Mark Lambert Takes Home First Career Series Championship; Wins 2013 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Title
Noblesville, Indiana Driver Never Finished Outside the Top Four All Season Long En Route to Championship
January 12, 2014
Indianapolis, Indiana (January 11, 2014) – The 2013 Champion Racing Association
(CRA) Powered by JEGS Awards Banquet was held on Saturday, January 11th at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel Union Station in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana as the 2013
Series Champions within the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, JEGS/
CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, Top Speed Fabrication CRA
Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS and Stealth Trailers CRA Street
Stocks Series Powered by JEGS were honored, along with several special award
recipients.
The Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS,
who will be sporting Vore's Welding as the new title sponsor for the 10th anniversary
2014 racing season for the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series, would see 21-year-
old Mark Lambert secure his first career Championship in 2013 as the Noblesville,
Indiana driver in his #18 NAPA of Westfield & Noblesville / Chevrolet would never
finish outside of the top four in any event throughout the year on his way to the title.
Lambert scored one win during the season which came at the famed Winchester
Speedway (IN) on August 18th. All 11 events the Hoosier State driver competed in
resulted in at least a top four finish including three runner-up showings, a third place finish an impressive six different occasions while his worst finish of a fourth occurred only once during the 2013 racing season.
The 2012 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Champion, K.C. Spillers would come up just 12 points short in his efforts to defend his title in 2013 as the Fort Wayne, Indiana veteran in his #38 Pro Star of Fort Wayne / Chevrolet racked up an impressive 10 top five finishes including finishing in second a whopping five times during the year. The 59-year-old never finished outside of the top 10 the entire season as all 11 starts resulting in at least a top 10. He also picked up two Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier Awards as well.
Also finishing on the podium in the final 2013 points standings would be New Castle, Indiana native, Jason Atkinson who would pick up a season high four wins in his #7 Oak Motors / Ford with those victories coming at Lucas Oil Raceway (IN) twice on April 14th and September 22nd as well as at Anderson Speedway (IN) on July 13th and at Baer Field Speedway (IN) on July 27th. The now 37-year-old (On November 21st) also had five top fives and six top 10s while also winning two Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier Awards to finish in third in the final points standings.
2013 Rookie of the Year, now 14-year-old (On November 15th), Chris Hacker, who would become the youngest driver in CRA's 17-year history to win a Freshman Award, finished fourth overall in the final standings as the Noblesville, Indiana teenager in his #24 P.G.G. Enterprises / Chevrolet also became the youngest winner in CRA history when he went to victory lane at Anderson Speedway (IN) on July 19th during Redbud 300 Weekend. He also picked up two top fives and seven top 10 showings in his freshman season. 2012 Rookie of the Year, Robert Amos Jr., completed the top five in his #67 Washington Square Dairy Queen / Chevrolet as the 22-year-old scored one top five finish, a fifth at Winchester Speedway (IN) on August 18th along-with four top 10s.
Finishing outside the top five, but staying within the top 10 was David Campbell, the 2010 Rookie of the Year, who would finish sixth over 14-year-old J.J. Haley, the 2013 Rookie of the Year Runner-Up who finished seventh overall in the standings. Chris Brann was eighth in the final point's tallies with Ronnie Rose scoring a ninth place finish over Danny Trent who completed the final top 10.
Five Drivers picked up victories during the season, but finished outside of the top 10 in the points standings including 16-year-old Trey Craig who picked up two wins with both of those coming at Anderson Speedway (IN) on May 11th and August 10th. The Louisville, Kentucky driver also picked up a season high three Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier Awards.
Driver picking up single event Wins were; former two-time ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion, Brian Ross-Winchester Speedway (IN) on September 2nd, Jeff Marcum-Anderson Speedway (IN) on September 14th and former two-time CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Champion, Keith Sterkowitz-Winchester Speedway (IN) during Winchester 400 Weekend on October 12th.
In addition to Hacker winning the 2013 Rookie of the Year title, other special award winners were; Atkinson, who would claim the Harris Racing Products Sportsman of the Year Award while Lambert picked up the Speed51.com Most Popular Driver Award. Spillers would win the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Dedication Award as Atkinson and Spillers each won four (4) Aero Race Wheels, Brann picked up a $1,000 Certificate from McGunegill Engine Performance, 17-year-old Billy Van Meter won a Miller Welder and Lambert picked up a Five Star Racecar Body.
Vore's Welding comes on as the new title sponsors of the Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS as the 2014 Racing Season kicks off on Saturday, March 29th. The adopted home track of the series; the fast 1/4 (0.250) mile high-banked paved oval of Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana will serve as hosts of the 2014 door opener with the Anderson 75. This event will see the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series go head-to-head with the tracks weekly McGunegill Engine Performance Late Models to kick off the 10th anniversary season for the series.
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.com You can also follow CRA on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ChampionRacingAssociation as well as Twitter at www.twitter.com/CRAracing Finally for more information about Anderson Speedway, the host facility for the first race of the new season for Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS, go to the track website at: www.andersonspeedway.com
