DUQUOIN, Ill. – Jake Neuman gave his home-state fans plenty to cheer about on Saturday night with an impressive runner-up finish in the fourth annual Junior Knepper 55 inside the Southern Illinois Center.

Neuman, from New Berlin, Ill., raced from sixth on the grid to finish second in the No. 3n BRANDT Professional Agriculture entry, racing against the likes of Kevin Thomas Jr. and Tyler Courtney before chasing eventual winner Thomas Meseraull across the finish line.

The young gun was all smiles after climbing from his car, one of three Neuman Racing drivers who made the 55-lap feature on Saturday night at the indoor sixth-mile dirt oval.

“We really got this car dialed in tonight,” Neuman noted after the race. “It’s unfortunate that the track rubbered in at the end, because I feel like we might have been able to do more with it, but I just had to be patient and stick with it.

“This is a really good night for us as a team, to lock three cars into the show. We’re really pleased.”

Neuman fell back as far as 10th in the early stages of the main event, but slowly and methodically worked his way forward once he was able to get in line off the outside lane.

He eventually inherited second place when C.J. Leary spun while battling Meseraull for the race lead and held the position over the final 15-lap run to the finish.

“I just got stuck on the outside for five or six laps, and by the time I could get to the bottom, I was looking at my two teammates … who had passed me while I was trapped up there,” Neuman laughed. “Once the track moved down, I just had to be really patient and wait for people to make mistakes.

“I feel like that was key tonight, and it’s really key in all of indoor racing.”

The Neuman Racing team will bring four cars to the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals next month, with Neuman being joined by Brian Shirley, Joe B. Miller and former Chili Bowl champion Tim McCreadie for the crown jewel event.

Shirley and Miller joined Neuman in Saturday night’s feature field in DuQuoin, but it was the team’s namesake driver who found himself riding the highest at the end of the program.

“This kind of a performance means a lot to me, going into the Chili Bowl next month,” said Neuman. “Getting a runner-up finish to T-Mez (Meseraull) feels great and it’s a big boost to my confidence.

“We’ll move on to Tulsa and see what we can do there. I think we’ve got a shot at some great things.”