Travis Braden Scores Emotional Bud St. Amant Memorial 174 Victory At Columbus Motor Speedway
Defending Series Champion takes over Points Lead with the biggest Win of his Career
Columbus, Ohio (August 2, 2014) – The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS
returned to Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio for the first time since the 2011
racing season on Saturday, August 2nd. After the postponement of the June 28th race
that was rained out, the circular 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval hosted the
inaugural running of the JEGS Bud St. Amant Memorial 174 Presented by
CoughlinCars.com. When teams arrived in the morning hours, Mother Nature was again
waiting for them, but the weather subsided and an outstanding race was witnessed in
front of a strong and vocal crowd in the Buckeye State capital.
This race, which honored a true legend in Bud St. Amant who passed away in January
2014 after a long bout with cancer, would be the ninth all-time appearance in Columbus,
Ohio. A very strong and diverse field of teams put on a great show and when all was said
and done and after a grueling 174 laps, it would be defending ARCA/CRA Super Series
Champion, Travis Braden scoring the emotional win for Crew Chief, Gary St. Amant. The
Wheeling, West Virginia standout retook the lead for the final time with 12 laps to go from
Chad Finley. After the sixth lead change of the race, it was all Braden who took over the
points lead en route to the biggest win of his career.
"Everything lined up for us for this one. For the entire team, for Gary (St. Amant), then
starting on the pole after the inversion, to such a great race with Chad (Finley). I couldn't be more excited to win this one. It sure means a lot to us," The emotional 20-year-old driver of the #01 West Virginia University / Braden's A-1 Towing & Collision Chevrolet stated in victory lane. "I have to thank everyone who made the bus trip up from West Virginia who came up tonight. I could actually hear them even in the car they were so loud." He added.
After EDCO Welding / Phantom Racing Gear Fast Qualifier, Brian Campbell drew a five for an inversion; it would be Braden and 2010 Rookie of the Year, Nick Gullatta bringing the 20-car field to chief starter, Scott Menlen's green flag. Braden would beat Gullatta to the first corner to grab the early lead only to lose it to Gullatta on lap eight. An early pivotal moment in the race came on lap 12 when Campbell, who was up to third, was contacted by another car and spun. Everyone took evasive action to avoid the sideways machine, however, Ali Kern; the 2013 rookie of the year was pinned to the center of track between two cars, had nowhere to go and tagged the right front of Campbell's machine. Both were ok, but their night was over.
On the restart, Chad Finley, who was powering his way through the field from his 11th starting position from the drop of the green flag, was up to third. Finley was trailing Braden when both got past Gullatta on lap 28, giving the lead back to Braden and Finley taking over second. An epic ensued over the remainder of the race with the duo swapping the lead back and forth several times throughout the race. Braden would pass Finley for the final time with 12 laps to go and started to pull away from the rest of the field.
18-year-old Cody Coughlin would also slip past Finley to grab second with six laps to go. But he had too much real estate to make up as Braden had checked out on the field and crossed the start/finish line in first to the deafening roar and approval of the partisan crowd on hand. For Braden, the 2011 Columbus Motor Speedway Late Model Track Champion, it was his first win of the 2014 racing season and he would also take over the points lead in his defense of the 2013 crown.
"This win wasn't about me finishing first or racing for a championship, I was racing my hardest because I knew how much it
would mean for so many people." The Engineering student at West Virginia University continued. "To see (Crew Chief) Gary
(St. Amant) in victory lane in the inaugural memorial race for his Father and for him to get to experience that, man I have
never seen so many smiles and happy people after a race and that is what topped it all off." He ended.
In addition to the $5,000 payday and the points lead, Braden also won the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award for his
winning pass on Finley. He also grabbed the VanDoorn Racing Development Lap Leader Award after leading four times for a
total of 98 laps. He also scored the Phantom Racing Gear Lap 100 Leader Award as he would lead the field to pit road for
the mandatory lap 100 break.
Coughlin grabbed second from Finley late in the race and would finish an ARCA/CRA Super Series career high of a second
in his #1 JEGS.com / Toyota. The 2013 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance Champion had
raced the day before in an ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards event at Pocono Raceway (PA) where he finished
ninth. After the all night ride over, the 18-year-old from near-by Delaware, Ohio broke through for his first career ARCA/CRA
top five. Coughlin didn't leave the track empty handed as he won the Senneker Performance Rookie of the Race Award as
well as the FLUIDYNE High Performance Cool Under Pressure Award.
After leading twice for a total of 56 laps, Finley would finish off the podium with a third place showing, the third time of the
2014 racing season he has done so in his #42 AutoParts2020.com / Chevrolet. The DeWitt, Michigan driver, despite limited
appearances in 2014, has made the most of them and is now just 22 points outside of the top 10 in the season long chase.
Finley also didn't go home empty handed as he secured the first Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award as well as the VanDoorn Racing Development Fastest Practice Lap Award for grabbing P1 during the lone Practice Session.
A second Senneker Performance Rookie of the Year title contender would finish in the top five as freshman points leader, Wes Griffith Jr., picked up a career high fourth place showing in his #33 Solid Steel Incorporated / Ford. The 46-year-old rookie points leader from Crown Pointe, Indiana extended his lead in the rookie title chase with his effort. In fifth and rounded out the top five was Gullatta who matched his season high finish from May 31st at Berlin Raceway (MI) in his #131 R&D Racing/ Chevrolet. The North Canton, Ohio driver led for 20 laps early in the race and the 44-year-old never strayed outside of the top five the entire 174-lap distance en route to his finish, which moved him from 11th to ninth in the points standings.
Points Leader coming into the night, Ross Kenseth finished sixth after being involved in an incident on lap 101. The Little Chute, Wisconsin pilot earned the Hedman Hedders Husler Award by charging back to just outside of the top five. Track regular, Kyle Jones finished a career high seventh over Mike Stacy who started 15th in one of three cars numbered #7. A second #7, Jason Dietsch picked up an eighth place finish after starting 18th, earning the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award as well as both the C.V. Racing Products & Phantom Racing Gear Hard-Charger Awards. A third rookie, Canadian Brandon Watson completed the top 10. 16-year-old Hunter Baize, in his ARCA/CRA Super Series debut, picked up the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award despite an accident that dropped him 51 laps down.
Earlier in the afternoon in EDCO Welding / Phantom Racing Gear Qualifying, Campbell picked up his first fast time of the 2014 racing season with a 13.721. The ARCA/CRA track record has stood for over seven years as 2007 ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion; Chris Gabehart's holds it down with a 13.674 which was set back on June 2nd, 2007. That lap measured out to 87.758mph.
After taking a well deserved weekend off, the ARCA/CRA Super Series teams return to action with a doubleheader in the state of Michigan. It all starts with a special mid-week show on Wednesday, August 13th with the first appearance since the 2006 season at the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked paved oval of Kalamazoo Speedway in Kalamazoo, Michigan for the running of the Boyne Machine Company 100. This event will be held in conjunction with the biggest race in the country for Outlaw Super Late Models; Kalamazoo Klash XXII. In three previous appearances, Brian Campbell, his father Fred Campbell and Andy Ponstein have all scored victories in Southwest Michigan.
Then three days later on Saturday, August 16th, the ARCA/CRA Super Series stays in the Great Lakes State and heads East to the fast 1/4 (0.250) mile semi-banked paved oval of Flat Rock Speedway. Located south of Detroit and north of Toledo, Ohio in Flat Rock, Michigan, the 7-Up 125 marks the third straight appearance in three seasons in the Southeast corner of the state. In two previous races, three-time series champion, Scott Hantz has recorded the wins in both events held there and will make an infrequent appearance once again in an attempt to 'three-peat' in Southeast Michigan.
In addition, both races will wrap up the Inaugural Boyne Machine Company Michigan Challenge Series. A $10,000 bonus was put up by Boyne if a driver could sweep all four Michigan based events during the 2014 season. Brian Campbell won the first race at Berlin Raceway (MI) back on May 31st while Johnny VanDoorn claimed the win in the Battle at Berlin on July 19th. Since there will be no sweep, Boyne will still pay a $1,000 bonus to the driver earning the most points in the four Michigan based series events. Going into the Kalamazoo / Flat Rock doubleheader, Travis Braden is the Boyne Michigan Challenge points leader by five points (194-189) over Outlaw Super Late Model standout, Terry Senneker Jr.
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 Kalamazoo Speedway and Flat Rock Speedways, the host facilities for the ninth and 10th points races within the 18th season of ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS racing, go to each track website located at: www.kalamazoospeeway.com and www.flatrockspeedway.com
Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in four professional touring series and local weekly events including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards as well as the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, the ARCA Midwest Tour and the ARCA Trucks Series. In addition, weekly racing is held at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
