Bubba Pollard Scores One North Of The Mason-Dixon Line; Wins JEGS/CRA Thriller At Berlin Raceway
2nd Annual Battle at Berlin 251 Weekend Kicks Off with epic battle in Berlin 100
Marne, Michigan (July 18, 2014) – The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet
Performance kicked off the Battle at Berlin 251 Presented by Primera Plastics Weekend
on Friday, July 18th at Berlin Raceway (MI). The Berlin 100 Presented by Boyne Machine
Company & JEGS.com was the next race on the schedule and set for the famed 7/16s
(0.437) mile semi-banked paved oval located west of Grand Rapids in Marne, Michigan on
Friday, July 18th. A stellar field of cars made the trip to West Michigan and left a great
impression on the fans in the stands with a thrilling race.
In three previous appearances by the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, Travis Braden was the
winner in 2013 while Track Promoter, Mike Bursley (2012) as well as former Berlin Track
Champion, Terry VanHaitsma (2011) also had single victories going into this event. In the
fourth all-time JEGS/CRA race at the famed Berlin Fairgrounds, another new name was
added to the list. Bubba Pollard made the trip north from Senoia, Georgia worthwhile by
winning for the first time in his career north of the Mason-Dixon Line in an event of any
kind after several years of trying.
"Of all the wins we've been fortunate enough to get, this one is pretty special. We finally
got one up north against these guys." The elated driver of the #26 JEGS.com /
Shoemaker Transport Services / Chevrolet stated in victory lane after climbing from the
car." This place is so local-friendly, as I call it. You’ve got to have a lot of laps here. I
thought the best thing to do was run tonight (in preparation for the next day's Battle at
Berlin 251) and gain from it. I learned a lot on the restarts and what to do when we’re on
the outside. It was well worth it to bring this car and run this race." He added.
After Boyne Machine Company Fast Qualifier, 16-year-old Hunter Baize drew an eight for
an inversion, Lauren Bush and 2012 Template Super Late Model Track Champion; Terry
VanHaitsma would lead the stellar 28-car field to chief starter, Scott Menlen's green flag.
Bush, in her first appearance of the season anywhere since the birth of her son in April,
stayed with VanHaitsma briefly before VanHaitsma was able to pull away from his fellow
front row starter to grab the early lead. VanHaitsma would try to set an early pace as the
rest of the pack jockeyed for position behind him.
The race ran caution free until the first yellow came out on lap 61 bunching up the field for
the first time since the initial start. On the ensuing restart, Chris Anthony began his
charge on VanHaitsma as a pair of Peach State invaders, Bubba Pollard and Anderson
Bowen began lurking behind the track regulars. It wasn't long before Pollard began his
charge and at the same time, Anthony began his assault on the leader. On lap 73,
Anthony made the pass for the lead on VanHaitsma and brought both Pollard and Bowen
with him.
After an intense battle for the lead between the two standouts, Pollard would make what would be the winning pass for the lead with 15 laps to go, earning the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award in the process. Bowen would also get passed Anthony with 10 laps to go and tried in vain to catch up to the fellow Georgian. But Pollard wasn't to be denied on this night and after not scoring a win north of Nashville, Tennessee in his entire career, the Georgia based star finally scored that elusive first ever win in the northern part of the United States.
"It feels good to finally get this win up here, it's been a long time coming,” Continued the 27-year-old Pollard, who earned his 10th overall victory of the 2014 season to go with four Southern Super Series triumphs and five additional Pro Late Model wins in the Southeastern United States. “The restarts are so tough here. You’ve got to get a really good run off of four. This place is really tricky man. We had a real good racecar that turned well all night. We were able to save enough to have something for the end.” He ended.
To complete the Georgia 1-2 sweep in the Great Lakes State would be 16-year-old Anderson Bowen who recorded a solid running up showing in his #29 Copper Creek Hardware / Chevrolet. The Suwanee, Georgia driver who, like Pollard, was looking to gain valuable experience at the famed West Michigan speed plant qualified third fastest and started the race in sixth. He would collect the FLUIDYNE High Performance Cool Under Pressure Award as well as the first Great Lakes Tire / Hoosier Racing Tires Performance Award and finally the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award for his efforts.
Rounding out the podium finishers was the highest finishing regular who races in the tracks bi-weekly Boyne Machine Company Template Super Late Model Series, Chris Anthony. The Grand Rapids, Michigan pilot in his #55 Alliance Beverage Company / Chevrolet started next to Bowen on the inside of the third row and never strayed outside of the top five the entire race en route to a career high finish in JEGS/CRA competition. The 31-year-old took the lead from fellow Berlin regular, Terry VanHaitsma on lap 73 before giving way to Pollard with just 15 laps remaining.
Andrew Nylaan, the track points leader in the Boyne Machine Company Template Super Late Model Series, also picked up a career high JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour finish with a fourth in his #77 Boyne Machine Company / Ford. The 27-year-old raced with the leaders for most of the race on his way to an impressive finish. Rounding out the top five was VanHaitsma who led the first 72 laps before fading to fifth at the end. The 34-year-old, a former JEGS/CRA winner at Berlin in his #21 Auto Body Xperts-Carstar/ Chevrolet did score the D.T.S. Drive Train Specialists Halfway Leader Award.
In his first start of the season, Jordan Dahlke brought home a sixth place showing ahead of 15-year-old rookie, Grant Quinlan, who picked up the Howe Racing Enterprises Rookie of the Race Award and also reclaimed the lead in the chase for the 2014 Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title. Chris Davidson started 24th after transferring into the race from the Last Chance Race and collected both the Five Star Racecar Bodies Hard-Charger Award and the second Great Lakes Tire / Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award for advancing 16 positions to finish eighth. 19-year-old rookie, Dalton Armstrong finished ninth as Chris Koslek completed the top 10. Josh Nelms, who finished in 13th, would win the Hedman Hedders Husler Award.
In Boyne Machine Company Qualifying held earlier in the day, 16-year-old Hunter Baize won his first career Fast Qualifier Award over the stout 33-car field with a 16.284 which measures out to 96.831mph. The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Track Record was set back on June 14th, 2013 when Travis Braden turned in a 16.233 which equaled out to 97.135mph. 15-year-old rookie, J.J. Haley won the 15-Lap Last Chance Race to transfer into the show over Davidson while Nikky Saxon, Pat Zorn, Marc Jacobs and 16-year-old Jaxson Jacobs also transferred into the main.
The teams won't have much time to regroup as the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour contingent will be right back in action on Saturday, July 26th. The famed 1/4 (0.250) mile high-banked paved oval of Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana serves as hosts of the Edgewater Woods 100 Presented by JEGs.com. In three previous appearances at the fast Central Indiana high-banks, Trent Snyder has swept all three races and will be going for an unprecedented fourth win in a row in four years of the Tour racing at Anderson.
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.comYou can also follow along with all of CRA's touring series' all season long on Facebook 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 seventh points race of the 2014 season for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, go to the track website at: www.andersonspeedway.com
