Bell dominates Turnpike Challenge at POWRi opener in Tulsa
This past weekend Christopher Bell’s return to his home turf at Port City Raceway was the perfect start for his return to midget s has set up the Oklahoma peddler as he strives to win his first National POWRi Midget Championship and retain his USAC Title lost in 2014 to teammate Abreu.
Christopher Bell wins the opener at the Turnpike Challenge
Coming to Tulsa after his win in the Late Model Sedan Rattler 250 at South Alabama Bell started the Turnpike Challenge weekend in a shaky manner with an early incident during his heat race .Starting out of position 10 the team of Toyota/Kunz with Bell in the seat was the mover right from the drop of green.
Andrew Felker racing out of Carl Junction, Missouri with the Danny Felker owned team led the opener strongly right up until the 19th lap before Bell factor came into play. Two laps later and Bell’s teammate Kevin Thomas pulled the second place from Felker .
Andrew Felker
Bell out in front ,Thomas and Felker trying to bridge the gap but the Kunz driver managed the gap easily as he raced away to post the first of his two wins for the weekend . Thomas and Felker joined the 2013 USAC Champion on the podium. This podium presentation had no surprises for Bell unlike the Rattler 250 presentation a week ago.
Bell’s Rattler suprise !
The final results for night one of the Turnpike Challenge,
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series feature results (40 laps): 1. 71 – Christopher Bell 2. 67K – Kevin Thomas Jr. 3. 11A – Andrew Felker 4. 67 – Tanner Thorson 5. 5 – Zach Daum 6. 3F – Geoff Ensign 7. 35 – Matt Sherrell 8. 8K – Blake Hahn 9. 05 – Brad Loyet 10. 17 – Darren Hagen 11. 8J – Jonathan Beason 12. 3R – Daniel Robinson 13. 96 – Cody Brewer 14. 8 – Alex Sewell 15. 21 – Ty Hulsey 16. 5$ – Danny Smith 17. 7 – Austin Brown 18. 4M – Michelle Decker 19. 9K – Kyle Schuett 20. 7M – Chance Morton 21. 5C – Colten Cottle 22. 44X – Don Droud Jr. 23. 18P – Payton Pierce
Night two of the Turnpike Challenge
Another 40 laps around the 1/8 Port City bull ring and with Bell on pole it was a surprise to see his teammate Kevin Thomas Jr jump out into the early race lead .Bell started to push his authority over the race and by lap 8 he worked his Kunz/Toyota past Thomas and into the race lead . From this point on Bell had the speed and track advantage over the entire field. The interest was now on the move forward by Blake Hahn’s Hard 8 Racing, Esslinger-powered Spike. Lap 12 Hahn would get by Thomas and two laps later the second of the Kunz entries, Thomas would spin and bring out the yellow.
Bell continued to be untouchable right from the restart and within a couple laps the Rattler 250 winner was rattling off such a fast pace that soon he was back lapping the tail of the field . At the same time Hahn was struggling to get past lapped traffic .Hahn’s Hard 8 Racing teammate Jonathan Beason was now getting into the mix at the head of the field.
The Turnpike Challenge had 6 of the 40 laps left when Brad Loyet stalled in the middle of turns 3 and four, bringing out the final caution and causing 4 other cars to be involved in a late race pile up.With 6 left to run the restart would get underway without Peck, Motsinger , Loyet, and Sherrell .
The final restart saw Bell race away to win from, Jonathan Beason in second and Zach Daum in third. Coming in fourth was Blake Hahn and rounding out the top five was Andrew Felker.
Bell The Turnpike Challenge winner now unbeaten at his last four Port City outings
Quotes from the podium after the final night of the Turnpike Challenge,
Christopher Bell“This place has definitely been good to me the last couple of years,” remarked clean-sweeping Christopher Bell. “That was really fun. The track definitely had similar characteristics [to last night’s track surface] but still different. Hats off to the track crew; the track was pretty wide tonight. I had a lot of fun and look forward to this event next year.”
Jonathan Beason“It was fun,” explained second place finisher Jonathan Beason. “I wish Blake could have stayed up there. There at the end of the race we both got going. I think he lost a cylinder or a piston went bad. I’m glad to finish second and I’m glad we’re out here. This is a fun track.”
Jonathan Beason Hard Eight Racing
Zach Daum “It’s never too early to start with momentum,” said third place finisher Zach Daum of Pocahontas, Illinois. “These fifths and these thirds and getting up on the podium and being in the top five every night is what pays off at the end of the year.”
Results from night two Turnpike Challenge Port City Raceway
1. 71 – Christopher Bell 2. 8J – Jonathan Beason 3. 5 – Zach Daum 4. 8K – Blake Hahn 5. 11A – Andrew Felker 6. 17 – Darren Hagen 7. 67 – Tanner Thorson 8. 9K – Kyle Schuett 9. 39 – Spencer Bayston 10. 67K – Kevin Thomas Jr. 11. 7 – Austin Brown 12. 3T – Kevin Battles 13. 88 – Terry Babb 14. 18P – Payton Pierce 15. 87F – Andrew Deal 16. 05 – Brad Loyet 17. 35 – Matt Sherrell 18. 2 – Seth Motsinger 19. 5X – Justin Peck 20. 21 – Ty Hulsey 21. 27 – Tucker Klaasmeyer 22. 96 – Cody Brewer
The nest event on the 2015 POWRi National Midget Championship is set down for Belle-Clair Speedway Friday April 10, 2015.
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