Kyle Busch Wins A Thrilling Circle City 100 On Dramatic Last Lap Pass Of John Hunter Nemechek
ARCA/CRA Super Series joins ARCA Racing Series for ARCA doubleheader at Lucas Oil Raceway
Brownsburg, Indiana (July 25, 2014) – The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS
raced at the immaculate Lucas Oil Raceway (IN), located west of Indianapolis in
Brownsburg, Indiana on Friday, July 25th as part of an all ARCA doubleheader with their
counterparts in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards. NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series stars, Kyle Busch and David Ragan as well as a plethora of drivers with familiar
last names in the NASCAR world, would join the ARCA/CRA conglomerate for the Circle
City 100 Presented by JEGS.com. A strong crowd was in attendance was treated to one
of the most exciting races of the season as the NASCAR visitors delivered against the
stout ARCA/CRA contingent.
The ARCA/CRA Super Series kicked off the night at the fast 0.686 mile semi-banked
paved oval with a stellar field of cars on hand. The template bodied Super Late Models
precursor to the ARCA big cars would see NASCAR Sprint Cup Series superstar, Kyle
Busch make a daring last lap, last corner pass coming down for the checkered flag on
17-year-old John Hunter Nemechek, after following a war on the track that lasted over the
final 43 laps. Busch would just edge the son of another NASCAR icon, Joe Nemechek at
the line by just 0.024 seconds to bring home the Win in the 100-lap main.
"I just knew I had to pressure him and run him hard to burn his stuff up to see if I could
do it. I could see every lap that he was getting tighter and tighter, especially down in three
and four,” The driver of the #51 JEGS.com / Kyle Busch Motorsports / Toyota explained in
victory lane. "“He was really parking the car in the middle of the corners, so I just tried to
time it just right as soon as he set the brake to get the car to reset the nose. I just cut
underneath him and got alongside of him. It was a drag race from there.” The 29-year-old
added.
After EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier, Willie Allen drew a nine for an inversion, it would be a
pair of sons of NASCAR stars, current ARCA/CRA Super Series Points Leader, Ross
Kenseth, the son of 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion, Matt Kenseth and
14-year-old Todd Gilliland, the son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, David Gilliland,
bringing a stellar 28-car field to the green flag. Kenseth would grab the early lead as the
rest of the field settled in behind him. He would pace the field for the first 53 laps until
Nemechek made the pass for the lead, bringing Busch with him.
The third and last caution for a spin down the front stretch on lap 57 would set up a final
shootout over the last 43 laps that left the strong crowd on hand in a frenzy. Busch
stalked Nemechek all over the 0.686 mile semi-banked paved oval as he tried to figure out
a lane around the race leader over the remaining 43 laps. As the white flag flew, Busch
made his move searching high and low when he dive bombed the last corner to pull up
along-side Nemechek and it was a drag race to the stripe.
In the end, Busch would just edge Nemechek at the line to cross the stripe first by just a nose to pick up his first ARCA/CRA Super Series Win since the 2012 season in his first appearance with the series since then. The victory moved the 29-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event winner into a tie for seventh place all-time in career ARCA/CRA wins in the series with nine victories, sharing that position with Eddie Hoffman. It was also his ninth win in just 19 career starts for a stellar 0.474 winning percentage, tops all-time in the series amongst drivers with more than one career start for the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion.
"I kind of figured I had won. It was close; just about a nose piece ahead of him and that was about it. That was more work than what I will probably have to do for the rest of the weekend." Busch smiled amidst the mob of media surrounding him and his KBM crew. “John Hunter (Nemechek) did a great job. He's won races and has a good team behind him. His dad is working really hard for him. That’s family, and that’s love, so you can’t beat that.” He ended. For his efforts, Busch would also take home the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award for his winning pass on Nemechek as well as the first Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award after starting eighth and advancing seven positions.
Nemechek, a two-time event winner in the ARCA/CRA Super Series' counterparts with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour in 2014, scored a career high finish with CRA's premier tour. His second place run after leading for 46 laps in his #8 El Faro Nicaragua / Chevrolet was a career high finish for the 17-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina. Nemechek didn't leave the Hoosier State empty handed however as he would pick up the FLUIDYNE High Performance Cool Under Pressure Award.
Bringing home a season high third place finish would be 22-year-old Chad Finley as the pilot of the #42 Auto Value Parts Stores & Certified Service Centers / Chevrolet finished where he started. The DeWitt, Michigan driver had the best seat in the house in witnessing the epic Busch / Nemechek battle. Finley has made limited appearances in CRA competition in 2014 as he has also ran in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East events.
Alec Carll finished a solid fourth for his first top five finish in ARCA/CRA competition since the 2012 season. The Grand Rapids, Michigan driver in his #5 Greene Life Corporation / Chevrolet was able to fight off a determined Travis Braden over the final 15 circuits to secure the fourth spot. As for Braden, the defending ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion in his #01 West Virginia University / Chevrolet rattled off his fourth consecutive top five finish to climb to second in points. He's now just two markers out of the points lead heading into the next race. A 'home game' for the 20-year-old from Wheeling, West Virginia at Columbus Motor Speedway (OH) on Saturday, August 2nd.
Allen would finish sixth after his inversion draw put him ninth at the start while Wes Griffith Jr., was impressive in finishing seventh after starting 22nd. He also scored the Senneker Performance Rookie of the Race Award as well as the C.V. Products Hard-Charger Award and the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award. Kenseth would settle for eighth after leading the first 53 laps, scoring the VanDoorn Racing Development Lap Leader Award as well as the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award. He does hang onto the points lead by just two points over Braden heading into the next race. Gilliland finished ninth in his maiden ARCA/CRA start as Brandon Oakley completed the top 10.
Earlier in the day in EDCO Welding Qualifying, Allen set the mark over the 28-car field in winning his first career ARCA/CRA Super Series Fast Qualifier Award. The 2007 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie of the year went a 21.710 around the Circle City speed plant which equals out to 113.754mph. The ARCA/CRA Super Series Track Record still stands as Evan Jackson holds down the mark he set back on September 22nd, 2007. He went a 21.284.
The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS next race will be the return to Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio for the make-up race from the June 28th rain out. Only this time the stakes are much higher with the Inaugural running of the JEGS Bud St. Amant Memorial 174 on Saturday, August 2nd. The ARCA/CRA teams will head back to the circular 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval for the first time, part two, since the 2011 racing season as both the series and track will pay tribute to the late Bud St. Amant who passed away on January 11th, 2014 after a long bout with Cancer.
The JEGS Bud St. Amant Memorial 174 will be the ninth all-time ARCA/CRA Super Series appearance in Columbus, Ohio as eight different drivers have visited victory lane. Ross Kenseth won the last race held in the Buckeye State capital on Memorial Day Weekend in 2011 while Brian Campbell, Robbie Pyle, 2003 series champion Bobby Parsley, Jack Landis, three-time series titlist Scott Hantz, Fred Campbell and Junior Hanley all have single victories apiece.
For more information about all four touring series’ within Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, please go to the series website at: www.cra-racing.comYou can also follow along with all of CRA's touring series' all season long on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ChampionRacingAssociation and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CRAracing Finally for more information about Columbus Motor Speedway, the host facility for the eighth points race within the 18th season of ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS racing, go to the track website at: www.columbusspeedway.com
Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in four professional touring series and local weekly events including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards as well as the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, the ARCA Midwest Tour and the ARCA Trucks Series. In addition, weekly racing is held at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
