Salem, IN October 22, 2012) – Senioa, Georgia native Bubba Pollard, arguably the winningest late model driver in the country over the past two seasons, will be looking to get his second straight ARCA/CRA Super Series Southern Tour Championship in this Weekend’s Watermelon Twin 100’s, which will take place at Watermelon Capital Speedway, in Cordele, GA on Saturday. The event will feature both the ARCA/CRA Super Series Southern Tour in a 100 lap Season Championship feature and the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance in a special non-points 100 lap feature.
Pollard won the 2011 ARCA/CRA Super Series Southern Tour Drivers Championship, while the WearCrete Racing Team with owner Curtis Veneable and drivers Jeff Fultz and Daniel Hemric, got the 2011 ARCA/CRA Super Series Southern Tour Owners Championship. Pollard looks to take the combined Championship in 2012 driving for himself in his #26 JEGS.com sponsored machine.
Pollard will have a battle on his hands as he comes into Saturday’s event with only a one point lead over 14 year old South Carolina Hot Shoe Kyle Benjamin. Benjamin has two CRA victories in 2012, one with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour at Winchester Speedway and one in a Northern ARCA/CRA Super Series event at Lucas Oil Raceway, while Pollard’s best finishes have been second twice, once to Kyle Busch at SpeedFest 2012 at Watermelon Capital Speedway in January and second to T.J. Reaid at the Northern ARCA/CRA Super Series season opener at Anderson Speedway in April. Pollard got a CRA victory in 2011 at Gresham Motorsports Park.
Also entered for this weekend’s 100 lap ARCA/CRA Super Series event is third place in points John Hunter Nemechek, the 15 year old son of NASCAR competitor Joe Nemechek, who is 19 points behind Pollard. Also Florida racer Stephen Nasse who is seven points behind Nemechek and Ross Kenseth, son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Matt Kenseth, who has two huge CRA wins in 2012 including the RedBud 300 at Anderson Speedway in July and at the Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway on October 14th. Kenseth is 20 points behind Nasse.
Other top entries for the ARCA/CRA Super Series portion of the Watermelon Twin 100’s are Georgia drivers Mike Garvey, T.J. Reaid, 14 year old Anderson Bowen the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Rookie of the Year, Allen Karnes, Jimmy Garmon and Brady Boswell. North Carolina drivers Daniel Hemric, the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion and winner of the last CRA Southern Tour event at Gresham Motorsports Park, Jimmy Doyle, and Jared Irvin, son of former NASCAR great Ernie Irvin.
Also entered are Florida drivers Anthony Campi, Daniel Webster and Marc Mitchell, Michigan racers Jay Nieiwek and Brandon Hermiller, both full-time CRA competitors. Ohio’s Matt Tifft, the 2012 ASA Midwest Series Rookie of the Year and Connecticut’s Scott Heckert, both those drivers will driver for Florida’s B.J. McCloud. Kentucky’s Dakota Stroop and Indiana’s Tyler Allen, a dirt late model racer who will be making his asphalt late model debut Saturday with plans of competing full-time with the ARCA/CRA Super Series in 2013.
Several drivers will be doing double duty this weekend in the ARCA/CRA Super Series and the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour events including Bowen, Garvey and Hermiller. Other top entries for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour portion of the Watermelon Twin 100’s are Kentucky’s Jerrod Foley who finished sixth in series season points in 2012 and Ohio’s Cody Coughlin, the 2011 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Rookie of the Year. Also entered is Georgia drivers Rodney Benefield, Matthew Wragg, Scotty Ellis, David Hodges, Kyle Plott, Dalton Grindle, Alex Roberts and Brandon Brilliant along with North Carolina’s Eric Gerchak and South Carolina’s Gus Dean.
There will be an optional open practice on Friday at Watermelon Capital Speedway, pits open at 1pm with rotating practice sessions from 3 until 7pm. On Saturday pit gates open at 11am, practice will begin at 2pm with CRA qualifying starting at 5pm. The race program will begin at 7pm and will include the Watermelon Twin 100’s plus features for the Watermelon Capital Speedway Outlaw Late Models, Bandeleroes and Enduro cars.
Additional event information can be found at www.watermeloncapitalspeedway.com. Additional information on all the CRA Series can be found at www.craracing.net.