Home Track Favorite, Jason Dietsch Wins In First Ever JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Race At Angola Motorsport Speedway
Fourth of July Holiday Weekend Celebrated in style in Northern Indiana
Fremont, Indiana (July 5, 2014) – The Fourth of July Holiday Weekend saw the JEGS/
CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance make their first ever appearance
at Angola Motorsport Speedway. The 3/8s (0.375) mile semi-banked paved oval located
just south of the Indiana / Michigan state line and north of Angola in Fremont, Indiana
hosted the Powers Automotive 100 Presented by JEGS.com. The three other touring
series' within Champion Racing Association (CRA) Powered by JEGS had raced there in
the past, but this was the first visit by the JEGS/CRA teams.
On a beautiful evening for racing in Northern Indiana, the packed crowd on hand would see
four lead changes amongst three veterans while the young rising talent in the series
learned what it's like racing with some of the best in the business. At the end of the
century grind, Jason Dietsch, who resides just 30 minutes away from the track, across
the state line east in Edgerton, Ohio, took the lead for the third and final time on lap 55.
From there, the 42-year-old would hold off a late charge from current point's leader, Dan
Leeck to score his first career JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour victory.
"Oh man this is awesome. It's been too long since we've won a race, any race!" The
jubilant driver of the #7 Jason Dietsch Collision & Customs / Widow Wax / Ford stated as
he was surrounded by crew, family and friends after the popular win. "This is our home
track and we had so many people in the stands tonight. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support and everyone sticking with us. We haven't won a race anywhere since about the 2010 season in the old Super Pro Series. So this one, especially here at my home track, this is pretty special." He added.
Dietsch would start the race from the pole after Boyne Machine Company Fast Qualifier; 15-year-old Grant Quinlan drew a six for an inversion. It would be Dietsch and Canadian Marc Jacobs leading the stout 27-car field to chief starter, Scott Menlen's green flag and Dietsch would beat Jacobs to the first corner to grab the early lead. Two cautions flew on lap three and the second one involved 16-year-old rookie, Tristan Van Wieringen who slammed the turn one wall hard and collected several other cars including fellow 16-year-old Hunter Baize, the winner at Columbus in May, as well as Kyle Hayden, 18-year-old Kyle Crump and 16-year-old Ben Welch who was making his Late Model debut. All drivers were ok as Van Wieringen, Crump and Welch were done for the night while the others pitted for repairs.
On the restart, Steve Dorer, who originally started fourth, slipped past Dietsch to take over the lead, but Dietsch was able to recoil and regain the lead on lap 16. Outlaw Super Late Model standout, Eric Lee quietly began his charge towards the front from his eighth starting spot and would get around Dorer for second and then on lap 42, would drive past Dietsch running an unusually high line around the 3/8s mile which would be about a groove and a half higher than nearly all of his fellow competitors, picking up the D.T.S. Drive Train Specialists Halfway Leader Award in the process.
Dietsch would then make the important decision to follow Lee up the banking and also run the unusual line. It proved to be the game changer and the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award winner as on lap 55 Dietsch would make what would be the winning pass for the lead and brought several drivers with him running the unusually high line. Lee would unfortunately begin falling back and would drop out on lap 69 due to a right rear flat tire. This gave second to Leeck who would try in vain to reel in Dietsch and had a couple of chances on restarts, but couldn't build up enough momentum to challenge Dietsch who would cross the stripe first to the roar of the partisan hometown crowd in attendance.
"This is the car we won an ASA Late Model Series race at I-70 Speedway back in 2005 that we wrecked pretty hard at Winchester a few years ago. It's been sitting in the shop and we decided to get it fixed," Dietsch continued. "We took it up to Butch and Johnny (VanDoorn) up at VanDoorn Racing Development and they went through the car, rebuilt it and we've been fine tuning it ever since. Today it was just so good and kept getting better as the night went on. The cautions really didn't hurt it at all and we were good enough there at the end." He ended. For his efforts, Dietsch also collected the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award for turning the fastest lap of the race.
Points Leader, Dan Leeck added a few markers to his lead in the Birch Run, Michigan drivers' quest for the 2014 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Championship. The 24-year-old driver of the #12 Mr. Asphalt / Chevrolet started 10th and by halfway was in the top five. After climbing to second, he tried on several restarts to stay with Dietsch, but in the end settled for second. Leeck would pick up the FLUIDYNE High Performance Cool Under Pressure Award as well as the first Great Lakes Tire / Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award and extended his points lead from just two, to nine markers.
Another veteran standing on the podium at the end of the night would be Steve Dorer, who, like Dietsch, was enjoying a homecoming of sorts. The 44-year-old is originally from Coldwater, Michigan, located just 30 minutes north of the track, but now calls Lakeland, Florida home, picked up his second straight third place showing in two JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour starts aboard his #10 Racecar Engineering / Chevrolet. Dorer led once for a total of 12 laps early in the event and was involved in a caution just before halfway relegating him to the back of the pack. The President/C.E.O. of Racecar Engineering would then spend the rest of the race working his way back through the field to score a third place effort.
After being involved in the hard crash of lap three and pitting to make repairs to his unsponsored machine, Clio, Michigan driver, Kyle Hayden charged back through the pack to finish a career high fourth in JEGS/CRA competition. The 28-year-old driver of his #14 Tim Priebe Motorsports / Chevrolet had extensive damage to the entire drivers' side of his machine after the early race accident. Rounding out the top five, but maintaining his second place standing in the season long points chase would be Lockport, Illinois veteran, Josh Nelms in his #0 LisaThomasSalon.com / Ford. Nelms started 11th and followed points leader Leeck through the field and into the top five and that's where the 38-year-old stayed the remainder of the race for his third top five of the year.
Jack Smith earned the Hedman Hedders Husler Award after having to go to the back of the field twice and fighting his way back towards the front each time to pick up a hard fought sixth place finish. Two-Time CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Champion, Keith Sterkowitz scored a career high in JEGS/CRA competition seventh place finish to score the Five Star Racecar Bodies Hard-Charger Award as well as the second Great Lakes Tire / Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award for his efforts.
19-year-old Dalton Armstrong picked up the Howe Racing Enterprises Rookie of the Race Award as the top finishing Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title contender with his eighth place showing. Marc Jacobs was strong all night long and running in the top five most of the race before an incident with Smith with 20 to go sent him to the back of the field. The Canadian clawed his way back to a ninth place finish over fellow Canadian, 19-year-old Dominique Van Wieringen, who survived four separate incidents, not of her doing, to crack the top 10.
Earlier in the afternoon in Boyne Machine Company Qualifying, 15-year-old rookie, Grant Quinlan established the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Track Record at Angola by winning his first career Fast Qualifier Award. The freshman turned a 14.506 around the 3/8s mile. His lap measured out to 93.065mph as he bested a 27-car field.
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance will kick off the 2nd Annual Battle at Berlin 251 Weekend Presented by Primera Plastics on Friday, July 18th at Berlin Raceway (MI). The Berlin 100 Presented by Boyne Machine Company & JEGS.com is 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. In three previous appearances by the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, Travis Braden picked up the most recent win in 2013 while Track Promoter, Mike Bursley as well as former Berlin Track Champion, Terry VanHaitsma also have single victories.
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour start off the weekend that will be highlighted by the second event within the prestigious $100,000 JEGS Triple Crown Series for the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS. The 2nd Annual Battle at Berlin 251 Presented by Primera Plastics is the second and final time in 2014 for the ARCA/CRA Super Series at the historic West Michigan speed plant. The 251 will pay a cool $10,000 to Win and $2,000 just to Start. Plus there is also $5,020 available in lap money for the lap leaders at $20 per lap.
The $100,000 JEGS Triple Crown Series will pay a driver $100,000 bonus if a driver can win the Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300, the Battle at Berlin 251 and the 43rd Annual Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway. There is a $10,000 bonus if a driver can only win two of the events. Kannapolis, North Carolina standout, Daniel Hemric, who won the Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300 on June 14th, is the only driver with a shot at the unprecedented $100,000 bonus.
The Battle at Berlin 251 will also be the second race of the $10,000 Boyne Machine Company Michigan Challenge Series, which will pay a driver a $10,000 cash bonus if they can win all four Michigan events the series has in 2014. Brian Campbell won the first event of that challenge on May 31st at Berlin. The remaining two Michigan events are on August 13th at Kalamazoo Speedway (MI) and then just three days later on Saturday, August 16th at Flat Rock Speedway (MI).
Campbell also leads the way with six all-time trips to victory lane at his home track in 18 all-time ARCA/CRA Super Series races at Berlin. His Father, 12-time track champion, Fred Campbell as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star, Kyle Busch both have three wins in West Michigan. A pair of three-time series champions, Scott Hantz and Johnny VanDoorn (The Defending Battle at Berlin 251 Winner), have a single win apiece while Ross Meeuwsen, Tim Curry, Tom Thomas and Terry VanHaitsma also have single triumphs.
The 2nd Annual Battle at Berlin 251 will be 251 laps counting cautions. The race will be a 10-tire event with live pit stops. Teams can only change a max of two tires per yellow. The qualifying order for the Battle at Berlin 251 will be the reverse order that entries are received for the event. There is a practice day scheduled for Thursday, July 17th from 2:00-6:00p.m. The ARCA/CRA competitors will also get three Practice Sessions on Friday, July 18th. Race Day is Saturday, July 19th for the ARCA/CRA Super Series competitors.
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 Berlin Raceway, the host facility for the sixth points race of the 2014 campaign for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, go to the track website at: www.berlinraceway.com
