Belleville, IL. (8/13/2021) Starting the Inaugural Lucas Oil POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprints Summer Shoot-Out in style with twenty-nine entries, competitors from all over the United States would battle wing-to-wing for nearly every position on the beautifully prepared Norman County Fairgrounds. Showing speed all evening, Grant Sexton, of Lakeside California, would use a late-race restart to his advantage by grabbing the lead and never giving up the sought-after position.
Putting on dazzling displays of driving in early competition would see Bryce Haugeberg, Sheldon Creed, Brandon Smith, and Braden Chiaramonte all claim intense heat race victories with Dexter Dvergsten earning the semi-feature victory. Setting the field based on the POWRi passing points system would see Sheldon Creed earning the feature pole starting spot, after winning his heat race from sixth.
Green flag feature racing would be elbows up driving on the smooth as glass surface with many competitors never lifting the accelerator around the track. Early feature racing would find Bryce Haugeberg and Braden Chiaramonte battling for first as drivers separated and battle for positions.
Several drivers would all try their hand at leading the pack of hungry lightning sprinters with Haugeberg, Chiaramonte, Alan Truscinski, and Chase Fischer all within striking distance of the front as drivers that started deep in the field finding their way to the front. Late-race dramatics would come into play with a restart bunching the field back together. Using an outstanding high-side run on the restart, Grant Sexton would drive around Haugeberg to grab the lead.
Leading the remainder of the action-packed feature, the 2019 POWRi Lightning Sprints Nationals winner Grant Sexton would claim more hardware and pocket the $1000 payday by winning Night One of the POWRi Lightning Sprint Summer Shoot-Out. Finishing in a highly contested runner-up spot would see Chris Crowder wheel his way from starting thirteenth to finishing close on the winner’s tail-tank. Dexter Dvergsten would round out the podium finishers earning the hard-charger award from starting seventeenth to finishing third, passing fourteen other drivers along the way.
Sharing hard-charging award would also witness Dalton Sexton coming from the semi-feature to finish fourth after racing around fourteen other drivers as well with one-time leader Bryce Haugeberg fading in the later stages of the feature to round out the top-five finishers at Norman County Fairgrounds for Night One of the POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprints Summer Shoot-Out.
Feature Results for POWRi MKLS at Norman County Fairground on 8/12/2021:
- 3-Grant Sexton[8]; 2. 26-Chris Crowder[13]; 3. 11-Dexter Dvergsten[17]; 4. 18-Dalton Sexton[18]; 5. 22-Bryce Haugeberg[2]; 6. 10-Alex Truscinski[14]; 7. 13T-Alan Truscinski[3]; 8. 22F-Chase Fischer[6]; 9. 16-Kyle Cole[9]; 10. 08-Wesley Van Drunen[20]; 11. 72-Kate Taves[19]; 12. 91-Mike Tindell[15]; 13. (DNF) 11X-Brandon Smith[4]; 14. (DNF) 60X-Patrick Brejcha[16]; 15. (DNF) 73-Braden Chiaramonte[5]; 16. (DNF) 100-Jason Berg[10]; 17. (DNF) 19S-Travis Surerus[23]; 18. (DNF) 93-Kelsi Pederson[11]; 19. (DNF) 3F-Shane Sexton[7]; 20. (DNF) 25K-Scott Kinney[12]; 21. (DNF) 44-Sheldon Creed[1]; 22. (DNF) 2T-Michael Truscinski[21]; 23. (DNF) 1W-Mark Williams[24]; 24. (DNS) 4-Dylan Langevin
Next up for the Lucas Oil POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprints will be the event that has been on everyone's mind all season with night two of the Inaugural POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprint Summer Shoot-Out Nationals on August 13th when the series welcomes drivers from all over to the speed-factory known as River City Speedway, with the second of four days of racing excitement at four premiere northern venues.
Updates and more information regarding the POWRi Lucas Oil Minn-Kota Lightning Sprints including the inaugural POWRi MKLS Summer Shootout Nationals, driver profiles, point standings, and series rules can be found on the POWRi Minn-Kota Lightning Sprint Series Facebook page.
Follow along for more information on POWRi and items such as race recaps, updates, full results, and press releases online at www.powri.com, or on Twitter & Instagram at @POWRi_Racing and Facebook at POWRi. POWRi League rules, contingencies, forms, and payouts can be found under the info tab at the top of the POWRi website.