Qualifying Results – Race Results
First CRA Street Stock Triple Crown Series race of 2015 begins 11th season of competition
DeGraff, Ohio (Saturday, April 18, 2015): The 2015 racing season for the Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stock Series Powered by JEGS began, after two rainouts, with the first event of the prestigious CRA Street Stock Triple Crown Series. The Door Buster 200, which was held at the tricky 3/10s (0.300) mile semi-banked paved oval of Shadybowl Speedway, located northeast of Dayton in DeGraff, Ohio. The 200-lap Feature, originally scheduled for April 4th, was postponed by two weeks due to weather. Plus the original 2015 season opener, scheduled for March 29th was canceled due to weather.
So the CRA Street Stock Series competitors were itching to get out onto the track and they would more than make up for the two earlier rainouts with 200 laps of Feature racing. When all was said and done, Colby Lane would finally put it all together in his 25th career start as the Knightstown, Indiana driver, the son of 2011 Series Champion, Jeff Lane, took the lead from defending race winner, Josh Poore with 22 laps to go and then held off Defending Series Champion, Jason Atkinson to score the biggest win of his career and the impressive $3,000 payday that went with it.
“The car was really good on long runs,” the jubilant 24-year-old driver of the #44 Ed Martin Automotive Group / Tom True Auto Sales & Service / Chevrolet remarked in victory lane surrounded by family and his crew. “If we did not get that long green flag run there in the second half I am not sure what would have happened. We made no changes there at the halfway break; I think we also lost a cylinder there at the end. But, I think that made us better, all those guys run me clean, it was close there at the end. Most of all I have to thank my Dad for all he has done for me, this has been an emotional weekend.” He added.
After Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier and New Track Record Holder, Josh Poore drew an eight for an inversion, Brandon Mefford and Marcus Elliott Jr., who was making his CRA Street Stock Series debut, brought the stellar 30-car field to Chief Starter, Scott Menlen’s green flag to being the 200-lap main. Mefford would edge out Elliott Jr., heading into the first corner to grab the early lead as the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind him. Mefford paced the field for the first 21 laps before Ryan Amonett, who started fifth, patiently worked his way up to Mefford.
Amonett would lead the field into the lap 100 halfway break. At the drop of the green flag, Defending Race Winner, Josh Poore shot out to a big lead as he got away from Amonett and the rest of the pack. Lane, who started sixth had worked his way to fourth and began picking cars off using the very bottom of the race track. A long green flag stretch to end the race would prove to be beneficial for Lane as lapped traffic also played a vital role in the outcome of the race. With 22 laps to go, Lane muscled his way past Poore and brought Defending Series Champion, Jason Atkinson with him.
Over the last portion of the race, Lane and Atkinson ran bumper to bumper as the laps continued to click off. With just two laps to go, lapped traffic would once again come into play for the two leaders. But Lane was up to the challenge and despite one last ditch effort by Atkinson who would get alongside of him briefly; Lane came off turn four sideways and to the checkered flag just ahead of Atkinson to grab the win. With his winning pass on lap 178, Lane would also earn the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race award in addition to the $3,000 check and trophy.
Atkinson would settle for second in his #73 Oak Motors / Chevrolet. The New Castle, Indiana driver, behind the wheel of Two-Time CRA Street Stock Series championship winning Car Owner, Danny Acrey’s machine, started the race in 12th and the 38-year-old steadily worked his way to the front taking advantage of the extra distance event. Poore would round out the podium in his #27 Midwest Guttering / Chevrolet led 78 laps before finishing in third place. The 25-year-old driver from Anderson, Indiana added to his all-time career laps led lead as he has paced the field for a whopping 916 laps at the head of the field over his career.
Finishing in fourth place would be 2008 Series Champion, Bret Miles Jr., who started 10th in his #52 McGunegill Engine Performance / Chevrolet. The 26-year-old from Muncie, Indiana would hold off a hard-charging fellow former champion in 2012 titlist, Jimmy Kirby who rounded out the top five. Kirby’s #11 U.S.A. Tires / Chevrolet started next to Miles Jr., in ninth place and the Indianapolis, Indiana native stuck with Miles Jr., for the majority of the race. The 42-year-old driver, like Miles Jr., and Atkinson who finished ahead of him, is looking for his second career Series Championship.
Elliott Jr., finished sixth in his CRA Street Stock Series debut to record the highest showing for a registered Rookie contender while J.P. Crabtree, a regular in the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS, returned to CRA Street Stock competition and finished seventh. Jake McElfresh was shown in eighth place after advancing all the way from his 22nd starting spot while J.J. Schafer was ninth and a second Rookie of the Year title contender, Danny Adams climbed 16 positions from his 26th starting spot to earn the T.C.I. Automotive Hard-Charger Award and complete the top 10.
In Allstar Performance Qualifying held earlier in the afternoon, Poore broke the CRA Street Stock Series Track Record over a stout 32-car field a 14.954, which is just 0.002 seconds quicker than the previous mark held 2011 Series Champion, Jeff Lane who turned a 14.956 back on April 19th, 2014. Poore’s lap measured out to 72.221mph and it was his 10th career Fast Qualifier award to move him into sole possession of second place all-time in that category.
The Lucas Oil Raceway Stock Car Series Presented by Visit Hendricks County at Lucas Oil Raceway (IN) begins on Friday, April 24th and will be the next event for the Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stock Series Powered by JEGS. The immaculate facility located west of Indianapolis in Brownsburg, Indiana will host a full show highlighted by a 30-lap non-CRA points feature for the CRA Street Stock Series teams at the Circle City’s (0.686) mile semi-banked paved oval. Both the CRA Street Stocks and the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS, who are also in action, will run preliminary Heat Races as well as this event will be for LOR Stock Car Series points only for both CRA classes.
In nine CRA Street Stock Series all-time appearances in the Circle City, 2011 Series Champion, Jeff Lane as well as veteran Dave Bice both have two victories on the massive oval while 2014 Champion, Jason Atkinson, 2012 Champion, Jimmy Kirby, Beau Mitchell, Rick Erwin and Frank Kimmel II each have a single trip to victory lane.
For more information about the rest of the 2015 racing season for all four touring series’ within Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, go to the series website at: www.cra-racing.com You can also follow along with all of CRA’s touring series’ all season long 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 first race of the Lucas Oil Stock Car Series Presented by Visit Hendricks County, go to the track website at: www.lucasoilraceway.com
