Winchester, IN (May 7, 2007) – Stuart Quakenbush, Frank Kimmel II, Chuck Cook and Jacob Owens all picked up their first ever CRA wins this past weekend at Winchester Speedway as part of the ARCA 200 Weekend. The Howe CRA Sportsman and CRA Street Stocks had support events on Saturday and Sunday with the ARCA Lincoln Welder Trucks and the featured ARCA RE/MAX Series 200 lap event on Sunday.

The Howe CRA Sportsman Series started its 2007 season on Saturday with 22 cars in the pits. The two Howe CRA Sportsman 10 lap heats started the nights racing action for the CRA support events, the heats were set by a draw after qualifying was rained out. Rick Rinehart was victorious in the first heat race coming from his seventh place starting position to get the win. Billy Hutson got the victory in the second heat race.

Indianapolis, Indiana native Stuart Quakenbush took full advantage of his pole starting position to lead all 40 laps of the caution free Howe CRA Sportsman feature. Quakenbush was making his first ever start with the Howe CRA Sportsman in a car that he normally races in the ARA Limited Late Models were he was the series 2006 Champion. Gabe Cerny finished in second in his first ever Howe CRA Sportsman event racing the car that Al Cook Jr. took to victory lane last season at Winchester Speedway. Billy Hutson finished in third with Quay Gregory in fourth and Jeff Ellis in fifth.

Brian Stocker drove to a huge early lead in the 25 lap CRA Street Stocks Future Stars non-points event on Saturday night. Jacob Owens was starting to gain on Stocker when a car made contact with Stocker as he tried to make the pass. Stocker made a miraculous save to keep going, but Jacob Owen was able to get around Stocker before he could get back up to speed. Owen would hold off Stocker to get his first ever CRA Street Stock victory and get the pole starting position for the CRA Street Stock All Star Shoot Out. Stocker finished in second with John Robinson in third, Winston Wood in fourth and Junior Flynn in fifth.

The 15-lap CRA Street Stock All Star Shootout non-points event was the final event of Saturday’s racing schedule, and the event provided plenty of racing action on the track. Jacob Owen took off to the early lead from his pole starting position, but tagged the outside retaining wall slightly on lap 5 allowing Chuck Cook to get around and take the lead. Beau Mitchell worked his way from his 11th place starting position to get second, but looked like he would not have time to catch Cook until a late caution set up a 4-lap shootout. Mitchell, the CRA Street Stock favorite to win at Winchester Speedway each race after winning five events there in 2006, looked ready to take the lead and grab another win, but Cook was ready for Mitchell and held off his late charge to get the win, his first ever feature win with the CRA Street Stocks.

"Man this is really great," remarked a very elated Cook in victory lane. "I’ve had several top five finishes in this series, but never a win. I was worried when the yellow came out, I knew Beau would give me a run on that last restart, but I just drove it hard and tried to be smooth and we got our first CRA win!"

The CRA Street Stocks shared the track with the ARCA RE/MAX Series on Sunday. Beau Mitchell was the Fast Qualifier beating out Brain Hopkins and Frank Kimmel II. Mitchell drew a 10 for the invert putting Calvin Parham on the pole for the MAX 50 CRA Street Stock event. Parham was scored as the leader of the first three laps before pulling in the pits with mechanical problems on lap four, handing the lead over to 2005 CRA Street Stock Champion Dean Baker. Baker kept the lead until a drive-train problem on lap 11 caused him to spin and crash into the turn one outside retaining wall, giving the lead to 16 year old Frank Kimmel II, the son of 8 time ARCA RE/MAX Series Champion Frank Kimmel, who had finished third earlier in the day in the ARCA 200 event.

Kimmel II would only keep the lead for a few laps as hard charging Beau Mitchell came from his 10^th place starting position to pass Kimmel II for the lead on lap 15. Mitchell pulled out to a good-sized lead and seemed to be cruising to another Winchester victory, but the young third generation driver Kimmel II would not give up. He slowly reeled in Mitchell and was back on his bumper with only a hand full of laps to go. The two battled as Mitchell took the white flag just as they were approaching three cars battling for position on the tail of the lead lap. Mitchell stayed high hoping the cars would go low, this allowed Kimmel II to make the pass on the low side and grab the lead coming out of turn two. Mitchell battled back but could not make the pass coming out of turn four as Kimmel II claimed his first ever CRA Street Stock Series win with a similar move that his father used to win the 2006 ARCA 200 at Winchester Speedway.

"I was hoping he would go high on that last lap," remarked an elated Kimmel II in victory lane. "If he had gone low, I would have just followed, I didn’t know if I could get by, but the spot opened and it worked."

"He was in the catbird seat," a dejected Mitchell stated. " He could pick and choose and I couldn’t and then he made a good move to get by me. Last year we had all first place finishes, this year so far its all second place finishes."

The event was only the fourth race for Kimmel II in a street stock, but it was the first ever race on pavement for third place finisher Larry Matillo, who just made the switch from dirt racing to asphalt racing this season. Chuck Cook finished in fourth place with Rich Boyer in fifth.

The next event for the Howe CRA Sportsman and CRA Street Stocks will be the CRA Super Sunday Presented By Dietsch Sales & Service at Baer Field Speedway on Sunday, May 20^th. The event will also feature racing for the CRA Super Series late models and the Vore’s Welding & Steel CRA FWD Compacts. More information is available here.