'It's Been A Long Time Coming'; Brandon Oakley Sweeps The Afternoon At Home Track For First Career Win
ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS returns to tricky Kil-Kare Raceway for Sunday afternoon tilt
Xenia, Ohio (September 14, 2014) – The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS
teams began the homestretch in the chase for the 2014 championship with the
Buckminn's D&D Harley Davidson / Oakley Blacktop 125. The tricky 1/3 (0.333) mile
semi-banked paved oval of Kil-Kare Raceway, located southeast of Dayton in Xenia, Ohio.
Kil-Kare served as hosts of the premier CRA tour for only the second time in track history.
In the series only other appearance on the unique layout in 2013, defending series
champion Travis Braden overcame an early race accident to win at one of the two
Buckeye State facilities he started his Late Model career at back in 2011.
In the 2014 version of the 125-lap main, a new name emerged as a winner in the ARCA/
CRA Super Series, but a familiar name to the fans of the southwest Ohio speed plant;
Brandon Oakley, a three-time Feature Winner in the tracks weekly NASCAR Whelen All-
American Series Late Models as well as the 2014 Robbie Dean Memorial Series
Champion, had a perfect afternoon at his home track. The hometown favorite from near-by
Beavercreek, Ohio was the fastest car in Practice, won his first career EDCO Welding
Fast Qualifier Award. Then took the lead on lap 67 and held off a hard-charging Travis
Braden to score his first career ARCA/CRA Super Series victory in front of the partisan
crowd on hand.
"This is what it's all about. To win one of these here, in front of all of my family and
friends. We've been trying so hard since we've went Super Late Model racing and to have
such a great day, it's been a long time coming," The emotional 20-year-old driver of the
#51 Dayton International Airport / DKBicycles.com / Ford said in victory lane after the
race. "I knew Travis (Braden) would give me everything he had. We just had to stay
patient, hit our marks and have some left for when he charged at the end. The traffic
helped for sure and we were able to get away there at the end." He added.
After Oakley won the EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier Award, he then drew a nine for an
inversion. Bill Burba who was making his ARCA/CRA Super Series debut and 17-year-old
Senneker Performance Rookie of the Year title contender, Paul Shafer Jr., brought the
21-car field to Chief Starter, Brian Duncan's green flag. Burba would beat Shafer Jr., and
the rest of the field to the first corner and lead early on. Kyle Jones, who started in sixth,
quickly picked his way through the pack and began applying pressure to the early race
leader. Some contact between the two drivers resulted in Jones skating past to take over
the lead on lap 26.
Jones brought Braden and Oakley, who started seventh and ninth respectively, with him and the trio would pull away to battle. The first of only two cautions flew on lap 28 when Matthew Parsons, who was also making his series debut, looped his mount coming down the front stretch. On the restart, Jones tried to get away from the onslaught of Braden and Oakley. The second and final yellow flag came out on lap 52 when Burba spun coming out of turn four after contact with Shafer Jr. Both were sent to the rear and the race resumed.
On what was to be the final restart of the race, Oakley began his charge on Braden and was able to slip by and proceed to challenge Jones for the lead. With the hometown partisan crowd on their feet, the two drivers bumped and rubbed before Oakley made the pass for the top spot on lap 67 to lead his first career laps in ARCA/CRA Super Series competition. Braden also would get past Jones and set his sights on Oakley. The two drivers methodically worked their way through traffic while Braden tried several times to slip past both Oakley and lapped cars to grab the lead.
In the end, Oakley would be up to the challenge as he would be able to keep a safe piece of real estate between himself and the defending race winner to take the checkered flag first to the roar and approval of the crowd on hand, to win his first ever ARCA/CRA Super Series event. "I can't say enough about this entire team. They have worked so hard and have stuck with this entire program throughout some pretty tough times." The appreciative Buckeye State driver, the 2013 ARCA/CRA Super Series Rookie runner-up continued. "Everyone on this team is focused on the same goals and it just all came together today. We've been competitive this season and today couldn't have been any better." he ended.
In addition to his first career ARCA/CRA win, the trophy and the payday, Oakley would leave his home track with a plethora of post-race awards. By winning the race after scoring his first career EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier Award, he also scored the Team Construction Clean Sweep Award as well as the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award for his winning pass on Jones. He also grabbed the C.V. Racing Products Hard-Charger Award as well as the first Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award for his ninth place to victory lane. If that wasn't enough, he also swept both the VanDoorn Racing Development Lap Leader Award and the Fastest Practice Lap Award.
Braden, the current points leader and defending series champion, extended his top five streak to nine consecutive races with his runner-up finish in his #01 West Virginia University / Chevrolet. The 20-year-old from Wheeling, West Virginia would also extend his points lead from 22 going into the race to 33 points with just two races remaining in his bid to repeat as ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion. Becoming only the second driver in the series 18-year history to repeat as champion, joining three-time titlist, Johnny VanDoorn who accomplished the feat in back to back years in 2009 and 2010. Braden also collected the FLUIDYNE High Performance Cool Under Pressure Award for his finish.
Finishing a career high third would be Germantown, Ohio competitor, Kyle Jones who led for 41 laps in his #21 Benjamin Steel / Ford. The 29-year-old lost the lead to Oakley on lap 67 after a hectic battle that saw the two drivers trade pain on numerous occasions before Oakley got by. Prior to his podium finish at Kil-Kare, Jones' best career finish came only a month before at Columbus Motor Speedway (OH) in the Inaugural JEGS Bud St. Amant Memorial 174 on August 2nd.
Ross Kenseth tried in vain to keep pace with Braden in the chase for the 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship with his fourth place finish in his first ever appearance at the tricky 1/3 mile oval. The 21-year-old Little Chute, Wisconsin driver in his #77 Boyne Machine Company / Ford did score his fourth top five finish of the year as well as his impressive 11th top 10 showing. Veteran Jeff Fultz, originally from near-by Milford, Ohio but now calls Mooresville, North Carolina home, returned to one of his home tracks in his native Buckeye State and scored a solid fifth place showing behind the wheel of Brandon Oakley's #51 Kelly's Auto Glass / Ford. After falling back from his 12th starting position, the 45-year-old roared back to the top five and would pick up the Hedman Hedders Husler Award for his efforts.
Cody Robinson, the 2014 Kil-Kare Raceway Late Model Track Champion, picked up a sixth place finish while Canadian Brandon Watson scored the Senneker Performance Rookie of the Race Award with a seventh place showing. Rookie of the Year points leader, Wes Griffith Jr., kept his lead in the freshman standings with an eighth place effort. He also scored the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award. Auckland, New Zealand invader, Michael Pickens finished ninth in his ARCA/CRA Super Series debut. A third rookie, Shafer Jr., recovered from his lap 52 incident to complete the final top 10. Veteran Mike Stacy, who finished 12th did score the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award.
Earlier in the afternoon in EDCO Welding Qualifying, Oakley's first career Fast Qualifier Award would be a lap measured at 13.080 which equals out to 91.651mph as he bested the 21-car field. The ARCA/CRA Super Series Track Record in Xenia, Ohio remains a 12.916 which was set by Travis Braden back on September 15th, 2013 in the series' inaugural appearance at the uniquely shaped facility.
The next race on the schedule for the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS will see the premier tour within CRA headline the prestigious McGunegill Engine Performance CRA Fall Brawl on Saturday-Sunday, September 27-28th. The immaculate 0.686 mile semi-banked paved oval of Lucas Oil Raceway, located west of Indianapolis in Brownsburg, Indiana serves as hosts of all four CRA touring series. The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS and Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stock Series Powered by JEGS are all in action throughout the weekend.
The McGunegill Engine Performance CRA Fall Brawl 100 for the ARCA/CRA Super Series will be the 23rd all-time appearance at the sprawling facility. Three-time series champion, Scott Hantz, two-time series champion, Brian Ross and Canadian Legend, Junior Hanley have all picked up three victories apiece. Inaugural series champion, Kenny Tweedy along-with Brian Campbell have two trips to victory lane as well while NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star, Kyle Busch has the most recent win at LOR back on July 25th.
2013 series champion, Travis Braden is the defending race winner of the ARCA/CRA portion of the Fall Brawl as Fred Campbell, Brian's Father, as well as 2007 series champion, Chris Gabehart have single wins. Kyle Benjamin became the youngest driver in ARCA/CRA history to win at LOR when he did so at 14 years old in 2012. Evan Jackson, Jeff Lane, Kenzie Ruston and Ross Kenseth also have single checkered flags as well.
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 Lucas Oil Raceway, the host facility for the 14th race of the 2014 racing season for the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, go to the track website at: www.lucasoilraceway.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.
