Belleville, IL. (07/03/2021) Visiting Lake Ozark Speedway for the second time in the 2021 racing campaign, the Lucas Oil POWRi Midwest Lightning Sprints would celebrate Independence Weekend dueling for positions on the speedy one-third mile oval as part of the Lucas Oil POWRi RaceSaver Super Sprint Nationals. With outstanding action all over Lake Ozark Speedway, Nebraska wheelman Tom Brown would emerge the victor gaining his first series victory of the season.
Early track action at Lake Ozark Speedway with the Lucas Oil POWRi Midwest Lightning Sprints would find Mark Billings and Brandon Smith each claim heat race wins with Smith gaining the pole starting position for the feature event.
Mason City Illinois talent Brandon Smith would start the feature in a fury by grabbing the early advantage as outside row-one starter Tom Brown maneuvered into a close running second. Brown would not hesitate in a second-lap pass for the lead using an outside-run out of turn two to take the prized position. Brown would hold the front of the field uncontested, notching his fourteenth Lucas Oil POWRi Midwest Lightning Sprint feature win since 2016.
With Tom Brown out front stretching out to a commanding lead, great racing for nearly every position would occur behind the leader as Mark Billings and Bobby Layne would run wing-to-wing for the runner-up spot. Billings would find speed in the later stages of the feature to finish second with Layne crossing the line third. Hard-Charger Chase Fischer continues his consistency gaining five positions to finish fourth as the up-and-coming Trice Roden continues to impress in his rookie campaign rounding out the top-five finishers at Lake Ozark Speedway for the Lucas Oil POWRi Midwest Lightning Sprints.
Feature Results for the POWRi MLS at Lake Ozark Speedway on July 3rd:
- B20 | Tom Brown | Ceresco, NE | 2
- 51 | Mark Billings | Kansas City, MO | 3 | Heat Race Winner
- 01 | Bobby Layne | Kansas City, MO | 5
- 22 | Chase Fischer | Jefferson City, MO | 9 | Hard Charger (+5)
- 27R | Trice Roden | Montgomery City, MO | 7
- 11 | Brandon Smith | Mason City, IL | 1 | Heat Race Winner
- 71 | Jeff Bard | Kansas City, MO | 6
- 10 | Chasity Younger | St Joseph, MO | 8
- 7 | Tyler Johnson | Odessa, MO | 4
- 00 | Dave Hammons | Olathe, KS | 10
- 91 | Mike Tindell | Overland Park, KS | 12
- 65 | Tom Sydnor | Hillsboro, MO | 12
- 49B | Kenny Bowers | Olathe, KS | 11 | DNF
- 71E | Tony Layne | Kansas City, MO | DNS
Up next for the Lucas Oil Midwest Lightning Sprints will be a trip to always entertaining and fast laps of Nevada Speedway, in Nevada, Missouri, on Saturday, July 10th. More details and track information can be found online at www.nevadaspeedway1.com. Pit gates open at 4:30 PM with Hot Laps scheduled for 7:00 PM, racing action to follow.
Special thanks to the MLS supporting sponsors Rod End Supply and Oskvig Accounting. Please continue to check the website and Facebook for key dates and information. More information about the POWRi Lucas Oil Midwest Lightning Sprint can be found online at www.midwestlightningsprintsracing.com, or “Like” the POWRi Lucas Oil Midwest Lightning Sprints on Facebook.
Follow along for more information such as race recaps, updates, full results, and press releases online at www.powri.com, or on Twitter & Instagram at @POWRi_Racing, or on Facebook at POWRi. POWRi League rules, contingencies, forms, and payouts can be found under the info tab at the top of the POWRi website.
Photo Credit: Steve Eichelberger