Special from Speed51.com – The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour will crown a series champion as the headliner Friday night to kick off Winchester 400 weekend. This year’s championship four features what is possibly the most loaded field of drivers any of the Champion Racing Association (CRA) series have seen, with six series championships between the four “Chase” drivers.
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Defending Snowball Derby champion Travis Braden enters the finale as perhaps the odds-on favorite due to his past success at the facility. The two-time ARCA/CRA Super Series champion has won seven races at Winchester, including the 2016 Winchester 400. He could become the second driver to win titles in both the Super Series and the All-Stars Tour.
Cody Coughlin is the lone driver to have done so, and he will have the opportunity to accomplish that feat again in 2020 as a Chase competitor in both divisions. Coughlin’s stats at Winchester are nothing to sneeze at either, with a pair of ARCA/CRA Super Series wins to show for it. He has two wins on the year with the All-Stars Tour, coming at Jennerstown Speedway and Lebanon I-44 Speedway.
Kentucky’s Josh Brock also joins Coughlin as a driver with a shot to win both the ARCA/CRA Super Series and JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour titles in 2020. He had no plans of running for points with the series, but a win at Anderson Speedway back in June changed that. Brock could also become the second driver to win titles in both divisions during the same season.
CRA Junior Late Model graduate Charlie Keeven used a strong three-race stretch of Chase races to put himself into the championship four at Winchester. After struggling to get a hold of a Pro Late Model early on, he finished fourth at Lucas Oil Raceway during Fall Brawl, then nearly won his first-career race at Bristol Motor Speedway before getting beat on a late restart by Brock. At just 14 years old, he could become the youngest champion in CRA history (not counting the CRA Junior Late Models.)
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour title has been decided at Winchester every year since the series’ inception back in 2011. Chase Elliott won the series’ first appearance at the half-mile back in August 2011, while current Chase competitor Travis Braden won the first event held during 400 weekend. Braden his won this event five times in nine years, including last year, while Elliott, Corey Deuser, Jack Smith and Wes Griffith have also taken wins during 400 weekend.
Coughlin, Dan Leeck and Jack Dossey III all have won two JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour titles, with Coughlin having the opportunity to pull ahead with a third on Friday night. The first two series titles were won by two current NASCAR regulars, Erik Jones and Daniel Hemric. Dalton Armstrong also owns a championship, having won back in 2015.
The Winchester 400 weekend is scheduled for three action-packed days of racing at the “Fastest Half Mile” on October 9-11. More tickets have just been released and are available at winchesterspeedway.com/tickets.
Teams and fans wanting to purchase pit passes early to help expedite their entry to the infield can do so at pitpay.com or download the Pit Pay App wherever you obtain App for your mobile device.
Fans unable to make the trip to Winchester, Indiana will be able to watch all three days of racing via a pay-per-view broadcast on Speed51.TV. For more information and to order your video ticket today, click here.
Be sure to follow Winchester Speedway’s social media channels for the latest updates on upcoming events. “Like” the Winchester Speedway Facebook page, follow @FastestHalfMile on Twitter and Instagram.
-Story by: Koty Geyer, Speed51 National Correspondent – Twitter: @kgeyer3
-Photo Credit: Speed51 Photo
