Aaron's 250: Clay Rogers posts victory in USAR Hooters ProCup Series race Saturday night at South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA. — South Boston Speedway hosted the season-opening event for the USAR Hooters ProCup Series Northern Division competitors Saturday night.

It may have been the first Northern Division event of the season, however, Clay Rogers of Mooresville, N.C., the lone Southern Division competitor in the 32-car field, stole the show in the Aaron's 250 presented by Lance Kelly Designs.

"I didn't want to make anyone mad," Rogers joked after collecting the win. "But, hey, I'm working on percentages."

Rogers led early in the race and, more importantly, he led late in the race and he was the frontrunner when the checkered flag fell. Rogers swiped the top spot from Lonnie Rush, Jr. of Mooresville, N.C. on the 157th circuit and maintained the lead position the remainder of the way.

Benny Gordon of DuBois, Pa. started from the pole position for the race and wound up collecting a runner-up finish. Woody Howard of Chesapeake, Va. started third and finished third in the race and was followed in the top five by Jeff Agnew of Copper Hill, Va. in the fourth slot and Eric Sartin of Kermit, West Va. in fifth place.

"Benny [Gordon] and I have a friendly rivalry," Rogers said, adding that Gordon was one of the main reasons that he opted to compete in the Aaron's 250. The appearance by Rogers at South Boston was his first since the 2002 season.

"I've always liked this race track," Rogers said. "The track has widened out and it makes it real fun to race here now. It is neat to be able to race at a track with multiple grooves."

Rogers took the lead position from Gordon on the first circuit and held it until Gordon regained the spot on lap 35.

Four circuits later, Rogers surged back past Gordon and kept the lead until he and a host of other lead-lap cars pitted on lap 104 during the seventh of 14 caution periods for the night.

When the yellow flag flew for the ninth time on lap 133, Rogers had moved into the top five. He was up to fourth place eight laps later when the evening's 10th caution flag flew, setting the stage for him to climb into position to swipe the lead on lap 157.

Shelby Howard of Greenwood, Ind. began the event in the 23rd starting position and roared through the field to gain a sixth-place run. L.W. Miller of Mooresville, N.C. secured a seventh-place run for the evening after beginning from the 28th spot in the field, and was followed in the top 10 by Gary St. Amant of Delaware, Ohio in eighth place. Corbett started the race in the 29th position, while Miller began from the 28th spot.

Richard Landreth of Pine Hall, N.C. was ninth for the race, while Eric Corbett of Clearspring, Md. Rounded out the top 10 competitors.

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Morris surges past Denning in closing stages to score victory in Late Model Stock Car Division event

Phillip Morris of Ruckersville, Va. powered into the lead with just over 30-laps remaining in the 110-lap race for the Barkhouser Late Model Stock Car Division Saturday night and held on the rest of the way to post a win.

Morris held off Jon Denning of Springfield, N.J. following a pair of late-race cautions, which extended the event to 116-laps, to post the victory. Denning, the winner of the season-opening Late Model Stock Car event the previous week, motored to a runner-up finish and maintained his lead at the top of the division's point standings.

Jonathan Cash of Oxford, N.C., who was the runner-up in the field last week, managed a third-place finish to stay hot on the heels of Denning in the division title chase. He was followed in the top five by Adam Barker of Hurt, Va. in fourth place and David Quackenbush of Lorton, Va. in the fifth slot.

Owen Miller of Emporia, Va. recorded a sixth-place run for the evening, while Drew Herring of Benson, N.C. was seventh and Jeramie Donley of Winston-Salem, N.C. was eighth.

Nick Smith of Hampton, Va. posted a ninth-place run for the night, while Ronald Hill of Rougemont, N.C. rounded out the top 10 drivers in the event.

Morris appeared headed to a fairly easy victory in the late stages of the race before he made contact with the lapped car of Jonathan Bailey of Keysville, Va. to bring out the fourth of five caution-flag periods during the race.

The caution flag waved one final time and set up a two-lap shootout to the checkered flag when Hill and Cliff Daniels of Smithfield, Va. got together coming out of turn four.