Belleville, IL – The POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series kicks off the 2017 season with a 29 event schedule, starting at the fifth annual Turnpike Challenge on March 24th and 25th at Port City Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma, co-sanctioning with the POWRi Lucas Oil West Midget Series.
2017 will continue to feature the thrilling events the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series has become known for, including three appearances at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri, with the first on April 22nd. The Iron Man Weekend on August 4th and 5th will continue to feature the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midgets, co-sanctioned with the POWRi Lucas Oil West Midget Series. All three events will host POWRi alongside the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars.
New for 2017, POWRi will visit Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois on Thursday, April 27th in the event dubbed Throwback Thursday. Route 66 Raceway shares the same hallowed ground as the famed Chicagoland Speedway and the Route 66 Dragstrip.
One of the many doubleheader weekends POWRi has become known for, the month of May will again kick off with the Missouri Mid-State Midget Nationals weekend at Valley Speedway on May 5th and round out the weekend with the annual appearance at the title-sponsor owned Lucas Oil Speedway, labeled the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks,” on May 6th. The Missouri Mid-State Midget Nationals will be tri-sanctioned, alongside the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series, POWRi Lucas Oil West Midget Series, and the newly formed POWRi Lucas Oil Allstar Midget Series.
Instead of the solo swing out West for the Missouri Mid-State Midget Nationals, the National Midgets will follow up the first weekend in May with a grand finale at Valley Speedway on July 14th and 15th for the inaugural Thunder in the Valley. Thunder in the Valley will also be tri-sanctioned.
For the sixth year, the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series will again host Illinois SPEED Week, with four nights of racing. Fairbury American Legion Speedway will anchor the opening night of Illinois SPEED Week on Thursday, June 1st. The series will then head to Jacksonville Speedway on Friday, June 2nd before Macon Speedway on Saturday, June 3rd. Illinois SPEED Week will then conclude on Sunday, June 4th at Lincoln Speedway.
After Illinois SPEED Week, racing will resume at Belle-Clair Speedway for the doubleheader Belle-Vegas Bash and Arnie Knepper Memorial on June 30th and July 1st. In addition to the Knepper Memorial, three other events will honor those who have contributed to the rich history of midget racing, including the Camfield Memorial at Macon Speedway on August 19th, as well as the Charlene Meents Memorial presented by Priority Aviation on September 29th and 30th at Belle-Clair Speedway.
Also on the docket for 2017, the 36th Annual Pepsi Nationals at Angell Park Speedway will take place on July 9th. Other standout events include the annual appearance at Fayette County Speedway in Brownstown, Illinois on May 20th and the Southern Illinois Shootout on September 16th, the first showing of sanctioned midget racing on the high-banked Southern Illinois Raceway in Marion, Illinois.
The POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series will again end their 2017 tour at the fifth annual Jason Leffler Memorial on October 20th at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, Illinois. The fifth annual Jason Leffler Memorial continues to feature midget racing’s largest payday, while honoring the late Jason Leffler and benefiting his son, Charlie Dean.
A printable schedule can be found under the “Schedule” tab for each division. For further information, visit www.powri.com, “Like” POWRi on Facebook and follow @POWRi_Racing on Twitter.
Fri, March 24* Port City Raceway - Turnpike Challenge
Sat, March 25* Port City Raceway - Turnpike Challenge
Fri, April 21 Belle-Clair Speedway
Sat, April 22 I-55 Raceway - With the World of Outlaws
Thu, April 27 Route 66 - Throwback Thursday
Fri, May 5*+ Valley Speedway - MO Mid-State Midget Nationals
Sat, May 6*+ Lucas Oil Speedway - MO Mid-State Midget Nationals
Fri, May 12 Jacksonville Speedway - Midwest Season Opener
Sat, May 13 Macon Speedway - Midwest Season Opener
Sat, May 20 Fayette County Speedway
Thu, June 1 Fairbury Speedway - Illinois SPEED Week
Fri, June 2 Jacksonville Speedway - Illinois SPEED Week
Sat, June 3 Macon Speedway - Illinois SPEED Week
Sun, June 4 Lincoln Speedway - Illinois SPEED Week
Fri, June 30 Belle-Clair Speedway- Belle Vegas BASH
Sat, July 1 Belle-Clair Speedway - Knepper Memorial
Sun, July 9 Angell Park Speedway - Pepsi Nationals
Fri, July 14*+ Valley Speedway - Thunder In The Valley
Sat, July 15*+ Valley Speedway - Thunder In The Valley
Fri, Aug 4 * I-55 Raceway - Iron Man 55
Sat, Aug 5 * I-55 Raceway - Iron Man 55
Sat, Aug 19 Macon Speedway - Camfield Memorial
Fri, Sept 8 Jacksonville Speedway - Herb Barlow Memorial
Sat, Sept 9 Spoon River Speedway - Tom Knowles Memorial
Sat, Sept 16 Southern Illinois Raceway - Southern Illinois Shootout
Fri, Sept 29 Belle-Clair Speedway - Meents Memorial
Sat, Sept 30 Belle-Clair Speedway - Meents Memorial
Sat, Oct 14 Jacksonville Speedway
Fri, Oct 20 # Wayne County Speedway - Jason Leffler Memorial
Co-Sanction - *POWRi West, +Allstars, # USAC