Pit Stop Radio News

Tucker Klaasmeyer led Holly Shelton and Zach Daum across the finish line in a Toyota 1-2-3 finish at the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League’s Friday night feature at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Missouri.

The win is the fifth of the season for the Paola, Kansas-native and the 24th national midget feature win for a Toyota-powered driver this year. It also marks the 15th for a Toyota driver in 17 POWRi events this season.

Klaasmeyer didn’t take the lead until the second half of the race as it was another Toyota driver, 15-year-old Cannon McIntosh, who went to the lead after winning the pole position. McIntosh dominated the early going, pulling away from the field before eventually getting slowed in lapped traffic. He led the first 13 laps before a full-course caution bunched the field with Jake Neuman running second, Ryan Robinson in third, Klaasmeyer in fourth and Austin Brown rounding out the top five.

Robinson made his move on the re-start, moving past Neuman and then taking the lead when McIntosh went off the track in turn two. McIntosh was able to save it, but fell way back in the field as Klaasmeyer took over second, with Miller running third, Brown sitting fourth and Shelton having climbed all the way up to fifth after starting the feature in 17th.

After another restart on lap 17, Shelton moved up to third as Keith Kunz Motorsports (KKM) Toyotas took over the top three positions.  Klaasmeyer then made his move one lap later, going underneath Robinson to take the lead on lap 18. Robinson countered by going back to the top, but bit the turn two curb. He saved it, but fell back in the field to fourth as Shelton moved into second, with Daum climbing into third.

Klaasmeyer began to pull away from the field, but Shelton would begin to reel him back in as she attempted to become the first woman in history to win a national midget feature on dirt. The top two distanced themselves from the field as Shelton had closed to within striking distance after gaining 15 positions in the race.

Catching Klaasmeyer and passing him were two different things, though, as the KKM drivers stayed low on the race track in the waning laps. That’s how it would end, with Klaasmeyer scoring his third win in the last four races. Behind him, Shelton earned a career-best second with Daum placing third.

Robinson would finish sixth. Presley Truedson also registered a top-10 finish in eighth, with McIntosh placing 11th and Brown rounding out the Toyota contingent in 14th.

Klaasmeyer stretched his POWRi championship lead to 170 points over Robinson, The victory also tied him with KKM teammate Christopher Bell for the most national midget feature wins in 2018. Bell, who won Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, will be back in a Toyota midget car on Sunday in Sweet Springs, Missouri.

The POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League is back in action at Valley Speedway on Saturday night.