CHARLESTON, Ill. – Daison Pursley earned his third Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget League victory during the final night of the Illiana Showdown at Charleston Speedway Saturday evening.
Brent Crews and Bryant Wiedeman followed him to the checkered flag and earned their best POWRi finishes to date.
Starting fifth on the grid, Pursley went to work at the start while Emerson Axsom led the opening lap. Cole Bodine and Brent Crews jockeyed for the second position. Axsom continued to gap himself from the rest of the field, but behind him Pursley found himself taking over second from Crews and setting his sights on the leader. Pursley threw a slider on Axsom, but couldn’t make it stick.
Axsom and Pursley traded the lead, but as Axsom got away from the field he stopped for a flat left-rear tire, which brought out the caution. Pursley assumed the lead on the restart. Coming back green, Pursley distanced himself from the field, but rookie Corey Day found a grove on the bottom and ran down the leader.
After a late race red flag for Jade Avedisian and Mitchell Davis, the field bunched back up. Pursley continued to show the way and led the 22-car field to the checkered flag, Crews earned his career-best finish of second and Wiedeman earned his career-best finish in third. Day finished fourth with Joe B. Miller finishing fifth.
“Tonight, it kind of just played out in my favor and Beau had this thing on rails. it’s the reason we are fast right now, and the consistence is there, and I feel like it’s time to pick up these wins,” Pursley said. “To have this good momentum going into midget week in two weeks will be pretty key.”
The finish:
Daison Pursley, Brent Crews, Bryant Wiedeman, Corey Day, Joe B. Miller, Cole Bodine, Cannon McIntosh, Ryan Timms, Kaylee Bryson, Brenham Crouch, Joey Wirth, Emerson Axsom, Taylor Reimer, Chance Crum, Ethan Mitchell, Jade Avedisian, Trey Gropp, Cade Lewis, Emilio Hoover, Buddy Kofoid, Jake Neuman, Mitchell Davis.