INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 17, 2018) - With Friday’s WAR Wildcard appearance at the Champaign County Fairgrounds serving as the halfway mark to our 2018 season, we thought now is a better time than ever to look back on the first part of our year and preview what is still to come. It has been a historic action-packed campaign with some of the best racing to ever graze the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint Car League, and bigger and better things are still around the corner.
Through all 16 WAR events this season, we have seen a ridiculous amount of parity, highlighted by the 12 different drivers who have found victory lane, with five of those coming as first-time winners. Only Riley Kreisel, Zach Daum, Joe B. Miller and Mario Clouser have earned repeat victories, with all four competitors sitting at two wins apiece.
A grand total of 112 drivers have competed with the WAR Sprints in 2018, a tally that represents 13 different states. We established a new league record for car count at a single event (35 at Valley, 5/4), and then we broke that record the very next night (38 at Lucas Oil, 5/5).
Completing 51 heat races thus far, the reigning WAR champ, Korey Weyant, currently holds the lead in the $500 to win “Heat Race Hero Award” with six wins. Slater Helt and Mario Clouser are tied with four wins apiece, and a five-way tie for third is highlighted by Joe B. Miller, Zach Daum, Mitchell Davis, Riley Kreisel and Logan Faucon all with three. Six other drivers have scored two heat race wins, and are still in the hunt for the $500 prize, sponsored by Scott Shuman of central Pennsylvania.
With 11 events remaining on the calendar for the WAR Sprint Car League, 18-year old Riley Kreisel of Warsaw, Missouri is the current frontrunner for the championship as he holds a 65-point advantage over Quinton Benson from Sweet Springs, Missouri. Rounding out the top five in the points chase is Korey Weyant trailing by 148 points, Ty Hulsey back by 164 points and Craig Carroll down by 194 points.
In the WAR WILDCARD League, we have recorded five winners in five events, with the likes of Landon Simon, Chris Windom, Carson Short, Joe B. Miller and Mario Clouser splitting honors. With seven more nights left on the schedule, Simon tops the point standings and leads Korey Weyant (-59), Mitch Wissmiller (-123), Terry Babb (-151) and Slater Helt (-202).
With 18 more nights remaining, fans and drivers have plenty of time to catch the thrilling races and special events left on tap. Just within the next month, we have five different events scheduled to air on MAVTV. Leading that charge is Friday’s show at the Champaign County Fairgrounds, followed by a Wisconsin doubleheader on August 4th-5th at Wilmot Raceway and Angell Park Speedway. The much-anticipated debut of the WAR Sprints at Southern Iowa Speedway for the Ultimate Challenge on August 7th also hits the airwaves of MAVTV, as does the two-day Non-Wing Nationals at Lake Ozark Speedway on August 17th-18th.
Speaking of the Non-Wing Nationals, that doubleheader weekend at Lake Ozark serves as the opening leg to the elusive Bell Racing USA Triple Crown Challenge. A combination of three special events, the helmet brand has put $20,000 on the line for any driver who can win the final night of the Non-Wing Nationals at Lake Ozark (August 18th), the Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial at Lucas Oil (September 22nd), and Sprint Mania at Fairbury (October 6th).
To view the full schedule of upcoming events, breakdown of current point standings, recent news including race recaps, and full highlights and videos of racing action, you can visit www.powri.com.