Chase Elliott wears his “Masters” Green Jacket in victory lane after scoring the victory in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour 2013 season opener at Lebanon I-44 Speedway Saturday night. Photo courtesy Lebanon I-44 Speedway
Chase Elliott made the 11-hour trip from Dawsonville, GA to Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, MO worthwhile with a victory in the inaugural Mercy Masters of the Pros 144 Presented by JEGS.com to open up the third season for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Saturday night.
“This is really neat, this is one of the coolest trophies I’ve ever got for winning a race,” Elliott said in victory lane after winning his fifth career JEGS/CRA race and receiving his Masters Green Jacket for winning the 144-lap event. “This means a lot especially with what it symbolizes back home,” he said in reference to the jacket, which was modeled after the Masters PGA Golf Tournament which is held annually in his home state in Augusta, Georgia.
Earlier in the afternoon, Elliott began his sweep of the program in his #9 Aaron’s Rent-To-Own / Chevrolet by winning the Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award over the stout 39-car field on the grounds. Then after drawing a six for an inversion, he would start the main event from the outside of the third row. The Peach State teenager’s inversion draw put Brent Downey and Eddie Hoffman on the front row.
Hoffman would beat Downey to the first corner to grab the early lead while 15-year-old Anderson Bowen, the reigning Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year would also slip by the pole-sitter Downey to take over the second spot. The first of eight cautions flew on lap four when Two-Time and Defending Track Champion, Mike Slone spun in turn two and Ross Kenseth, who went high to avoid Slone’s sideways machine, veered up and slammed the turn two wall ending his night early. Two laps later, Reigning JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion, Daniel Hemric uncharacteristically spun in turn four to bring out another caution.
Another caution flew on lap 11 and then on lap 24 the most serious incident of the night occurred when a major pile-up on the front stretch knocked out six cars including perennial contenders, Trent Snyder and Jerrod Foley as well as three Howie Lettow Memorial Rookie of the Year title contenders in a pair of 17-year-old’s, Dominique Van Wieringen and Kyle Crump as well as 15-year-old Hunter Baize. After the lengthy cleanup, the race resumed with Hoffman and Bowen pulling away from the rest of the pack.
All the while, Elliott had been lurking behind the leaders from his third position. After falling back to fourth, he began his charge back up to the front and was in second spot by lap 76 and attempting to chase down Hoffman for the lead. The mandatory break at lap 99 in honor of the late Dick Trickle bunched up the field and set up a dramatic 45-lap shootout to the finish.
On the restart after the break, Elliott wasted no time in challenging Hoffman and took the lead on lap 101 and he brought 2004 ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS Champion, Chuck Barnes Jr., and together, the two drivers took off and hid from the rest of the field in an attempt to settle the outcome amongst themselves. However, Chad Finley had other ideas and worked his way into third spot on lap 112 and set his sights on the leaders. After a caution on lap 127, Finley was shuffled back to fifth as Hemric made a daring three-wide move to the inside of both Hoffman, who had slipped back to fourth and Finley and it would be Hemric now in the final podium position in third.
A caution flew one lap later for contact involving Bowen, who followed Hemric by Hoffman and Finley, who was deemed the cause of the caution flag, and was sent to the rear of the field with Bowen. All the while Elliott and Barnes Jr., continued to battle with Hemric settling in third position after starting 25th. As hard as Barnes Jr., tried to keep pace with Elliott, it would be the teenage sensation, with his Father and Grand Marshal for the event, Bill Elliott looking on, able to keep the field a safe distance behind him the rest of the way and it was Elliott taking the checkered flag.
“Chuck (Barnes Jr.) is a real good driver and I really enjoyed racing with him tonight. I really enjoy racing these Pro Late Model cars, they’re a lot of fun,” said Elliott, who hasn’t lost a race in any Pro Late Models event he’s entered in nearly two seasons. “We’ll put this car away again for a little while and concentrate on our other stuff and then maybe bring it back out once or twice again before the year is over and when the schedule allows.”
Finishing in the runner-up spot and ironically making his first career JEGS/CRA start was Louisville, Kentucky veteran, Chuck Barnes Jr.
“I had a lot of fun racing with Chase (Elliott) tonight. He’s going to be something special and be right there battling with all of the (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) guys,” said Barnes, Jr. “These cars are definitely fun to drive. I’ve always driven Super Lates before and I appreciate Kevin (Crider) giving me the chance to wheel this car tonight. Hopefully we’ll do more in this series.”
Hemric, who had to win one of the two Last Chance Races just to get into the show, earned both the Five Star Racecar Bodied Hard-Charger Award and a Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award with his 25th to third place run in his #74 Hamke Racecars / Chevrolet.
“I feel so bad for the guys on this team that I even put us in the Last Chance Race,” Hemric said. “We had to work harder than we should have tonight, but it was overall a good run. I just wish we didn’t have to start so far back.”
Hoffman would bring home a fourth place finish over Dave Gentile Jr., who completed the top five. Cody Coughlin finished in sixth as Dan Leeck was seventh and earned the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award after starting 23rd. 17-year-old Cole Williams was eighth while Josh Nelms and Tom Woodin wrapped up the final top 10 spots.
Elliott’s Boyne Machine Fast Qualifier Award Winning lap over the 39-car field was a 14.344 which measures out to 94.182mph. Hemric won the first Last Chance Race over 17-year-old Austin Fullerton while another 17-year-old, Matt Wallace picked up the second Last Chance Race victory over Baize.
The second race of the 2013 racing season for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance will be on Saturday, May 25 as the series will spend the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend at the 1/3 mile semi-banked Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio.
For more information about all four touring series’ within Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, go to cra-racing.com.
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JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour
Lebanon I-44 Speedway – Lebanon, MO
Mercy Masters of the Pros 144 – May 18, 2013
1. Chase Elliott
2. Chuck Barnes Jr.
3. Daniel Hemric
4. Eddie Hoffman
5. Dave Gentile Jr.
6. Cody Coughlin
7. Dan Leeck
8. Cole Williams
9. Josh Nelms
10. Tom Woodin
11. Landon Cling
12. Brent Downey
13. Anderson Bowen
14. Jason Dietsch
15. Chad Finley
16. Matt Wallace
17. Wes Griffith Jr.
18. Mike Slone
19. Corey Deuser
20. Trent Snyder
21. Jerrod Foley
22. Grant Sharp
23. Dominique Van Wieringen
24. Kyle Crump
25. Hunter Baize
26. Cole Rouse
27. Austin Fullerton
28. Ross Kenseth
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