High Banks of Salem Speedway up Next for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour
Tour will have New Points Leader After Saturday Night
June 19, 2014
Salem, Indiana (June 19, 2014) – The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet
Performance will head to the famed High Banks of Salem Speedway Fueled by the
Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem, Indiana for this Saturday’s John Jones Auto Group
Midwest 100 Presented by Mountaineer Firewood and JEGS.com. This will be the second
visit to Salem for the series, last year Cody Coughlin got his second win of the season on
his way to claiming the 2013 series Championship. Coughlin took the lead from race
leader Tom Woodin on lap 91 and went on to get the win over Woodin and Jake Griffin.
Coming into Saturday night’s event 15 year old J.J. Haley is the current Season
Championship and Howie Lettow Rookie of the Year Presented by Howe Racing point’s
leader, but Haley is not entered for Saturday night’s event. Haley will be competing in his
second ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards event at Elko Speedway Saturday
night. That leaves Dan Leeck and Josh Nelms in a prime spot to take over the points lead
after Saturday night, they both go into that event tied for second with 267 points apiece.
Leeck finished fifth in last year’s event at Salem, Nelms did not race in that event.
2013 Howie Lettow Rookie of the Year Corey Deuser is in fourth place in series points, he
is 17 points behind Leeck and Nelms. Rookie Tristan Van Wieringen is in fifth place, only two points behind Deuser. Hunter Baize, winner of the series last point’s race at Columbus Motor Speedway on May 24th is in sixth place, he is only three points behind Van Wieringen. Only 22 points separate second through sixth, all the top six drivers are entered for Saturday’s event.
Other to series drivers entered includes Dominique Van Wieringen, Jaxson Jacobs, Marc Jacobs, Dakota Stroup, Jordan Miller, Kyle Crump, Jack Smith, Kody Evans and fellow Howie Lettow Rookie of the Year Presented by Howe Racing rookies Cole Rouse, Dalton Armstrong, Grant Quinlan and Amber Slagle.
There are several drivers entered with local ties to Salem Speedway including 2004 ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS Champion, Chuck Barnes Jr. from Louisville, Kentucky. The former Salem Speedway track champion and a 21-time race winner on the Salem high banks, was the Boyne Machine Company Fast Qualifier for last year’s event and was battling for the lead when contact between the two cars sent him hard into the wall ending his night on lap 54.
Other local drivers entered include Sellersburg, Indiana’s Cole Williams, who led 82 laps of the series event at Lebanon I-44 Speedway before tire issues ended his night, also Louisville’s Jeff Berg, Shepherdsville, Kentucky’s Kevin Willis and Bloomington, Indiana’s Winston Wood. North Carolina native Garrett Jones will make his first ever start on the High Banks on Saturday.
Another familiar face to local racing fans entered for Saturday night’s race is Brentwood, Tennessee’s Mason Mingus, currently competing full-time with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Mingus’s family is originally from Louisville, were many of his relatives still live, he will compete in a car fielded by Kevin Gardner, the car owner and crew chief for former local late model Champion Keith Gardner, out of his Kentucky shop. Mingus is a former full-time competitor with the ARCA/CRA Super Series and the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards where he finished second in points to Champion Frank Kimmel last season.
Saturday night has been designated Hoosier Lottery Night at Salem Speedway. The first 1,000 spectators, age 18 and older, through the ticket gate will receive a free Hoosier Lottery scratch off ticket and t-shirt. The Hoosier Lottery trailer will be on site with special ticket and prize giveaways. With every $5 purchase at the Hoosier Lottery trailer race fans will get to spin the prize wheel for lots of fun Hoosier Lottery tickets and prizes.
There is an open practice on Friday, pit gates open at 3:30pm with open practice from 5 to 8pm. Pit gates open on Saturday at 1pm, practice will begin at 3:30pm with qualifying starting at 6pm. The race program will begin at 7:15 pm and will include the John Jones Auto Group Midwest 100 Presented by Mountaineer Firewood and JEGS.com for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. Also racing on Saturday will be the Salem Speedway Lucas Oil Great American Stocks, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Pure Stocks and the Portland Recycling FWD Stocks.
More track and event information can be found at www.salemspeedway.com More information on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance is available at www.cra-racing.com
