JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance 2013 Season Preview
Previewing the Top Championship and Rookie Contenders (Special from Matt Prieur - Speed51.com Midwest Editor)
April 26, 2013
Concord, North Carolina (April 26, 2013) – The third season of the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet Performance will kick off this Sunday, April 28, at the 3/8-mile Springport Motor Speedway with the Cabin Fever 100 presented by JEGS.com.
For the third time in series history, there is a guarantee of a new series champion in the crate-motored Champion Racing Assocation (CRA) powered by JEGS division when the season’s final checkered flag falls at Winchester Speedway in Indiana in October. Dozens of JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour drivers will jockey for their shot at the title starting this Sunday as they try to add their names to the record books that already contain series champs Erik Jones in 2011 and Daniel Hemric in 2012.
With Jones making the move to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Hemric, an eight-time JEGS Tour winner in 2013, taking his racing efforts further south in 2013, the door is open for a new series champion.
Here’s a sneak peak at who to look for in terms of title contenders, those in the hunt, the dark horses, wild cards and rookies to watch and leading into the season opener this Saturday. An excellent crowd is expected in Springport, Michigan for the Sunday afternoon affair. For those fans that are unable to make it to Central Michigan, Speed51.com will have live Trackside Now coverage presented by Phil Harper Motorsports from Springport starting at 10:30am ET.
Title Contenders
77 Landon Cling
The Tempe, Arizona driver will come to the Midwest for the 2013 season with some big shoes to fill. Cling is taking over the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Championship winning car. He’ll also inherit the same title-winning car owner and crew chief, Scott Neal, and the entire Scott Neal Racing Team that Daniel Hemric enjoyed last year. The 18-year-old raced in the PASS South series for Brad Keselowski Racing in 2012 and scored one win and a fifth place finish in points. All the tools are there for a championship season for the Grand Canyon State driver. If the team gels around their new driver quickly and vice versa, there is no reason why Cling won’t be fighting for the championship and give Neal a third straight CRA title to go with his 2012 title with Hemric and the 2011 ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship with Derrick Griffin.
1 Cody Coughlin
The 2011 Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year suffered from the proverbial sophomore slump in 2012. Coughlin struggled with consistency in 2012, but a new attitude has come over the team with new crew members with some winning credentials. Coughlin has gotten one major hurdle out of the way by visiting victory lane for the first time in his career when he scored a Pro Late Model feature win on opening night of the 47th annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in February. The 17-year-old from Delaware, Ohio has the equipment and an all-star team behind him including ARCA/CRA Super Series race-winning crew chief Nick Easton, short track legend Freddie Query as a team consultant and NASCAR racer Scott Wimmer as a spotter. Most importantly, he now has the confidence that a race winner carries, which could be the missing piece to a championship puzzle for Coughlin.
33 Wes Griffith Jr.
There’s never been a doubt in anyone’s mind that the 45-year-old from Crown Point, Indiana has the talent to compete on a consistent basis week in and week out. What he has lacked in recent years is the consistency required to stay in contention and a first victory. All of that is expected to change in 2013 as Griffith Jr., has joined forces with KBR Development and will now have those resources to fall back on in all facets of his racing program. This new combination has the capabilities to not only contend for wins, but to contend for the 2013 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Championship as well. The time is now for the Chicagoland veteran to emerge from the upper-middle of the pack and into the role of top contender in JEGS/CRA. If everything comes together the way it could, look for Griffith Jr., to be hoisting the trophy in Winchester, Indiana in mid-October as the 2013 Champion.
In the Hunt
04 Jerrod Foley
The Williamsburg, Kentucky driver is no stranger to traveling throughout his racing career. Now that he’s toured the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour for a season, he’ll also be no stranger to the majority of the tracks on the 2013 schedule. The 21-year-old does more with less than just about any other driver in any traveling series in the country. His entire pit crew is Foley himself, plus his father, Jim, an accomplished driver himself in years past in the Ken-Ten area, and his mother, Leanell, who is his spotter. All they need is a little luck and a good string of finishes and they’re instant contenders. On talent alone, Foley can win a race or two, the team just needs that extra “something” to bring everything together and they’ll be battling for a title.
5 Eric Lee
The long time competitor in the Outlaw-bodied Super Late Model world is making his first foray into the template-bodied Super Late Model world beginning with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance season opener in Springport, Michigan. Lee is a four-time Outlaw Super Late Model Track Champion at Flat Rock Speedway in Flat Rock, Michigan and a two-time event winner in the ARCA Gold Cup Outlaw Super Late Models Series having won on two occasions. The 35-year-old from Macomb, Michigan is a wild card in every sense of the word, but is a talented-enough veteran to adapt quickly to the template-bodied machines. If he does, he could quickly emerge as a legitimate title threat in the series dominated by drivers in their 20s and even some with the word “teen” in their age.
72 Tom Woodin
Woodin knows the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance like the back of his hand now having competed full-time in the first two seasons of the series. The 24-year-old showed signs of success in 2012 with a career high third place finish at Shady Bowl Speedway in DeGraff, Ohio and a seventh place finish in the final points standings. The 2013 season is the year that Woodin steps out of the upper middle of the pack and start contending consistently in the top five and also start contending for wins. The Battle Creek, Michigan driver has earned plenty of respect amongst his fellow competitors with his smooth style of driving and there’s no reason why he won’t be visiting victory lane at some point this season. The time is now for Woodin to step up and many on lookers feel he is up to the challenge.
Dark Horses
7 Jason Dietsch
After spending the majority of the 2012 racing season with the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, Dietsch is returning, for now, to the type of cars where he has enjoyed success in recent seasons. There’s not a doubt in anyone’s mind that the 40-year-old from Edgerton, Ohio can compete for top-fives and wins wherever he goes. He just has to rediscover what made him so successful in his Modified days and his early days of racing template-bodied crate-motored. He has wins in the old Super Pro Late Model Series and one big win in the old Varney Late Model Series at the now closed I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri back in 2005. If the Edgerton, Ohio veteran can rediscover the success he enjoyed in the mid-late 2000s, Dietsch becomes a contender for a championship.
6 Dave Gentile Jr.
The one and only reason the 36-year-old Prairie State veteran is considered a dark horse in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour and not linked in with the “In The Hunt” drivers or even a “Title Contender” is the simple fact that his wife is due with their first child in just a few months and that will most certainly hinder his chances at competing for the JEGS/CRA title, both financially and time-wise. The Elwood, Illinois driver has established himself as a top contender in the Chicagoland area and in one appearance with JEGS/CRA in 2012 he came home with a third-place finish at Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan. The former champion in the now defunct USPRO Cup Series in 2008 knows the crate-motored Late Model game very well and if logistics work out for him to run full-time, he’ll certainly be a threat.
12 Dan Leeck
It’s the same story as a year ago for the Birch Run, Michigan driver. He has to have a strong showing in the opening race of the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour season opener at Springport Motor Speedway to be able to continue on with the rest of the 2013 racing season in JEGS/CRA. He has nothing more to prove on the weekly level at his home tracks in Eastern Michigan despite the fact that the success he has enjoyed closer to home has not quite transferred over to the touring ranks. Nevertheless, Leeck, who’s best JEGS/CRA finish is a sixth at Dixie Motor Speedway last season, has to have a good showing at Springport. Like Plymouth from a year ago, the Cabin Fever 100 Presented by JEGS.com is Leeck’s Daytona 500 and anything less than a top five for the 23-year-old may hinder his efforts to continue to follow the series.
Wild Cards
42 Chad Finley
The 21-year-old is not listed in the “Title Contenders” and that is because, as of now, the DeWitt, Michigan driver is not scheduled to run a full season in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour in 2013. He is scheduled to compete in the first five races on the tour at Springport, Lebanon, Columbus (site of his lone JEGS/CRA victory), Dixie and Berlin. There’s always the possibility of adding more events. Even with his busy schedule of running both JEGS/CRA and some events in the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, if he is leading the points standings, or within striking distance going into the race at Salem Speedway in late June, Finley will be there and a title could potentially be his for the taking.
11 Josh Nelms
In almost the same story as Finley listed above, Nelms is also not following the entire JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour schedule in 2013. The Lockport, Illinois driver is one of the most successful drivers in series history to not win an event which is amazing considering that the 37-year-old is one of the top drivers and one of the most respected on the tour over the last two seasons. A win is coming for Nelms, there’s no doubt about that. Perhaps if Nelms finally does find victory lane in the 2013 season opener at Springport Motor Speedway in the Cabin Fever 100 Presented by JEGS.com, he will reconsider his decision to not follow the entire schedule. If that does happen and he does indeed decide to go ahead and chase after a JEGS/CRA championship one more time, perhaps the third time will indeed be the charm for Nelms.
98 Jay Sommers
The crafty veteran from Chesterfield, Michigan knows all about the traveling wars over the years whether it was in the now defunct ASA National Tour or even with the now defunct ICEMAN Super Car Series from the 1990s. The 41-year-old knows his way around a race track and has turned laps at more tracks than most of the JEGS/CRA teams in the field combined. Despite not competing full-time in anything in several seasons, he showed signs of his old glory in limited JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour appearances in 2012 when he finished fifth at Springport Motor Speedway, site of the 2013 JEGS/CRA season starter. If he gets off to a fast start in the door opener, it’s entirely possible that Sommers will make the decision to follow the rest of the 2013 schedule and he could become a factor in the chase for the title.
Top Rookies
14 Corey Deuser
The 15-year-old is hoping that his three starts in 2012 in preparation for a full run in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour in 2013 and running for the Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title will propel the Lanesville, Indiana teenager into one of the top rookie title contenders. Most of the tracks on the schedule are those that Deuser will have never seen prior to pulling into the pits on race day. However, three of the tracks on the schedule, Lebanon, Lucas Oil and Winchester are facilities where he has turned laps on and those tracks make up five of the 13 events on the 2013 calendar. If the Hoosier State teenager can get through the races at tracks he hasn’t seen before and do well at the places he has experience, he will run neck and neck with Jake Griffin all season long and it will be a fun rookie battle to watch all year long.
08 Jake Griffin
Scott Neal Racing will be busy to say the least for the 2013 racing season in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. Not only will Neal be on the pit box for Landon Cling, he’ll also be calling the shots for 14-year-old Jake Griffin, who comes into the year in JEGS/CRA as a leading candidate for the Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title. Griffin is one of a whopping 11 freshman contenders looking to chase the rookie title. The Quincy, Illinois driver had an auspicious start to the 2013 campaign at SpeedFest, but recovered nicely with a very impressive showing in Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway. Between running both dirt and pavement this year, it’ll be a busy season for the Prairie State teenager who will be looked upon to lead the freshman class in 2013.
5 Dominique VanWieringen
In a talented crop of Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title contenders, the 17-year-old Canadian teenager from Amherstburg, Ontario has perhaps has the best advantage of any of the 11 freshman. The first race at Springport is also at the same pleace where VanWieringen won the 2012 Outlaw Super Late Models track championship. Armed with a solid team behind her and with crew chief Jimmy D. Smith, who has worked with 2011 JEGS/CRA Champ Erik Jones and more recently with Chad Finley, calling the shots, VanWieringen is expected to do well. Her only drawback is that after Springport, there are only three other tracks on the schedule that she has experience on. If she can adapt to the new tracks quickly, she’ll be right there with Griffin and Deuser.
Rookies Footnote:
A whopping 11 drivers have signed on to run for the 2013 Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance. Honorable Mentions amongst those first-year JEGS Tour competitors include:
17-year-old Kyle Crump, the 2012 Rookie of the Year in the Super Stocks Division at Auto City Speedway in Clio, Michigan who made four starts in 2012 in JEGS/CRA with a high finish of a 10th at Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan.
Cole Glasson, the 12-year-old youngster from Corinth, Texas who will be racing for Andy Ponstein in 2013. By starting the Cabin Fever 100 Presented by JEGS.com, Glasson will become the youngest driver in Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS history to compete in a CRA-sanctioned event.
The Jacobs Brothers from Canada - 20-year-old Marc Jacobs and 15-year-old Jaxson Jacobs - both raced the full schedule of events during the 47th annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Both London, Ontario drivers hope that the experience gained at Florida Speedweeks will propel them to a successful season in JEGS/CRA.
14-year-old Kody Evans from Camden, Ohio is also hoping his time spent in Florida during Speedweeks will aid in his efforts to stake his claim on the Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title. He’ll have the assistance of Gary St. Amant, the long-time standout in the now defunct ASA National Tour, as his driver coach.
In a field full of teenagers and even pre-teens contending for the Rookie title, there’s the oldest Rookie in the field, 62-year-old Mark Downey, the father of Brent Downey. Brent is stepping out of the role of driver in 2013 and will be the crew chief for his Father and president of Downey Racing.
The rest of the Rookie field includes; Canadian Brad Corcoran from the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models Series, and 15-year-old Hunter Baize from Bremen, Kentucky who raced Baby Grands in 2012 and made limited appearances at Florida Speedweeks.
