PLYMOUTH, Ind. — Champions and other award winners were honored on Saturday night during the Champion Racing Association Awards Ceremony at Swan Lake Resort.
Chase Burda, the Champion of the ASA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, Blake Rowe and five others from the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, Zach Stacy plus three others from the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman and Dalton Conner plus two others from the CRA Street Stocks Powered by JEGS were able to attend and accept their season awards.
Street Stock
118 different drivers were on track with the Street Stocks in 2024 which saw a diverse schedule of 12 events. Nine different drivers claimed victories on the Tour and it was August before a repeat winner was had.
Taking fifth in this year’s standings, Heath Helton of Owensboro, Ky. won four races in a row to end the season, including two with CRA at Winchester Speedway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
This year’s point runner-up in the CRA Street Stocks has been racing full time with the series since 2015. The Indianapolis driver grabbed three wins this season and only finished outside the top 10 once in 10 starts.
Andrew Teepe took home the runner-up honors for the fourth time in his career. Celebrating as champion in 2024 after racing with the series full-time for a third straight year, Dalton Conner returned for a wildly consistent 2024 with 10 top-10 finishes and eight top fives.
Late Model Sportsman
Year No. 19 for the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Powered by JEGS had eight events and this year, six different drivers found victory lane. This season saw 80 competitors from all over the Midwest compete at the series events.
The sixth-place point finisher is a veteran driver who ran nearly all of the events in 2024; from Richmond, Ind., Kent Carson posted top tens at Anderson Speedway twice in seven starts.
The fifth-place point finisher has run with the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman since 2014. This year, Cassten Everidge battled some adversity but put together a season with six top-10s and three top-five finishes. Logan Huckeba came back for a third season in a row, taking runner-up in the standings once again.
Another solid season was had, taking one top-five with five top-tens in eight races, good enough for second in the championship standings. The 2024-point champion put together a season that included eight top 10 finishes and four top fives en route to his first title. Zach Stacy, of Edon, Ohio, nearly grabbed the win at the season opener at Shadybowl Speedway.
All-Stars
2024 marked the 14th year for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars tour presented by Chevrolet Performance. This year, over 100 different teams hit the track over the course of a 14-event schedule.
At year’s end, it was a first-time JEGS Tour competitor winning his first championship with the Tour. In his first full-time season with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, Will Sahutske of Midland, Mich. competed in 10 events earning a top-10 finish at Winchester Speedway in October – finishing ninth in the championship standings. The eighth-place finisher has been dabbling part-time with the series over the last few years, putting in a full season in 2024.
This season, Brian Demland claimed a season’s best ninth at Winchester. Keegan Sobilo, a former champion of the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Powered by JEGS, set sights on a full season with the JEGS Tour and battled for the Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. With 11 starts and three top 10 finishes, Sobilo netted 5th in the championship -points standings.
Burda, the 2023 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance champion, returned to full-time action in 2024. A finalist in the Kulwicki Driver Development Program, the Lapeer, Mich. native grabbed a win at Flat Rock Speedway, three top fives and five top-10 finishes en route to third in the 2024 championship standings.
2024 marked Chase Pinsonneault’s first time racing in the United States. His first career win came to the tune of $10,000 with the JEGS Tour at Owosso Speedway in the Big O Classic 100. He also posted five top-five finishes and nine top-tens en route to the runner-up finish in the JEGS Tour Championship Standings.
This year’s champion, Blake Rowe, had dabbled in the ASA/CRA Super Series and was a dominant force in open-wheel modified racing prior to 2024; but made it known he wanted to be dominant in Template Late Models. In his first career JEGS Tour start, he grabbed the win and backed it up with a second win in August, plus five top-five finishes, and 11 top-10s.
Super Series
It was the 28th year for the ASA/CRA Super Series powered by JEGS, a tour that continues to co-sanction some of the biggest Super Late Model races in the country. In 2024, 10 Super Series sanctioned races highlighted the schedule.
In the final standings, coming up just short of taking back-to-back championships in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, Burda ended the season by taking the top CRA championship.
Other awards were handed out Saturday night as well, including the Rookie of the Year honorees, Chase Pinsonneault, Zach Stacy, and Heath Helton. The Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman of the Year award are voted on by series officials, and are the only ones voted on in that manner, which makes them very special. Keegan Sobilo, Cassten Everidge, and Heath Helton took home those honors on Saturday night. Finally, the Dedication Awards were handed out to teams and individuals who have displayed outstanding dedication to our sport and series. Briand Demland, Kent Carson, and Speedy Teepe were honored with these awards.
During the ceremony, Anderson Speedway Promoter, Rick Dawson spoke on the partnership the Speedway has with Champion Racing Association and also awarded recently-retired longtime Hoosier Racing Tire Representative, Irish Saunders with a special plaque made with old Anderson Speedway bleacher board.
Rex Wheeler, of Owosso Speedway, also presented Chase Pinsonneault with an award for holding the Owosso Speedway Template Late Model track record at 14.473 seconds.
