17-Year-Old Trey Craig Scores CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Victory At Lucas Oil Raceway
Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS races in second event in two weeks
Brownsburg, Indiana (April 6, 2014) – The second race of the 10th anniversary 2014 racing
season for the Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS would
also serve as the headlining event of the UAW Motorsports Presents The 5th Annual March
of Dimes Cabin Fever Championships. The immaculate Lucas Oil Raceway, located west of
Indianapolis in Brownsburg, Indiana would host on Sunday, April 6th as the Vore's Welding
40 featured a loaded field of talented drivers from four different states.
The crowd was on hand itching to watch some great racing at the biggest track on the CRA
Late Model Sportsman Series schedule and the fast 0.686 mile semi-banked paved oval, the
largest track on the schedule, delivered with a dominating performance put on by 17-year-
old Trey Craig who started eighth after qualifying second quick in Allstar Performance
Qualifying. The Louisville, Kentucky teenager methodically worked his way towards the front
and took the lead from the Jason Atkinson, who is no worse than fourth in every major
statistical category in CRA Late Model Sportsman Series' 10-year history, on lap 15. From
there, Craig pulled away to a convincing victory, the third of his career and first at LOR.
"The day started off good as soon as we put on new tires in Practice, the car got super fast. When I passed the 23 (Billy Van Meter) I had planned to ride behind the 7 (Jason Atkinson) but I caught him so quick I just went for the first hole I saw." Stated the driver of the #15 DCI General Contractors/Superb IBC Powder Coating / Chevrolet. "It was a really good clean race for the lead I love racing with Jason, but the car was so good all day. It was probably the best car I've ever had here." He added.
After Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier and New Track Record Holder, Shawn Amor drew a nine for an inversion, 19-year-old Dalton Armstrong, who plans on running for the Rookie of the Year titles in both the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS and the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, started on the pole along-side Atkinson, who earlier in the afternoon won the Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stocks Series Powered by JEGS portion of the weekend and it would be Atkinson beating Armstrong and the rest of the field to the first corner to take the early lead.
Atkinson would show the way for the first 14 laps of the event as Craig patiently worked his way towards the front of the field and caught up to Atkinson's back bumper. Craig would make the winning pass on lap 15, earning the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award in the process, and tried to get away when the one and only caution of the day flew on lap 17 when 15-year-old rookie, Jack Dossey III looped his mount coming out of turn four. There was no damage and the Indianapolis freshman would restart from the rear of the field.
When the green flag came back out, Craig would pull away from the rest of the field and throughout the remainder of the race was able to keep plenty of real estate and lapped traffic between himself and the second place car of Billy Van Meter who was battling with Amor for much of the second half of the event. All the while Craig continued to run a solid race and would easily cross the start / finish line first to pick up his third career CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Win and first outside of Anderson Speedway, the site of his two previous triumphs.
"We've had some pretty fast cars here the last couple times we've raced, but today everything just came together for us I feel it was just meant to be." Continued the Blue Grass State teenager who plans on running a limited schedule in the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series as well as run in some events with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour during the 2014 racing season. "I'm just so happy to finally be able to seal the deal especially here in Indianapolis. This is one we've wanted for a long time." He ended.
Finishing a career high second after fighting within the top five for the entire race was 18-year-old Billy Van Meter who started sixth in the main and was in the top five from the drop of the green flag. The Indianapolis, Indiana teenager in his #23 EDCO Welding / Chevrolet got up to second, but fought with Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier, Shawn Amor for most of the race until Amor's motor let go with six laps remaining. As Amor safely pulled off the track, Van Meter had too much real estate to make up on Craig and settled for the runner-up showing. Van Meter did pick up the Racing Electronics Second to None Award for his career high showing.
Wrapping up the podium finishers was New Castle, Indiana's Jason Atkinson who backed up his second place run of a week ago in the 2014 season opener at Anderson Speedway (IN) with a third place run at LOR in his #7 Oak Motors / Ford. The 37-year-old started on the outside of the front row and did lead the first 14 laps, adding to his all-time lead in Career Laps Led, before settling for third while taking over the early season points lead in the chase for the 2014 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Championship. The Hoosier State veteran leads four categories in the all-time statistics in series history and is no worse than fourth in the six other major statistical categories in the series' 10-year history.
Rookie of the Year points leader, Eric McGlothlen backed up his third place finish in the 2014 season opener at Anderson the week before as the 25-year-old grabbed a solid fourth place effort in his #68 Dick's Auto Parts / Chevrolet. The Three Rivers, Michigan freshman also climbed to second overall in the points standings while fellow rookie, 15-year-old Jack Dossey III recovered from his mid-race spin and clawed his way back up to his second consecutive fifth place finish in his #20 Hart's Auto Center / Chevrolet. The Indianapolis, Indiana teenager charged his way back into the top five in just 23 laps after bringing out the lone caution of the race.
Pole-Sitter, Armstrong, who has spent his entire career in open-wheeled racing prior to this season, finished in sixth position while garnering more seat time behind the wheel of a full bodied stock car while reigning Series Champion, Mark Lambert finished seventh in his first start of the year. 14-year-old Chris Hacker, the winner of the 2014 season opener at Anderson a weekend ago, finished in eighth while 16-year-old Jared Thomas was ninth in his CRA Late Model Sportsman Series debut. Veteran John Heck completed the top 10 by earning the Racing Electronics Hard-Charger Award with his 18th to 10th place run.
Earlier in the day in Allstar Performance Qualifying, Shawn Amor picked up his first career Fast Qualifier Award by obliterated the Track Record over the 24-car field with a blistering 23.097 which was 0.343 seconds quicker than the old CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Track Record which was set by Trey Craig back on April 14, 2013 as he turned in a 23.440.
After two races in two straight weekends to kick off the season, the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series teams will get a month off to regroup and come back for the remainder of the campaign. The teams will head back to the fast 1/4 (0.250) mile high-banked paved oval of Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana on Saturday, May 10th for the Anderson 75. This will be the second of five appearances at the historic Central Indiana oval for the CRA LMS teams in 2014. In the first race there back on March 30th, 14-year-old Chris Hacker picked up the win in the 2014 season opener.
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 Anderson Speedway, the host facility for the third race of the 10th anniversary 2014 racing season for the Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS, go to the track website, which can be found at: www.andersonspeedway.com
