Tri-City Reviving
The Gold Crown Midget Nationals will return to Tri-City Speedway, this time under POWRi sanction. (Mark Funderburk photo)

Tri-City Reviving Gold Crown Midget Nationals

PONTOON BEACH, Ill. – POWRi and Tri-City Speedway officials have announced the revival of the Gold Crown Midget Nationals at the three-eighths-mile dirt track.

The event, a longstanding staple in midget racing, will feature the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League and the Morrow Brothers Ford MOWA Sprint Car Series on Oct. 2-3.

POWRi will stage a two-day weekend at Tri-City as part of the Gold Crown Midget Nationals, replacing a previously-scheduled event at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway on Friday, Oct. 2.

The opening-night midget feature on Friday will pay out $3,000 to the winner, while Saturday’s finale ups the ante to $5,000 to win and $500 just to start the main event.

The ninth running of the Gold Crown Midget Nationals continues a tradition that was last held in 2016. Tanner Thorson swept the event in both 2015 and 2016, winning four straight Gold Crown features at Tri-City.

Meanwhile, the Gold Crown weekend will mark MOWA’s second appearance at Tri-City this season, with the prior visit on Aug. 28 won by Paul Nienhiser.

Joining the POWRi national midgets and MOWA sprint cars on the event card will be the POWRi RaceSaver 305 sprint cars and the Tri-City non-winged micros.

The program format and running times for the Gold Crown Midget Nationals will be released in the coming weeks, with more information announced as it becomes available.

For those who can’t attend at the track, both nights of the Gold Crown Midget Nationals will be streamed live through SPEED SPORT Network affiliate POWRi TV.