WINCHESTER, Ind. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Photo courtesy ARCA/CRA Super Series — Two years in a row, Erik Jones has walked into the high-banks of Winchester Speedway empty-handed, and now two years in a row, Jones has left with a Winchester rifle in hand.
Jones held off a furious charge in the final corners from West Virginia native Travis Braden to claim his second straight victory in the Winchester 400 on Sunday, powering to the line and claiming the famed rifle trophy despite Braden looking low one final time after the two had diced for the lead over the final 40 laps of the prestigious event.
“We got the toe knocked out a little bit on the last restart. It just made the car way, way too tight, tighter than it had been all day. But we fought hard, raced hard with Travis (Braden) and it was good, clean, hard racing. I’d call it ‘short track style’,” smiled the Byron, Michigan standout after climbing out of the car to the roar and approval of the crowd. “It was cool to battle hard and pick up our second 400. We come here for one reason and that’s to win these races and to do it means a lot to us.”
“I honestly felt like we had a little bit better car this year, at least up until we got the toe knocked in. Luckily, being in the lead we were able to hold him off and kill off his momentum on the bottom. Like I said, I think we were a bit better this year but we also had to fight harder for it. That was definitely a lot of fun today battling with Travis (Braden). He’s really good everywhere, but especially here.”
Braden had reason to celebrate despite finishing second — he clinched the 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series championship, his second series title following his maiden championship in 2013. Braden is the only driver besides three-time series titlist Johnny VanDoorn to win consecutive championships; VanDorn went back to back in 2009 and 2010.
“We made some unbelievable calls today. We had older tires on all day banking on that we would have newer ones at the end and we did. I don’t know versus Erik (Jones), but versus those other guys I know we had fresher tires and it showed,” Braden said after the race. “It came down to that last 40-lap run. I wasn’t going too well on restarts, but finally started getting going the longer the green stayed and that made it a good race. It just came down to who could get the lead on that restart. The outside was the place to be. But Erik made it happen on the inside that one time and that’s how he got us.”
In addition to his second straight ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship, Braden also won the JEGS/CRA $100,000 Super Late Model Triple Crown Series title at Winchester, pocketing $5,000 for that award.
Since no driver won more than one of the three Triple Crown events, the overall points standings for the three races were used to determine the champion and Braden held off 2014 Southern Super Series champion Bubba Pollard for the honors.
“I just can’t believe we’re standing here with two championships, especially after the way this season started,” the 20-year-old Super Late Model standout added. “The first three races were a disaster with the electrical issues we kept having. Three DNF’s is not the way you want to start the year if you want to try and repeat. But this team kept working hard and kept digging and we got the problems fixed in time for the first Berlin (Raceway) race (May 31st). Since then, it’s been unreal how things have gone and I’m so very fortunate to be in the position I’m in now. Two titles in a row — wow!”
Donnie Wilson finished third in the 400, followed by Cody Coughlin and Brian Hoar. Eight drivers of the 33 starters ended up finishing on the lead lap after attrition took down several top contenders.
Jones actually began the weekend by winning his first career Winchester 400/EDCO Welding Pole Award and led the early stages, but it was Ross Kenseth who dominated much of the first half of the event, leading 149 of the race’s 400 laps. However, Kenseth’s day — and his championship hopes, after coming into the event second to Braden in the points standings — ended on lap 284 after a competition yellow revealed a fuel pickup problem in Kenseth’s car. The second-generation driver was able to return to competition, but he lost 13 laps in the process of getting the car fixed, ending his hopes of a win and a title.
Daniel Hemric was also in contention in the latter stages of the event, however Hemric lost oil pressure with 27 laps to go, ending his bid at a $10,000 bonus for winning two of the three Triple Crown events. VanDoorn was another heavy hitter who fell to mechanical woes, his bid coming to an end just prior to halfway.
The 2014 Champion Racing Association (CRA) Powered by JEGS Awards Banquet will officially conclude the 2014 racing season for the series, being held on Saturday, January 3, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown at Union Station. The event will honor the top 10 teams in 2014 points from the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Series Powered by JEGS and the Stealth Trailers CRA Street Stocks Series Powered by JEGS.
