Salem, IN (August 31, 2011) – Champion Racing Association will be taking on the famous High Banks of historic Winchester Speedway this weekend with the famous Labor Day Weekend World Stock Car Festival, one of the biggest stock car events held each year in Central Indiana. The weekend will feature exciting racing action from the CRA Super Series, USA Modifieds, Sullivan RV CRA Late Model Sportsman, EDCO Welding CRA Street Stocks and the Vore’s Welding & Steel CRA FWD Compacts. Camping will be available all weekend and there will also be the annual Sunday night party in the pavilion featuring live music.
The CRA Super Series has had 31 events to date at Winchester Speedway. Scott Hantz, a three time winner at Winchester and current series point’s leader, is currently tied with Bull Baker and Brian Ross with the most series victories at Winchester with three apiece, he heads the list of entries for Monday’s Winchester 100. Other former series winners at Winchester who are entered for this weekend’s event includes two time winners Tommy St. John and Jeff Fultz , both of Fultz’s victories at Winchester have come on Labor Day Weekend. Single event Winchester winners also entered includes Johnny Van Doorn, Jeff Lane, Rick Turner, Brian Rievley and Peter Cozzolino.
Other top CRA regulars who are entered include Terry Fisher Jr., Joe Beaver, Kenny Tweedy, Jason Dietsch, Damon Ecoff, Brian Campbell, Aaron Pierce, Danny Jackson, Colin Nickolai, Jay Niewiek, Nick Gullatta, Brent Jack, CJ Leary and Adam Purdy. Top series rookies who are entered include current rookie points leader and second in series Championship points Derrick Griffin, also Mason Mingus, who finished fourth in last year’s Winchester 400, along with Justin Alsip and David Carter. Former series regulars Scott Whitehouse and Donald Karr Jr. are both entered to make their first series starts of the 2011 season.
This event always attracts late model teams from around the country looking to get laps before the October Winchester 400. North Carolina teenage sensation Kenzie Ruston will be making her second CRA start of the 2011 season. Ruston caught everyone by surprise in her series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in June by qualifying second and then being a contender for the win throughout the race before finishing in sixth place. Oklahoma’s Donnie Wilson is entered, Wilson had one of the fastest cars in last year’s Winchester 400 before he was taken out of the event in a late race crash. Three Iowa drivers, Griffin McGrath, Thor Anderson, and Nate Caruth are entered to get there first ever laps at Winchester Speedway along with Minnesota driver Josh Vadnais. In all 34 cars are pre-entered for this weekend’s CRA Super Series event.
Keith Sterkowitz comes into this weekend’s Sullivan RV CRA Late Model Sportsman Series event on a roll with four straight wins including getting the win in the series event last Saturday at Anderson Speedway with an exciting last lap pass. With that win Sterkowitz has now taken over the series points lead from Jason Atkinson. Sterkowitz has now won five events this season, Atkinson has three wins. The only other winner with the series has been Damon Ecoff at Lucas Oil Raceway. Mark Lambert is now third in series points. 2009 and 2010 series Champion Charlie Hanna is in fourth place, Hanna is the series all time wins leader at Winchester with three. Brett Robinson is currently fifth in series points.
CRA veteran racer Jeff Lane continues to dominate in the EDCO Welding CRA Street Stock Championship Points heading into this weekend’s race. Lane currently holds a 96 point lead over second place Josh Poore. Lane is tied for second in series all time victories at Winchester with three including the series last event at Winchester on August 7th. The number 21 car owned by Steve Davis and driven most recently by Ryan Amonett is third in series points. Rookie J.J. Schafer is in fourth place with veteran series racer Brian Hopkins in fifth place. Lane and Hopkins lead the series with two wins apiece in 2011.
The Vore’s Welding & Steel CRA FWD Compacts will have a double header weekend with feature events on Sunday night and again on Monday afternoon. Jeff Shelmadine continues to be the series point’s leader, but Justin Brown has closed the gap to only 17 points heading into this weekend’s events. Brown became the series all-time wins leader after sweeping both series events on Old Timers Weekend, just two weeks ago. Rookie Rick James is third in series points with fellow rookie Kyle Crump is in fourth place. Cary Abrell is currently in fifth place. Shelmadine and Brown top the series with two wins apiece in 2011.
There will be an open practice for all divisions on Saturday, pits open at 10am, and rotating practice will go from 1pm until 5pm. There will be security at the track all weekend so teams can leave their equipment in the track. Pits open on Sunday at 8am, practice will begin at 11:30am with qualifying starting at 3:30pm. Racing action on Sunday will begin at 6pm and will include heat races for the USA Modifieds, Sullivan RV CRA Late Model Sportsman, EDCO Welding CRA Street Stocks and the Vore’s Welding & Steel CRA FWD Compacts. There will also be a 20 lap feature for the Vore’s Welding & Steel CRA FWD Compacts.
Pits open on Monday at 9am, there will be a short warm-up session for all cars starting at 11am. Any last chance races will be ran at 12noon. The first of five feature events will start at 1pm with the 20 lap Vore’s Welding & Steel CRA FWD Compacts feature. The 40 lap Sullivan RV CRA Late Model Sportsman will be up next and will be followed by the 100 lap CRA Super Series feature, the 40 lap USA Modifieds feature, with the 40 lap EDCO Welding CRA Street Stocks feature ending the day.
Additional track and event information can be found at www.winchesterspeedway.com. More information on all the CRA Series is available at www.craracing.net.
