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Bell Victorious at SIR

Marion, IL – As fans and teams began to unload at Southern Illinois Raceway, everyone seemed to notice a particular #21 machine in the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports stable. It was no question that it would be wheeled by none other than Christopher Bell. By the time the dust settled it was no surprise to see Christopher Bell back in victory lane with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League. Bell’s POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League victory at Southern Illinois Raceway was not only his third win of 2018 with POWRi, but also his 50th career victory in a national midget.

Starting in eighth, Bell went to work at the drop of the green flag as pole sitter Zach Daum jumped into the early lead followed by Logan Seavey. By lap four, Seavey powered past Daum for the lead with Bell in tow. Just as Bell looked to be in position to take over the lead, the caution was displayed for a spun machine in turn two.

Returning to racing, Seavey and Bell battled for the top spot, trading position several times, sliding one another and coming off the corner wheels and elbows up. By lap 13 Bell was comfortably out front as Seavey worked to keep up.

With the final caution occurring on lap 18, Bell was able to pull away from the field on the restart. Navigating lap traffic like the veteran he is, Bell cruised to victory over Seavey and Jonathan Beason. Alex Bright took fourth with Karter Sarff in fifth.

“I’ll tell you what; that’s hard work,” commented a victorious Christopher Bell. “Running around this place for 40 laps is physically demanding. Thank you to everyone who came out. I know I’ve said it once, but if you guys don’t come out, we don’t have a race to put on. Thank you for coming out. I’m going to be coming out as long as I can. Logan was really good. Just a matter of all the yellows coming out there early. My car was really good on the starts and I could kind of go right through the middle and guys were giving me a lane there. My car was really fast and that always makes it fun. It was a lot of work out there, but that’s why we love running midgets.”

“Every time he shows up we try to beat him,” said Logan Seavey. “He definitely makes me step my game up a little. I was able to hold him up for 15 or so laps. You just can’t make a mistake when he’s right behind you. I just kept running too low. When I run up above the cushion, I was just not running high enough and kept getting into the bumps and he was just eating me up. In the beginning, it was saving me because I could diamond off four, but when that went away, he was just able to go right by me. We were close on speed, he just ate me up in lap traffic.”

“That was fun,” stated Jonathan Beason. “Honestly the show was out front, but I pulled a wheelie all the way down the back straight there to get into third. It was really fun, and it was my first time here. I haven’t race in a couple of months, so a third place against these guys is pretty darn awesome.”

Midgets

Speedway Motors Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: 95-CHRIS ANDREWS, Heat 2: 67-LOGAN SEAVEY, Heat 3: 8J-JONATHAN BEASON

Mesilla Valley Transportation Feature Winner: 21-CHRISTOPHER BELL

POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League Feature Results (40 laps): 1. 21-CHRISTOPHER BELL 2. 67-LOGAN SEAVEY 3. 8J-JONATHAN BEASON 4. 77-ALEX BRIGHT 5. 21KS-KARTER SARFF 6. 71K-TANNER CARRICK 7. 91-DANIEL ROBINSON 8. 7D-DAVE DARLAND 9. 3N-JAKE NEUMAN 10. 67K-HOLLY SHELTON 11. 27-TUCKER KLAASMEYER 12. 5D-ZACH DAUM 13. 72-SAM JOHNSON 14. 51-BRIAN JONES 15. 19M-ETHAN MITCHELL 16. 7-BRIAN GROGAN 17. 08-CANNON MCINTOSH 18. 71-RYAN ROBINSON 19. 91T-TYLER THOMAS 20. 56X-MARK CHISHOLM 21. 14JR-HOLLY HOLLAN 22. 95-CHRIS ANDREWS 23. 35X-ANDREW LAYSER

For further information, visit www.powri.com, “Like” POWRi on Facebook and follow @POWRi_Racing on Twitter.

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