Qualifying Results – OFFICIAL Race Results
Two JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour races remaining in Fifth Anniversary season
Springport, Michigan (Saturday, September 19, 2015): The next event of the fifth anniversary 2015 schedule for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance featured a return trip to the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked paved oval of Springport Motor Speedway. The south Michigan facility located north of Jackson and south of Lansing in Springport, Michigan hosted the Michigan Cup 100 Presented by JEGS.com on Saturday, September 19th. This event was the second and final appearance of the season as the Tour visited the Great Lakes State speed plant back on May 3rd for the season opening Cabin Fever 100 Presented by JEGS.com.
In that visit, current JEGS/CRA Drivers Point’s Leader, Dalton Armstrong went to victory lane. Overall, there had been five different winners, including Armstrong, in the five appearances at the facility. As for the Michigan Cup 100 Presented by JEGS.com, Steve Dorer, who had entered his first race since the passing of his Mother, Sandy Dorer on August 25th, took the lead with 13 laps to go and the veteran driver, originally from near-by Coldwater, Michigan would drive away to the emotional victory, his first career win at his home track closest to his hometown and to the roar and approval of the partisan crowd on hand.
“I’ve learned a lot over the summer with my mom, just how important people, things and times like this really are. I just want to live to appreciate every moment of it. This is one of those moments,” The emotional 45-year-old driver who now resides in Lakeland, Florida stated after climbing from his #10 Racecar Engineering / FLF Racecars / Chevrolet. “She was a fighter and I’m so proud of her and what she is and what she stood for. I’m so thankful to be able to be here tonight. I’ve never won here at Springport and this one is for her.” He added. After climbing from the car, he looked to the sky with hands in the air and proclaimed, “This one is for you Momma!”
After Boyne Machine Company Fast Qualifier, Travis Braden drew a seven for an inversion; it placed Jordan Dahlke and Chris Koslek on the front row for the 100-lap main. As Chief Starter, Brian Duncan’s green flag waved, Koslek used his momentum carried from the outside lane to inch ahead of Dahlke to lead the first lap. However, Dahlke would able to regroup and slip past to grab the points back on the next lap. Two big incidents plagued the race early on with the first coming on lap eight involving six cars. All were able to continue, but with various amounts of damage.
The second and biggest wreck of the night occurred on lap 12 when Eric Lee and Braden collided coming down the front stretch. As they touched, both cars veered right and hard into the front stretch wall before coming to rest at the entrance of turn one. Both drivers were ok as Braden, who is driving for Owners Points Leaders, Bill Burba Motorsports, took a hit in the Owners Points Standings with just two races remaining on the schedule. On the restart, Dahlke and Koslek would pull away from the rest of the field and would soon be joined by Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year point’s leader, 19-year-old Quinnton Bear.
Soon Bear would slip past Koslek and set his sights on Dahlke for the lead. As the two drivers sliced and diced through traffic, Bear looked high and low, searching for a way around the race leader. Finally on lap 76 Bear briefly took the lead when a lap later, contact between the two drivers sent Bear around in turn two. Both drivers were sent to the rear of the field handing the lead back to Koslek who now had Dorer, who started 13th, on his back bumper. After sizing up Koslek before going for the lead, Dorer would begin his run at the leader with 15 laps to go.
With 13 to go, Dorer completed the pass for the lead with the crowd on their feet. Afterwards, it was all Dorer who would steadily pull away from Koslek and the rest of the field en route to his first win in his first JEGS/CRA appearance of 2015. For Dorer it was also his second career JEGS/CRA victory as in addition to the trophy and winners paycheck, he also scored the Five Star Racecar Bodies Hard-Charger award for his 13th to first place run as well as the first Great Lakes Tire / Hoosier Racing Tire Performance award.
Koslek tied a career high finish of a second for the third time of his JEGS/CRA career in his #24 West Michigan Tool & Industrial Supply / Chevrolet. The 28-year-old driver has eight top five finishes in 20 career starts on the Tour with three of those being runner-up showings. After leading twice for a total of 12 laps, the Grand Rapids, Michigan driver didn’t leave Springport empty-handed as he picked up the FLUIDYNE High Performance Cool Under Pressure award as despite losing the lead on the second lap, he was never outside of the top five the entire event.
Phil Bozell scored a career high third place showing in his #04 R.C. Sales & Leasing / Chevrolet as the Portage, Michigan standout, primarily known for his accolades in the Outlaw bodied Super Late Model world, has focused his efforts primarily on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour in 2015. The 32-year-old standout is currently fourth in points with two races remaining as the former Track Champion at near-by Kalamazoo Speedway started 12th on the grid at Springport before climbing his way to his first career JEGS/CRA podium finish.
Canadian teenager, 17-year-old Tristan Van Wieringen came away with a season high fourth place finish, the highest to date since returning to the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour after spending most of the season with the ICAR Top Speed Modified Tour Northern Division. The Amherstburg, Ontario teenager in his #81 DuroByte Incorporated / Ford also earned the AR Bodies Cool Moved of the Race award after his battle with the Bozell Father-Son duo of Andy and Phil Bozell. Van Wieringen slipped in between the family members with a daring inside out pass to take fourth.
The elder Bozell, a member of the Michigan Motorsports of Fame scored a JEGS/CRA career high finish of a fifth in his #83 Sweet Manufacturing / Chevrolet after being one of the cars involved in the lap eight melee. The 51-year-old legend in the Great Lakes State, a 12-time Track Champion at near-by Kalamazoo Speedway has also taken to the template bodied / crate motored cars in 2015 and his adaptation was rewarded on this night with his first career top five finish. Bozell also scored the Hedman Hedders Husler award after his crew brought him pit side to make repairs to his machine and from there, the veteran would thread his way towards the front to complete the top five.
Bear, the VanDoorn Racing Development Rookie of the Race award winner for the fifth time in 2015, recovered from his mishap with Dahlke to finish sixth and extend his already healthy lead in the chase for the Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title. JEGS/CRA Drivers Points Leader, Dalton Armstrong extended his lead in those standings with a seventh place effort as Dahlke recovered to finish eighth and did score the D.T.S. Drive Train Specialists Halfway Leader award. Josh Nelms was ninth to keep pace with Armstrong in the points battle while Kyle Purvis completed the top 10 and also picked up the second Great Lakes Tire / Hoosier Racing Tire Performance award.
Earlier in the day during Boyne Machine Company Qualifying, Braden scored his second Fast Qualifier award of the year over the 21-car field with a 15.122 which measures out to 89.274mph. Braden’s lap was just 0.013 seconds off of the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Track Record which was set by 2012 Tour Champion, Daniel Hemric back on July 1st, 2012 when he toured the 3/8s mile oval at a 15.109.
The first of two major season ending special events to cap off the 2015 season are next to wrap up the fifth anniversary campaign for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance. On Saturday-Sunday, September 26-27th, the 10th 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 JEGS/CRA contingent race in the Stacked Pickle 100 Presented by Advanced Racing Suspension at the famed Brownsburg, Indiana speed plant located west of Indianapolis.
The three remaining Champion Racing Association (CRA) Powered by JEGS divisions of the ARCA/CRA Super Series, Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stock Series will also be in action during the weekend. The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour has visited the immaculate Circle City oval six times with 2012 Tour Champion, Daniel Hemric, now a contender within the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, accumulating the most wins with two. Fellow NASCAR Trucks standout, John Hunter Nemechek won the 2014 CRA Fall Brawl for JEGS/CRA while Dominique Van Wieringen, Mike Bursley and Colt James also have made trips to victory lane at LOR.
For more information about the remainder of the 2015 racing season within all four touring series’ of Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, go to the series website at: www.cra-racing.com You can also follow along 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 10th race of the 2015 racing season within the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, go to the track website at: www.lucasoilraceway.com.
