Salem, IN (January 2, 2013) – NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor David Ragan tops the list of early entries for SpeedFest 2013, which will take place at Watermelon Capital Speedway on January 26th and 27th. Ragan, a Georgia native, is a local racing hero with his David Ragan Ford located just a few miles up the road from Watermelon Capital Speedway in Perry, Georgia. Ragan looks to improve upon his third place finish in SpeedFest 2012 behind winner Kyle Busch and second place finisher Bubba Pollard. Ragan will compete full-time in NASCAR Sprint Cup again in 2013 for Front Row Motorsports.
Other notable entries for the ARCA/CRA Super Series 200 lap SpeedFest 2013 event include 2012 ARCA/CRA Super Series Southern Tour Champion Kyle Benjamin, the winner of the ARCA/CRA Super Series 100 lap event at Watermelon Capital Speedway in October. Also Georgia hot shoe and 2011 ARCA/CRA Super Series Southern Tour Driver Champion Bubba Pollard and JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour 2012 Howie Lettow Rookie of the Year Award winner Anderson Bowen, who will do double duty at SpeedFest 2013 by also competing in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour 100 lap event. Bowen got his first ever late model victory in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour 100 lap event at Watermelon Capital in October. Travis Braden, the 2012 Boyne Machine Company Rookie of the Year in the ARCA/CRA Super Series is also entered.
Other drivers already entered for the ARCA/CRA Super Series 200 lap event with SpeedFest 2013 include top ARCA Midwest Tour competitor and Wisconsin native Travis Sauter, CRA regular Brandon Hermiller from Michigan, CRA Southern regulars Alan Karnes from Georgia and Randy Gentry from South Carolina. Drivers already entered for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour 100 lap event with SpeedFest 2013 include 2011 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour 2012 Howie Lettow Rookie of the Year Award winner Cody Coughlin from Ohio, also Georgia natives Dalton Grindle and Matthew Wragg and Florida competitor Kyle Bryant.
SpeedFest 2013 will consist of a 200 lap ARCA/CRA Super Series event and a 100 lap JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance special event. Both events will only count green flag laps, a change from previous seasons. There will be a halfway break at lap 100 for the 200 lap ARCA/CRA Super Series event. The advanced entry deadline for SpeedFest 2013 is January 20th, after that date teams will have to pay an additional $50 for a late entry fee. SpeedFest 2013 entry forms are available on the CRA web site at www.craracing.net.
Additional event information can be found at www.watermeloncapitalspeedway.com.