Scott Hantz Scores 31st Career ARCA/CRA Super Series Victory In The 7-Up 125 At Flat Rock Speedway
Contact Between Brian Campbell & Travis Braden with Three Laps To Go Hands Hantz the Win
Flat Rock, Michigan (August 17, 2013) – The 7-Up 125 was at the fast 1/4 (0.250) mile semi-banked paved oval of Flat Rock Speedway, located north of Toledo, Ohio and south of Detroit in Flat Rock, Michigan as the Southeastern Michigan speed plant, an Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) sanctioned facility, served as hosts of Day II of the Michigan Doubleheader Weekend for the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, the premier series within Champion Racing Association (CRA) Powered by JEGS.
The All-Time Career Statistical Leader in just about every category in the series' 17-year
history, former Three-Time Series Champion, Scott Hantz was in the right place at the
right time with three laps to go when Brian Campbell and Current Points Leader, Travis
Braden got together fighting for the lead resulting in Braden spinning around. After both
drivers were sent to the rear of the field, Hantz, who was running third, inherited the lead
and held off a late charge from Current Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Ali Kern to score
his 31st career ARCA/CRA Super Series victory.
"Sometimes I'd rather be lucky than good," Smiled the Angola, Indiana standout after
climbing from his familiar #72 Top Speed Fabrication / Chevrolet. "They (Brian Campbell
& Travis Braden) were pretty fair ahead of me and I was pretty content actually to be able
to finish in third. Then they got together and there we were in the lead with three to go."
He added. With the Win, Hantz extended his lead in the All-Time Career Statistics in an
impressive eight different categories as he is at or near the top of every category of
records kept in the entire 17-year history of the series.
After Braden won his second consecutive EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier Award in 24
hours, he then drew the maximum of an eight for an inversion which placed Kern and
Veteran Rick Turner on the front row for the 7-Up 125. After the green flag flew, Kern, who
finished a career high second the previous night at Auto City Speedway, jumped out to
the early lead, but her momentum was slowed after only one lap when the first of only two cautions flew on that first lap when Kenny Tweedy looped his mount in turn two.
On the restart, Kern jumped out ahead of Turner to take the lead and try to pull away from the rest of the field. Kern set a torrid early pave as she clicked off the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award early in the event. In the meantime, the field continue to jockey for position before Brian Campbell, who started seventh, began picking his way through the field running a completely different line from everyone else on the high side. On lap 37 had gotten up to second and to the back bumper of Kern.
Four laps later on lap 41, Campbell made the pass for the lead using his newly created outside lane and he started pulling away from Kern and the rest of the field. Braden, who started eighth was also methodically working his way through the field and on lap 52 made the pass for the runner-up spot and set his sights on Campbell who was trying to lose the rest of the field in lapped traffic. Campbell would pick up the VR-12 & Holley Carburetors Halfway Leader Awards, but slowly Braden was inching closer and closer to Campbell's back bumper in his efforts to complete the clean sweep of the entire weekend after winning the Mid-Michigan Toyota Dealers / Draper 125 the night before at Auto City Speedway.
On lap 111, Braden finally caught the back bumper of Campbell and the battle for the lead was on as he searched high and low for a way around Campbell and several times Braden let him know he was there. Finally it all came down to the last five laps as Braden worked his way around the outside of Campbell in an effort to take the lead. With three laps to go, Braden passed Campbell coming out of turn two. However going into turns three and four, contact was made between the two sending Braden around and the field behind him scurrying for open space bringing out the second and final caution of the night after 121 continuous laps of green flag racing.
Both drivers were sent to the rear of the field, handing the lead to the third place car of Hantz. The Hoosier State veteran made no mistake on what was the final restart of the race as the 50-year-old would hold off a late charge from a resurgent Kern to pick up his first ARCA/CRA Super Series Win of the 2013 racing season, the 31st of his storied ARCA/CRA career to go with his 115th career Top Five finish and 147th career Top 10 showing, all tops in the All-Time Stats in series history in his 213th career start.
"We won the ARCA Gold Cup Outlaw Supers Championship last night at Toledo (Speedway), we're with a new team over there with the Great Lakes Helicopter group and we got the win tonight, it's been a good weekend." The Hoosier State veteran added during the post-race celebration. "We went from not sure when our next race would be to having a pretty bright future in a short amount of time. It's really reenergized things for me and everyone else with this team. We're looking forward to the rest of the year and especially the 2014 season. Hopefully we can pick up another win or two this year yet in whatever we bring to the track." He ended.
Coming home with her second consecutive Runner-Up showing in a 24 hours span was Kern as her #28 Crown Batteries / Ford made a late charge at Hantz before settling for second. "Wow what a weekend for us. To get two second place finishes in two nights against these fields, I am so happy for this whole Lorz Motorsports Team." The 20-year-old from Fremont, Ohio stated. "We finally led some laps in the series and we had a chance at the Win tonight. I couldn't be happier with how this whole weekend turned out. Definitely the highlight of the whole season." She ended.
For her efforts, Kern moved up to third overall in the points and picked up a slew of Awards in addition to the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award early in the race. She also got the Boyne Machine Company, K&N Filters & VDL Fuel Systems Rookie of the Race Awards as well as the FLUIDYNE Cool Under Pressure Award for the second straight race. She also picked up the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award for fighting her way back to finish second after leading and then dropping back to as far back as fifth in the race before regrouping and charging back to a runner-up showing.
Turner would complete the list of podium finishers as the crafty veteran from Yorktown, Indiana scored a season high third place showing in his #26 T.J. Racing Lubricants / Ford to move up to second place in the season long points chase. "This feels like a win for us after what we've gone through this season. It's been one thing after another, but tonight we were good and we were competitive," The 55-year-old remarked after the race. "We really needed a good finish to be able to even have a chance at Travis (Braden) for this Championship. We've got some good tracks that we like racing at that are coming up, so we're going to enjoy a weekend off and then get after it starting at Winchester." He ended.
Eric Lee, a Four-Time Outlaw Super Late Models Track Champion at Flat Rock, made the most of his ARCA/CRA Super Series debut as the Macomb, Michigan driver finished fourth to earn the first Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award after starting in the 12th position as Braden, who recovered from the incident with Campbell to finish off the top five did manage to extend his already healthy points lead in the process.
Mike Stacy earned a sixth place finish as Campbell maintained a seventh place finish after the Braden incident. Canadian Jordan Sims finished eighth from 17th to earn the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award as well as the Hedman Hedders Hussler Award and Racing Electronics Hard-Charger Award. Steve Dorer was ninth while Jason Dietsch completed the top 10. Braden's second straight EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier Award winning lap was a 12.183 which equals out to 73.783mph.
The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS will take a well deserved weekend off before heading to the famed 1/2 (0.500) mile high-banked paved oval of Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana on Sunday-Monday, September 1-2nd for the Winchester 100 which will highlight the tracks prestigious Labor Day Weekend World Stock Car Festival. This event is also the final tune-up at the historic high-banks before the 42nd running of the Winchester 400, the final jewel in the $100,000 JEGS Triple Crown Series on Friday-Sunday, October 11-13th.
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.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 Winchester Speedway, the host facility for the 11th race of the 2013 season for the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, go to the track website at: www.winchesterspeedway.com
