Qualifying Results – Heat Race Results – OFFICIAL Race Results
Three races left in 2015 season; Two at Lucas Oil Raceway on both ends of return trip to Winchester Speedway
Winchester, Indiana (Monday, September 7, 2015): The Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS were part of the prestigious Labor Day Holiday Weekend World Stock Car Festival on Sunday-Monday, September 6-7th at the legendary 1/2 (0.500) mile high-banked paved oval of Winchester Speedway. The Winchester 40 served as the lone tune-up event for the 44th Running of the Winchester 400 Weekend in October. This event also marked the series’ 35th all-time appearance in Eastern Indiana, the most of any track in the series’ 10-year history.
The 40-lap main kicked off the Monday afternoon of racing at the famed high-banks and when the checkered flag fell, a last lap fight for the win resulted in a chaotic finish. The end result would be Martinsville, Indiana veteran, Danny Trent being declared the winner in his #14 Greystone Concrete / Specialty Graphics / Chevrolet. Coming out of turn four for the checkered flag, race leader, Shawn Amor and Jon Beach were battling for the win when the two drivers collided sending Amor around and Beach under the checkered flag first. CRA Officials penalized Beach for rough driving which gave the win to Trent who crossed the stripe just behind Beach after avoiding a sideways Amor.
“I seen those two get together, then I just seen smoke and went high, did some ‘Days of Thunder’ crap,” Laughed the 42-year-old driver after his first win in his first start of 2015 and second overall victory of his CRA Late Model Sportsman Series career. “I was just hoping I’d make it through. But man this is awesome to win at Winchester Speedway. “I’ve been here so many times, and it’s the only track in Indiana I haven’t won on in pavement. I’ve run second here twice, and I really wanted to get this one.” He added.
After Amor, the Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier, drew an eight for an inversion, it would be 19-year-old Billy Van Meter and Trent leading the field to the green flag to kick off the Labor Day Monday afternoon of racing. Van Meter shot out into the lead while Trent and the rest of the field jockeyed for position. The two drivers pulled away to battle amongst themselves when just past the halfway point, Van Meter spun coming out of turn two to bring out the caution flag. This gave the lead to Trent, but that was short-lived as Amor motored past on the restart to take the lead himself.
Beach, who started 14th and was making his first CRA Late Model Sportsman Series start, had worked his way up into the top five and was soon on Amor’s back bumper battling for the lead as the white flag came out; Beach made one charge and then backed off to set up a final run. When the two drivers came out of turn four, Beach collided with Amor sending Amor around and a sideways Beach crossed the start/finish line first. After CRA Officials ruling of rough driving, Trent, who avoided Amor to take the checkered flag second, was deemed the winner of the event. Within the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series, Trent becomes the eighth different winner in eight races as there has not been a repeat victor in the 2015 racing season.
Jason Atkinson, the all-time statistical leader in most categories in series history, avoided any trouble throughout the day to finish second and reclaim the points lead with two races remaining. The 38-year-old driver of the #7 Oak Motors / Ford from near-by New Castle, Indiana started fourth and picked up the Racing Electronics Second to None award. His top five finish moved him into a tie for the lead all-time with Two-Time Series Champion, Charlie Hanna as both now have 39 career top five’s. Later in the afternoon, Atkinson would go to victory lane in the CRA Street Stock Series Feature which wrapped up the holiday weekend.
After his spin on lap 21, Van Meter steered his #23 EDCO Welding / Chevrolet back through the field, earning the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race award, to finish third. The 19-year-old from Indianapolis, Indiana fought his way back towards the front and was rewarded with the final podium finishing spot. Muncie, Indiana driver, Bret Miles Jr., the 2008 CRA Street Stock Series Champion, made a rare CRA Late Model Sportsman Series start count in his #52 Top Cherry Mufflers / Chevrolet and posted a fourth place showing. The 27-year-old was one of several drivers pulling double-duty throughout the weekend. Amor would recover from his incident with Beach to steer his #28 Whitman’s Auto Sales / Chevrolet to a fifth place effort. The 37-year-old driver from Plymouth, Indiana was in position to win his second race of the season before the incident with Beach.
2009 Rookie of the Year, Steve Stacy, in his first appearance of the season, earned a sixth place finish after starting 11th while top Rookie, Tony Brutti finished in seventh. Cory Setser, in his CRA Late Model Sportsman Series debut, collected both the Racing Electronics and Van Hoy Oil Hard-Charger awards by finishing in eighth after starting deep in the field in 15th as J.P. Crabtree was shown in ninth. Beach was credited with a 10th place finish as the last car on the lead lap to complete the final top 10 in the rundown.
The previous afternoon in Allstar Performance Qualifying, Amor laid down a fast lap of 17.206 which equals out to 104.615mph for his second award of the season and fourth of his career. The CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Track Record in Winchester, Indiana still belongs to Scott Neal who turned in a 16.728 back on September 5th, 2010. Also the day before in preliminary Heat Races, Crabtree and Stacy scored those wins.
The tour of prestigious end of the season special events continues for the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series on Saturday-Sunday, September 26-27th with the fourth race of the year 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 CRA LMS contingent go 40 laps at the famed Brownsburg, Indiana speed plant located west of Indianapolis. Their counterparts within the ARCA/CRA Super Series, JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour and Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stock Series will also be on the property.
The CRA Late Model Sportsman Series has visited LOR three times already in 2015 as part of the tracks LOR Stock Car Series Presented by Visit Hendricks County with Terry Fisher Jr., winning the last event on July 3rd. Jason Atkinson and Shawn Amor have also won this season while In 14 overall appearances, Atkinson leads the way with four total checkered flags while Fisher Jr., and Damon Ecoff have won twice.
In addition to Amor, Billy Van Meter is the defending CRA Fall Brawl winner while Trey Craig, Derrick Griffin, 2013 Series Champion, Mark Lambert and Gabe Cerny have all won at the Circle City speed plant. There is also one more race at LOR scheduled for Sunday, October 18th which will serve as the LOR Stock Car Series Championship race for both the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and the CRA Street Stock Series.
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’ 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 ninth race of the 2015 racing season, go to the track website at: www.lucasoilraceway.com
