RIMBEY, AB. – Darrell Midgley, the 2015 Northern Provincial Pipelines Late Model Series Champion won the 2016 NPP Series crown on the weekend. This was Midgleys third NPP Series Championship since claiming his first title back in 2009. Riding a three-race winning streak into the final weekend of the season, the Sidney, British Columbia driver dominated the Saturday Feature event. Midgley outpaced the field with an eight-second margin of victory at Central Alberta Raceways. There would be no repeat of the domination by the driver of the Integra Tire (Edson) #14 Dodge in the Sunday afternoon Feature.

Darrell Midlgey and Shawn Kennedy squared off in an epic on-track dual that saw the lead change hands a total of five times. Kennedy took over the race lead with five laps remaining and drove to his first NPP Series Feature event victory since the 2006 season. Midgley’s runner-up finish gave him the points needed to win the 2016 NPP Series championship. “We had a good run yesterday and we were pretty good today,” explains Midgley, “I couldn’t run down low where Shawn was. I was [running] up high. We were pretty good up there. I just burned up the cushion and couldn’t get a run on him anymore.” Midgley still managed to lead the most laps in the hard fought Sunday Feature. “Shawn drove a really good race. So happy for him to get a win. For us to get the championship it was a really good weekend.” Kennedy’s victory in the NPP/Rebel Media #81 Dodge was overwhelming. “I was just screaming. It was awesome,” exclaims the Edson, Alberta driver, “I had to earn it too, Darrell raced hard. It wasn’t a cakewalk. Best feeling ever.”

Kennedy completely missed the setup for the Saturday afternoon Feature in Rimbey, Alberta. It was a situation he did not want to repeat on Sunday. “I went on the computer [Saturday night] and crunched some numbers and came here and put them in [set-up] and I got it.” The Feature event win for Kennedy secured second place in the NPP Late Model Series Championship point standings. Kennedy finished second in points in 2013. Stony Plain, Alberta’s Bruce Broughton had a second and third place finish in the weekend Features. The driver of the Habitat for Humanity/LJB Auto #61 Dodge wrapped up the season third in the NPP Series points chase. This was Broughton’s best finish in the point standings since winning the 2010 NPP Series Championship.