Salem, IN. (August 17, 2016) – The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance will return to action this Saturday in the Memorial 100 Presented by JEGS.com at Columbus Motor Speedway located in Columbus, Ohio. Saturday’s event is a reschedule from May 28th, when the Memorial 100 was postponed because of persistent rain showers. The top 20 were set for that event from Boyne Machine Company Qualifying, with Tristan Van Wieringen setting fast time and drawing a nine for the events invert, plus two point provisionals. There was a last chance race scheduled to complete the last two starting spots for the Memorial 100 that was also postponed because of rain.
Saturday’s Memorial 100 will be part of Columbus Motor Speedway’s 71st Anniversary Season and its last, as the track will close for good at the end of the 2016 season. The Memorial 100 will be the final ever CRA event at Columbus Motor Speedway. The Memorial 100 will be the sixth event the series has had at Columbus. Jimmy Carter won the first event in 2011. Chad Finley won the 2012 and 2013 events. Hunter Baize won the 2014 event, while Josh Nelms got the victory in last season’s event.
The entry list for Saturday night’s event has plenty of talent and will have a first time Columbus series winner, as none of the previous winners are entered for the event. Topping the list of entries is Delaware, Ohio’s Cody Coughlin, the series 2013 Champion, who is the series point’s leader heading into Saturday. He has two series wins so far this season including Salem Speedway on June 18th and Anderson Speedway on July 23rd. Coughlin has a second place finish, a third place finish and a fifth place finish in the other three series events contested so far this season. Coughlin is also the points leader in the ARCA/CRA Super Series were he has a series leading three wins so far this season. Coughlin is also competing in selected NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events during the 2016 season for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
2013 and 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion Travis Braden is entered driving for 2015 series Car Owner Champion Bill Burba, who is also entered in a team car. Braden is a former Late Model Champion at Columbus Motor Speedway and has two wins in the Columbus Late Models this season. Braden won the Bud St. Amant Memorial 125 at Spitzer Motor Speedway on August 6th, the series last event and the first CRA win for Bill Burba Motorsports.
Other top CRA drivers entered are second in points Jack Smith, Beavercreek, Ohio’s Brandon Oakley, Phil Bozell, Dakota Stroup, who will be crew chiefed by Columbus legend Gary St. Amant, Austin Kunert, Andy Bozell, Tristan Van Wieringen, D.J. Weltmeyer, Jeff Cannon, Jerry Andrews, Chris Hacker, along with a great group of VanDoorn Racing Development Rookie of the Year drivers lead by rookie points leader 13 year old Michael Clancy Jr., Jack Dossey III, Hope Hornish, Joshua James. With the invert Weltmeyer is scheduled to start on the pole with Burba on the outside pole.
A couple of talented local drivers are also entered, David Carter, who has already been to victory lane at Columbus this season in their Late Model division and multi time Columbus winner and three time Track Champion Chad Pendleton. Carter will be in a team car to Travis Eddy, son of former ASA National Tour Champion Mike Eddy, who is also entered, both will be driving for JVM Racing based out of nearby Lewis Center, Ohio. Lakeland, Florida’s Steve Dorer is entered, Dorer races in select CRA events each summer.
Saturday pit gates will open for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour teams at 12:30pm. Practice will begin at 3pm. The race program will begin at 7pm and will include the Memorial 100 Presented by JEGS.com for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance. Also racing on Saturday night will be the Columbus Late Models, Modifieds, Sport Stocks and Crazy Compacts. Saturday is Kids Night at the Races at Columbus Motor Speedway.
More event and track information is available at www.columbusspeedway.com.
More information on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance is available at www.cra-racing.com.
