04/24/12 Twenty-six cars competed in the Eric Saunders “I Can, I Will” 100 JEGS CRA All Stars season opener at Plymouth Speedway Sunday; but only two cars shared the lead, finishing with less than one second separating them.
Daniel Hemric passed Erik Jones after the halfway point and held the lead throughout the remainder of the race. The 21-year-old from North Carolina thrilled the audience with a back flip off his car upon taking the checkers.
“It was an awesome team effort,” said Hemric, who held off Jones, the defending JEGS/CRA champ.
It was a successful day for youthful drivers as Jones, 16, was followed by 14-year-old Anderson Bowen in third place. Finishing out the top 10 were: 4th – Josh Nelms; 5th – Brent Downey; 6th – Jeremy Lepak; 7th – Cole Williams; 8th – Eddie Hoffman; 9th – Chris Koslek; 10th – Taylor Ferns.
In the 25-lap Plymouth Street Stock feature, Josh Sommers held off Shawn Amor and DJ Frost to take the checkers.
It was a day named for track promoter Eric Saunders, a former Motocross racer with Tony Stewart Racing who was injured in a practice crash in 2010 that resulted in his being paralyzed, and it was his little brother Garrett Saunders who won his first ever race, holding off last week’s winner in the Hornets series, Sal Bustamante.
Friday marks the opening of the regular season at the track, with the Outlaw Late Model, Late Model, Street Stock and Hornets starting at 8 p.m. Tickets for adults are $12; children under 10 are free with an adult. Pit passes are available for $25.
