LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Jesse Colwell roared from the tail of the field to win Saturday’s 30-lap POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League debut at I-30 Speedway.
Colwell led the field to the green flag, but his Keith Kunz Motorsports teammate Holley Hollan led the opening circuit. She started to pull away, but a caution for the slowing Colwell slowed her pace.
Colwell was pushed to the work area, where it was discovered a battery issue had caused him to drop off the pace. Cannon McIntosh joined him in the work area with his own trouble and both racers tagged the tail of the field as Hollan brought the field back to the green flag.
The chaos was just getting started, as Hollan floated her No. 67 into turn one before hopping, biking and going for a flip. She was OK and climbed out of the car under her own power.
Inheriting the lead was Ace McCarthy until he himself encountered a problem in his No. 28, which sent him to the pit area. Thus, it was Jake Neuman who ultimately brought the field back to life on the eighth lap. Over the next 15 circuits, Neuman walked away from the field as Colwell had begun marching through the field, eventually driving by Andrew Felker to take second with 10 to go.
On lap 23, the final chord of mayhem rang, when Neuman spun his Spike/SR-11 No. 3N to a stop in turn two, sending him from the point to the back with seven to go. His misfortune was like striking gold for Colwell, who inherited the race lead after going to the tail just 15 laps prior.
Colwell cruised through the final restart and drove away to his second victory with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League. The Red Bluff, Calif., native completed a remarkable come-from-behind win to extend his championship lead to 350 points, which he can officially clinch next weekend at Creek County Speedway.
Fourteen-year old Daison Pursley matched his career-best finish of second aboard his Toyota Racing No. 9. Andrew Felker notched his third-straight podium finish with the POWRi National Midgets in third.
Howard Moore finished fourth, with Hank Davis wrapping up the top-five finishers.
The finish:
1. 71-Jesse Colwell (1); 2. 9-Daison Pursley (4); 3. 44S-Andrew Felker (9); 4. 41-Howard Moore (7); 5. 42-Hank Davis (6); 6. 9JR-Derek Hagar (13); 7. 28K-Kory Schudy (12); 8. 20G-Noah Gass (8); 9. 3N-Jake Neuman (10); 10. 56X-Mark Chisholm (15); 11. 5B-Bobby Brewer (14); 12. 8M-Kade Morton (11); 13. 28-Ace McCarthy (3); 14. 67-Holley Hollan (2); 15. 08-Cannon McIntosh (5).