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Roby Helm
MERIDIAN, Miss. (August 29) - Todd Morrow of East Ridge, TN won the rain-shortened NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series event at Whynot Motorsports Park on Saturday night driving the T.J. Hunt Trucking Mastersbilt. Rain began to fall on the 3/8-mile clay oval during a lap 28 caution period ending the race that was scheduled to run 50 laps.
Morrow was the McLeod Construction Fast Qualifier, out-timing the 30-car field with a lap in 13.647 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event. Morrow took the lead at the start of the race, and then beat the rain and Friday night's winner, Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL in the Century Carriers, Inc. Trak-Star to the end of the race, three laps past the halfway point.
Both drivers had a good weekend at Whynot Motorsports Park, as Morrow and McRee reversed their Friday night finish in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap event.
The defending NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion Jim McDuffie of Meridian, MS took the third spot in the H.E. Mosley, Inc Trak-Star, and Mike Boland of Cuba, AL was fourth in The Strength Center Trak-Star. NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National point leader Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS finished fifth in the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle.
Cooley, who took the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place Award, has now opened up an 88-point lead over Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL in the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National point standings. Boutwell finished 13th in the McLeod Construction Rocket.
Bub McCool of Vicksburg, MS started the Usry Architects Trak-Star in the 16th starting spot, and finished sixth to earn the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger of the Race Award. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA drove the Turner Excavating DWB to a seventh-place finish.
Stephen Brantley of Monroeville, AL was eighth in the Airport Sports Center Mastersbilt to earn the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award, and Chris McElhenney of Lake, MS took the ninth spot in the G&M Trucking GRT and the Maximum Signs Ninth-Place Award.
Wesley Greene of Winona, MS rounded out the top ten in the Transport Service Center Trak-Star. There were still 16 cars on the lead lap when the race was checkered flagged in the rain on lap 28.
Chase Washington of Houlka, MS finished 14th and earned the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award driving the Jerry Inmon Race Cars GRT. Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS finished 24th after completing only 17 laps and earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
Morrow got the hole shot at the start of the race over outside front row starter Brantley to take the lead in turn one. Brantley, McRee, McDuffie, and Turner trailed Morrow at the end of the first lap. McRee drove outside Brantley down the backstretch on lap two to claim the second spot. Morrow began to work lapped traffic by the eighth lap.
Boland moved into the top five on lap nine when he got around Turner. Lap ten saw McRee begin to close the gap between himself and Morrow, who was busy negotiating lapped traffic. The first of two caution flags came out on lap 19 when Washington spun in turn three. Morrow led McRee, Brantley, McDuffie, Boland, Cooley, Turner, McElhenney, McCool and Greene down for the double-file restart.
Brantley began to backslide after the restart, as McDuffie, Boland, and Cooley dropped him to the sixth spot. Turner then passed Brantley on lap 21 for the sixth spot, and McCool moved up to seventh on lap 22. McCool then threw a slider on Turner on lap 23 to take over the sixth spot.
By lap 25, Morrow had pulled out to a ½-straightaway lead over McRee, but the leader caught lapped traffic on lap 27, and McRee began to close the gap. Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS in the Lamar Auto Salvage Mastersbilt hit the third turn wall on lap 29 to bring out the second caution flag.
As the field rolled around the track under caution, frequent lightning and a steady rain began to fall. When the track became too wet to compete on, officials checkered flagged the race to make it official three laps past the halfway point with 28 laps complete.
The next three stops for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be the Mississippi Labor Day Triple Crown on September 4-6. Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS will host the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Tour for the first time with a 40-lap $2,000-to-win race on Friday night, September 4.
The series moves to Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS on Saturday night, September 5 for a 50-lap $2,500-to-win race. The final jewel of the Mississippi Labor Day Triple Crown will be held at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on Sunday night, September 6 with a 40-lap $2,000-to-win main event.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 17 AT WHYNOT MOTORSPORTS PARK IN MERIDIAN, MS ON 8/29/09:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 T16 Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN 28 $2,600
2. 3 25 Justin McRee Woodstock, AL 28 $1,250
3. 5 760 Jim McDuffie Meridian, MS 28 $850
4. 6 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 28 $700
5. 10 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 28 $650
6. 16 27 Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS 28 $550
7. 4 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 28 $500
8. 2 02 Stephen Brantley Monroeville, AL 28 $450
9. 9 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 28 $400
10. 7 95c Wesley Greene Winona, MS 28 $375
11. 11 5 Klint Byars Carrollton, MS 28 $350
12. 12 9m Tom Maddox Centre, AL 28 $300
13. 22 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 28 $280
14. 8 38 Chase Washington (R) Houlka, MS 28 $260
15. 14 21 Ben McCreary (R) Baldwyn, MS 28 $250
16. 18 1 Jason Hiett Lincoln, AL 28 $240
17. 19 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 27 $220
18. 21 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 27 $200
19. 17 4w Wiley Williams Stonewall, MS 27 $200
20. 23 48 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 27 $200
21. 20 77 Michael Santangelo St. Rose, LA 26 $200
22. 24 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 26 $200
23. 13 118 Randy Boyd Marion, MS 22 $200
24. 15 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 17 $200
ENTRIES: 30
McLEOD CONSTRUCTION FAST QUALIFIER: Morrow, 13.647 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Rainey
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Morrow, 1-28
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Washington
GM PERFORMANCE PARTS HARD CHARGER: McCool (started 16th and finished 6th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Lee
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Cooley
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Brantley
MAXIMUM SIGNS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: McElhenney
CAUTIONS: 2
TIME OF THE RACE: 19 Minutes and 32.472 Seconds
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