Nashville, TN – An electric start to the 2024 season for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance was bookended with three races at three of the tightest tracks on the 2024 campaign. Corrigan Oil Speedway on Sunday, June 9th, Flat Rock Speedway on Saturday, June 22nd, and Whittemore Speedway on Saturday, July 6th brought the first half of the season to a close in an exciting way. Those three events brought the championship points battle to a head moving into the second half of the season putting three drivers on the hot seat.
A tale of two consistent seasons is displayed atop the Championship Points Standings after race six of the 2024 points-paying season. Blake Rowe kick-started the year in April with a big win in the West Michigan 100 at Berlin Raceway. After passing Brian Campbell with 29 laps to go, Rowe dominated the final leg of the race en route to his first career JEGS Tour win. From there, Rowe posted a runner-up finish at Anderson Speedway before losing sight of the podium finishes. At Owosso Speedway, a strong performance was marred by a spin serving up a 10th-place result. Rowe brought home a 9th place finish at Corrigan Oil Speedway after being involved in an incident creating a caution flag. A similar scenario at Whittemore Speedway gave him a 7th-place finish. Flat Rock Speedway’s 10th-place run could be attributed to simply missing the setup on his No.131.
While those finishes seem good enough to maintain the Championship Points lead on paper, the reality is that when Rowe has missed the podium, Chase Pinsonneault has not. The rookie driver from Canada had a rough start to the season aboard his Carson Hocevar Racing No.14. In contention for the win in April at Berlin, the youngster missed a shift and fell from a podium back to 8th. A similar mistake at Anderson Speedway resulted in a huge crash in turn one and credit for a 17th-place finish. The determination to be in the hunt for a Championship was rekindled after his first career win at Owosso Speedway during the Big O Classic 100. After that win, Pinsonneault has posted finishes of 3rd, 6th, and 7th. Pinsonneault was able to close the gap on Rowe thanks to his qualifying efforts as well. Setting fast time at Berlin and Owosso gave him a leg up on Rowe in the qualifying department.
The difference at the top of the Championship Standings after Whittemore Speedway sits at just four points, with Pinsounneault leading the way heading to Toledo Speedway on Friday, July 26th. Pinsonneault has never seen the historic Speedway which is home to the ASA STARS National Tour Glass City 200; his competition, however, has one of his biggest career wins at Toledo. When the Glass City 200 featured a 100 lap ASA/CRA Super Series race paired with a 100 lap Outlaw Super Late Model race, Blake Rowe bested Kyle Crump en route to the win.
Throwing his hat squarely into the Championship mix is a driver who has been wildly consistent in 2024, while still searching for his first win. Wimberly, Texas native, Barratt Polhemus sits just 14 points back of the top spot heading to Toledo. Polhemus debuted with a 5th place finish at Berlin, and backed it up with finishes of 5th, 6th (twice), and 2nd at Flat Rock Speedway. A rough night at Whittemore Speedway brought the No.79 home in 12th. Polhemus was also able to capture Fast Qualifier honors at Flat Rock Speedway to close in on the Championship.
While the three new full-time drivers on the Tour are taking the spotlight in the first half of the season, Chase Burda is moving in like a shark in open water. The defending JEGS Tour Champion had a rough start to defending his title. His team, however, is finding speed at the right time as the Tour pushing toward Winchester. Burda is 35 points out of the Championship lead thanks to finishes of 14th, 11th, 8th, and 10th in the first four races. Then, the ship began to level out starting at Flat Rock Speedway. The No.18 dominated the event leading 116 laps of the VanDoorn Racing Development 125 en route to his first win of the year. Burda backed that performance up with a third-place finish at Whittemore Speedway before the break.
The drive for a championship continues this weekend with the return to Toledo Speedway for the JEGS Tour for the first time since the Tour’s inaugural event in 2011 on Friday, July 26th. After that, Owosso Speedway hosts the JEGS Tour for the richest Pro Late Model event in the country, the $15K to win Masters of the Pros 185. Afterward, Birch Run Speedway welcomes the Tour before the final trip to Owosso Speedway for the Owosso Nationals before the Champion will be declared at Whittemore Speedway during Winchester 400 weekend.
For more information on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, log onto CRA-Racing.com. Find CRA: Champion Racing Association on Facebook and follow @CRARacing on X.
