LOGANSPORT, Ind. — Kale Drake flew from starting fifth to win preliminary night feature for the third yearly installment of the Keith Kunz Motorsports Challenge presented by Start2Finish TV.
It was his fourth POWRi Non-Wing Outlaw Micro League while battling at the outstanding hosting US-24 Speedway.
High-point qualifier Aiden Purdue battled outside front-row contender Robbie Smith as the green flag waved with Purdue holding the early front of the field with Robbie Smith, Kole Kirkman, Drake and Gunnar Setser all staying close inside the early contending top five.
Breaking away from the rest of the field, Purdue would mount nearly a two-second advantage over the nearest competitor as Drake moved into the runner-up spot with Kirkman and Setser keeping Smith at bay inside the top five as the first caution waved on lap nine.
Restarting the field, Drake slid into the lead out of turn four using the high-side speed with Purdue keeping pace in second place as a major wreck behind the leading pair would halt the action.
Bringing the field back to green on a lap-11 restart, Drake protected the lead from Purdue with Setser moving into a podium running spot as Colby Sokol and Thomas Kunsman Jr. rounded out the top five as caution would bunch the field back together once again on lap 16.
Drake would not be denied in capturing his first seasonal POWRi Non-Wing Outlaw Micro victory as Setser finished in the closely contended second spot with the leader of nine laps Purdue finalizing the podium placements.
“Aiden did a great job to get out front early, but I knew I was given this great car and I had to just hit my marks,” said Drake. “I’m super happy to put the team in a good position and pull off the win.”
Driving from starting eighth, Kunsman finished fourth, with Frank Flud fifth.
The finish:
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 71-Kale Drake[5]; 2. 71G-Gunnar Setser[4]; 3. 25P-Aiden Purdue[1]; 4. 21K-Thomas Kunsman Jr[8]; 5. 81-Frank Flud[10]; 6. 24S-Colby Sokol[13]; 7. 83-Brant Woods[18]; 8. 10-Daniel Robinson[9]; 9. 11C-Darren Brown[11]; 10. 16W-Hunter Walker[20]; 11. 40-Caleb Shietze[14]; 12. 25-Kenneth Beinhower III[21]; 13. 11-Cale Cannon[12]; 14. 21S-Steven Snyder Jr[17]; 15. 12C-Chase Spicola[22]; 16. 126-Autumn Criste[16]; 17. 99B-Robbie Smith[2]; 18. 22-Kole Kirkman[3]; 19. 24G-Greyson Springer[6]; 20. 49-Russell Gamester[7]; 21. 94-Hayden Wise[15]; 22. 99-Cole Bodine[19].