Nasse Gets His Crown Jewel & Holds the Rifle at Winchester

Special from Speed51.com – Stephen Nasse has been chasing a crown jewel win for the entirety of his Super Late Model career. On Sunday at Winchester Speedway (IN), Nasse claimed that elusive win and left no doubt that he deserved it.

Nasse was virtually flawless in the ARCA/CRA Super Series’ Winchester 400, treating the grueling marathon around Winchester’s demanding high-banks like a 100-lap sprint race at one of the bullrings in his home state of Florida.

Chandler Smith was the only driver to truly contend with Nasse for the top spot throughout the race, as the two Southeastern racers battled fiercely for the lead during the middle portion of the race.  However, Smith faded over the final stretch, and Nasse dashed unchallenged to the finish.

When the checkered flag fell, Nasse celebrated a monumental win in the 48^th Annual running of the event, adding the famed Winchester rifle to his trophy collection.

“I couldn’t have done it without my guys, first of all,” Nasse said in Victory Lane.  “Chandler had me worried a few times there, gave me a good run for my money.  We just had a dominant car.  It was going to be tough for anyone to get by me on the bottom and I was going to hold that top groove all night as best I could.”

With the win, Jett Motorsports has taken the checkered flag in the last two Winchester 400 races. Jeff Choquette won for the team in 2018 before Nasse brought their car to victory lane on Sunday.

“I can’t say enough about this Jett Motorsports team,” Nasse said.  “They gave me a hell of a car.  This is awesome.  Second year in a row for them.  To have my mom and my buddies come down for this, this is incredible.”

Corey Heim ultimately scored the runner-up finish, running in the top five most of the race before surging to second in the final 100 laps.

“The 51 (Nasse) was really dominant all day,” Heim stated.  “We struggled a little bit.  We didn’t have anything for the 51, but we were good enough for second place.

“It’s a 400 lap race. It’s a grueling event, physically demanding.  I had to get up on the wheel at the end, and I’m glad we were able to come home second.”

The Winchester 400 also decided the ARCA/CRA Super Series championship, with four drivers entering the event with a shot at the title in the series’ playoff format.

Greg Van Alst defeated a hard-charging Josh Brock by a single position to secure that championship. Speed51 will have more on that championship and other storylines from Winchester in the coming days.

Race fans who missed Sunday’s race can watch an on-demand replay of the race by clicking here, or view Trackside Now updates presented by PFC Brakes by clicking here.

Unofficial Results – 48th Annual Winchester 400

-Story by: Zach Evans, Speed51.com Southeast Editor – Twitter: @ztevans

-Photo credit: Speed51photos.com