Qualifying Results – OFFICIAL Race Results
Point’s battles heat up with just two races remaining in 2015
Winchester, Indiana (Monday, September 7, 2015): The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS made the trip to the Buckeye State and to the 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked, circular shaped paved oval of Columbus Motor Speedway (OH) located southeast of Columbus in Obetz, Ohio on a special Sunday afternoon, September 13th. The 2nd Annual Bud St. Amant Memorial 125 highlighted the special Sunday afternoon show in an event promoted by JVM Enterprises. This event marked the 10th all-time appearance in the Buckeye State capital.
This race was originally scheduled for Saturday, June 27th but was rained out after Practice was complete. Then this race date, originally slated for Kil-Kare Raceway was then moved to Columbus after an agreement was reached with JVM Enterprises. In nine previous appearances there have been nine different winners. In the 125-lap main on a pleasant afternoon, Brian Campbell made sure the non-repeat race winners streak ended as the Wyoming, Michigan veteran in his #47 Merritt Speedway / Enterprise Iron & Metal / Chevrolet took the lead for the final time on lap 61 and fought off the advances of 2015 Late Model Track Champion, Kyle Jones to score his third win of the 2015 racing season.
“We had a really good car as soon as we unloaded it off the truck and it stayed fast all day. This is a good way to begin our post-season now that we’re all done at Berlin (Raceway) for the year,” Smiled the 36-year-old veteran after scoring his 17th career ARCA/CRA Super Series triumph, good for fifth all-time and just one behind Canadian Legend, Junior Hanley and Three-Time Series Champion, Johnny VanDoorn, who are tied for third with 18 victories. “Kyle (Jones) got me on that last restart, so I knew I had to get up on the wheel from there and once we got the lead back, we made sure we stayed out in front. It’s been a good season for us and hopefully we can get a few more before the year is over.”
Campbell started his clean sweep of the weekend by winning the EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier award. He then drew the minimum of a five for an inversion which place a pair of 2015 Columbus Motor Speedway Track Champions, Kyle Purvis, the Modified titlist and Kyle Jones, the Late Model Champion, both who clinched those championships the night before, bringing the field to Chief Starter, Brian Duncan’s green flag. Purvis edged his fellow track champion heading into the first corner to grab the early lead. It didn’t take long for Campbell to get up to second from his fifth starting spot and the Great Lakes State veteran immediately began hounding Purvis.
On lap 12, Campbell utilized the outside lane to take the lead and he brought Jones with him who tucked in behind the new race leader and also drove past Purvis for second. The most serious incident of the afternoon occurred on lap 48 when Chris Koslek, who was running in fourth, spun and the rest of the field scattered to avoid his stopped ride. Cody Robinson, with nowhere to go, hit Koslek head on sending parts and pieces flying and forcing a Red Flag. Both drivers were ok, but done for the day. On the restart, Jones kept pace with Campbell as they battled for the lead only to see another caution fly bunching up the pack. On the next restart, Jones was able to slip past Campbell to briefly take the lead on lap 56 to the roar of the hometown crowd on hand.
However, Campbell regrouped and charged back by the reigning champion on lap 61 and pulled away from Jones and the rest of the pack. He would also collect the VanDoorn Racing Development Lap Leader award during that time. The final yellow flew with 10 laps to go setting up one more battle. This time, Campbell restarted from the outside lane and would pull out ahead of Jones to secure the lead and take the checkered flag first. Campbell’s win also netted him the $700 bonus from the St. Amant Family as well as Team Construction Clean Sweep award, worth $500. He also led twice for a total of 109 laps pocketing another $1,090 in lap leader money from the Bear Family for a grand total of $5,290 plus when including contingencies.
Jones, a part-time ARCA/CRA Super Series competitor over the past five seasons, finished a career high second in his #2 Kyle Jones Racing & Shocks / Ford. After winning his first career Track Championship less than 24 hours before at his home track, the 30-year-old from Germantown, Ohio had a weekend to remember. In addition to his finishes and his accolades over the weekend, Jones also picked up the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race award for his pass on Campbell on what would be the next to the last restart of the race.
Veteran, Eddie Van Meter charged from his 18th starting spot to score the C.V. Racing Products Hard-Charger award as well as the first Hoosier Racing Tire Performance award after completing the podium finishers in third. The Indianapolis, Indiana driver in his #23 EDCO Welding / Chevrolet worked his way into the top five at the 3/4s mark of the race and would catch Jones at the end of the race, but couldn’t muster a late challenge. In addition to his impressive finish, his 31st career top five to move him up to ninth all-time and 65th top 10, eighth all-time, the 45-year-old has also climbed to second in the season long points chase, 45 points out of the lead with two races remaining on the 2015 schedule
Caledonia, Ohio driver, Kyle Purvis, who, like Jones, clinched his championship less than 24 hours before, made the most of his ARCA/CRA Super Series debut as the 27-year-old led the first 11 laps before coming away with a fourth place finish in his #7 Agroscapes / Dodge. Purvis secured the Modified Track Championship the night before and also scored the FLUIDYNE High Performance Cool Under Pressure award for never leaving the top five throughout the entire race en route to his impressive finish.
Two-Time Reigning ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion, Travis Braden, the defending Bud St. Amant Memorial winner, completed the top five after starting 20th in his #26 Platinum Express / Chevrolet, earning the Hedman Hedders Husler award in the process. The 21-year-old from Wheeling, West Virginia was driving the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour entry he has been racing for Bill Burba Motorsports since the Fourth of July holiday weekend in that tour. This race was his first ARCA/CRA start since the Battle at Berlin 251 back on June 16th.
17-year-old Corey Deuser scored an ARCA/CRA career high sixth place finish filling in for Brett Robinson while 19-year-old Cody Coughlin rebounded from a midrace pit stop to finish seventh. Mark Lambert earned his second straight Senneker Performance Rookie of the Race award as well as the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance award after finishing eighth as fellow freshman, 16-year-old Grant Quinlan, the overall and rookie points leader was ninth. Veteran Mike Stacy completed the top 10 with his second straight 10th place finish in the last two races.
In EDCO Welding Qualifying held earlier in the afternoon, Campbell scored his second EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier award of the season and eighth of his career to move into sole possession of 10th on the all-time list. Campbell’s lap was a 13.715. The ARCA/CRA Super Series Track Record is held by 2007 Series Champion, Chris Gabehart who turned a 13.674 back on June 2nd, 2007. Ironically the overall CRA Track Record in Central Ohio is held within the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour as Chad Finley went a 13.642 on May 25th, 2013 in a crate motored powerplant.
The ARCA/CRA Super Series will take a weekend off to regroup and prepare for the first of two major season ending special events to cap off the 2015 racing season. On Saturday-Sunday, September 26-27th the 13th race of the year will be at the immaculate 0.686 mile semi-banked paved oval of Lucas Oil Raceway. The 2015 McGunegill Engine Performance CRA Fall Brawl will see the ARCA/CRA contingent headline the weekend in the Circle City with the running of the McGunegill Engine Performance 100 at the famed Brownsburg, Indiana speed plant located west of Indianapolis.
Their counterparts within the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stock Series will also be on the property throughout the weekend. Three-Time Series Champion, Scott Hantz, Two-Time Series Titlist, Brian Ross and Canadian Legend, Junior Hanley are in a three-way tie for the lead in career wins at LOR with three apiece. Brian Campbell and Kenny Tweedy have two wins each while NASCAR Camping World Truck Series star, 18-year-old John Hunter Nemechek is the most recent victor at LOR after his win on July 24th.
Daniel Hemric, now a contender in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, is the defending race winner of the CRA Fall Brawl having collected the coveted boxing gloves for winning the 2014 edition of the race. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star, Kyle Busch also won in July 2014 in a thrilling battle with Nemechek. Two-Time Reigning Series Champion, Travis Braden as well as 2007 Series Champion, Chris Gabehart and 2005 Series Champion, Jeff Lane have one victory apiece. Ross Kenseth, Kyle Benjamin, Kenzie Ruston, Evan Jackson and Fred Campbell also have one win trip to victory lane.
For more information about the rest of the 2015 racing season within all four touring series’ of Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, go to the series website located at: www.cra-racing.com You can also follow along with all of CRA’s touring series’ on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ChampionRacingAssociation and on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/CRAracing Finally, for more information about Lucas Oil Raceway, the host track for the 13th race of the season within the ARCA/CRA Super Series, go to the track website at: www.lucasoilraceway.com
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
