Kyle Busch, Stremme highlight
entrants for 37th Winchester 400
NASCAR competitors Kyle Busch and David Stremme will be testing their CRA Super Series Later Models on Monday, Sept. 29, as they prepare to compete in the 37th Annual Winchester 400 on Oct. 12.
The race is sponsored by Ed Martin Auto Group and Renegade.
Busch, NASCAR's Sprint Cup points leader, and Stremme, Nationwide Series driver, were the first two entries for this year's race and will join some of the best late model drivers in the country in competition for a possible $27,000-plus payoff in one of the most prestigious short track events in the country.
Busch will be traveling with Stremme from Charlotte, N.C. on Sunday morning, Oct. 12 after competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday night, Oct. 11. Both Busch and Stremme will get some limited practice laps that Sunday at Winchester Speedway, but since they will miss qualifying for the Saturday event, they will have to start the event as "Promoters Options" on the tail of the field.
Busch currently holds a 208-point lead over Cup standings heading into this weekend's event at Richmond for Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch has scored a record 18 victories in NASCAR's top three series so far this series, including eight Cup wins, seven Nationwide wins and three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins. Busch also got a late model win with the ASA Midwest Series at the Milwaukee Mile on August 24.
Stremme, the popular South Bend, Indiana native, raced many times at Winchester Speedway during the development of his career while racing with the CRA Super Series and the American Speed Association. Stremme is also a former track record holder at Winchester and has a CRA Super Series victory at the similarly high-banked Salem Speedway.
Stremme is a long-time friend of Winchester Speedway owner Charlie Shaw, who helped Stremme in his early days of late model racing. Stremme is currently 12th in NASCAR Nationwide Series points driving for car owner Rusty Wallace. He was signed earlier this year as a test driver for Penske Racing and was named as the replacement for Ryan Newman in Penske's #12 Cup car in 2009.
In last year's Winchester 400, Stremme came from his 35th place starting position to lead laps 165 through 215, and then lead again from lap 277 until lap 310, giving the lead to eventual winner Ryan Lawler after making a pit stop.
Stremme would hang on to finish third, the last car on the lead lap, even after his car's handling went away when his left rear wheel started coming loose after losing three lug nuts while charging from the rear of the lead laps cars after pitting.
Supporting the stars of the CRA Super Series will be the Howe/CRA Sportsman, CRA Street Stocks, Vore's/CRA F.W.D. Compacts and Open Wheel Modifieds.
There will be non-points. special events for the Sportsman and Street Stocks on Friday night, Oct. 10, along with a season championship event for the F.W.D. Compacts.
Saturday will see the top Open Wheel Modified stars from the U.S.A. and AMS Modified series battle for bragging rights in the "Run for the Gun 50."
Season championship races for the Howe/CRA Sportsman and CRA Street Stocks will also be featured on the slate of activities for Saturday.
The highlight of Saturday's events will be pole qualifying for the CRA Super Series Late Models for the featured Winchester 400.
Previous winners of the Winchester 400 reads like a who's who of racing: legends of racing including Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Ted Musgrave, Mike Eddy, and Bob Senneker, plus short track racing hero's including Butch Miller, Gary St. Amant, Brian Ross and Scott Hantz.
Several top late model drivers have also already entered the event including current CRA Super Series point leader and winner of the 2006 Winchester 400 Scott Hantz.
Other CRA Super Series regulars who have entered include Rick Turner, winner of the CRA event at Winchester on Labor Day Weekend, Boris Jurkovic, Jason Dietsch, top K & N Filters rookie competitors Zach Taylor and Aaron Pierce, along with John VanDoorn, Jason Shively, and Kenny Tweedy.
Several part-time series competitors have entered including 2004 series Champion Chuck Barnes Jr., Tommy St. John and Brian Rievley, all three are former winners at Winchester Speedway.
The Winchester 400 will pay the winner $12,000, plus another possible $10,000 will be available in lap leader bonus money. There will also be a $3,700 bonus available to any former Winchester 400 winner or non CRA Super Series regular if they can win and $3000 in traveling bonuses to the top three finishing non-series regulars.
Officials expect a record crowd for the event.
