Morrow Tops in Top Tracks Crate Feature

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (April 18) Todd Morrow was on top when the checkered flag waved in the Top Tracks Crate Late Model Challenge Series Cleveland Aluminum 40 Saturday night at Cleveland Speedway.

Morrow, who had skipped the Late Model special at North Georgia Speedway the night before to get ready for Saturday's event wasted little time showing it was time well spent. On a lap four restart he roared past Derrick Rainey for the lead. After taking the lead he never looked back as he kept the top spot to the checkered flag.

With Morrow and Rainey solidly in the lead the battle for position behind the leaders was fast and furious with Brian Jackson, Chip Brindle, Bobby Mayse and Blake Stewart in the hunt. Jackson and Mayse would contest the third spot with Stewart watching from fifth. Brindle would move from his13th starting spot into the top five on lap 23 passing Mayse for fifth. In the waning laps Mayse would charged past Stewart to retake fifth.

When the smoke had cleared Morrow and Rainey crossed the stripe one and two followed by Jackson, Brindle and Mayse. Rounding out the top 10 were Stewart, David Payne, Kevin Burke, John Ownbey and Alan Brewer.

In Late Model action David Payne scored his career first Cleveland Speedway feature win. Payne, who started on the outside front row, outran pole sitter Randy Burrows to lead the first lap of the 30-lap feature event. He was able to keep Burrows behind him for the next 29 circuits to take the win.

While the lead duo of Payne and Burrows were slicing and dicing through traffic Preston Graves had his hands full as he tried to take and hold third. First he had to pass defending Late Model champion Paul Tims. Tims would fade on lap 18 opening the door for Graves and Bobby Mayse to move into third and fourth. Graves would hold off Mayse to hold the position to the finish.

When the checkered flag fell Payne was in victory lane celebrating his first Cleveland Speedway win, Burrows was in the runner up spot with Graves, Mayse and Reece rounding out the top five.

After a second place finish last week defending A-Hobby champion Todd Hernandez moved back into the top spot for his second win of the young season. Hernandez would lead every lap with last week's winner, Tanner Works shadowing him from lap three to lap 15. Works would bring out the caution flag and go to the rear. This opened the door for Greg Ledford, Devin Stuart, John Clark and Jim Clark to move up a position and finish second through fifth.

Chad Collins made it two B-Hobby feature wins in as many weeks as the Chattanooga driver led every lap keeping Michael Anderson at bay. Chad Shipley would finish third, Roy Baker fourth and Chuck Heling fifth.

Taking the lead from Danny Burnett on the fourth lap of the Pony feature Jimmy Elliott went on to score his second consecutive feature win. Burnett would have his hands full with John Smith and David Goode, but would hold on to second. Smith finished third, Goode fourth and Ralph Langston fifth.

Kenny Kizzar remained perfect in the Front Runner division as he won his third consecutive feature. Following Kizzar across the stripe were James Bragg, Billy Bailey, James Breland and Dustin Cansler.

Racing every Saturday night from March to November Cleveland Speedway is East Tennessee's finest clay oval. The track is located on US Hwy 11 (Lee Highway) just north of the US 64 bypass in Cleveland, Tenn. For more information call the track (423) 479-8574. Or visit www.clevelandspeedway.com/