Tuesday Night Battle at Berlin Draws Impressive Entry List

MARNE, MI :: In the world of Super Late Model racing, there are only a handful of events that stand above the rest and transcend series, roster and geography.

The Snowball Derby headlines that list alongside the Winchester 400, Red Bud 300, Oktoberfest and the Florida Governor’s Cup. In just a short amount of time, the Battle at Berlin 251 at Berlin Raceway (MI) has joined that group as a de facto “major” of Super Late Model racing.

On Tuesday night, an impressive list of drivers will again add to that recent and storied history.

Originally conceived by Kyle Busch in 2009 as the Rowdy 251, the ARCA\CRA Super Series event is now known as the Battle at Berlin and one of the most prestigious events on the short track calendar. The 251 lap event will pay out over $100,000 in purse and cash bonuses and has attracted the likes of Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek to return to their roots and do battle with the best in the business.

The event will pay $10,000 to win, $8000 for second, $6500 for third, down to a remarkable $2000 to start for a 30-car lineup.

There are currently 36 drivers entered into the field. In addition to the three NASCAR headliners, the race will also feature defending CRA champion Travis Braden, Southern Super Series champion Bubba Pollard and the winner of Friday’s ARCA Racing Series event at Michigan, Ross Kenseth.

Kenseth finished second to Braden in CRA points last year and is a former winner of the Winchester 400 and Redbud 300. He will make his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut on Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway, meaning this week has the potential to be huge for the 22-year-old prospect.

Also entered with a big weekend ahead of him is Toyota top prospect Christopher Bell who will be making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut for Kyle Busch Motorsports on Friday night at Iowa Speedway.

The open-wheel standout has added to his resume over the past year by picking up major wins in both Southern Super and CARS Tour competition.

Fellow Oklahoma driver Donnie Wilson is also entered in the event. Wilson has been one of the best in the Southern Super Series over the past two seasons and is currently in the hunt for his first career championship.

In short, this is one of only a handful of events that attract the best in the discipline and it pays like it too.

There is an open practice on Monday, pits open at Noon for teams to unload their haulers. Open practice will go from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.

The pit area opens on Tuesday at 11 a.m. and there will be a one hour practice for the Battle at Berlin 251 at 2:20 p.m., with qualifying for the race starting at 5:30 p.m. There will be an on-track autograph session with all the drivers starting at 5:30 p.m. A 51 lap modified race will start at 6:30 p.m. with the Super Late Model main event taking place immediately after.

Fans outside of the Midwest can purchase a PPV video broadcast of the event for 19.95 on Tuesday morning. The complete entry list can be viewed below.