By Ray Cunningham (Grain Valley, MO) -- For the first time since joining up with POWRi, The ALLSTAR POWRI Midget Series will look to protect their home turf tonight at Valley Speedway as the POWRi Lucas Oil National Series, and the POWRi Lucas Oil West Series, head to the Grain Valley for a three way showdown at the Missouri Mid-State Midget Nationals Friday evening. Also on the race card for this special event will be the POWRi Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series.
PHOTO CREDIT: John Lee of High-Fly'n Photos -- http://www.highfly-nphotos.com
The POWRi Allstars will be well represented Friday, with some of the best drivers from the Series competing. So far this season at the Grain Valley Oval, Missouri racer Wesley Smith has been the man to beat winning both Allstar POWRi Series features at the track. Wesley, the teenage sensation from tiny Nixa, has won 12 Allstar Midget mains since 2015, the most of any driver since Ray Boyles founded the series in 2013. Besides leading the way in the Allstar POWRi Series, Wesley is also in second place in points so far in the POWRi West Series behind Steven Shebester, who took the West Championship in 2016. Smith won 5 Allstar features in 2016, and his first ever West Series race when the Oklahoma based POWRI club visited his home track in Springfield. The Smith Family #44 midget was previously raced by veteran Tracy Hines to the USAC Midget title in 2015. One of Wesley's chief rivals in 2016 was 17 year-old Riley Kreisel of Warsaw, Mo. Riley had a breakout performance last season winning seven Midget features, 3 with the Allstars, and 4 racing with POWRI at Valley. Kreisel's biggest win of the year came in June when he won the King of KC race at Valley in Allstar competition. Other top competitors who have starred for the KC area based series during its 5 year run include Pat and Kory Schudy of Springfield. Pat won back to back Allstar titles in 2014-2015, and son Kory has won four races in the club over the last few years. Along with Kansas racers Dustin and Matt Gilbert, South Dakota's Morgan Frewaldt, and Missouri racer Luke Howard, the POWRi Allstars will be represented Friday. They will need to bring their best efforts, to defeat a field that will include three time National Champ Zach Daum of Pocahontas, Illinois, 2012 POWRi Champ Andrew Felker of Carl Junction, Mo. and Paola, Kansas, hot shoe Tucker Klaasmeyer among others.
The Sprint Car portion of this POWRI double header should be just as hotly contested.
In the POWRi WAR Series there have been three different winners in as many sprint car races held so far this season. At the first event of the year held on April 1st, at Valley, defending series Champ Clinton Boyles took the victory in the family owned #98. Racing at I-35 Speedway the next week, veteran racer Korey Weyant would take the win. And back once again at Grain Valley for race number three, Missouri driver Quinton Benson would win his first ever WAR Series event. Besides those potential participants, Friday's race will most likely include appearances by former WAR Champs Chris Parkinson and Mitchell Moore, as well as young racing sensations Cody Baker, Wyatt Burks, and Dylan Kadous among others, making this open wheel doubleheader event a must see experience for KC area race fans.
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