Lone Star Speedway
Champion's late charge leads to Lone Star win
Rob Litton earned $3,500 for his victory at Lone Star. (Best Photography)
KILGORE, Texas (Nov. 24) — Rob Litton of Alexandria, La., wrapped up his third Southern United Professional Racing tour championship in style on Saturday at Lone Star Speedway.
Litton rubbed past rookie Shane Hebert of Lafayette, Ala., between turns three and four on the second-to-last lap for a $3,500 victory in SUPR’s season-ending Turkey Nationals. | Slideshow | Video
Hebert, who started outside the front row, stayed alongside the fourth-starting Litton halfway through the final lap, but the champion sealed his victory by diving inside a slower car entering turn three and took the checkers comfortable ahead of Hebert.
Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, started on the pole and led the first half of the 50-lapper, but he slowed on the backstretch and retired from the event.
Hebert inherited the lead and stayed out front while Litton and Kevin Sitton mixed it up battling for second, swapping the position before Litton got the position for good and set his sights on Hebert. Hebert settled for second followed by Sitton, Allen Tippen and Chris Wall.
Besides Bagley’s caution, other yellows appeared for a two-car tangle in turn two that included Jeff Chanler and for a turn-one scramble that included B.J. Robinson and Troy Verdan.
Notes: Litton’s Rocket Chassis is sponsored by Swan Lake Flying Services. ... Litton also won SUPR titles in 2004 and 2010. ... He joins three other drivers who have won three SUPR titles: Kenny Merchant, Doug Ingalls and David Ashley. ... Litton’s 27th career SUPR victory moves him into fifth place alone in the history of the 23-year old series. ... Litton’s previous SUPR victory came in Chatham, La., on March 17. ... SUPR Late Models ran topless. ... Mechanical problems forced Patrik Daniel to give up his sixth starting spot and he was the race’s first retiree. ... Modified driver Jason Ingalls suffered serious injuries in that division’s action when an object that came into the cockpit smashed his faceshield and left him with multiple fractures of his nose and eye sockets. The 37-year-old driver was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview and is expected to undergo surgery after the swelling goes down, according to his mother Susie Ingalls.
Turkey Nationals: (1) Rob Litton, (2) Shane Hebert, (3) Kevin Sitton, (4) Allen Tippen, (5) Chris Wall, (6) Zach McMillan, (7) Robert Metz Jr., (8) Rick Duke Jr., (9) Jim Bryant, (10) Chris Huckabay, (11) Mikey Kile, (12) Tyler Erb, (13) Jeff Chanler, (14) Morgan Bagley, (15) Bo Gordon, (16) Jon Mitchell, (17) B.J. Robinson, (18) Troy Berdan, (19) Wendall Bolden, (20) Patrik Daniel.
Correction: Fixes feature finish from positions 9-13.
