Jones Scores First ARCA/CRA Win at Winchester 400

WINCHESTER, IN :: Erik Jones scored the second biggest win of his young career on Sunday afternoon by winning the 42^nd running of the Winchester 400 in Indiana.  Jones started the 400-lap event from the fourth spot after Chase Elliott claimed the pole on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s cool to get a rifle here” said Jones following his victory.  “I’ve run here five or six times and been close to victory.” He continued.  “It’s cool to get a win here with all the big names that have won here, it’s really amazing to put my name on that list.”

Jones would take the lead on Lap 352 following a pit stop under the caution flag and never look back.  With the win, Jones would pick up his first career ARCA/CRA Super Series victory.

Sunday’s race would feature 14 lead changes, a series record among nine drivers.  Jones would lead four times for a total of 143 laps, the most of any driver.

Chase Elliott wouldn’t make it easy on Jones however.  Elliott gave it his all to run down Jones over the course of the final 30 laps, but wouldn’t be able to close on Jones as the two would battle lapped traffic for much of the final 30 laps.

Elliott started the event from the pole with a qualifying time of 15.361 seconds.  Elliott would lead the opening 12 laps until veteran Super Late Model racer, Augie Grill, passed him.

Elliott would have bigger problems later in the day when the left rear tire on his Chevrolet would go down, causing him to spin off turn two, collecting follow racer, Ross Kenseth.  Elliott’s car would continue on, with Elliott finishing second behind Jones.  Kenseth however was done for the day just 151 laps into the event.

“We were just a little bit to tight there at the end to do anything with Erik” said Elliott following his second place run.  “After we got in that wreck, we fought being really free, so we took a rubber out of the right rear and I think that was just a little to tight to run there at the end.”

ARCA Racing Series driver, Mason Mingus would bring home a third place finish following 400 laps around the high banks of Winchester.

“I thought we had a really strong car, but we needed some laps on our tires” said Mingus following 400 laps.  “On the short runs after the tires would cool down, we really couldn’t run back up to them. Fifty lap runs, we were really really strong.”

“We’ve had really good cars each time we’ve been here, but this was definitely the best car we’ve had. And we came a long way from starting 23rd.” Mingus concluded.

Veteran Super Late Model racer Augie Grill would come home fourth. Grill would lead four times on Sunday afternoon for a total of 127 circuits.  Grill would start the 400 lap event from the fifth position.

Last week’s PASS South Series winner at the Dillon Motor Speedway, Daniel Hemric would bring the Carswell Motorsports Ford Fusion home to a fifth place finish.  Hemric would lead once for seven circuits around the half mile oval.

Travis Braden claimed the 2013 ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship on Sunday afternoon, despite dropping out of the event on lap 355 due to a broken rear end.  Braden was the 2012 ARCA/CRA Rookie of the Year and notched four victories this season en-route to his first championship.

The 42nd running of the Winchester 400 was slowed 10 times by cautions flags.  Erik Jones scored the victory over Chase Elliott by a margin of victory of 0.507 seconds.

Mike Stacy, Chad Finley and Jacob Garrigus would withdraw from the 400 lap event before Sunday.

42^nd Winchester 400 Results
1. #51J Erik Jones – 400 Laps
2. #9 Chase Elliott – 400
3. #98 Mason Mingus – 400
4. #112 Augie Grill – 400
5. #98H Daniel Hemric – 400
6. #29T Austin Theriault – 400
7. #1 Cody Coughlin – 400
8. #61 Johnny VanDoorn – 400
9. #26P Bubba Pollard — 399
10. #25 Derrick Griffin — 399
11. #29 Anderson Bowen – 399
12. #67 Jeff Fultz – 39
13. #2W Donnie Wilson – 398
14. #71 Kyle Benjamin – 397
15 #41 TJ Reaid – 397
16. #2 Kenny Tweedy – 397
17. #26 Ricky Turner – 396
18. #29S Tommy St John – 396
19. #23 Eddie Van Meter – 394
20. #84 Jay Niewiek – 391
21. #28 Ali Kern – 390
22. #7 Jason Dietsch – 389
23. #128 Justin Alsip – 386
24. #01 Travis Braden – 355
25. #17 Scott Neal – 346
26. #84Q Martin Latuippe – 298
27. #51 Brandon Oakley – 297
28. #261 Preston Peltier – 228
29. #81 Terry Fishe, Jr. – 191
30. #5 Brett Robinson – 171
31. #56 Evan Jackson – 168
32. #6 Brandon Hermiller – 155
33. #25K Ross Kenseth – 151
34. #131 Nick Gullatta – 134
35. #51N Stephen Nasse – 63
36. #21 Joe Beaver – 32
37. #49 Colin Nickolai — 8