Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS will return to action this weekend in one of its biggest events of the season, the Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300 Weekend. The event will feature the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Powered by JEGS and the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance on Friday, while the ARCA/CRA Super Series will take center stage on Saturday for the prestigious Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300, the second event of the JEGS/CRA $100,000 Super Late Model Triple Crown.
Jason Atkinson comes into Friday night’s Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman event with a slim two point lead over 2014 series Champion Greg Van Alst. Atkinson has one series victory this season at Lucas Oil Raceway, while Van Alst is still seeking his first 2014 series win. 2014 series Rookie of the Year Jack Dossey III is third in points, he is 22 points behind Van Alst. Dossey has one series victory this season, which was at Anderson Speedway, he was the 2014 Anderson Speedway MEP Late Model Champion and currently leads those points for 2015. J.P. Crabtree is in fourth place in points, only two points behind Dossey III. Rookie Matthew Parsons is in fifth place, he is eight points behind Crabtree. Scott Tomasik also won a series event at Anderson Speedway in June.
Dalton Armstrong comes into Friday night as the point’s leader with the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance after four events so far this season. Armstrong has had that points lead since his season opening victory at Springport Motor Speedway in May, which was his first ever CRA win. Josh Nelms is in second place, 12 points behind Armstrong, he got his first ever series victory on May 22rd at Columbus Motor Speedway. Rookie Quinnton Bear has now moved into third place in series points after his series best second place finish last Friday night at Dixie Motor Speedway, he is 35 points behind Nelms. Phil Bozell is fourth in series points, eight points behind Bear. Fellow rookie Matt Mills is in fifth place, he is six points behind Bozell. All the top five in points are entered for Friday night’s Anderson 100.
Other top JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour regulars entered include Canadian brothers Jaxson and Marc Jacobs, Kody Evans, Andy Bozell, Jack Smith, 2013 series winner Corey Deuser and VanDoorn Racing Development Rookies Austin Kunert and Kevin Zielezinski. 2013 and 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion Travis Braden is entered to compete in his third event of the season for Bill Burba Racing. 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series winner Brandon Oakley is entered. 2015 ARCA/CRA Super Series Anderson Speedway winner Eddie Van Meter and former CRA Late Model Sportsman competitor Fred Hopkins are entered to make their series debuts Friday night.
The entry list for the ARCA/CRA Super Series sanction Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300 is full of talent starting with NASCAR young gun Erik Jones, the 2011 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion and winner of the Battle at Berlin 251, the first event of the JEGS/CRA $100,000 Super Late Model Triple Crown. If Jones can win Saturday night’s $10,000 to win Redbud 300, he is then guaranteed a minimum $10,000 bonus from the JEGS/CRA $100,000 Super Late Model Triple Crown for winning two of the three events and will be in line to collect the $100,000 cash bonus if he can then win the 44th Annual Winchester 400 on October 11th. Jones is currently competing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports were he has one win this season and is competing in selected NASCAR Xfinity Series events for Joe Gibbs Racing, where he has two victories so far this season.
Jones will have plenty of competition starting with 2014 Redbud winner Daniel Hemric, who is also competing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and part-time with the Southern Super Series were he as two victories this season. Bubba Pollard, one of the hottest late model drivers this season is entered, the Georgia native was the 2014 Southern Super Series Champion, has already picked up a couple of huge paying late model West Coast wins, he won $25,000 at the Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway Park in California in February, then walked away with $36,000 for winning the Summer Showdown at Monroe, Washington’s Evergreen Speedway on June 27th.
Ross Kenseth, son of NASCAR Champion Matt Kenseth and winner of the 2012 Redbud 300 is entered. Kenseth, the 2014 series points runner-up, picked up his first ever ARCA Racing Series victory at Michigan International Speedway in June. Multi-time Southern Super Series winner Donnie Wilson is entered for his first ever visit to Anderson Speedway, the Oklahoma native will have former ASA National Tour Champion Butch Miller as his Crew Chief. Florida native Stephen Nasse is entered, Nasse is always a top competitor at any event he races at.
Illinois driver Trent Snyder has filed an entry. Snyder is no stranger to victory lane at Anderson Speedway, he was the winner of three straight JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour events at Anderson Speedway from 2011 through the 2013 seasons. Snyder hopes to use that winning experience to pick up his first ever ARCA/CRA Super Series win, and the biggest victory in his racing career.
ARCA/CRA Super Series Senneker Performance Rookies Grant Quinlen, the current series point’s leader, and Hunter Baize, who picked up a series win in May at Illiana Motor Speedway, top the list of talented CRA regulars entered for the Redbud 300. Veteran CRA competitor Eddie Van Meter is also entered, he picked up a series victory at Anderson Speedway on April 26th. Other top CRA drivers entered include Wes Griffith Jr., former CRA winner at Anderson Rick Turner, past CRA winners Tommy St. John and Brandon Oakley, as well as Paul Schafer Jr., Brett Robinson, and series rookies Matt Hall, Mark Lambert and Tom Woodin.
Four JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour regulars are also entered to compete in the Redbud 300 including Dalton Armstrong, Quinnton Bear, Kody Evans and Jack Smith along with CRA Late Model Sportsman competitor Jack Dossey III.
The Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300 Weekend will begin with an open practice on Thursday, pits will open at 4pm with practice going from 5 to 8pm. On Friday, pits will open at 12noon, there will be an open practice for the Redbud 300 cars only from 1:30 until 3:30pm. Practice for the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour and Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman will begin at 4:30pm, with qualifying at 6:15pm. Friday night’s race program will begin at 7:30 pm and will include the 75 lap event for the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman and the 100 lap JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour event.
Pits open on Saturday at 10am, there will be a two hour practice for the ARCA/CRA Super Series cars from 1 to 3pm, with EDCO Welding qualifying for the Redbud 300 beginning at 4:15pm. There will be an on track autograph session with all the Redbud 300 drivers starting at 6pm, the green flag for the Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300 will drop at 7:30pm.
