Dupo, IL (June 13, 2016) The 2016 version of POWRi Speed Week kicked off Wednesday night at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Illinois. Known as one of the best race tracks in midget racing, Little Belleville definitely didn’t disappoint during this mid-week show. For Kyle, it was a rough night that ended with ignition problems in the B-main. In heat race action, Kyle started sixth and finished sixth on an uncharacteristically rough Belleville track. This put him starting sixth in the B-main with the top six transferring to the 30-lap A-feature. Racing between third and fifth early in the race, Kyle made contact with the inside wall which turned him around in oncoming traffic. After hard contact, he restarted, but the car quickly shut off. Wanting to make sure it wasn’t serious motor issues and that there was no damage to the rest of the car, the team took Thursday night off to go through everything and prepare for the remaining three nights.
On Friday night, the team returned to Jacksonville Speedway, the site of Kyle’s first midget podium finish during his rookie season last year. With a much better pill draw, Kyle was scheduled to start third in the second heat race. After a quick lineup change, Kyle lined up outside of Spencer Bayston on the front row. Racing hard between second and third, Kyle eventually pulled away and finished in second position. Based on passing points, Kyle lined up eighth in the 30-lap A-main. With the cushion on the fence and racers banging off it and the wall, Kyle used the low line to try to maintain his position. By the end of the A-main, Kyle finished in 11th behind some of the toughest competitors in the sport.
Saturday marked the return of the POWRi midgets to the Mighty Macon Speedway. A track that has been both good and bad to Kyle, the team looked forward to returning to see how the new DRC Chassis like the Macon 1/5 mile. In heat race action, Kyle started third and finished fifth, sending him to the B-main. Starting sixth, Kyle moved up to fourth and was running comfortably in a transfer spot until a car in front of him blew up and left Kyle with nowhere to go. Unfortunately, Kyle made contact and was unable to continue for the evening.
The final leg of the 2016 POWRi Speed Week was held Sunday night at Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln, Illinois. Once again a high pill draw put Kyle starting fifth in his heat race. Moving forward one position, Kyle finished fourth and gained valuable finishing and passing points. Based on points, he lined up 12th in what would become a survival of the fittest A-main event. With cars starting to drop out about halfway through, Kyle suffered a flat right rear tire with about eight laps to go. Heading to the work area, the team got the tire changed and Kyle rolled back out onto the racetrack. At the end of the 30-lap event, Kyle finished seventh and collected his first top ten finish of the tough week.
After an extremely busy week, Kyle and his team want to give a big thank you to all the friends, fans, and sponsors that make this all possible. Thank you - Health Alliance, Safety Kleen (The Official Environmental Service Company of Schuett Racing, Inc), Diversified Machine Incorporated (DMI), Smith Titanium, Max Pappis, DRC Chassis, Progressive Propane, AMSOIL, Hoosier Tire Midwest, Hooker Harness, Rod End Supply, Steve Thomas Racing, FK Indy, Keizer Wheels,Bergfield Farms, R & B Powdercoating J & K Property Rentals, LLC, and Illiana Insurance, a division of First Mid Insurance Group.