Entry List Continues to Grow With Top Drivers
Salem, IN (September 30, 2016) – The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS will conclude its historic 20th season of competition with next week’s running of the prestigious 45th Annual Winchester 400 on the famous High Banks of Winchester Speedway on Sunday, October 9th. Coming into that event current series points leader Cody Coughlin leads Dalton Armstrong by only 13 points, in an event that will be 400 grueling laps, that will not only test the best drivers in the country, but also the best equipment.
Coughlin comes into the Winchester 400 as one of the favorites after winning the series event at Winchester Speedway on Labor Day Weekend, against a talented field of drivers. Coughlin’s goal is to win his first ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship and become the only driver to ever win both that Championship and the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance Championship in the same season. Coughlin needs only to present a car for tech in next Friday’s JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Championship event and he will win his second Championship in that series. Coughlin leads the ARCA/CRA Super Series with four total wins in 2016 and he finished second to Erik Jones in last year’s Winchester 400.
Armstrong has also had a great season, he has already won the Senneker Performance Rookie of the Year, he looks to now become only the fourth driver to win the both the ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship and the Rookie of the Year Award in the same season, the others to accomplish that feat are Scott Hantz, Derrick Griffith and last year Grant Quinlan. Armstrong has two big series wins in 2016, including a win on April 8th at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville and his biggest win to date in the July 16th 50th Annual Redbud 300 at Anderson Speedway. He also got a second place finish in last week’s CRA Fall Brawl event that helped cut Coughlin’s point lead in half. Armstrong had a very fast car in the Labor Day Weekend event at Winchester, until contact from another car caused him to spin and go to the tail of the field, but Armstrong charged back through the field to get a fourth place finish.
The Winchester 400 is the final leg in the JEGS/CRA $100,000 Super Late Model Triple Crown. By winning the Redbud 300, Armstrong is the only driver with a chance to win a $10,000 bonus for winning two of the JEGS/CRA $100,000 Super Late Model Triple Crown events. If no driver wins two of the Triple Crown events, the driver who accumulates the most points during those three events will receive a $5,000 bonus and the title of Champion of the JEGS/CRA $100,000 Super Late Model Triple Crown. Bubba Pollard leads the Triple Crown points, Armstrong is second, Steve Dorer is in third and Coughlin is in fourth.
The entry list has continued to grow for next weekend’s 45th Annual Winchester 400, topping the list of those drivers added includes Georgia hot shoe Bubba Pollard, one of the top late model drivers in the country for several years with big wins all over. Pollard looks to add the famous Winchester Rifle Trophy for winning the Winchester 400 to his collection of winning trophies and big payoff’s.
Three time ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion Johnny Van Doorn has filed an entry driving for TK Racing. Van Doorn is the series all-time winner at Winchester Speedway with five wins, but is still looking for that elusive Winchester 400 victory. Van Doorn finished second in the 400 in 2010 and 2007 and has a third place finish in 2012.
Two time ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion Travis Braden is entered. Braden gave Erik Jones a tough battle in the closing laps of the 2014 400, trading the lead several times with the NASCAR competitors, until Jones was able to pull away and get the win, Braden finished in second.
2011 ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion and Rookie of the Year Derrick Griffin is entered, he finished second in the 2011 Winchester 400. Multi time CRA winner and 2016 Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Champion Eddie Van Meter is entered. 2014 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion Dan Leeck is entered to compete in his first Winchester 400. Former CRA regular Johnny Belott is entered to driver the #131 car for Stan and Judi Rosen. Scott Whitehouse is entered to make his 2016 series debut at Winchester.
ARCA Racing Series 2016 winner Dalton Sargeant is entered. Sargeant led first 70 laps of the series Labor Day Winchester event before Coughlin got by to take the lead on lap 71. Sargeant finished that event in second and brings Winchester 400 winning Crew Chief Bond Suss to turn the wrenches.
Harrison Burton, son of former NASCAR great and NBC NASCAR commentator Jeff Burton has entered. Burton has raced mainly in the NASCAR K & N Pro East Series in 2016, but has also raced in an ARCA Racing series event, in the CARS Super Late Model Tour and the Southern Super Series were he won an event at Five Flags Speedway. This will be Burton’s second start in the 400, he finished 28th last year after being involved in an accident on lap 168.
Georgia racer Spencer Davis is entered to make his Winchester 400 debut. Davis has spent most of the 2016 season also racing with the NASCAR K & N Pro East Series were he has one win. He has also raced in at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville were he has one win and two seconds.
These entries join the list of entries already announced including Donnie Wilson, Bret Holmes, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Stephen Nasse, Mason Mingus, Trevor Noles, Noah Gradson, Jeff Fultz, Garrett Jones, Rapheal Lessard, Brandon Oakley, Rick Turner, Wes Griffith Jr., Jack Dossey III, Hunter Jack, and Jon Beach.
The Winchester 400 is 400 laps counting cautions with live pit stops with a possible starting field of up to 38 cars. It is a 12 tire maximum race. The event will pay $15,000 to win plus bonuses, which includes $10,000 in lap leader money, which is $25 per lap lead, plus bonuses of $1000, $600 and $400 to the top three finishing traveling non-regular CRA teams and a $1000 bonus to the highest finishing Crate Engine car.
Things begin for the Winchester 400 Weekend with an optional load in, hauler parking and pit pass purchases on Thursday, October 6th from 3 to 7pm. Pits open on Friday, October 7th at 9am with rotating practice for all divisions beginning at 1pm. The ARCA/CRA Super Series teams will have a one hour practice session at 2pm and a 45 minute practice session at 4:40pm on Friday. Pits open on Saturday, October 8th at 8:30am, rotating practice for all divisions will begin at 11am. The ARCA/CRA Super Series teams will have a 45 minute practice session beginning at 11am and a 45 minute final practice session at 1:15pm on Saturday. EDCO Welding Pole Qualifying for the Winchester 400 for the ARCA/CRA Super Series will begin at 4:15pm on Saturday.
On Sunday, October 9th the pits will open at 9am. There will be an on track autograph session with all the Winchester 400 drivers starting at 12:30. Opening ceremonies will begin at 1:30 pm with the 45th Annual Winchester 400 taking the green flag at 2pm.
Additional track and event information can be found at www.winchesterspeedway.com.
More information on the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS is available at www.cra-racing.com.
Photo By: R&S Racing Photos
