CORDELE, GA :: It’s SpeedFest race day at Watermelon Capital Speedway and we’ve got the green flag time, the starting lineup and other key facts about the first major Super Late Model event of the season.
What time does the race start today?
CRA SpeedFest is composed of two separate races — one for the Pro Late Models and another for the Super Late Model feature. Pre-race festivities are scheduled to end by 2 p.m. EST. The command to fire engines and the official start of the race will begin shortly after the top of the hour.
Race name/distance: Today’s race is CRA SpeedFest which is scheduled for 200 laps and at least 75 miles to officially open the Super Late Model season.
Radio and live streaming: SpeedFest is not on traditional television. But for the first time in history, the unofficial CRA season-opener will be broadcast over the internet via Speed51.com’s 51TV online streaming service for just $19.99
*** NOTE: If you’re out and about today and can’t watch to the race, make sure to follow me (@MattWeaverSBN) on Twitter. I’ll be tweeting live updates throughout the event. ***
Tickets: Watermelon Capital Speedway has not announced a sellout but grandstand tickets are sparse. The track does allow for hillside seating for those that miss out on actual seats.
Weather: Despite a washout of practice on Friday afternoon, the weather for Sunday looks perfect. The race day forecast for the event will be somewhat cool with temperatures in the mid-60s with a zero percent chance of rain.
Last year: Chase Elliott battled a dominant Johnny Sauter last January in the 200 lap race, with Sauter leading for much of the second half. Elliott spent the last stint working under Sauter but was continually denied the position by the NASCAR Truck Series veteran.
Sauter pinched Elliott on several occasions and on lap 183, Elliott didn’t budge as the two made heavy contact off Turn 4, which sent Sauter spinning from the outside and out of contention. The move proved to be the winning ‘pass’ as Elliott held off a hard-charging Daniel Hemric to win one last Super Late Model race before graduating to the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Important Links:
David Ragan Preview | John Hunter Nemechek Preview | Qualifying Recap
Below is the starting lineup for CRA SpeedFest. Bubba Pollard posted the fastest time in qualifying but drew a five for the invert. This will place John Hunter Nemechek at the point, where he will be joined on the front row by Chase Elliott.
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Chase Elliott
- David Ragan
- Scotty Ellis
- Bubba Pollard
- Jordan Pruitt
- Kyle Grissom
- Paul Shafer, Jr.
- Kyle Plott
- Harrison Burton
- Cole Timm
- Austin Wayne Self
- Mike Garvey
- Anderson Bowen
- Dominique Van Wieringen
- Dalton Armstrong
- Todd Gilliland
- Kyle Bryant
- Kyle McCallum
- Russell Fleeman
- Jordan Ives
- Chad Finley
- Brandon Oakley
- Ron Young
- Justin Ashburn
- Steve Renner
- Madeline Crane
- John Coffman
