STROUD, ON- 7-time Sunset Speedway track champion Chris Morrow returned to form on May 4th, capturing the 100-lap season opening Spring Derby at Sunset Speedway, after charging from deep in the field and surviving a late race battle with Mike Bentley, Jason Witty and Taylor Holdaway.
“We’re back!” exclaimed Morrow as he climbed from his winning ride in victory lane. “The car was awesome, I was just trying to ride for as long as we could, and here we are back in victory lane”.
After capturing top-qualifier honours earlier in the afternoon, Morrow charged from 12th on the grid, finally breaching the top-5 shortly past the halfway mark.
“I was really trying not to use my stuff up”, explained Morrow. “It’s tough not to put the pedal to the metal and let ‘er fly. I was driving by myself for a while, and I saw guys ahead of me racing hard in a pack, 3 or 4 wide, and I didn’t see any sense in being there with them. I just kept them in sight, and let them burn up their stuff”
A late race push propelled Morrow past longtime leader Taylor Holdaway in the race’s dying laps, before the veteran held off a spirited charge from defending Sunset champion Mike Bentley.
“I feel sorry for Taylor, I think he had the race in the bag”, admitted Morrow. “He got into [turn] 2 a little hot, I don’t know if he didn’t clean the tires off under caution or not, and I was able to drive underneath him”.
Morrow’s McColl Racing Enterprises chassis carries sponsorship from Morrow Electric, Advanced Landscapes, Contractor Rental Supply and Duraflo.
In Super Stock division action, third-generation driver ‘The Prodigy’ Cayden Lapcevich earned his first career Sunset Speedway feature event, leading much of the race’s 50-laps, battling with 2-time speedway champion Randy Rusnell.
“This car was amazing all day. To finally get my first win at Sunset and get this monkey off my back feels incredible!”
‘The Prodigy’ entered the weekend on a wave of momentum, after closing the 2013 season by capturing Flamboro Speedway’s Frost Fest invitational.
“I feel as though all the bad luck we’ve had is out of the way now. I’m able to just go and race now and compete for a championship”.
Former Limited Late Model regular ‘The Instant Classic’ Andy Kamrath won the 35-lap Mini Stock season opener.
Spring Derby 100 presented by Great Lakes Concrete Results
1) ‘Mr. Excitement’ Chris Morrow Anten Mills, ON
2) Mike ‘Lights Out’ Bentley Guelph, ON
3) Jason ‘Bam Bam’ Witty Queensville, ON
4) ‘Hollywood’ Taylor Holdaway Orillia, ON
5) Steven Wilson Sutton, ON
6) Sean Cronan Craighurst, ON
7) Flyin’ Ryan Kimball Norwood, ON
8) ‘The New Age Punisher’ Jason Parker Port Elgin, ON
9) Jason Hathaway Uxbridge, ON
10) Mat Box Maple, ON
11) Flyin’ Frank Davey River Drive Park, ON
12) Paul Maltese Alcona Beach, ON
13) ‘Livewire’ Nick Goetz Port Elgin, ON
14) Scott Beatty Barrie, ON
15) ‘The Bully’ Dwayne Baker Stayner, ON
16) ‘Prime Time’ Josh Stade Chesley, ON
17) Gary Elliott Waterdown, ON
18) ‘B Gres’ Britney Gresel Hepworth, ON
19) ‘The Hulkster’ Bruce Rankin Mississauga, ON
20) Kyle Passer Lefroy, ON
21) ‘The Hillsdale Hurricane’ Thayne Hallyburton Hillsdale, ON
22) Stompin’ Tom Walters Stroud, ON
23) Tyler Liscum Barrie, ON
24) Dario Capirchio Lefroy, ON
25) Billy ‘Z3’ Zardo Brampton, ON
26) ‘RQ’ Ron Quesnelle Penetang, ON
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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