VanDoorn Wins CRA Super Series
Budweiser 250 while Parham Wins the CRA Street Stock Bud Light 150 At
Anderson Speedway
Anderson, IN (August 4, 2007)
– Coopersville, Michigan native John VanDoorn took his first CRA Super
Series win with his victory in the Budweiser 250 as part of the
Responsibility Matters Anderson 400 Event
Presented By Great Deals Coupon Magazine, Saturday night at Anderson
Speedway. The
19
year old series leading Rookie Of The Year contender held off several
challenges by different drivers while leading for 126 laps of the race
to also get the first series win for car owner Tim Steele, a former
ARCA RE/MAX Series Champion.
"This was the hardest race I have ever won." Stated
an exhausted VanDoorn in victory lane. "This car was very tight for
the whole race, and did not drive well. But we won! I want to thank
Tim Steele and everyone with HS Motorsports for giving me this
opportunity."
VanDoorn was never able to shake the field as
several cars tried to get by him before dropping back through out the
second half of the race. His strongest challenge was from Jack Smith
who appeared to have the car to beat late in the race making many
passes on the high side of the track as the laps counted down, but
when VanDoorn let up due to a caution on lap 245, Smith got into the
rear of VanDoorn and the wall ending his night with only five laps to
go. For his efforts of passing several cars on the high side Smith was
awarded the Sweet Manufacturing "Sweet Move of the Race Award".
"I just could not let up in time when he did and I
got into him and the wall. It is a shame too as we had worked hard to
save our tires and seemed to have the car where we wanted it at the
end." A dejected Smith stated.
Brian Rievley worked his way from the 12th
starting position to finish second, Scott Hantz was third, Terry
Fisher Jr. fourth and Random Lake, Wisconsin driver Brad Mueller
finished fifth. Rievley earned a Hoosier Racing Tire Performance
Award. Jim Crabtree, Jr. also earned a Hoosier Racing Tire Performance
Award as well as the ISKY Racing Cams/Lane Automotive Hard Charger
Award.
VanDoorn won the Holley Performance Award, the RV
Performance Rookie of the Race Award, the Kingen Interstate Express
Halfway Leader Award, and the Fatheadz.com Winners Award. Brad Mueller
won the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race award, for the fastest
lap during the race.
Chris Gabehart was the Appleton Rack & Pinion Fast
Qualifier of the 30 cars that entered the event. Tommy St. John won
the Speed Media Best Appearing Car Award in a car owned by Muller
Motorsports. Adam Purdy received the Leaf Race Products Tough Luck
Award.
Calvin Parham and Brian Hopkins battled through the
field and then battled with each other over the last few laps with
Parham winning the CRA Street Stock Bud Light 150 the rest of the
Responsibility Matters Anderson 400 Event Presented By Great Deals
Coupon Magazine. Parham started ninth and took the lead from pole
sitter Phil Evans on lap 144 for his first lead
of the evening. Hopkins nearly passed Parham on the next lap when a
caution came out for a car spinning into the pit area. Parham retained
his lead and hung on to win.
"I want to thank my car owner Steve Davis for all
the work he put in this week. I know he worked over 56 hours to get
this car ready, and he is 76 years old! " Parham exclaimed. "We really
did not know how it was going to run until we got here and then it was
great to drive."
The
race
was spirited from the beginning with six lead changes and five
different leaders. Evans led from the opening flag for the 27 laps,
before giving up the lead to Danny Acrey II who held the lead to lap
56. Jake McElfresh took the lead on lap 57 but was only able to hold
onto it for two laps before fast qualifier Beau Mitchell worked his
way past him for the lead.
Mitchell was running well when contact with a car he
was lapping caused him to spin giving the lead back to McElfresh who
held it for 10 laps before Evans was able to claim it again and keep
it until Parham passed him with six laps to go. Hopkins finished
second, Joe Beaver third, Carl Muffley fourth and Jacob Owens fifth.
Dan Discepoli, who had an eighth place finish,
brought his car from Greensboro, NC to race at the high banks of
Anderson Speedway. This trip makes him the street stock driver with
the longest haul home, among several drivers from different states
including Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio.
The next event for the CRA Super Series is the 6th
Annual Elmer Musgrave Memorial Presented By Texas Corral Saturday,
August 11 at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, IN. The next
event for the CRA Street Stock is also Saturday, August 11 at Baer
Field Motor Speedway in Ft. Wayne, IN. And to finish a very exciting
racing weekend the Howe CRA Sportsman and Vore's Welding & Steel CRA
FWD Compacts will be at Winchester Speedway with the Super Pro Late
Model Series and the AMS Modifieds on Sunday, August 12.
CRA Budweiser 250
Results
Chris Gabehart on the Pole for the
Budweiser
250
Chris Gabehart nearly set a new track record with a lap time of 12.020
seconds he then drew a 7 putting Johnny Van Doorn on the pole of the CRA
Super Series Budweiser 250.
CRA Budweiser 250
Lineup
CRA Budweiser 250
Qualifying Results
CRA Street Stock
Bud Light 150
Results
Beau Mitchell Fastest Qualifier for Bud Light 150
Beau Mitchell was the fastest qualifier with a lap time of 14.223 seconds
and then drew a 10 ten to putting Phil Evans on the pole for the CRA
Street Stock Budweiser 150. Calvin Parham was second with Joe Beaver
third.
CRA Street Stock Bud Light 150
Lineup
CRA Street Stock Bud Light 150
Qualifying Results