CRA

Hantz Hangs On To Get An Emotional Victory In The Redbud 300

Anderson, IN (July 28, 2010) – On July 17 the EMF Racing team lost their owner when Dick Poe passed after a long valiant battle with cancer.  The team was racing with a heavy heart and the determination to do well at Anderson Speedway’s Welch and Wilson Motorsports Redbud 300 Monday night.  EMF driver Scott Hantz is the all time leader in wins with the CRA Super Series, and would be going for his 28th win and third at Anderson against a very stout field.  Hantz qualified sixth started on the outside of the front row.  He would not stay there as he fell back to third, following NASCAR star and defending event winner Kyle Busch and 15-year-old Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott. 

Busch got tangled up while lapping a car that spun knocking him out of the race at lap 118, putting Elliott on the point with Hantz second.  That is the way they were running coming into the halfway break at lap 150.  Hantz came back out in first, with Johnny VanDoorn in second, by electing to take only two tires.  Elliott elected to take four tires and he restarted in 9th place. 

Despite heavy pressure from first VanDoorn then Brian Johnson, Jr. Hantz held on to the lead for the next 150 laps to win.  A last lap accident caused a shuffle of the finishers as the third, fourth and fifth place cars tangled in turn two.  Johnson finished second, Terry Fisher, Jr. third, Tommy St. John fourth and former NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor Ken Schrader came back from two laps down at one point in the race to finish fifth. 

"This was for Dick (Poe)!"  An emotional Hantz stated.  "I think he was doing the driving, I was just riding.  Our strategy worked perfectly.  This car was not the best tonight, but I just drove her for all she was worth those last 50 laps and we got the win. "

Ross Kenseth, in his first race at Anderson Speedway, started on the pole after the EDCO Welding Fast Qualifier Kyle Busch drew a seven for the invert.  Kenseth jumped out to an early lead before Elliott hunted him down to take the lead on the 30th lap.  The son of NASCAR competitor Matt Kenseth dropped off and quickly fell to the back, then dropped out of the race due to his battery going dead.  Elliott kept the lead until he was chased down by Busch, who took the lead on the 57th lap and quickly drove away from the field.

The first 150 laps of the race only had four caution periods, one of them occurred when Busch tangled with Jeff Lane when he started to lap Lane and spun while trying to stay ahead of Busch.  The accident bent the door and the rear end of Busch’s car forcing him from the race. 

Elliott retook the lead holding until the halfway mark.  At lap 150 there was a break for the teams to change tires.  On the restart the fewer tires a driver took the further up he restarted.  Drivers taking one tire start in front of those taking two, in front of those taking three, etc.  Hantz only took two, and started on the point.  Elliott took four and restarted 9th with various other strategies playing out through the field. 

Hantz never relinquished the lead, with VanDoorn hanging on in second looking under Hantz, and to the outside every lap.  Johnson bumped VanDoorn and got him just loose enough to get past him.  Johnson then started working on Hantz.

The second half the race included 10 cautions and one red flag.  The red flag happened when Robert Maynor had his throttle stick and he charged full speed into the second turn wall.  Maynor walked away from the accident with out injury. 

Hantz earned the AR Bodies Cool Move of the Race Award by keeping the car straight and in first, despite being bumped several times over the final laps by Brian Johnson, Jr.  The EMF Corp. That’s Racing Award went to Jason Dietsch.  The Kingen Interstate Express Halfway Leader Award went to Elliott while the VDL Fuel Systems Hot Lap of the Race Award went to Busch. 

Jay Niewiek was awarded his first ever Perfect Circle Racecars Rookie of the Race Award, the K & N Filters Top Rookie Finisher and the VDL Fuel Systems Top Rookie Award.  The Safety Solutions Tough Luck Award went to Maynor for the hardest hit. 

Schrader took the Lane Automotive/ISKY Racing Cams Hardcharger Award and one of the Hoosier Racing Tires Performance Awards.  Jim Crabtree, Jr. took the second Hoosier Racing Tire Performance Award. 

The next event for the CRA Super Series will be the Toledo 100 Presented by Spray Power at the Toledo Speedway on August 13.  For more information about the speedway see http://www.arcaracing.com/news_toledo.php To learn more about the CRA Super Series go to www.craracing.net.