MARION, Ill. — Drake Edwards would put together a perfect evening at Southern Illinois Raceway, leading every lap and setting quick time on his way to his first career POWRi National Midget League feature victory in thrilling fashion on Saturday night.
When the 30-lap feature took the green flag, high-point qualifier Edwards and Ethan Mitchell led the field to the start, with Edwards quickly taking command of the top position on the opening circuit.
As Edwards built a comfortable advantage at the front of the field, the battle behind him intensified. Kale Drake, Jacob Denney, Cannon McIntosh, Ethan Mitchell, and Karter Sarff raced in a tightly contested fight for the runner-up position, exchanging positions throughout the feature while keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
The closing laps provided plenty of drama as Edwards suffered a deflating tire while maintaining the lead. Sensing an opportunity, Kale Drake mounted a last-lap charge and threw everything he had at the leader through turns three and four.
Despite the challenge, Edwards held his line and crossed the finish line first to secure his inaugural POWRi National Midget League feature victory by .5 seconds.
Kale Drake would finish a strong second, while Cannon McIntosh charged forward seven positions during the feature to round out the podium in third.
The victory marked a memorable breakthrough for Edwards, who completed a flawless night by setting quick time, winning his heat race and leading all 30 laps en route to his first POWRi National Midget League triumph.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 40D-Drake Edwards[1]; 2. 4-Kale Drake[4]; 3. 71K-Cannon McIntosh[10]; 4. 67-Jacob Denney[5]; 5. 7U-Karter Sarff[3]; 6. 40L-Mack Leopard[9]; 7. 19-Ethan Mitchell[2]; 8. 20Q-Brecken Reese[6]; 9. 5U-Landon Henry[7]; 10. 19AZ-Drew Sherman[16]; 11. 00-Broc Elliott[12]; 12. 13-Chase Howard[11]; 13. 50J-Brian Jones[17]; 14. 27X-Kyle Jones[8]; 15. 21H-Levi Hinck[14]; 16. 83H-Cullen Hutchison[13]; 17. 77-Joey Wirth[15]; 18. 46G-Zack Grogan[18]; 19. 91-Cody Beard[19]
