I-30 Speedway
Litton grabs O'Reilly SUPR victory at I-30 Speedway
By Bryan Wimberley
DirtonDirt.com correspondentLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 19) — Former series champion Rob Litton of Alexandria, La., notched his second O'Reilly Southern United Professional Racing tour victory of the season Friday at I-30 Speedway. The third-starting Litton earned $1,250 for narrowly outrunning outside front-row starter Kenny Merchant of West Monroe, La., who was going for his third straight series victory.
Litton led 23 of 25 laps, but it came down to the final lap as he beat Merchant to the checkered flag by a half-car length at the quarter-mile oval for his first victory since the season opener at Texas Motor Speedway.
Ray Moore of Shreveport, La., finished third followed by Kyle Cummings of Minden, La., and Kevin Sitton of Baytown, Texas. Polesitter Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., was the top-finishing series interloper in sixth in a race where most frontrunners stuck with the low groove.
Litton led at the beginning and quickly encountered lapped traffic after just five laps. He was able to fend of every move Merchant tried, including a slide underneath exiting turn four on the last lap.
The feature race was slowed by a pair of caution periods, the first on lap two, when Lee Davis of Greenwood, La., spun off the track in turn two. Davis continued to finish 18th.
The second caution came on lap 18 for a scramble involving Jeff Chanler of Minden and Jody Prince of Sibley, La., also in turn two.
Notes: Litton's Rocket Chassis has a Wall 2 Wall engine and sponsorship from LMS Truck Center, K.M. Construction and J&J Motorsports. .... The 18-minute feature ended at 10:55 p.m. ... Kyle Beard of Trumann, Ark., blew an engine in hot laps and scratched for the night. ... Making the most progress in the feature was teenager Gary Christian of Broken Bow, Okla., who advanced five positions from his 18th starting spot. ... In the first heat, a six-car accident in turns one and two involved Ronny Adams, Jack Sullivan, Jon Kirby, Joseph Long and eventual race winner Rob Litton. Kirby had front-end damage, Adams had a flat right rear tire and Long retired. ... In the second heat, Ray Moore hit the frontstretch wall near the flagstand on the fifth lap but motored on to victory. ... SUPR completes its I-30 weekend with a $2,500-to-win feature Saturday night.
O'Reilly SUPR @ I-30: (1) Rob Litton, (2) Kenny Merchant, (3) Ray Moore, (4) Kyle Cummings, (5) Kevin Sitton, (6) Jack Sullivan, (7) Robbie Stuart, (8) Jon Mitchell, (9) Chris Holley, (10) Allen Tippen, (11) Shane Stephens, (12) Jody Prince, (13) Gary Scott Christian, (14) Jeff Chanler, (15) Michael Murphree, (16) Tom Earl III, (17) Shane Harris, (18) Lee Davis, (19) Jon Kirby, (20) Joseph Long, (21) Wesley Crutchfield, (22) Ronny Adams, Scratched: Kyle Beard. Heat race winners (among 23 cars): Sullivan, Moore, Merchant.
Correction: Fixes Christian's starting spot.
