All Or Nothing Season Continues For Jason Atkinson After Fourth CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Victory Of 2013
Third Straight Win at Lucas Oil Raceway dating back to 2012 for All-Time Wins Leader
Clermont, Indiana (September 22, 2013) – It's been feast or famine for one of the most
successful drivers in Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered
by JEGS history during the 2013 season. Jason Atkinson, the all-time leader in three of
the major statistical categories, won his fourth Feature of 2013 and all-time leading 13th
career victory after winning the PBM Racing Products / Erson Cams 40 Presented by
EDCO Welding at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Indiana during the McGunegill Engine
Performance CRA Fall Brawl 2013 Presented by P.A.D.D. (People Against Distracted
Driving).
While he has four Feature Wins out of 10 CRA Late Model Sportsman Series races in
2013, the six races he didn't win are the reasons why the 36-year-old from New Castle,
Indiana driver will not be contending for the Series Championship at Winchester
Speedway during the 42nd annual Winchester 400 Weekend. When he has not won, he
has not finished in five of those six events due to accidents or engine issues on his #7
Oak Motors / Ford, something that Atkinson is very aware of.
"When we've been good, we win, when we're not good, it's not pretty," Atkinson stated in
victory lane after securing his fourth victory in the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series and
sixth overall CRA triumph when including his two trips to victory lane in the CRA Street
Stocks Series. "I'd love to be heading to Winchester in a couple of weeks and battling
Mark (Lambert) and K.C. (Spillers) for the series title, but it is what it is and we'll head there going after another checkered flag and hopefully end the year on a high note." He added.
The day before the 40-lap main, Atkinson won his first Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier Award of the season and then drew the maximum inversion of a 12 which placed him on the outside of the sixth row for the main event. His trip through the field didn't come easy by any means as he took the lead from early race leader, 16-year-old Billy Van Meter, the outside pole-sitter on lap 11 only to be passed by another 16-year-old, Trey Craig just four laps later.
When Craig slowed due to engine woes, Atkinson reassumed the lead and brought Great Lakes State invader, Eric McGlothlen with him and the battle was on for the rest of the race. In the end, Atkinson was able to fight off McGlothlen to secure the win, his third straight at LOR dating back to this event one year ago. He also won in the Circle City in the season opening Cabin Fever 40 back on April 14th.
"He raced me hard and yeah we bumped a little bit, but I don't blame him, I would've done the same thing," Atkinson continued. "We were both going for a win at Lucas Oil Raceway and on that last lap; he drove it in real deep there in turn one and had to back off. We were able to keep the momentum up on the high side and was able to hold him off. It always feels good to win, especially at a place like this." He ended. With the win, Atkinson also collected the Hedman Hedders Husler Award as well as the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award for fending off McGlothlen for the win.
McGlothlen, a regular at Kalamazoo (MI) Speedway in the tracks weekly Super Stocks division, made the most of his CRA Late Model Sportsman Series debut as the Three Rivers, Michigan driver posted a runner-up showing in his #68 Dick's Auto Parts / Chevrolet while current points leader, Mark Lambert who again finished on the podium in third in his #18 NAPA of Westfield & Noblesville / Chevrolet. The Noblesville, Indiana driver hasn't finished worse than fourth all season long and will carry a 14-point lead into the season finale at Winchester and needs to finish at least seventh or better to lock up his first career series championship.
Josh Timmerman, an Indianapolis native, finished in the fourth position in his #09 Families for Hope / Chevrolet as he edged Defending Series Champion, K.C. Spillers who completed the top five in his #38 Pro Star of Fort Wayne / Chevrolet as he is the only other driver with a mathematical chance at catching and passing Lambert for the 2013 series Championship.
17-year-old Jacob Garrigus, who started P1 in the main event, tied a career high finish with a sixth while 12-time Kalamazoo Speedway Outlaw Super Late Model Track Champion, Andy Bozell, who ironically was making his first career CRA Late Model Sportsman Series start, was seventh after starting 19th. Danny Trent earned the Racing Electronics Hard-Charger Award for his 24th to eighth place run as 18-year-old Brandon Barcus was ninth in his series debut.
CRA veteran, Jim Crabtree Jr., a long-time ARCA/CRA Super Series competitor who now competes in the CRA Street Stocks Series was also making his first CRA Late Model Sportsman Series start and completed the top 10. 14-year-old J.J. Haley was involved in an accident 15 laps into the event and would get the Hinchman Racing Uniforms Hard-Luck Award. Atkinson's Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier Award winning trip around LOR was a 23.749 which measures out to 103.988mph.
The Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Series Powered by JEGS will be an vital part of the 42nd running of the Winchester 400 weekend on Friday-Saturday, October 11-12th at the famed 1/2 (0.500) mile high-banked paved oval of Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana starting on Friday the 11th with a non-points 'New Stars' special event for the series as the headlining race and final event of the 2013 racing season for the tour, the Winchester 50 is on Saturday, October 12th.
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 special 'New Stars' non-points race as well as the 11th race and final race of the 2013 season for the Top Speed Fabrication CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS, go to the track website at: www.winchesterspeedway.com
