Cordele, GA (Wednesday, March 24, 2021) - The Watermelon Capital Speedway at Crisp Motorsports Park in Cordele, GA will be the site for the Georgia Spring Nationals this weekend, March 26th and 27th featuring a Super and Pro Late Model doubleheader plus a full racing program. Friday's schedule includes Southern Super Series (SSS) and JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Qualifying, plus Feature racing in the Legends, Bandoleros, Karts, Mini Stocks, and Enduro. Saturday's schedule includes the SSS Super 150 and the CRA Pro 100 features, along with feature racing in the Legends, Bandoleros Pure Stock, and Outlaw Late Models.
One driver making the long haul down to Georgia is 17-year-old, Evan Shotko. This young man has already drawn the attention of many Michigan race fans with two wins in 2018 and 2019 at his home track, Berlin Raceway, against stellar competition. He then won back-to-back features during the COVID-shortned season in 2020. In his short career, he has competed in numerous states with the CRA Touring Series, and has run well at most of the Late Model events he has entered closer to home. He will look to increase his racing activity this season as the COVID-19 pandemic slowed his 2020 efforts. Even though he is just a teenager, he will bring experience with him to this race as he finished 5th at the Speedfest Pro Late Model 125 for the JEGS Tour in January of last year at this track.
No one on the entry list probably brings more experience than veteran driver, Steve Dorer. The 51-year-old now lives in Lakeland, FL, but was a terror on the short tracks here in Michigan in the beginning of his career. Steve raced at numerous tracks during this time but probably enjoyed his most success at Spartan Speedway (now Corrigan Oil Speedway). He was crowned SLM Champion of the 1995 season and has visited the Mason, MI speed plant numerous times over the past 25 years, winning many races there with the latest coming in 2017 on a Sunday Slugfest show. Steve does it all in racing as he is a driver, owner, promoter, sponsor, and overall ambassador for short-track racing. In the last 10 years, he has competed in numerous series that tour all over this half of the country, and promotes the Wheel Man Sportsman Racing Series keeping him completely consumed in racing. His business, Racecar Engineering, specializes in local short-track racing, so it never ends for Steve. He will be one to watch this weekend as he has many laps around the Watermelon Capital Speedway, and he finished 3rd in the Speedfest Pro Late Model 125 for the JEGS Tour in January of last year at this track.
This weekend’s race is a non-points event for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour that will feature 12 points-paying races in their 2021 schedule. It will kick off on April 25 in Salem, IN. The tour will make its way to Michigan in late July with an event at The “Dixie” in Birch Run, MI, and then make their way to Berlin Raceway in Mid-August for the only two appearances in the state of Michigan for the series.
Watermelon Capital Speedway at Crisp Motorsports Park is located just a half of a mile west of Interstate 75, Exit #104, in Cordele, GA. For more information on this event, go to www.crispmotorsportspark.com, or www.cra-racing.com.
For more stories from around the region, be sure to log ontowww.horsepowerhappenings.com. Listen to on-demand episodes of the Horsepower Happenings Podcast, with new episodes every Monday night at 9:00 pm.
JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Entries:
Graham Campbell
Joey Strode
Rafe Slate
Hudson Halder
Steve Dorer
Justin Bonnett
Christopher Tullis
Harrison Halder
Evan Shotko
Brandon Brilliant
Cody Hall
Allen Gordon
Josh Hicks
Stephen Nasse
Dawson Fletcher
Story - Ed Inloes, Horsepower Happenings
Photo - HD Photo