"We did not have the best car in qualifying tonight, but we worked on it through the heat race and up until feature time to make it better."  Atkinson stated.  "I have got to thank Jeff Lane and my crew for making it work so well, and all my sponsors for helping me every race."

Qualifying started with a bang as the first qualifier, Charlie Hanna, set a blistering pace of 13.288 seconds over 2 tenths of a second faster than anyone in practice. He remained the fastest qualifier the rest of the evening, with only one driver getting close late in qualifying when Mark Lambert turned a lap of 13.289 seconds just missing the fast qualifier award by only .001 seconds. As quickest in qualifying Hanna earned the All-Star Performance Fast Qualifier Award. Rookie contender Nick Moore was third, Terry Cater fourth and Sterkowitz fifth.

Nick Lay and Dean Baker started on the front row of their respective heat races and took off to lead every lap of their respective races.  Keith Sterkowitz followed Lay closely with Nick Moore coming in third.  KC Spillers and Danny Trent fought for second in the second heat with Spillers finishing behind Baker, and Trent right on his tail.

By drawing a 10 for the invert Hanna put Parker and Atkinson on the front row. The first lap Parker and Atkinson raced side by side through most of the lap, with Atkinson getting ahead by half a car length coming to the line and moving down to take the lead by a full car length by the end of the second lap. From there he took off and built a strong lead until the first caution on lap 13 when Parker developed a flat tire coming off of the second turn and gathered up Lambert in the ensuing spin ending the night for Lambert with heavy right front damage from the wall.

Atkinson again jumped out to the lead after the restart, while Sterkowitz fought his way through traffic from his sixth starting position to second. On the 21^st lap David Campbell and Chris Parker got tangled in the second turn with Campbell ending up nearly going airborne as he came across the rear of Parker’s car, ending the night for both drivers.

When racing resumed Sterkowitz remained stuck to the rear of Atkinson as they raced lap by lap, but he could not find the speed to pass. Then with only a few laps to go they came up on traffic racing for position. As Atkinson worked his way past, Sterkowitz got held up as one of the newly lapped cars cut up in front of him and nearly wrecked him as he passed. "I did the best I could to make it happen." Sterkowitz stated. "But I feel like that lapped car cost me a chance to challenge for the win." The racing through out the field was tight with many drivers changing positions during the race many times. When the race ended Moore was in third, Nick Lay fourth and Terry Cater fifth.

Atkinson took home the win and the Turn One Performance Steering Lap Leader Award for leading the most laps. For his moves through the field Sterkowitz received the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award. Dean Baker took home the AFCO Hardcharger Award and Racing Electronics Hardcharger Award for moving up seven positions. Moore received the McGunegill Engine Performance and Landrum Performance Awards.

The Sullivan RV CRA Late Model Sportsman will be back in action on May 29^th at Angola Motor Speedway, with the EDCO Welding CRA Street Stocks. The next Champion Racing Association event will be the Asphalt Wars 100 at Baer Field Speedway featuring the CRA Super Series in a 100 lap race with the EDCO CRA Street Stocks, and the Vore’s Welding and Steel CRA FWD Compacts in their first points race of the season. For more information about any of the CRA divisions go to: www.craracing.net.