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POWRi National Midgets, Micro-Sprints to Kick Off 2008 Season at Jacksonville & Macon IL. Brad Loyet and Dereck King will begin defense of their titles MILLSTADT, Ill. (April 21) - O’Reilly POWRi expects a large contingent of cars for both the POWRi National Midget Series presented by Lucas Oil and the Micro-Sprints in the pair’s season-opening weekend April 25-26 at Jacksonville and Macon, Ill. The weekend marks the beginning of the fourth season of POWRi competition. Last season’s point battles in both divisions showed how competitive this series is, with the National Midget championship coming down to the final weekend of action. We expect the 2008 season to be the best season yet in POWRi competition. Brad Loyet and the Loyet Motorsports group – who are coming off the “DuQuoin Winter Nationals” two-race championship at the Southern Illinois Center earlier this season – will begin their defense of the driver and team titles in the National Midgets when the green flag flies April 25 at Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill. Loyet won the season opener at the third-mile track last season, one of 5 races he won en route to the championship. The race is one of three for both the National Midgets and Micro-Sprints on the 2008 racing calendar. The following night, April 26, Midget and Micro-Sprint competitors head about an hour and a half due east to the fifth-mile Macon (Ill.) Speedway, for the first of four National Midget and six Micro-Sprint events in 2008. Brad Kuhn and A.J. Fike won POWRi Midget races last season, while Hoosier Ryan Leek won his first career Micro-Sprint race there in August. The 31-race National Midget schedule includes 17 races in Illinois. Other states hosting races include Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa. The Micro-Sprints will also run upwards of 30 races in 2008. While Loyet is one of the favorites to win the 2008 National Midget championship, he’ll have to fend off several other drivers for the crown. Kuhn and Mike Hess claimed multiple victories during last summer’s action and each held the point lead at some point in 2007. Young guns Daniel Adler and Brent Beauchamp, each who have made their mark at local Sprint car races in the Midwest, also expect to challenge Loyet for the title. On the Micro-Sprint side, King ran away with the title last season, clinching the championship with more than a handful of races to go. However, King was a non-factor in either of the “DuQuoin Winter Nationals” races at the Southern Illinois Center in January and March. If he wants to win the 2008 title, he’ll have to fight off young drivers such as Jason Ormsdy, Jarrett Cathey, Todd Kirkman, Austin Laskey, Tony Roney, Daniel Robinson and Nic Harris. King is also expected to compete in select POWRi National Midget races in 2008. Morgan County and Macon Speedway practice will begin at 6:00pm, with racing starting at 7:00pm. For ticket and gate information on both tracks you can visit Morgan County at www.morgancountyspeedway.com and Macon Speedway at www.maconracing.com . |