- Braden Chiaramonte would sweep the night to win Rush Race Gear Preliminary Night Two of the Lil’ Texas Micro Mania KKM Challenge with the POWRi Outlaw Micro League presented by Rush Race Gear to claim his first seasonal league victory after leading the final eight laps.
The second annual POWRi Micro Mania at the half-mile dirt Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway is part of the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Playoffs weekend will be highlighted by the NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT on USA Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, and PRN), and the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. CT on USA Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, PRN, and 95.9 The Ranch-local). Country Music stars LOCASH will perform Sunday’s pre-race concert at 12:30 p.m. CT on the Machinery Auctioneers Pre-Race Stage located at the start/finish line.
Entering a stout field of forty-two entries in the POWRi Outlaw Non-Wing Micro split-field division preliminary night two would find Braden Chiaramonte setting the quickest qualifying lap with a time of 12.304-seconds. Heat Race Winners would include Braden Chiaramonte, Justis Sokol, Kaden Weger, Nikko Panella, and Justin Robison. Qualifier Winners would be Braden Chiaramonte, Chase Cabre, Sam Johnson, and Justis Sokol with Robby Brockman and Johnny Boland gaining the hard-fought semi-feature victories.
Flying onto the track for Rush Race Gear Preliminary Night Two feature racing for the Micro Mania KKM Challenge would see nightly High Point Qualifier earner Braden Chiaramonte and outside front-row contender Sam Johnson leading the field to green as Sam Johnson would hold the front of the field for the first few fast-paced laps around Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway as Braden Chiaramonte, Austin Saunders, Steven Snyder Jr, and Justis Sokol all battled inside the early contending top five with Chase Cabre, Kaden Weger, Jett Nunley, Justin Robison, and Eric Braundmeier running in the top-ten as a caution would bunch the field back together on the second lap.
Solidifying the lead through early race restarts would find Sam Johnson protecting the front of the field through the opening stages of the feature event from Braden Chiaramonte as mechanical issues would take the Sweet Springs event winner and third place contender Steven Snyder Jr. from competition on lap five with Justis Sokol, Austin Saunders, and Jett Nunley moving into the top-five pack.
Setting a blistering pace around the finely prepared Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway would find Sam Johnson separating from the field by nearly a two-second advantage over a smooth-running Chiaramonte with Justis Sokol and Austin Saunders wheel-to-wheel for third and fourth as Isaiah Garcia quickly moved into the contending top-five.
Using precision and patience on lap seventeen, Braden Chiaramonte would overtake for the lead off turn four after Sam Johnson would misjudged the exit and jumped the cushion with caution waving right as the lap clicked away to set the stages for late-race dramatics.
Perfecting the choose-cone restart as well as the preliminary night, Braden Chiaramonte would defend the top spot for the final seven laps to earn his first career POWRi Outlaw Non-Wing Micro victory as Isaiah Garcia would use the late restart to finish in the closely guarded second spot with leader of seventeen laps Sam Johnson finalizing the podium placements.
“It was a great night and we should be sitting good in point for Saturday, I knew Sam was better in the beginning but I was there when he made a mistake to capitalize,” said a celebratory Braden Chiaramonte in the Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway victory lane for Rush Race Gear Preliminary Night Two of the Micro Mania KKM Challenge. Adding, “Big win for Hyper they built a great car and I can’t thank everyone on my team enough for this great win”.
Keeping a solid showing all night, Austin Saunders would place fourth in the final lock-in spot for Saturday as hard-charger Jadan Bowling advanced sixteen spots to round out the top-five finishers in the POWRi Outlaw Micro League presented by Rush Race Products feature in Rush Race Gear Preliminary Night Two of the Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway Micro Mania KKM Challenge.
Next up the POWRi Outlaw Micro League will be returning to action at Lil Texas Motor Speedway for Micro Mania KKM Challenge on Saturday, September 23 for Eibach Championship Night.
Winners of each $10K to win finale events at the Sweet Springs’ KKM Challenge Race and the TMS Micro Mania will each receive automatic entry into Saturday’s Dash in the KKM Giveback Classic at Port City Raceway on October 21st. The overall event winner at Port City Raceway will get the decision of the $15,000 lump sum prize or a ride in a Keith Kunz Motorsports entry at the Chili Bowl along with $7,500 cash from KKM and FloRacing.
All the action is available LIVE or On-Demand through www.Dirt2Media.TV.
Additional Micro Mania information and further details about Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway can be found online at www.powri.com/micromania.
Follow along for more information such as race recaps, updates, full results, and press releases online at www.powri.com, on Twitter & Instagram at @POWRi_Racing, or on Facebook at POWRi.
Texas Motor Speedway’s always-busy events schedule is well under way. Upcoming events in 2023 include: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Playoffs weekend (Sept. 23-24), Goodguys’ Summit Racing Lone Start Nationals (Sept. 29-Oct. 1), Speedway Children’s Charities Smoke Show (Oct. 11) and Gordy’s Hwy 30 Music Fest (Oct. 19-22). The year wraps up with the family-favorite and speedway tradition Gift of Lights holiday light show.
