2017 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Schedule Released
Series will Feature New Chase Format to Determine Season Champion
Salem, Indiana (December 6, 2016): Champion Racing Association Powered by JEGS has officially released the 2017 schedule for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance. The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour 2017 schedule will consist of 13 total races, with 12 of those being point events. 2017 will be the seventh season of competition for the crate late model touring series sanctioned by Champion Racing Association.
"We are really excited about the 2017 schedule with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour," remarked R.J. Scott, Managing Partner of CRA. "We have a great mix of events on the schedule again that will challenge our drivers throughout the season and provide some great racing for our fans!"
A new format to determine a series champion will be used in all CRA divisions in 2017. Similar to the top levels of racing now and all major sports, CRA will utilize a regular season of events to determine those who are eligible to compete in the post season for a championship. The final four scheduled races will be utilized as the playoffs or Chase. Prior to the start of the final four races, the top 8 teams in Wins (then Points) that have attended 75% of the events are eligible for the Chase. Prior to the season’s LAST event, the top 4 CHASE TEAMS in Wins (then points) during the CHASE and were at all CHASE events, will race for the season’s championship, with the highest finishing team in that event declared the season’s champion.
“Our new championship format brings more value to winning during the regular season,” noted CRA co-owner and Series Director Glenn Luckett, “and it will create great excitement down the stretch. The new championship format will also provide more opportunities to win a championship to more teams. We floated the idea to a number of different people before deciding to go this route, and while everyone noted it was very different for short track racing, every one of them was excited about its implementation. The final weeks and the final event of the season will have so much energy and buzz…we’re excited to have fans and racers alike experience that excitement. We think this is going to be great for short track racing!”
The 2017 racing season kicks off with the traditional non-points opener for both the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS and the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour with CRA SpeedFest 2017 at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Georgia on Saturday-Sunday, January 28th & 29th. The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race will be a 125 lap four tire event, counting yellow flag laps up to lap 100. This event has traditionally attracted the best Pro Late Model drivers from both the North and the South in this early season battle.
The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour will then kick off its 2017 point season on Sunday, April 30th in the series first ever visit to Baer Field Motorsports Park, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The half-mile track has hosted several other CRA events since 1998.
The series will then head south to Bristol Motor Speedway as part of the huge U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing in a 100 lap event that will pay $5000 to win on Saturday-Sunday, May 20th & 21st. That will be CRA’s first ever events at the famed “last coliseum”.
The series will then head to Lebanon I-44 Speedway, in Lebanon, Missouri for the prestigious 5th Annual Masters of the Pros 144 on Saturday, June 3rd. The 144 lap event will pay $8000 to win plus bonuses, making it one of the highest paying crate late model events in the country again in 2017, plus the winner will be awarded a signature green jacket, similar to the one that is known for adorning the champion of golf’s Masters event.
The series will then visit the famed High Banks of Salem Speedway, in Salem, Indiana on Saturday, June 17th.The series will then make its first ever visit to Kil-Kare Speedway in Xenia, Ohio on Saturday, July 9th. That track will reopen for the 2017 season after being closed for the last two years. The track hosted an ARCA/CRA Super Series event in 2013 and 2014.
The series will then head north for its first Michigan race of the season at Berlin Raceway located in Marne on Saturday, July 15th, the first of three straight series events in that state. The Michigan trip continues on Saturday, August 5th at Auto City Speedway in Clio, and will then head just down the road to Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run on Friday, August 18th.
The series will then head to the legendary 1/2 mile high-banks of Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana on Sunday, September 3rd to kick off the famous World Stock Car Festival on Labor Day Weekend. The series will then head to Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan for an event on Saturday, September 9th.
The series will then be the featured event at Fall Brawl 2017 at Lucas Oil Raceway just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday-Sunday, September 23rd & 24th. The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour will crown their 2017 Tour Champion at Winchester Speedway as part of the 46th Annual Winchester 400 Weekend on Friday, October 6th in its second visit of the season to Winchester Speedway.
For more information about all four touring series’ within Champion Racing Association, please go to the series website at:
www.cra-racing.com. You can also follow CRA on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com and search for "Champion Racing Association" as well as Twitter at:
www.twitter.com/CRAracingLinkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=23498.msg116063#msg116063
