Alsip Makes it a Clean Sweep with the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman at Kil-Kare Raceway
Salem, IN (August 5, 2019) – Germantown, Ohio racer Justin Alsip doesn’t get to race as much now as he would like, but he put on a show in Sunday’s first ever Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman versus the Shadybowl Speedway Late Models Challenge at Kil-Kare Raceway, located just outside of Xenia, Ohio. Alsip was the fastest in both early afternoon practice sessions and was the Allstar Performance Fast Qualifier out of the 22 late models on hand for the event. Alsip would then charge through the field from his eighth place starting position and hold off Brandon Oakley on several restarts to claim the win and the $1,200 first place money.
“You never know if you’ll ever get to win a race again, this one is pretty special,” remarked a very jubilant Alsip in victory lane. “With my job, I just don’t get to race much anymore, but the Platinum Motorsports guys help me get this thing ready for this race and it was a rocket ship right off the trailer, one of the best cars I’ve ever had here at Kil-Kare. I want to thank everyone at Platinum, all the guys who helped me get to race here today and my family for always supporting me. All those restarts made it tough, Brandon (Oakley) was right there on each one and made me work for it!”
Ryan Fleming grabbed the early lead at the drop of the green flag from his outside pole starting position. Alsip began his march to the front, gaining several spots using the outside groove. Alsip caught Fleming and made the pass on lap 20 and pulled away with Oakley right behind him. Alsip and Oakley battled through several restarts during the event which was slowed for eight cautions and one red flag.
Both Alsip and Oakley are former regular competitors at Kil-Kare and both wanted to grab just one more win at that track, but Alsip’s car was just too good to hold back on the restarts as evident on the last restart with eight laps to go after an incident in turn three that took out the cars of Donnie Hill and Shawn Szep. Alsip would grab the lead on that last restart and not look back. The win was Alsip’s fifth series win, he won three events during the 2008 season and one during the 2009 season when he was a regular competitor with the series. Alsip picked up the Spillers Towing Hardcharger Award as well as the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race for his good restarts.
2017 ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion Logan Runyon made his first ever Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman series start on Sunday, coming away with a hard fought second place finish, passing Oakley on the last restart with some contact between the two racers. Runyon and Hill also had several side by side battles through out the 75 lap event.
Oakley would hold on to get third place. Van Hoy Oil CRA Street Stocks Kil-Kare event winner Chad Pendleton also made his first series start and got a fourth-place finish. Zachary Tinkle was the highest finishing Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman regular in fifth place. Tinkle fought back from having to restart at the tail of the field after contact caused him to spin earlier in the race bringing out one of the yellow flags. Tinkle was awarded the KRJ Race Products Sweet Move of the Race Award for his charge through the field to get a top five finish.
The next Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Powered by JEGS event will be the second event of the series Triple Crown Miniseries at Anderson Speedway on Saturday, August 17th. More information on all the CRA Series is available at www.cra-racing.com.
