Winchester, IN – When the 2024 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance season began, it was said there were six to ten drivers who, with the right type of season, could be in contention to win a Championship when the checkered flag flew at Winchester Speedway in October. Of those drivers, Blake Rowe, Chase Pinsonneault, and Chase Burda were always included in the conversation. Now, as teams prepare for the Championship Finale on Friday, October 11th, those very three drivers will settle the seven-month-long war on the track.
Blake Rowe asserted himself as a favorite to collect his first career JEGS Tour Championship after collecting his first JEGS Tour win at the West Michigan 100 from Berlin Raceway on April 27th to open the season. Rowe took the lead from Brian Campbell on lap 71 and cruised to the win. After that performance, six times in 2024 Rowe finished outside the top five but never finished outside of the top 10 the rest of the campaign. His worst finishes of 10th came at Owosso Speedway for the Big O Classic and Flat Rock Speedway during the VanDoorn Racing Development 125. He finished second at Anderson Speedway, third at Toledo Speedway, and grabbed his second win of the season at Birch Run Speedway to give him four top fives on the season.
As for Chase Pinsonneault, two races this season took him from being the Championship Points leader to being simply in contention heading to Winchester. A DNF and 17th place credit in the second race of the season at Anderson Speedway and a DNF and 13th place finish in the Masters of the Pros 185 at Owosso Speedway are the only two blemishes on his season. Pinsonneault grabbed his first career win in the United States and with the JEGS Tour during the Big O Classic 100 at Owosso in May, and racked up three other top-five finishes with a total of seven top 10s. Pinsonneault also has three Fast Qualifier Awards to his credit this season, keeping those DNFs from being more detrimental to his season.
Defending JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion, Chase Burda remains mathematically in contention heading back to one of his favorite race tracks, but a season full of ups and downs gives him the longest odds of going back-to-back. A tire failure and 14th place finish at Berlin, followed by an engine issue and 11th place effort at Anderson put Burda behind the 8 ball early this season. His first top 10 of the year came at the Big O Classic 100 when he finished 8th. He was in contention to win at Corrigan Oil Speedway, but contact between him and Rowe resulted in a 10th-place finish for the No.18. The chance for a Championship became brighter when Burda broke through for his first win of the season in June at Flat Rock Speedway. Since that race, Burda has finished no worse than 9th the rest of the season totaling three top fives and seven top 10s.
As for the Championship battle, Blake Rowe is most worried about Pinsonneault heading to Winchester. Just 19 points separate the top two drivers in the standings, while Burda sits 54 points back. If Burda can set fast time and win the race, which he did in the fall of 2023, Rowe can finish no worse than 23rd to wrap up the championship. As for Pinsonneault, he can make things difficult for Rowe beginning with Qualifying. Fast Time and a win for the No.14 would force Rowe to finish 4th or better (if Rowe doesn’t collect qualifying points) to win the title. Four times this season Rowe or Pinsonneault has collected qualifying points while the other hasn’t, which means the importance of laying down a good lap during qualifying is even higher on Friday night.
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance Championship honors will be decided on Friday, October 11th at Winchester Speedway as part of the 53 Winchester 400 Weekend Presented by Vore’s Welding & Steel. Full points standings, schedule of events, and ticket information can be found at CRA-Racing.com. Find CRA: Champion Racing Association on Facebook and follow @CRARacing on Twitter.
