JACKSONVILLE, ILL. (October 5, 2019) – Logan Seavey thought he saw the window for a win shutting when Rico Abreu slid by on the 12th circuit in Friday’s POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget feature at Jacksonville Speedway. However, a late rally brought Seavey right back to Abreu’s bumper before a perfect diamond maneuver off turn two sealed the race’s fate when the No. 67 shot by the No. 97 with only four laps left.
A historical win on several levels, Seavey’s Friday night triumph was the scene of a handful of noteworthy milestones for the Sutter, California 22-year old. The driver of the Keith Kunz-Curb Agajanian Motorsports, Mobil 1, Bullet/Toyota No. 67 tied Christopher Bell for the winningest single-season (11 wins), tied Zach Daum for fifth on the all-time wins list (19 wins), and tied the late Bryan Clauson for the most career wins at Jacksonville Speedway (5 wins).
Before the epic Abreu/Seavey battle heated up and well before the “Sutter Cut” was thrown in victory lane, Friday’s 30-lapper took the green flag with Jesse Colwell of Red Bluff, Calif. and Tyler Thomas of Collinsville, Okla. pacing the field. Thomas, a three-time winner at Jacksonville, initially put his No. 91T to the point, but things drastically changed on lap two as Thomas hopped through turns three and four before catching the wall and bouncing to a disheartening stop.
Colwell, who leads the POWRi National Midget League title hunt with six races to go, assumed the lead aboard his KKM, IWX Motor Freight, Bullet/Toyota No. 71, but it didn’t last long. Going a lane above Colwell, Seavey, who started fourth, zipped around his teammate and controlled the second circuit as the restart brought the field back to life.
Seavey was strong in the opening stages as 16-year old Cannon McIntosh of Bixby, Okla. and Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif. worked by Colwell to take second and third. The second and final caution waved on lap seven for a stopped Devin Camfield, which would bunch the field up and give McIntosh along with Abreu a much-anticipated shot at Seavey.
On the restart, Abreu aggressively attacked McIntosh for second and soon secured the spot with a low-line dive into turn one. Setting his sights on Seavey, Abreu tracked down his KKM teammate and pounced on lap 13, throwing a turn three slider that quickly cleared and gave him breathing room out front.
While it looked as if Abreu and his Safelite, Bullet/Toyota No. 97 were large and in charge out front, Seavey was tracking his every footstep and methodically prepping his game plan through the final stages. Making it a race with five to go, Seavey saw his opportunity with lap traffic looming and went for the move.
Diamonding off turn two, a patented move that has guided Seavey to four previous Jacksonville W’s, the No. 67 cut on a dime from the top to the bottom and zoomed by Abreu down the backstretch on the 27th lap. From there, it was all about defense for Seavey, who still had Abreu breathing down his neck over the final mile of the race.
Abreu’s relentless effort came up just short, however, as Logan Seavey’s late-race heroics paid off and he cashed in for his 19th-career POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League victory. His fifth victory in the last six events at Jacksonville sets Seavey up for a potentially historic Saturday with the record for the most wins in a single season now on the line.
Coming home with a close, but tough-to-swallow second-place bid was Abreu aboard his No. 98 entry. Tanner Thorson of Minden, Nev. rounded out the podium with a tenth-to-third run in the Hayward-Thomas Motorsports No. 19. Cannon McIntosh and Zach Daum closed out the top five while Jake Neuman (sixth), Jesse Colwell (seventh), Tucker Klaasmeyer (eighth), Tanner Carrick (ninth) and Ace McCarthy (tenth) finished inside the top ten.
The POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League returns for another night at Jacksonville Speedway tonight Saturday, October 5 alongside the POWRi Engler Machine & Tool Outlaw Micros, MOWA Sprint Cars, the Ron Milton Race of Champions, Modifieds, Street Stocks, and a Kids Mods exhibition.
For those unable to attend, you can watch the action from Jacksonville Speedway LIVE on Speed Shift TV. Head over to www.speedshifttv.com to purchase your VIP Subscription or a daily package to watch.
For more information on POWRi Racing, you can visit us online at www.powri.com, follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @POWRi_Racing, or like ‘POWRi’ on Facebook.
Auto Meter Heat One (8 Laps):
- 71-Jesse Colwell, Red Bluff, CA (6); 2. 91T-Tyler Thomas, Collinsville, OK (7); 3. 87-Mitchell Davis, Auburn, IL (2); 4. 71K-Tanner Carrick, Lincoln, CA (5); 5. 3K-Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL (8); 6. 103-Broc Hunnell, Eolia, MO (1); 7. 54-Ray Seach, Beloit, WI (3); 8. 9-Daison Pursley, Locust Grove, OK (4).
KSE Racing Products Heat Two (8 Laps):
- 97-Rico Abreu, St. Helena, CA (1); 2. 5D-Zach Daum, Pocahontas, IL (3); 3. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer, Paola, KS (7); 4. 17-Austin Brown, Millstadt, IL (6); 5. 11-Andy Bishop, Harrisburg, IL (2); 6. 72-Sam Johnson, St. Peters, MO (5); DNS, 97A-Austin O’Dell, Rochester, IL.
Advanced Racing Suspensions Heat Three (8 Laps):
- 67-Logan Seavey, Sutter, CA (2); 2. 19-Tanner Thorson, Minden, NV (1); 3. 97K-Jesse Love, Redwood City, CA (3); 4. 67K-Holley Hollan, Broken Arrow, OK (4); 5. 21KS-Jake Neuman, New Berlin, IL (7); 6. 17C-Devin Camfield, Decatur, IL (5); 7. 55-Jeff Sparks, Mason City, IL (6).
Schoenfeld Headers Heat Four (8 Laps):
- 08-Cannon McIntosh, Bixby, OK (1); 2. 28-Ace McCarthy, Tahlequah, OK (3); 3. 50-Daniel Adler, St. Louis, MO (5); 4. 47BC-Andrew Layser, Collegeville, PA (6); 5. 86C-David Camfield Jr., Decatur, IL (2); 6. 00-Luke Howard, Overland Park, KS (4); 7. 77W-Joey Wirth, Waterloo, IL (7).
Rod End Supply B-Main (12 Laps / 6 Transfer):
- 21KS-Jake Neuman (1); 2. 67K-Holley Hollan (2); 3. 86C-David Camfield Jr. (4); 4. 00-Luke Howard (7); 5. 11-Andy Bishop (3); 6. 17C-Devin Camfield (6); 7. 97A-Austin O’Dell (13); 8. 54-Ray Seach (11); 9. 77W-Joey Wirth (8); 10. 55-Jeff Sparks (10); 11. 103-Broc Hunnell (9); 12. 9-Daison Pursley (12); 13. 72-Sam Johnson (5).
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Main Event (30 Laps):
- 67-Logan Seavey (4); 2. 97-Rico Abreu (5); 3. 19-Tanner Thorson (10); 4. 08-Cannon McIntosh (6); 5. 5D-Zach Daum (7); 6. 21KS-Jake Neuman (17); 7. 71-Jesse Colwell (1); 8. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer (3); 9. 71K-Tanner Carrick (16); 10. 28-Ace McCarthy (8); 11. 91T-Tyler Thomas (2); 12. 97K-Jesse Love (14); 13. 50-Daniel Adler (9); 14. 9-Daison Pursley (23); 15. 67K-Holley Hollan (18); 16. 47BC-Andrew Layser (12); 17. 3K-Korey Weyant (13); 18. 86C-David Camfield Jr. (19); 19. 00-Luke Howard (20); 20. 17-Austin Brown (11); 21. 17C-Devin Camfield (22); 22. 11-Andy Bishop (21); 23. 87-Mitchell Davis (15).
Hard Charger(s): Neuman +11.
Lap Leader(s): Thomas 1; Seavey 2-12; Abreu 13-26; Seavey 27-30.
Brendon Bauman Photos