Duck River Raceway Park
Morrow completes SRRS sweep at Duck River
By Robert Holman
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Todd Morrow completes his Duck River sweep Friday in SRRS action. (photobyconnie.com)
WHEEL, Tenn. (June 29) — On Thursday night, Todd Morrow said he had to borrow a little traveling money from his wife to go on the road during the long Independence Day racing weekend. They should be square by now.
Morrow claimed his second consecutive Southern Regional Racing Series victory and his second straight $3,000 paycheck by leading all 40 laps of Friday’s event at Duck River Raceway Park. | Notebook | Slideshow
Josh Putnam, of Killen, Ala., rebounded from a dismal performance a day earlier to claim second, while Chad Winkles, of Falkville, Ala., had another strong run to place third. Tim Busha, of Boaz, Ala., finished fourth, with Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, of Northport, Ala., fifth for his second straight top-five finish.
Morrow pocketed $6,000 during his two-day stop at the quarter-mile Duck River Speedway Park, a track that he said suits his driving style.
After winning from the sixth starting spot on Thursday at Duck River, the soft-spoken driver from Cleveland, Tenn., had hoped for a slick track on Friday night. With temperatures peaking near 108 degrees in Middle Tennessee on Friday afternoon, Morrow got his wish.
He took advantage and didn’t have to work nearly has hard for his second-ever series victory. Morrow jumped ahead of outside front row starter D.J. Myers, of Greencastle, Pa., at the start. Glued to the bottom, Morrow reached lapped traffic by lap 13.
Myers began to fade midway through the main, giving way to Putnam and Skylar Marler. With 15 laps remaining, the leader held a 3-second advantage over Putman.
As Morrow raced around the hub and stretched his lead, there was a big shuffle for the third spot between Winkles, Busha, Myers and Jeff Watson. Three laps later Hollingsworth found some grip around the bottom and entered the fray, re-entering the top five on lap 28.
Winkles made a late-race charge at the runner-up spot and raced side-by-side with Putman for three laps before Putman finally secured the spot.
Notes: Morrow’s second series win came in a PMI Performance Masters Engine powered MasterSbilt Race Car with sponsorship from A&K Transportation, Cherokee Farms RV Center, Wilson’s Auto Sales and BASE Fuels. … Morrow joins Aaron Ridley as the only repeat series winner this season. … Though Morrow easily leads the points standing for the SRRS five-race mini-series, he’s considering going to Fort Payne Motor Speedway on Saturday for a $3,000-to-win event. Morrow has had good success at Fort Payne in the past, including a win in a weekly show this season. … The race was slowed by five cautions: Brett Miller’s flat on lap two, a multi-car tangle on the lap two restart, a spin on lap 13, debris on lap 18, and a spin in turn two on lap 27. … Despite the high temperatures, the track wasn’t as dusty in the infield as it was on Thursday night. … For the second night in a row, the No. 47 of Brett Miller had trouble. After winning his heat, and starting seventh in the main, Miller retired with a flat on lap two. Vic Hill drove Miller’s car on Thursday. … Ronnie Johnson was the biggest mover, starting 21 and finishing eighth. … Ryan Gifford, of Winchester, Tenn., won the Limited Late Model feature.
SRRS Showdown @ Duck River: (1) Todd Morrow, (2) Josh Putnam, (3) Chad Winkles, (4) Tim Busha, (5) Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, (6) Jeff Watson, (7) D.J. Myers, (8) Ronnie Johnson, (9) Aaron Ridley, (10) Corey Posey, (11) Riley Hickman, (12) Scott Cook, (13) Daniel Miller, (14) Pierce McCarter, (15) David Seibers, (16) Josh Henry, (17) Clint Nichols, (18) Brad Skinner, (19) Skylar Marlar, (20) Jason Wilson, (21) Tony Morris, (22) Mark Fields, (23) David Brannon, (24) Jason Manley, (25) Brett Miller. Fast qualifier (among 26 cars): Hollingsworth. Heat race winners: Miller, Watson, Busha. Dash winner: Morrow.
