Cody Coughlin Retakes JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Points Lead With Second Win Of 2013
Touchtone Energy 100 Presented by Focus Eyewear & JEGS.com makes Tour's First Ever Appearance at Salem Speedway
June 22, 2013
Salem, Indiana (June 22, 2013) – The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance made their first ever appearance at the historic 0.555 mile high-banked paved oval of Salem Speedway, located north of Louisville, Kentucky in Salem, Indiana on Saturday, June 22nd for the running of the Touchtone Energy 100 Presented by Focus Eyewear & JEGS.com and it was 17-year-old Cody Coughlin who took the lead from race long leader, Tom Woodin on lap 91 and went on to record his second JEGS/CRA victory in the last three races and retakes the points lead in the process.
Coming into the night, Coughlin in his familiar #1 JEGS.com / Chevrolet was in a tie for the points lead with Dan Leeck. After Qualifying 14th, the Delaware, Ohio teenager had his work cut out for him and he delivered a solid performance in earning the Five Star Racecar Bodied Hard-Charger Award as well as the first Hoosier Racing Tires Performance Award for his efforts.
2004 ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS Champion, Chuck Barnes Jr., in only his second career JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour start, kicked off the afternoon by establishing the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Track Record by Winning the Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award. He then drew a six for an inversion which would place Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year Title Contender, 15-year-old Hunter Baize and JEGS/CRA stalwart, Tom Woodin, who was making his 30th career start on the front row.
Woodin would use the outside lane to his advantage and took the lead heading into the first corner. It didn't take Barnes Jr., long to work his way towards the front from his outside third row starting spot as he would use his track experience to maneuver his way up to the third spot behind another Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year contender in 15-year-old Corey Deuser who tried to stay on the back bumper of Woodin.
Two cautions, one for Jeff Berg, making his first career JEGS/CRA start, spinning on lap nine, and one for one more Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie title hunter, 17-year-old Kyle Crump who slapped the outside retaining wall bunched up the field and on each restart, Woodin would get a good jump on Deuser while Barnes Jr., worked on the Hoosier State teenager for the runner-up spot. Finally he got by on lap 29 and set his sights on Woodin.
Over the next 25 laps, Barnes Jr., would hound Woodin all over the famed high-banks searching for a way around the leader when on lap 54 the two leaders touched, sending Barnes Jr., around and into the inside wall in turn two and his night was over. This placed Deuser back into second and back next to Woodin on the restart. However on the restart, he drifted high and slapped the turns one and two wall which allowed 17-year-old Cody Coughlin, the Co-Overall Points Leader with Dan Leeck coming into the night, to pull up into second spot after starting 14th, and try his hand at Woodin.
Coughlin searched high and low trying to figure out a way around the race long leader when on lap 69 the caution again flew for a three-car tangle involving two freshman, 14-year-old Jake Griffin and 17-year-old Dominique Van Wieringen as well as veteran, Wes Griffith Jr. This set up another double file restart with Coughlin now right next to Woodin on his inside. When the green flew, Woodin, as he had been doing all night long, led the field into turn one after another strong restart with Coughlin trailing.
Landon Cling, driving for 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Championship Winning Car Owner and Crew Chief, Scott Neal, who came into the night third in the Points Standings, had worked his way up to third and began challenging Coughlin for second when his night ended on lap 78 after slamming into the turn two wall. He was ok. Then a lap after the ensuing restart, 19-year-old Jimmy Novak, who inherited third after Cling's mishap tangled with fellow second row starter Baize triggering a chain reaction accident involving four cars.
All the while Woodin and Coughlin continued to show the way as Coughlin again looked for a way around Woodin. Finally on lap 91, Coughlin made the winning pass in a drag race down the backstretch as he beat out Woodin heading into turn three and from there, it was all Coughlin who would go on to score the win and retake the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Points Lead for himself in the process.
“It’s great to be the first series winner at Salem Speedway,” remarked Coughlin. “We had a cracked spindle hurt us in qualifying, but my crew got that fixed before the race. We didn’t have a great starting spot, but I knew I had a good car and could get to the front. I want to thank my family for their great support and my crew for all their hard work to help me get this win!”
Woodin finished a career high second after leading the first 91 laps of the event while 14-year-old Jake Griffin picked up the Howe Racing Enterprises Rookie of the Race Award with his career high third place showing and retook the Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year Points Lead as well. Another 14-year-old Rookie, Kody Evans finished a career high fourth as Dan Leeck, who came into the night tied with Coughlin for the points lead, stuck with him in the points standings with a fifth place showing.
“Man I wanted to get my first win tonight so bad”, remarked Woodin. “We took advantage of our outside front row starting spot to get the lead early. I knew if I could keep my car in the groove and not make any mistakes we could keep it up front. The car just went away at the end and Cody got by me, but it was a great run for our team.”
16-year-old Rookie Jaxson Jacobs recorded a career high sixth place showing and earned the second Hoosier Racing Tires Performance Award for his efforts as Jerrod Foley, another Rookie Marc Jacobs, Novak and Cling were the final top 10. Earlier in the afternoon, Barnes Jr., scored his first career Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award as he established the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Track Record with a lap of a 16.987 which measures out to 117.619mph.
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance will now take a well deserved three-week vacation before getting back to racing on Friday, July 19th at the fast 1/4 (0.250) mile high-banked paved oval of Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana for the Anderson 100 Presented by JEGS.com. JEGS/CRA is part of a triple header weekend of CRA Late Model racing as they will be joined by the Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS on the same night as they will race in the PGG 75 Presented by Motion Motors & Norick Petroleum.
Then the premier division within Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS takes center stage on Saturday, July 20th as the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS will headline the weekend with the second jewel in the $100,000 JEGS Triple Crown Series with the running of the Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300. Three-Time and Reigning ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion, Johnny VanDoorn will be chasing after history as he is 1/3 of the way towards the $100,000 bonus for winning all three legs of the JEGS Triple Crown after winning the Inaugural Battle at Berlin 251 at his home track of Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan back on June 15th.
For more information about all four touring series’ within Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, please check out the website located at: www.cra-racing.com You can also follow CRA on Facebook at: www.facebook.com and search for "Champion Racing Association" as well as Twitter at www.twitter.com/CRAracing Finally for more information about Anderson Speedway, the site for the Stoops Freightliner Redbud 300 Weekend, go to their website at: www.andersonspeedway.com
