15-Year-Old Mason Keller Wins First Career CRA Street Stock Series Main In Kentucky 200
Qualifying Results – OFFICIAL Race Results
Second CRA Street Stock Triple Crown Series event of 2015 highlights Memorial Day Weekend
Whitesville, Kentucky (Sunday, May 24, 2015): The Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stocks Series Powered by JEGS helped celebrate the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend with the second race of the 2015 CRA Street Stock Triple Crown Series: The Kentucky 200. The tricky 3/8s (0.375) mile semi-banked paved oval of Kentucky Motor Speedway located southeast of Owensboro in Whitesville, Kentucky hosted the series for the second consecutive year. In addition to being the second Triple Crown race of the year, it was also the third points race and fourth overall event of 2015 for the tour.
In the 200-lap main, 15-year-old Mason Keller took over the lead from Jason Thompson with 44 laps to go and would fight off a late charge from Defending Series Champion, Jason Atkinson to score his first career CRA Street Stock Series win in a points paying event. The Greenfield, Indiana driver did win the non-points “New Stars” event last season at the legendary high-banks of Winchester Speedway (IN). But this win for the driver of the #29 Steve Keller Tri-Axle Trucking / Gedek Trailer Sales / Chevrolet was worth a $3,000 payday and counts towards the chase for the 2015 championship.
Atkinson settled for second in his #73 Oak Motor / Chevrolet as the reigning series champion would also extend his points in defense of his title after the 38-year-old driver recorded his third second place finish of the 2015 season. The New Castle, Indiana also collected the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race award after bringing out the yellow flag early in the event and then roaring back through the field to score the runner-up showing.
Rounding out the podium finishers would be Blake Hillard who finished a career high third in his #6 Mach 5 Racecars & Parts / Chevrolet. The 27-year-old competitor was making just his third career appearance in the CRA Street Stock Series with two of those three races coming at Kentucky Motor Speedway, which is the Owensboro, Kentucky drivers’ home track. He also scored the T.C.I. Automotive Hard-Charger award with his impressive 17 position pickup after starting 20th.
Finishing in fourth place would be Birdseye, Indiana driver, Brian Bayer who would make the most of his first CRA Street Stock Series appearance since the 2007 racing season by crossing the stripe fourth in his #99 Brad’s Brass Flamingo / Chevrolet. The 39-year-old Birdseye, Indiana competitor is a regular at near-by Salem Speedway (IN) and a competitor in the Circle Track Grand American Racing Series. Weekly competitor at Kentucky Motor Speedway, Timmy Burch completed the top five in his #27 Rags to Riches Auto Sales / Chevrolet. The Whitesville, Kentucky driver was making his CRA Street Stocks Series debut and the Blue Grass State competitor was impressive in scoring a top five finish.
Defending race winner, Brett Hudson finished sixth after leading the first nine laps while Thompson, who led for a total of 52 laps at the 3/4s mark of the race, brought home a seventh place finish after his battle with eventual winner, Keller. Derrick Layne finished a solid eighth as Jake McElfresh continues to impress in the early stages of the 2015 season with a ninth place that moved him up to second in the season long points chase. Derrick Bartlett, one more track regular, rounded out the top 10.
In Allstar Performance Qualifying held earlier in the afternoon, Colby Lane collected his second Fast Qualifier Award of the season over the impressive 32-car field when he turned a 17.262 which equals out to 78.206mph. Hudson still holds on to the CRA Street Stock Series Track Record which he set back on May 25th, 2014. He went a 17.143.
The Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stock Series Powered by JEGS teams will take a little bit of a break before they return to action on Saturday, June 13th for the fourth CRA points race and fifth event overall of the 2015 racing season. The track that has hosted the series the most all-time in the 11-year history, Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana will host the Anderson 75. This race will be the series’ 34th appearance at the fast 1/4 (0.250) mile high-banked paved oval.
Anderson native Josh Poore leads the way with six victories all-time while Rich Boyer and Ronnie Rose both have three wins apiece. Defending Series Champion, Jason Atkinson, 2013 Series Champion, Dustin Burge, 2012 Series Champion, Jimmy Kirby, 2008 Series Champion, Bret Miles Jr., and Jason Thompson all have two triumphs apiece while 11 different drivers lead by the most recent winner, Robert Amos Jr., on May 9th and 2011 Series Champion, Jeff Lane all have a single win each. That single victory list also includes Tyler Marsh, Josh Myers, Brian Hopkins, Rob Allman, Rick Erwin, Scott Neal, Katie Jackson, Beau Mitchell and Calvin Parham.
For more information about the rest of the 2015 racing season for all four touring series’ within Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS, go to the series website at: www.cra-racing.com You 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 Anderson Speedway, the host track for the fourth points race and fifth event overall of the 2015 racing season, go to the track website at: www.andersonspeedway.com
