BELLEVILLE, ILL. (October 25, 2019) – In a year where the single-season wins record was snapped, the cars and stars of the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League still found a way to offer boat loads of parity in 2019. Sending 13 different winners to victory lane, this year’s campaign is tied for the fourth-most diverse season in league history, only behind 2012 (18 winners), 2005 (18 winners), and 2013 (14 winners).
Logan Seavey of Sutter, Calif. led the way with a whopping 12 triumphs, beating Christopher Bell’s 11-win run in 2014 as the winningest single-season in POWRi National Midget League history. Appearing in victory lane at nine different tracks, the Keith Kunz-Curb Agajanian Motorsports, Mobil 1, Bullet/Toyota No. 67 topped all in four different states. His record-breaking season saw victories at I-44 Riverside (Okla.) Speedway, Lucas Oil (Mo.) Speedway, Lake Ozark (Mo.) Speedway, Fayette County (Ill.) Speedway, Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway, Angell Park (Wisc.) Speedway, Spoon River (Ill.) Speedway, Macon (Ill.) Speedway, and Belle-Clair (Ill.) Speedway.
Recording a four-win campaign, Jake Neuman of New Berlin, Ill. turned in a career-year in 2019. Racing for his father Jim Neuman, he found a pair of victories at Valley (Mo.) Speedway and Macon Speedway in July aboard the BRANDT, Spike/SR-11 No. 3N. Taking over driving duties for the Steve Reynolds Racing, Lucas Oil, Ripper/Fontana No. 21KS in September, Neuman guided Team Ripper to wins at Belle-Clair Speedway in September and a chaotic win at Southern Illinois Raceway in October.
Jesse Colwell of Red Bluff, Calif. claimed a pair of wins on his way to not only Rookie of the Year honors, but the 2019 POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League championship. The Keith Kunz-Curb Agajanian Motorsports, IWX Motor Freight, Bullet/Toyota No. 71 topped feature action at Humboldt (Kans.) Speedway in July and then I-30 (Ark.) Speedway in October.
Christopher Bell of Norman, Okla. inched closer to the top of the all-time wins chart, taking wins at I-44 Riverside Speedway in March and Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway in June. Taking two different cars to victory lane, Bell won at I-44 with Keith Kunz in the Spectra Premium, Bullet/Toyota No. 21, but was dominant at Lincoln aboard a Chad Boat owned Pristine Auction, Bullet/Toyota No. 84.
Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif. returned for Ironman Weekend at I-55 (Mo.) Raceway and pulled off a superb sweep at the 1/3rd mile. Running a Keith Kunz-Curb Agajanian Motorsports, Safelite, Bullet/Toyota No. 97, Abreu romped to back-to-back wins, extending his career total to 12 POWRi National Midget wins.
Tyler Thomas of Collinsville, Okla. soared into the top ten of the all-time wins chart with a pair of victories on his 2019 resume. Competing in his family-owned equipment with dad Brian Thomas on the wrenches, “TT” took the BT Machine, Spike/Toyota No. 91T to victory lane at Belle-Clair Speedway in July and Lake Ozark Speedway in August.
A pair of Clauson-Marshall Racing teammates rumbled to back-to-back wins in August, as Zeb Wise drove the Driven 2 Save Lives, Spike/SR-11 No. 39BC to the win at Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway followed by Tyler Courtney’s triumph at Lincoln Speedway in the NOS Energy Drink, Spike/SR-11 No. 17JR.
Along with Colwell, a pair of additional first-time winners broke through in the form of Oklahoman’s Jonathan Beason and Ace McCarthy. Beason of Broken Arrow, Okla. beat Christopher Bell in an instant classic to win the Turnpike Challenge finale at Port City Raceway. McCarthy of Tahlequah, Okla. piloted the Jim Neuman Racing, Two-Eight Drilling, Spike/SR-11 No. 28 to his first triumph at Valley Speedway in July.
“T-Mez” Thomas Meseraull towered at Lake Ozark Speedway in September with a win aboard the RMS Racing, Envirofab, Spike/Toyota No. 7X. Austin Brown of Millstadt, Ill. was the hometown hero in May, landing the victory at nearby Belle-Clair Speedway. Tanner Carrick of Lincoln, Calif. scored his third-career feature in October with a wire-to-wire win at Jacksonville Speedway aboard his Keith Kunz-Curb Agajanian Motorsports, Craftsman, Bullet/Toyota No. 71K.
All in all, the 2019 campaign was a parity-filled party for the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League. Tying the mark for the fourth-most diverse season in league history, only three other years (2012, 2005, 2013) have ever offered more winners.
Leading into season 16, the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League aims for bigger and better than ever with 2020 on the horizon. Details such as the 2019 championship banquet and the 2020 schedule will be released as finalized.
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