRi National and West Midget League would see Chase McDermand start quickest with an 11.744-second hot-lap as Gavan Boschele, Maria Cofer, Corbin Rueschenberg, and Daison Pursley each earned heat racing wins as Karter Sarff would earn the semi-feature win.

Setting the field of competitors would find pole-starter and high-point qualifier Chase McDermand battling front-row counterpart Gavan Boschele into the first pair of corners on the opening lap with Boschele capturing the initial racing advantage as Daison Pursley, Bryant Wiedeman, and Taylor Reimer drove in hot pursuit all inside the top-five during the opening laps.

Overtaking for the front of the field, Chase McDermand would grab the lead on lap two and appear to be the fastest driver to beat as action aplenty would ensue behind the leader with slide-jobs and crossovers on both sides of the well-prepared racing surface.

Holding the front of the field for the first twenty-seven laps of the event, Chase McDermand would battle a low-line running Andrew Felker with Felker gaining a slight advantage entering the first pair of corners. McDermand would slide too high on the exit of two taking him from the competition and setting up a dramatic late-race restart.

Maintaining the front of the field after the onslaught of late-race dramatics, Andrew Felker would not be denied with the Lucas Oil POWRi National and West Midget League to earn the feature victory and notch his first victory of the season.

“I can’t tell you just how much this means to us, a small family team like we are you never really know when the next one will come. I almost blew the lead after the late restart but I knew I had to protect the lead. To get it done like this in the Chad Shield Memorial, this win is huge,” stated an emotional Andrew Felker in the Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex victory lane with the POWRi National and West Midget Leagues.

Battling back after going to the work area in the feature, Bryant Wiedeman would secure a solid runner-up showing with Dominic Gorden completing the feature’s final podium placement. Flying from winning the semi-feature, Karter Sarff would pass thirteen other drivers to finish fourth as Daison Pursley would round out the Lucas Oil POWRi National and West Midget League top-five finishers at SSMC for the Chad Shields Memorial and Night Two of the Fall Brawl.

POWRi National Midget League / POWRi West Midget Car Series
Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex
Sweet Springs, Missouri
Saturday, October 1, 2022

Advanced Racing Suspension Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 5-Gavan Boschele[3]
2. 71K-Dominic Gorden[2]
3. 7D-Michelle Decker[4]
4. 11A-Andrew Felker[5]
5. 3C-Collin Mitchell[6]
6. 21-Emilio Hoover[8]
7. 28-Braydon Cromwell[7]
8. 23-Patrick Ryan[1].

Auto Meter Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 57-Maria Cofer[1]
2. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[4]
3. 08-Cannon McIntosh[5]
4. 89-Todd McVay[2]
5. 15-Clinton Boyles[8]
6. 6-Isaac Chapple[3]
7. 51X-Joe Walker[7]
DNS: 7U-Kyle Jones.

Schure Built Suspension Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 26-Corbin Rueschenberg[1]
2. 40-Chase McDermand[6]
3. 3-Jake Neuman[3]
4. 97A-Xavier Doney[4]
5. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[5]
6. 95-Chris Andrews[7]
7. 16C-Devin Camfield[2]
8. 00-Talin Turner[8].

AFCO Racing Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 71-Daison Pursley[3]
2. 97K-Brent Crews[2]
3. 25K-Taylor Reimer[6]
4. 97-Brenham Crouch[4]
5. 21K-Karter Sarff[1]
6. 7-Shannon McQueen[5]
7. 17B-Austin Barnhill[7

Max Papis Innovations B-Main (12 Laps)
1. 21K-Karter Sarff[6]
2. 3C-Collin Mitchell[1]
3. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[4]
4. 17B-Austin Barnhill[11]
5. 7-Shannon McQueen[7]
6. 89-Todd McVay[2]
7. 51X-Joe Walker[10]
8. 16C-Devin Camfield[13]
9. 28-Braydon Cromwell[9]
10. 23-Patrick Ryan[14]
11. 6-Isaac Chapple[8]
12. 21-Emilio Hoover[3]
13. 95-Chris Andrews[5]
14. 00-Talin Turner[12]
15. 7U-Kyle Jones[15].

Lucas Oil A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 11A-Andrew Felker[14]
2. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[4]
3. 71K-Dominic Gorden[9]
4. 21K-Karter Sarff[17]
5. 71-Daison Pursley[3]
6. 25K-Taylor Reimer[5]
7. 15-Clinton Boyles[12]
8. 3-Jake Neuman[13]
9. 97-Brenham Crouch[16]
10. 3C-Collin Mitchell[18]
11. 57-Maria Cofer[6]
12. 97K-Brent Crews[10]
13. 17B-Austin Barnhill[20]
14. 97A-Xavier Doney[15]
15. 40-Chase McDermand[1]
16. 26-Corbin Rueschenberg[7]
17. 08-Cannon McIntosh[8]
18. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[19]
19. 7-Shannon McQueen[21]
20. 5-Gavan Boschele[2]
21. 89-Todd McVay[22]
22. 7D-Michelle Decker[11].

Contingencies:
Hoosier Racing Tire Fast Hot Lap Time: 40-Chase McDermand (11.744)
Advanced Racing Suspensions Heat Race 1 Winner: 5-Gavan Boschele
Auto Meter Heat Race 2 Winner: 57-Maria Cofer
Schure Built Suspensions Heat Race 3 Winner: 26-Corbin Rueschenberg
AFCO Racing Heat Race 4 Winner: 71-Daison Pursley
Max Papis Innovations Semi-Feature Winner: 21K-Karter Sarff
MVT Services High Point Qualifier: 40-Chase McDermand
Toyota Racing Development Hard Charger: 11A-Andrew Felker(+13)
Lucas Oil Feature Winner: 11A-Andrew Felker