Morris Take Wins In Mason-Dixon 500

SOUTH BOSTON, VA. - NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion Philip Morris was in championship-caliber form Saturday in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series NASCAR Late Model 250 that comprised half of Saturday's Mason-Dixon 500 here at South Boston Speedway.

Morris, from Ruckersville, Va., took the lead from Deac McCaskill of Raleigh, N.C. on the eighth lap and never looked back enroute to winning the 250-lap NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division.

The win was worth $10,500 to Morris, a former South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division champion. He pocketed $10,000 for the race win plus a $500 DRP Performance-South Boston Speedway Halfway Leader Award.

Morris edged McCaskill by 1.413 second with Justin Johnson of Durham, N.C., the runner-up in the chase for the South Boston Speedway Barkhouser Late Model Stock Car Division points standings, finishing third. Dustin Storm of Huntington, Md. finished fourth and South Boston Speedway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Car Division champion, Wayne Ramsey of Amherst, Va., finished fifth.

McCaskill took home $6,500 for his runner-up finish, a prize that included $6,000 for the runner-up prize and $500 for winning the GE Tile & Design Pole Award.

Rounding out the top ten finishers were former South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division track champions Brandon Butler of Sutherland, Va., and Frank Deiny Jr. of Ashland, Va., Chad Harris of Stuarts Draft, Va., Wesley Falk of Virginia Beach, Va. and David Triplett Jr. of Durham, N.C.

The race featured two lead changes among three drivers with Triplett, the outside pole winner, leading the first two laps before McCaskill, the pole winner, jumped into the lead on the third lap. Morris, who started third, sped past McCaskill to take the lead on the eighth lap and led the rest of the way.

Morris dominated the race, leaving McCaskill and Johnson to battle it out for second place. McCaskill and Johnson swapped second place on several occasions with McCaskill squeezing past Johnson to take the second spot for the final time on lap 235.

The race was run in two segments, with the first segment consisting of 200 laps and the final segment consisting of 50 green-flag laps. Seven cautions and two red flags slowed the action in the first segment. But, the second segment went uninterrupted.

It took Morris only 20 laps to re-establish his earlier dominance in the second segment as he gradually inched away from McCaskill and Johnson, the only two drivers that showed signs being able to match Morris' pace.

Morris averaged 62.665 mph in the 250-lap, 80-mile race that took one hour, 36 minutes and 35 seconds to complete.

Clark Takes Win In 250-Lap PASS South Super Late Model Race

Johnny Clark of Hallowell, ME took the lead on lap 150 and led the rest of the way in winning the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model race, which was the co-feature event of the Mason-Dixon 500 racing program.

The win was the first for Clark this season on the PASS South Super Late Model circuit and was worth $10,000.

Despite having to spend a lengthy span in the pits for repairs after a broken front wheel sent him crashing into the first turn wall, Alex Haase of Concord, N.C. won the PASS South Super Late Model circuit championship.

Haase, who drives a Toyota owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Kyle Busch, finished 12th in the race, 31 laps down to Clark.

The crash occurred moments after Haase had squeezed past Clark on lap 104 to take the lead.

Clark, who qualified second-fastest in Friday's qualifying time trials, started ninth after the series' redraw practice. It took him 73 laps to storm into the lead for the first time. He unofficially led three times for a total of 218 laps, including the final 100 circuits.

Jeff Fultz of Goldsboro, N.C. finished second, 2.223 seconds behind Clark with Cassius Clark of Farmington, ME, Trevor Sanborn of East Parsonsfield, ME, and South Carolinian Randy Porter rounding out the top five finishers.

D.J. Shaw of Center Conway, NH, former NASCAR Busch North Series champion Kelly Moore of Scarborough, ME, 14-year-old Ryan Blaney of High Point, N.C., the 14-year-old son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dave Blaney, Lonnie Sommerville of St. John, New Brunswick and Corey Williams of Boothbay, ME rounding out the top ten finishers in the unofficial finishing order.

The race was a very competitive one with eight lead changes among five drivers in an unofficial tally of race leaders.

Clark averaged 41.885 mph in the race that took two hours, 23 minutes and 14 seconds to complete.