3/4/2020
POWRi
Turnpike Challenge to Open 2020 with Electrifying Oklahoma Swing
BELLEVILLE, ILL. (March 4, 2020) – Quickly morphing into a marquee event on the POWRi calendar, the Turnpike Challenge has experienced a meteoric rise to national prominence since debuting in 2014. A thrilling four-race swing throughout the “Sooner State,” the 2020 TPC is only three weeks away from kick starting a new campaign for the POWRi Lucas Oil National / West Midgets and the POWRi Engler Machine & Tool Outlaw Micro League. From Creek County to I-44 to Port City, teams will be tested across four nights at three unique venues as they travel up and down the Oklahoma turnpike.
It all begins on Wednesday, March 25 with a three-hour practice session at Creek County Speedway. The next night, on Thursday, March 26, the season opener goes green at the Sapulpa, Okla. quarter mile with a full program for the POWRi National / West Midgets and the POWRi Outlaw Micros. With only one previous event in league history at Creek County, NASCAR Cup Series star Christopher Bell enters as the defending midget winner and Trey Robb of Newcastle, Okla.
On Friday and Saturday, March 27-28, the series slides to the 405 for back-to-back showings at the I-44 Riverside Speedway in Oklahoma City. A host of six former Turnpike Challenge shows, the semi-banked 1/6th-mile has been on the TPC calendar since 2017. Home to four of Christopher Bell’s wins, last year’s return witnessed a pair of victories by California’s Logan Seavey, who broke the five-year reign by Oklahoma drivers. The 2019 event marked the debut of the POWRi Outlaw Micros at I-44 and saw trips to victory lane for Brady Bacon and Kaylee Bryson.
Everything comes to a head on Sunday, March 29 when the Turnpike Challenge concludes at Port City Raceway. The most visited track in TPC history, PCR has held seven races with four wins to Christopher Bell along with triumphs by Jason McDougal, Matt Sherrell, and Jonathan Beason in last year’s instant classic. A tight bullring 1/8th-mile, the Tulsa, Okla. facility has been known for producing some of the most intense, wheel-to-wheel combat you’ll see all season long.
With four races on the docket and over 1,000 points on the line, the Turnpike Challenge serves as a prime opportunity for competitors to begin their championship chase. From the always tough veterans to the rising rookies, this year’s field of title hopefuls is expected to be as stout as ever. Like last year, this year’s POWRi National Midget champion will punch his ticket to the VIROC Race of Champions at the Chili Bowl Nationals in January 2021.
Fans can catch every single lap of the 2020 Turnpike Challenge featuring the POWRi Lucas Oil National / West Midgets and the POWRi Engler Machine & Tool Outlaw Micros on a LIVE pay-per-view broadcast each night on POWRi TV.
You can follow along with POWRi for more information such as race recaps, live updates, full results and press releases online at www.powri.com, on Twitter & Instagram at @POWRi_Racing or on Facebook at POWRi.
Wednesday, March 25 at Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK):
9:00am – Pits Open
6:00pm to 9:00pm – Open Practice
Thursday, March 26 at Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK):
Pits Open All Day
2:00pm to 5:00pm – Registration / Pill Draw
5:30pm – Drivers Meeting
6:00pm – Hot Laps
Friday, March 27 at I-44 Riverside Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK):
Pits Open All Day
2:00pm to 5:00pm – Registration / Pill Draw
5:30pm – Drivers Meeting
6:00pm – Hot Laps
Saturday, March 28 at I-44 Riverside Speedway (Oklahoma City, OK):
Pits Open All Day
2:00pm to 5:00pm – Registration / Pill Draw
5:30pm – Drivers Meeting
6:00pm – Hot Laps
Sunday, March 29 at Port City Raceway (Tulsa, OK):
Pits Open All Day
1:00pm to 4:00pm – Registration / Pill Draw
4:30pm – Drivers Meeting
5:00pm – Hot Laps
Article Credit: Brian Walker
