BELLEVILLE, ILL. (March 12, 2019) – Since the inception of the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League in 2005, the history books have pieced together record-setting performances and noteworthy accomplishments nearly every single season. Heading into the 2019 campaign, the 15th year of POWRi, Zach Daum of Pocahontas, Illinois will be chasing his own slice of history.
Committed to the full 2019 campaign, Daum looks to become the first four-time champion in POWRi National Midget League history. Scoring titles in 2013, 2014 and 2016, Daum is currently tied with Brad Loyet of Sunset Hills, Missouri, who guided his Loyet Motorsports No. 05 to POWRi National Midget championships in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
The 2007 POWRi Midget Rookie of the Year, Daum spent several years progressing until his first-career victory came in 2012, which quickly led to massive success. His first championship came in 2013 backed by a six-win season and was followed by a second-straight title in 2014. He returned to the top of the standings in 2016 with his third-career championship, matching Loyet for the most in POWRi National Midget League history.
In order to break the barrier and rewrite the record books this year, the 27-year old Daum will have to outlast a daunting field of challengers while encountering the largest schedule in the 15-year history of POWRi. From Oklahoma and Illinois to Wisconsin and New Mexico and few and far in between, Daum is up for the tough task of going head-to-head against the likes of Keith Kunz Motorsports, Dave Mac Motorsports, Steve Reynolds Racing, Jim Neuman Racing, a handful of other stout teams.
Daum’s road to a record-setting fourth championship begins in one week’s time with the Sixth Annual Turnpike Challenge serving as the 2019 POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League season opener. A four-race event at Creek County Speedway, I-44 Riverside Speedway and Port City Raceway, the mini-series runs from Thursday, March 21 through Sunday, March 24.
Over the course of five years, Daum is the only driver to start ALL ten Turnpike Challenge features. Although he has yet to earn a TPC victory, his average finish of 4.2 is a jaw-dropping stat. In ten features, Daum has racked up nine top-five finishes with a best finish of second-place and worst finish of seventh-place.
You can watch Daum’s chase for the record books unfold night-in and night-out courtesy of a LIVE pay-per-view broadcast on www.speedshifttv.com. For more information such as breaking news, race recaps, full results, and live updates, you can follow POWRi on Twitter at @POWRi_Racing, like “POWRi” on Facebook, and visit www.POWRi.com online.