BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The stars and cars of the POWRi National Midget League are locked, loaded and heading into a monumental Missouri-Illinois doubleheader of open-wheel action.
This Friday, May 29, the quick dirt oval of Doe Run Raceway welcomes competitors before the league shifts east on Saturday, May 30, to the historic bullring of Southern Illinois Raceway for a weekend showcase of speed, slide jobs and championship drama.
Through seven completed events, POWRi National Midget storylines are coming into focus, the points chase is tightening and one driver is rewriting the record books at a blistering pace.
Denney Dominance
Championship leader Jacob Denney is putting on an absolute clinic, riding an incredible six-race winning streak while entering the weekend with a staggering 2.4 average finish on the season. With 15 POWRi National Midget victories, Denney sits just one win shy of tying Darren Hagen for 10th on the all-time wins list.
Even more impressive, Denney has six wins through the first seven of 22 scheduled point events, putting the single-season record of 12 victories — shared by Logan Seavey (2019) and Cannon McIntosh (2022) — squarely in his sights.
As a former winner at Doe Run last season, all eyes will be on the point leader to see if anyone can snap the streak.
Chasing The Champ
While Denney holds a 210-point advantage over Kale Drake, the battle behind the leader remains intense. Karter Sarff (-440) currently leads the Passmaster standings with a +44 in positions gained this season and is eager to turn that hard-charging consistency into his first National Midget feature win of 2026.
Rookie standout Drake Edwards leads a tightly contested “Jim Childers Rookie of the Year” battle over Mack Leopard, with both Chase McDermand Racing drivers hungry to secure their first career National Midget victories.
Iron Man Streak
While points battles and winning streaks dominate headlines, Daniel Adler continues to build one of the most respected legacies in POWRi competition. Adler remains the only driver in league history to make a National Midget feature start in every season of POWRi’s existence.
Currently sitting fifth on the all-time starts list with 186 feature appearances, the “Iron Man” looks to add two more to his remarkable résumé this weekend.
Tracks & Past Winners
Doe Run Raceway — Known for tight racing and quick lap times, past POWRi National Midget winners include Zach Daum (2023), Cannon McIntosh (2024), and Jacob Denney (2025).
Southern Illinois Raceway — A legendary bullring that has challenged the best in the business, past winners include Christopher Bell (2017–2018), Jake Neuman (2019), and Jade Avedisian (2023).
Entry List
An elite roster of open-wheel talent is expected to fill the pit area, including Karter Sarff, Drew Sherman, Mack Leopard, Brecken Reese, Kale Drake, Jacob Denney, Colton Robinson, Drake Edwards, Kyle Jones, Branigan Roark, Shannon McQueen, Michelle Decker, Cullen Hutchison, Ethan Mitchell, Daniel Adler, Alex Midkiff, Zach Wigal, Chase Howard, Trey Marcham Broc Elliott and many more.
