Macon, IL – Michael Pickens of Auckland, New Zealand proved his versatility by taking night four of POWRi Illinois SPEED Week at Macon Speedway. Pickens won the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Illinois SPEED Week Mesilla Valley Transportation opening feature event at the Dirt Oval at Route 66 on Wednesday, May 31st, a big, sweeping track. Tonight’s victory on the tight, high-banked Macon Speedway extended his POWRi Illinois SPEED Week championship points lead.
By virtue of winning his Speedway Motors heat race after starting sixth, Pickens earned the pole position as high point getter of the night. Working the top side of the racing surface, Pickens found the fastest way around and worked the rubber to victory. Enduring multiple cautions and race slowdowns, Pickens had to fend off relentless pressure from Zach Daum. Zeb Wise, POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Rookie of the Year candidate, finished third after struggling to put a solid 30 laps together the previous two nights. Former POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League champion Brad Loyet took fourth, while Shane Golobic finished fifth.
“Huge thanks to my team,” said Michael Pickens. “They gave me an awesome car and I wouldn’t be here without them. I definitely wouldn’t be here without my car owners and everyone that supported us and all the supporters back home and our major sponsors. Once it laid rubber, I didn’t want to get off it. It’s a matter of who finds the rubber first and we found it pretty quick and went hammer down.”
“I just want to apologize to all the fans that had to watch that race there,” Zach Daum stated. “I’m sure that wasn’t a lot of fun. Rubber races aren’t fun for anybody. Michael started up front there and I tried to pressure him to make him make a mistake there at the end and I’ve raced with Michael a long enough time to know that he isn’t going to make a mistake and he’s going to run you clean. We had a good race. We started seventh and ran second, so we’ll go on to tomorrow.”
“I can’t thank everyone at Clauson-Marshall and the Driven 2 Save Lives organization, and everyone who supports me enough,” commented Zeb Wise.
Midgets
Speedway Motors Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: 17W - SHANE GOLOBIC, Heat 2: 1NZ - MICHAEL PICKENS, Heat 3: 7 - AUSTIN BROWN, Heat 4: 27 - TUCKER KLAASMEYER, Heat 5: 37 - ANDREW FELKER
Toyota Semi Feature Winner: 7ME - CHANCE MORTON, 8GQ - JIMI QUIN
Mesilla Valley Transportation Feature Winner: 1NZ - MICHAEL PICKENS
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Feature Results (30 laps): 1. 1NZ - MICHAEL PICKENS 2. 5D - ZACH DAUM 3. 39 - ZEB WISE 4. O5 - BRAD LOYET 5. 17W - SHANE GOLOBIC 6. 7 - AUSTIN BROWN 7. 27 - TUCKER KLAASMEYER 8. 28 - ACE MCCARTHY 9. 8GQ - JIMI QUIN 10. 4D - ROBERT DALBY 11. 22 - ANDY MALPOCKER 12. 7ME - CHANCE MORTON 13. 6A - AIDAN ROOSEVANS 14. 37X - JAKE BLACKHURST 15. 3B - SHELBY BOSIE 16. 11Y - TRAVIS YOUNG 17. 5C - COLTEN COTTLE 18. 6B - BRAD KRAUS 19. 91T - TYLER THOMAS 20. 3N - JAKE NEUMAN 21. 88 - TERRY BABB 22. 37 - ANDREW FELKER 23. 4A - LOGAN SEAVEY
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