BELLEVILLE, ILL. (September 25, 2019) – For the second-consecutive season, Riley Kreisel of Warsaw, Mo. has separated himself from the pack as the 2019 POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League champion. Becoming the only two-time champion in WAR’s eight-year history, the booming 19-year old has done so in back-to-back fashion.
“Since the age of seven, I’ve wanted to be the champion in anything I’ve done,” noted Kreisel. “To win the WAR championship the first time was a big achievement, but to back it up by winning it again this year is an even bigger accomplishment. To have obtained all of this at 19 only strengthens my resume for whatever is to come in the future.”
Clinching his newest of two titles over the weekend, Kreisel did so by simply signing-in on Thursday and Saturday at the ninth annual Jesse Hockett / Daniel McMillin Memorial. With only show-up points on the line, Kreisel managed to qualify for both features and concluded his campaign with an 11th-place bid in Saturday’s finale after coming through the B-Main.
All in all, Kreisel competed in 20 features aboard his Rick Smith owned No. 90 in 2019, winning on three occasions, finishing inside the top five nine times, and recording 14 top ten results. It came down to a mere 11 points between he and Kory Schudy for the title, but it was Kreisel’s consistency which paid dividends in the form of yet another trophy.
The season started solid with runs of sixth at Spoon River (Ill.), ninth at Lucas Oil (Mo.), second at Lake Ozark (Mo.), seventh at Double-X (Mo.), and finally his first win at Valley (Mo.) on June 7, however, the biggest breakthrough of the season came that next night on June 8 at Lake Ozark. His first and only DNF of the 2019 season, that night lit a fire under Kreisel and the Smith Motorsports crew, a fire that would guide them on a stellar run that ultimately shot them into the points lead.
Returning to action three weeks later, Kreisel rattled off back-to-back podiums with a second at Tri-City (Ill.) and a third at Spoon River. He made his first-career appearance at the famed Knoxville Raceway and qualified for both features in the inaugural BRANDT Corn Belt Nationals.
Coming down the stretch, Kreisel stepped up huge with a weekend sweep on July 26-27, winning back-to-back nights at Belle-Clair (Ill.) and St. Francois County (Mo.) to assume command of the points lead. From there, he was protective of his position and kept the strong runs rolling, ending the year on a four-race stretch with results of fifth at Southern Iowa, sixth at Lake Ozark, second at Lake Ozark, and third at Jacksonville.
“Most drivers aren’t lucky enough to build a strong team like we did, let alone two years in a row,” Kreisel stated. “Being the first back-to-back champion and bringing Smith Motorsports their third WAR championship is a testament to how strong and hard-working our team is.”
Trailing Kreisel in the championship chase was Kory Schudy (-11), Wesley Smith (-192), Korey Weyant (-287), Slater Helt (-402), Jack Wagner (-565), Braydon Cromwell (-688), Anthony Nicholson (-724), Katlynn Leer (-780) and Mitchell Davis (-853).
For now, the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League heads into hibernation with plans for the championship banquet up next. Details on that banquet and the 2020 season will be announced as finalized.
Congratulations to Riley Kreisel and Smith Motorosports on another championship together and THANK YOU to every racer, every team, every sponsor, every track, and every fan for your support of the 2019 WAR Sprint season.
For more information on the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprint League, you can visit www.powri.com online, follow @WARSprints on Twitter or Instagram, or like POWRi Lucas Oil WAR Sprints on Facebook.
- administrator on Sep 25, 2019
- Article Date: 9/25/2019 by Brian Walker