West Virginia Motor Speedway
Moran wins $3,000 in WVMS reopening race
Donnie Moran picks up $3,000 at WVMS. (Zach Yost)
MINERAL WELLS, W.Va. (Sept. 16) — Ushering in a new era at the recently reconfigured West Virginia Motor Speedway, Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, raced to a $3,000 American Dirt Racing Association-sanctioned victory in Sunday’s Buzzy Topless Classic as the Mountain State track hosted its first race since being shortened to a 4/10-mile oval. | Video
Starting from the pole, Moran, a multi-time winner on WVMS’s previous 5/8-mile configuration, led every lap of Sunday’s race, outdueling fellow front-row starter Jared Hawkins of Fairmont, W.Va., early in the race and pulling to a straightaway advantage over sixth-starting Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., in the closing laps.
“Any time you win is great, but that’s a big win,” Moran said of his second ADRA victory of the season. “I raced and won a lot the way the track was and to win on it with (the new configuration), that made it special. Plus, to beat guys like Eddie and Hawkins, that’s a pretty good run.”
Carrier settled for second at the finish while Hawkins finished third ahead of Doug Drown of Wooster, Ohio, and Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio.
Carrier couldn’t recover after a redraw among the top eight qualifiers put him at the tail of the night’s qualifying dash.
“To have to come from the tail of that dash, that really put us behind for the night,” Carrier said. “If we could’ve started on the front row and got out front maybe we could’ve been hard to pass. But Donnie was really good. He had the car to beat in the feature.”
Notes: Moran’s MasterSbilt Race Car is powered by a Malcuit Race Engine with sponsorship from Custom Cutters, DMR Chassis Components, Muskingum County Speedway and American Race Tires. … Sunday’s event was the first race held at WVMS since operations shut down for reconfiguration following Earl Pearson Jr.’s $50,000 Dirt Track World Championship victory on Oct. 16, 2010. … Moran’s previous ADRA victory was another $3,000 triumph that came July 13 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio. … ADRA wraps up its season over the Sept. 28-30 weekend. The tour competes twin $10,000-to-win features at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio Friday and Saturday and a $3,000-to-win event at Midway Speedway in Crooksville, Ohio, Sunday.
Buzzy Topless Classic: (1) Donnie Moran, (2) Eddie Carrier Jr., (3) Jared Hawkins, (4) Doug Drown, (5) Rod Conley, (6) Freddie Carpenter, (7) Steve Lucas, (8) Sonny Conley, (9) Delmas Conley, (10) Jason Flory, (11) Anthony Huber, (12) Russ Frohnapfel, (13) Marshall Wiblin, (14) Travis Brookover, (15) Roy Roush, (16) Chris Garnes, (17) Darin Roush, (18) Nick Corbitt, (19) Zack Dohm. Fast qualifier (among 25 cars): Carrier, 18.65 seconds. Dash winner: Moran. Heat race winners: Drown, Huber. Consolation winner: Flory.
