RACINBOYS EXCLUSIVE By Ray Cunningham (Grain Valley, MO) -- Dustin Gilbert was crowned the Allstar POWRi Midget Champion for 2017 after the final two races of the season were cancelled in October at Valley Speedway. Gilbert had led the point standings since June, and never relinquished the lead from that point on. The Kansas racer would win his first title in the series over a top five that included Luke Howard, Chad Winfrey, Morgan Frewaldt, and Pat Schudy,
PHOTO CREDIT: John Lee of High-Fly'n Photos -- http://www.highfly-nphotos.com
Gilbert, a veteran of twenty years of motorsports competition started his career in 1997 racing a Go Kart for his dad Darren. Over the years he progressed from karts to stock cars, and then Modifieds, before obtaining a ride racing for the Frewaldt Midget racing team in 2016. After just a handful of starts last season Gilbert was hooked on the little buzz bombs. In the off season with financing from his dad, as well as help from his brother A.J., the Frewaldt's, (Morgan and Chad), John Waller, and primary sponsors Renner Wraps, and Nussbaum Consulting, the Tonganoxie, Kansas, racer was ready for 2017.
From the first race on April 1st, the Black Number #3 was fast and consistent in its performances. Two things that bode well for winning a championship. Over the six months and twelve race dates that followed Gilbert finished in the top five an amazing nine times in eleven starts. Included in those was a couple of second place finishes, as well as win at CMS Speedway on July 2nd when Gilbert worked his way past title contenders Luke Howard, and Chad Winfrey on a very dry slick and tricky track.
Overland Park, Kansas, driver Luke Howard worked his way to second place in points with two wins in his second year of midget competition driving for his dad Trevor in their #2H. Luke, thirteen years of age became the youngest driver in Allstar history to win a feature when he broke Riley Kreisel's record set in 2016. Kreisel's father Richard, a former national Micro champ has been coaching Howard the last two years in Midgets during his transition from Micros where he was one of the top competitors at Sweet Springs. Chad Winfrey of Liberty, Missouri, would collect eight top five finishes in the series this year on his way to a third place finish in the final standings. Winfrey, a thirty year veteran of racing in quads, motorcycles, and micros, would drive for his brother Delty in the #321 machine in his first full season of Midget competition. The brothers celebrated their first ever midget victory after winning the final race of the season at Valley on September 30th.
South Dakota driver Morgan Frewaldt, driving the Renner Wraps & Nussbaum Consulting #926 would finish fourth in points in 2017. Frewaldt had a career best finish of second place in June at Valley, and collected four top five finishes in ten starts this year in Allstar competition. Rounding out the top five in the fifth year of Allstar Midget competition was Pat Schudy of Springfield, Missouri. Schudy, driving with the familiar red 7s paint scheme formerly finished second in 2013, and first in both 2014, and 2015 in Allstar competition. In 2017 a series of mechanical woes kept Pat from contending for the title, but still found him with three second place runs, and six top five finishes in nine starts this season. The Allstar Series will celebrate the 2017 season at the Chili Bowl on Thursday, January 11th, 2018, time and location to be announced in the near future.