MARION, Ill. – Andrew Peters led all 30 laps of Saturday’s POWRi Engler Machine and Tool 600cc Outlaw Micro League feature to win the second annual Prelude to the Hustle at Southern Illinois Raceway.
After starting on the outside of the front row of the 30-lap feature, Peters found the top side and never looked back. The last time Peters attended a POWRi race at Southern Illinois Raceway, he took home a second-place finish. On Saturday he did one better, earning his first POWRi victory of the season.
Peters hit lapped traffic on lap seven, while Christopher Townsend battled for the position with Peters and couldn’t quite make it stick, losing the second position to Joe B. Miller on lap eight. Third-place Townsend found himself battling with Harley Hollan and Scotty Milan for positions three through five.
As Peters found himself in lapped traffic, he never faltered and walked away from positions two through five until the red flag came out on lap 13 for the No. 20 of Logan Hull.
After the restart on lap 13, Peters committed back to the top side and found himself in a battle with the second-place car, Miller who was followed by Townsend in third. The top-three settled in and battle through the heavy lapped traffic, as Aiden Purdue capitalized and started moving in on the top three.
On lap 26 Peters found himself a corner ahead of second-place runner Miller as the yellow flag came out for the third-place runner Townsend. Hollan moved into third as a result, followed by Aiden Purdue and Ryan Timms.
With four laps remaining the green flag waved and Peters quickly took to the top side. Miller threw everything he had at Peters, less the kitchen sink, to try to overtake him for the lead. As Miller tried to battle with Peters to no avail, Purdue capitalized and shot from fourth out of seemingly nowhere into third and then slipped past Miller for second.
Crossing the line with his first POWRi Engler Machine and Tool 600cc Outlaw Micro League victory of the year, Peters was followed to the line by Purdue with Miller completing the podium. Hollan took fourth with Timms rounding out the top-five.
The finish:
Andrew Peters, Aiden Purdue, Joe B. Miller, Harley Hollan, Ryan Timms, Chase Porter, Austin Schaeffer, Scotty Milan, Tyler Rust, Brocton Williams, Zach Taylor, Christopher Townsend, Breanna Wirth, Jason Eigerrauch, Cole Tinsley, Xavier Doney, Trevin Littleton, Logan Null, Chris Cobin, Hunter Pruitt, Lucas Pejakovich, Devin Feger.