14-Year-Old Chris Hacker Kicks Off 10th Anniversary Season With Anderson 75 Win At Anderson Speedway
Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS starts 2014 in Anderson, Indiana
Anderson, Indiana (March 30, 2014) – The 10th anniversary season for the Vore's Welding
CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS kicked off with the first race of the
2014 campaign at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana on a special Sunday
afternoon, March 30th. The Anderson 75 was originally scheduled for Saturday, March
29th, but series and track officials postponed the event by a day earlier in the week due to
a forecast for unusually cold and blustery conditions for the originally scheduled date.
Both the fans who came out and the teams on the grounds were greeted to a beautiful
spring day on the rescheduled date at the fast 1/4 (0.250) mile high-banked paved oval as
14-year-old Chris Hacker led all 75 laps and picked up the victory in the series' 23rd all-
time event at Anderson, the second most in series history trailing only near-by Winchester
Speedway who has hosted the most CRA Late Model Sportsman Series races with 32.
For Hacker, it was his second career CRA Late Model Sportsman Series triumph.
"This is just great. Never did I expect to lead all 75 laps, especially with the cars that were
behind me," The jubilant winner stated in victory lane while standing next to his #24
Phantom Race Gear / Scott Neal Racing / Chevrolet. "We had a really good car in practice
and also in qualifying but I thought it would take some luck for us to win the race. I
certainly didn't expect to lead every lap. Man I can't believe this. I'm so happy and this is
really special especially after winning last year here. Only this one is so much better and rewarding." He added.
Rookie Eric McGlothlen and Hacker would bring the field down to the green flag to officially start the 10th anniversary 2014 racing season for the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and the two drivers would drag race to the first corner with Hacker edging out ahead of McGlothlen going down the backstretch. He would clear the Michigan freshman coming out of turn four to take the early lead. At one point during a lengthy green flag run, 52 laps during the middle stages of the race, Hacker had built up over a half a track advantage over the rest of the field while McGlothlen was left to battle with lapped traffic as well as 18-year-old Billy Van Meter for second place.
Van Meter would finally get past McGlothlen on lap 43 and set his sights on Hacker who was catching the back of the top 10 teams and was starting to put them a lap down. With six laps to go, Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier, Jason Atkinson, who had already pitted multiple times early in the race for a rear end issue, dropped rear end gear lube around the 1/4 mile forcing CRA Officials to throw a red flag as Atkinson pitted for repairs and a fresh batch of gear lube and would restart as the last car on the lead lap in sixth.
On what would be the final restart, Hacker again jumped out to the lead as Van Meter battled to hang onto second spot and with five laps to go, Van Meter spun into the infield as Atkinson made a bold three-wide maneuver by the spinning Van Meter and would take over the runner-up spot. However with everyone's momentum slowed, Hacker was far enough head to open up his advantage and the 2013 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Rookie of the Year would walk away with his second career victory.
"I can't thank Scott Neal enough for all the help he has given us and making this whole team so much better," The appreciative Hoosier State teenager added. "We're going to run for the Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour this season and this gives us a bunch of momentum going into the first race up in Michigan (Springport Motor Speedway on May 4th). I can't wait and hopefully this confidence will carry over to the JEGS/CRA season." He ended.
After an adventurous day to say the least, Jason Atkinson came home with a hard fought second place run in his #7 Oak Motors / Ford. The New Castle, Indiana veteran, who earlier in the afternoon broke the track record in Qualifying to Win the Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier Award drew a five for an invert, which placed him fifth on the grid, was forced to pit several times throughout the event due to rear end issues with his machine. Despite having to come from the back of the pack on several occasions, the 37-year-old fought back throughout the event and was rewarded with a runner-up showing. He was also rewarded for his efforts as he collected the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award for his daring three-wide pass for second late in the race. He also got the Racing Electronics Second to None Award as well.
One of five drivers contending for the 2014 Rookie of the Year title, Eric McGlothlen started on the pole after the inversion draw of a five and ran in second for the vast majority of the 75-lap main to finish on the podium in third in his #68 Dick's Auto Parts / Chevrolet. McGlothlen, who made the trip down to Anderson from Three Rivers, Michigan takes the early lead in the rookie title chase as prior to this event, the 25-year-old had made only one prior appearance in the series which came at Lucas Oil Raceway (IN) during the 2013 Fall Brawl where he finished an impressive second.
Coming home in fourth was 2012 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Champion, K.C. Spillers as the 59-year-old veteran aboard his #38 Pro Strip of Fort Wayne / Chevrolet just missed the invert and would start the race in sixth position. The Fort Wayne, Indiana driver who backed up his 2012 title with a runner-up showing in the final 2013 points quickly got to fourth and that's where he stayed the rest of the race. Completing the top five was a second rookie, 15-year-old Jack Dossey III who finished an impressive fifth in his CRA LMS debut aboard his #20 Hart's Auto Center / Chevrolet. The Indianapolis, Indiana teenager started the race in eighth and cracked the top five halfway through the race.
Another rookie, 19-year-old J.P. Crabtree would finish in sixth after starting 14th to earn the Racing Electronics Hard-Charger Award while veteran Kent Baledge, a former Fast Qualifier Award Winner in the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS back in 2003, made his return to CRA competition in the Late Model Sportsman Series and would bring home a seventh place finish. A fourth rookie, Jon Watson found his way into the top 10 with en eighth place showing as Van Meter recovered from a late race spin to finish ninth ahead of Robert Amos Jr., who rounded out the top 10.
Earlier in the afternoon, Atkinson broke the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series track record in Anderson, Indiana as he went a 12.990 which measures out to 69.284mph. It was also Atkinson's 10th career Fast Qualifier Award which moves him to sole possession of the top spot in series history. The old record was set back on July 31st, 2010 as two-time series champion, Charlie Hanna turned in a 13.032.
The second race of the 2014 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series schedule will see their counterparts from the Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stocks Series Powered by JEGS join them for their 2014 season opener at Lucas Oil Raceway, located west of Indianapolis in Brownsburg, Indiana on Saturday-Sunday, April 5-6th. UAW Motorsports Presents the 5th annual March of Dimes Cabin Fever Championships as both CRA divisions will take on the immaculate 0.686 mile semi-banked paved oval in a pair of 40-Lap mains in both classes first of two appearances in the Circle City this season.
For more information about all four touring series’ within Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, go to the CRA website which is located at: www.cra-racing.com You can also follow CRA on Facebook as well by logging on at: www.facebook.com/ChampionRacingAssociation and on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/CRAracing Finally for more information about Lucas Oil Raceway, the host facility for the second race of the 10th anniversary season for the Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS, go to the track website at: www.lucasoilraceway.com
