Bell holds 40-point lead over Felker heading into inaugural Oklahoma POWRi West events at I-44 Speedway!
Tim Tuttle and David Smith, Jr. - OKLAHOMA CITY (May 23, 2012) - Local racer Chris Bell of Norman, Okla., holds a 40-point lead over Andrew Felker of Carl Junction, Mo., going into this weekend's inaugural Oklahoma POWRi Lucas Oil West Series events Friday (May 25) and Saturday (May 26) at I-44 Riverside Speedway in Oklahoma City.
It's the fifth event of the season for POWRi West, launched this year. The back-to-back events on the one-sixth mile clay oval will be the first not run in conjunction with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series.
Bell leads Felker, 480-440, with Tyler Thomas of Collinsville, Okla., third at 410 and Chett Gehrke of Broken Arrow, Okla. Matt Sherrell of Owasso, Okla., is sixth with 215.
The 17-year-old Bell has finished second at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., fourth at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., and 10th and 22nd at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, Texas in the four POWRi features.
Felker was sixth and 23rd at Cowtown and seventh at Lucas Oil and Valley. The 19-year-old won the features in the POWRi National Midgets and POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series last Saturday (May 19) at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway. It was the first time a driver won both features at the same event.
Thomas, 16, finished second and 22nd at Cowtown, third at Valley and 18th at Lucas Oil. His victory at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway last season made him, at 15, the youngest driver to win a POWRi National Midget feature.
Gehrke finished second at Valley, 13th at Lucas Oil and 13th and 16th at Cowtown.
Sherrell was sixth at Valley, 17th at Cowtown and 19th at Lucas Oil.
Jonathan Beason of Broken Arrow, Okla., is also expected to enter I-44. He was eighth and 12th at Cowtown.
Also competing will be the tracks weekly divisions of non-wing micros and non-wing restrictors will also be competing and this event is not a point's race for both.
Gates open at 5:00 pm with racing action set for a 7:00 pm start time both nights. Grandstand admission is $10 for adults and $8 for all military, seniors and kids ages 6-12. Pit passes are $30.
I-44 Riverside Speedway is located in Southwest of Oklahoma City on I-44 to exit 109, then east. For more track information call (405) 633-1583.
POWRi Lucas Oil West Midget Series 2012 race winners: Kennedale, Texas—Brady Bacon; Kennedale, Texas—Dave Darland; Grain Valley, Mo.—Brett Anderson; Wheatland, Mo.—Jake Blackhurst.
POWRi Lucas Oil West Midget Series top-10 points standings (after four of 14 events): 1. Chris Bell 480, 2. Andrew Felker 440, 3. Tyler Thomas 410, 4. Chett Gehrke 400, 5. Garrett Aitken 355, 6. Matt Sherrell 215, 7. Darren Kingston 65, 8. Cody Ledger 50, 9. Brunson Behring 35, 10. Cameron Hagin 25.
