Racerchaser
10-25-2009, 06:00 PM
ARENA RACING HAMPTON ROADS
at Hampton (Va.) Coliseum
Event #1: 2009-10 Season Opener
Race Report
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009
HAMPTON, Va. (Oct. 24) -- Patrick Morgan led all the way from the pole to take the win in the hard-hitting 50-lap Top Dog race, the featured event of Saturday evening's season-opening program for Arena Racing Hampton Roads at the Hampton Coliseum.
Brittany Bangas shared the front row with Morgan and remained on his flank until the second lap when Morgan pulled ahead. Cody Turbitt rushed to fill the opening to the inside of Bangas, as the field stacked up double-wide behind the leader.
The first caution flag appeared on lap 5 when Bangas got sideways in the middle of Turns 1 and 2, collecting a couple more machines.
Gathering for the green flag, the field was aligned for a Sprint Cup-style double-file restart. Back under green, Morgan pulled ahead of Turbitt and brought third-place Derek Miller along with him. Scott Prillaman, Travis Wall and Adam Florian also moved ahead of Turbitt and it quickly became apparent that the outside line wasn't the preferred place to be for restarts.
With Morgan holding a slight edge, Miller and Prillaman slugged it out for second. Behind them, Florian bypassed Wall for fourth on lap 19.
On lap 24, Miller and Prillaman locked horns in Turn 4. Florian, the defending series champ, seized the opportunity and flashed into second place. Two laps later, the second caution flag waved for debris.
Back under green, Morgan shot ahead of Florian, who gave up second to Prillaman, continuing what would become a familiar restart refrain. Caution #3 appeared on lap 27 when Bangas spun in Turn 4.
On the restart, Morgan edged ahead of Prillaman by half a length and left the inside lane open for Florian, who retook second from Prillaman, his one-time teammate. Wall also slipped past Prillaman for third.
Beginning on lap 34, Florian began to sneak peeks to the inside of Morgan, looking to swipe the lead. Morgan held him at bay, though. Meanwhile, Wall steadily closed in on the lead duo.
On lap 41, Florian tried to poke a fender alongside Morgan as they exited Turn 2, only to provoke an aggressive defense from the leader. Spotting an opportunity, Wall pulled to the outside of Florian and the battle for second was on.
Lap 43 produced a trio of yellow flags -- the first when Bangas had problems in Turn 4 and the other two on ensuing restarts.
One more lap was in the books when Caution #7 waved on the 44th circuit as Florian went around in Turn 2 and collected three more drivers.
Lining up for the restart, Morgan and Wall made up the front row. As the green flag flew, the front two bolted from the jumble behind them. Florian, who restarted in sixth place, emerged from the scramble in third.
The eighth, and final, caution flag flew on lap 47 as Aaron Leach spun off Turn 2.
Under green for the last time, Morgan quickly cleared Wall and Florian tagged along, picking up second place and closing in on Morgan's rear bumper.
Florian shadowed Morgan for a couple laps, waiting to pull the trigger on a race-winning pass. Coming to the white flag, he tried to duck inside Morgan, but, instead, two-wheeled it off Turn 4.
That bobble provided all the breathing room Morgan would need as he won by a car-length. Florian was second to the line, followed by Wall, Craig Carlton and Turbitt. Only the top-five finishers were on the lead lap at the checkers. Bangas was sixth, while Leach, Sparky West, Prillaman and Miller completed the top 10.
***
Patrick Morgan started on the pole and led all 50 circuits to kick off his season in style -- with a victory in the A Main.
While Morgan showed the way, Scott Prillaman and Derek Miller held down the second and third spots. In the meantime, Adam Florian was working forward from the ninth starting position.
The first caution flag flew on lap 7 when Spencer Saunders, in fourth at the time, did a half-flip in Turn 4, smacking the outside wall roof-first.
Back under green, Morgan led Prillaman, Miller and Florian in a four-car breakaway at the head of the field. On lap 9, Florian overtook Miller to nab the third position. The second caution flag appeared two laps later.
As the race resumed, Morgan and Prillaman bolted from the pack, while Miller motored to the outside of Florian in a bid for third. Florian fought off the advance, but lost nearly half a straightaway to the top two in the process.
Caution #3 appeared on lap 25 when Zach Moran careened into the inside barrier off Turn 4. Setting the lineup, Morgan was the leader, followed by Prillaman, Florian, Miller and Robbie Davis.
Returning to green, Morgan, Prillaman and Florian sped off in nose-to-tail formation, while Miller lingered half a length off Florian's bumper.
Exiting Turn 4 on lap 32, Florian poked a fender to the inside of Prillaman. He completed the pass on lap 33 to take over second place. The exchange allowed Morgan to pad his lead to four lengths.
By lap 44, Florian had chased down Morgan and was hunting for an opening. Behind them, Prillaman fought off Miller's bid for the third spot.
The last of the race's four yellow flags flew on lap 47 for debris in Turn 1.
On the last restart, Morgan quickly jumped out to a one-length advantage over Florian. Florian closed the gap, but couldn't overcome Morgan, who held on for the victory. Prillaman was third, followed by Miller and Travis Wall. The top five finishers, along with sixth-place Charlie Green, moved on to the Top Dog race.
***
Starting from the outside pole, Brittany Bangas moved out front on the first circuit and showed the way to the checkered flag in a caution-filled 50-lap B Main.
Matt Leach drew the pole for the start, but couldn't hold back Bangas as the race got under way. Brad Hancock tagged along with Bangas and took over second in the early going.
For the first 47 laps, which were interrupted by six yellow flags, Bangas, Hancock and Leach held down the top three positions.
On lap 48, Hancock and Leach tangled briefly along the backstretch, creating a logjam in the pack. That situation came to a head in Turn 4 in the form of multi-car pileup, prompting the seventh caution flag.
Back under way, for a "green-white-checkered" sprint, Bangas quickly gained a one-length edge over Nelson Moody, the new second-place runner. Just as quickly, though, the eighth yellow flag appeared for a three-car tangle in Turn 4.
Under green for the final time, Bangas eked out a slim margin over Moody and drove on to a one-length win. Moody was second, followed by Mike Dayton, Aaron Leach and Curtis Hughes.
The top four finishers -- Bangas, Moody, Dayton and Aaron Leach -- advanced to the Top Dog feature. Dayton, who suffered some damage in the closing laps of the race, was unable to answer the Top Dog bell and his spot passed to Hughes.
***
Cody Turbitt pulled off a perfectly executed bump-and-run on the white-flag lap and picked up the win in the 50-lap C Main.
Cory Millard started on the pole, but gave way to Craig Carlton on the opening lap. The only caution flag flew on lap 2 when Chris Crecelius spun in Turn 2, collecting several other cars.
When the race resumed, Carlton quickly bolted to a four-length advantage, while Matt Midgett, Turbitt and Sparky West bypassed Millard.
Carlton enjoyed a leisurely cruise for much of the event. By lap 30, he was up by a full straightaway over Turbitt, who had swiped second from Midgett on lap 23. For the leader, though, a heavy pack of lapped traffic loomed in his path.
On lap 37, Carlton tried to overtake Crecelius off Turn 4 and the two made contact, skidding to the track apron. Carlton quickly righted his machine and continued, but the scuffle allowed Turbitt to creep closer.
Nearing the finish, Carlton ran up on rookie contender Josh Ayer and was stymied. As Carlton struggled to clear the Ayer machine, Turbitt chopped into the lead. By lap 48, Turbitt was parked on Carlton's bumper.
Turbitt tailed Carlton until lap 50. In Turn 2 for the final time, Turbitt rooted Carlton up the track and grabbed the top spot on the backstretch.
At the checkers, Turbitt was the winner by a car-length over a less-than-pleased Carlton. Rookie Landon Florian was third to the line, followed by Midgett and Ayer.
With the win, Turbitt moved on to the evening's Top Dog finale. He was joined by Carlton, Midgett and Sparky West. As rookies, Florian and Ayer were ineligible for a Top Dog starting spot.
***
Adam Florian set the pace in afternoon time trials, lapping the tenth-mile course in 8.138 seconds to edge out Scott Prillaman by just one-thousandth of a second. Travis Wall, Spencer Saunders and Patrick Morgan were third, fourth and fifth, respectively, on the speed chart. Thirty-three drivers took part in the qualifying session. The separation from first to 33rd was 0.813-second.
OCT. 24 RACE RESULTS from Hampton Coliseum:
TOP DOG (50 laps):
1. Patrick Morgan;
2. Adam Florian;
3. Travis Wall;
4. Craig Carlton;
5. Cody Turbitt;
6. Brittany Bangas;
7. Aaron Leach;
8. Sparky West;
9. Scott Prillaman;
10. Derek Miller;
11. Curtis Hughes;
12. Nelson Moody;
13. Charlie Green;
14. Matt Midgett.
Pole: Morgan.
A MAIN (50 laps):
1. Patrick Morgan;
2. Adam Florian;
3. Scott Prillaman;
4. Derek Miller;
5. Travis Wall;
6. Charlie Green;
7. Robbie Davis;
8. Pete Hunt;
9. Zach Moran;
10. Anthony Perez;
11. Spencer Saunders.
Pole: Morgan.
B MAIN (50 laps):
1. Brittany Bangas;
2. Nelson Moody;
3. Mike Dayton;
4. Aaron Leach;
5. Curtis Hughes;
6. Brad Hancock;
7. Matt Leach;
8. Jason Styron;
9. Michael Weddell;
10. Chris Raiford;
11. Clayton Parrish.
Pole: M. Leach.
C MAIN (50 laps):
1. Cody Turbitt;
2. Craig Carlton;
3. Landon Florian;
4. Matt Midgett;
5. Josh Ayer;
6. Sparky West;
7. Chris Crecelius;
8. Cory Millard;
9. Mark Brooks;
10. Mike Conley;
11. Jordan Wood.
Pole: Millard.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday, Oct. 31 @ Hampton Coliseum. Doors open at 6 PM and racing begins at 7 PM.
MEDIA CONTACT: Blake Murphy
Phone: 757.216.4426
E-mail: Blake@ArenaRacingUSA.com
at Hampton (Va.) Coliseum
Event #1: 2009-10 Season Opener
Race Report
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009
HAMPTON, Va. (Oct. 24) -- Patrick Morgan led all the way from the pole to take the win in the hard-hitting 50-lap Top Dog race, the featured event of Saturday evening's season-opening program for Arena Racing Hampton Roads at the Hampton Coliseum.
Brittany Bangas shared the front row with Morgan and remained on his flank until the second lap when Morgan pulled ahead. Cody Turbitt rushed to fill the opening to the inside of Bangas, as the field stacked up double-wide behind the leader.
The first caution flag appeared on lap 5 when Bangas got sideways in the middle of Turns 1 and 2, collecting a couple more machines.
Gathering for the green flag, the field was aligned for a Sprint Cup-style double-file restart. Back under green, Morgan pulled ahead of Turbitt and brought third-place Derek Miller along with him. Scott Prillaman, Travis Wall and Adam Florian also moved ahead of Turbitt and it quickly became apparent that the outside line wasn't the preferred place to be for restarts.
With Morgan holding a slight edge, Miller and Prillaman slugged it out for second. Behind them, Florian bypassed Wall for fourth on lap 19.
On lap 24, Miller and Prillaman locked horns in Turn 4. Florian, the defending series champ, seized the opportunity and flashed into second place. Two laps later, the second caution flag waved for debris.
Back under green, Morgan shot ahead of Florian, who gave up second to Prillaman, continuing what would become a familiar restart refrain. Caution #3 appeared on lap 27 when Bangas spun in Turn 4.
On the restart, Morgan edged ahead of Prillaman by half a length and left the inside lane open for Florian, who retook second from Prillaman, his one-time teammate. Wall also slipped past Prillaman for third.
Beginning on lap 34, Florian began to sneak peeks to the inside of Morgan, looking to swipe the lead. Morgan held him at bay, though. Meanwhile, Wall steadily closed in on the lead duo.
On lap 41, Florian tried to poke a fender alongside Morgan as they exited Turn 2, only to provoke an aggressive defense from the leader. Spotting an opportunity, Wall pulled to the outside of Florian and the battle for second was on.
Lap 43 produced a trio of yellow flags -- the first when Bangas had problems in Turn 4 and the other two on ensuing restarts.
One more lap was in the books when Caution #7 waved on the 44th circuit as Florian went around in Turn 2 and collected three more drivers.
Lining up for the restart, Morgan and Wall made up the front row. As the green flag flew, the front two bolted from the jumble behind them. Florian, who restarted in sixth place, emerged from the scramble in third.
The eighth, and final, caution flag flew on lap 47 as Aaron Leach spun off Turn 2.
Under green for the last time, Morgan quickly cleared Wall and Florian tagged along, picking up second place and closing in on Morgan's rear bumper.
Florian shadowed Morgan for a couple laps, waiting to pull the trigger on a race-winning pass. Coming to the white flag, he tried to duck inside Morgan, but, instead, two-wheeled it off Turn 4.
That bobble provided all the breathing room Morgan would need as he won by a car-length. Florian was second to the line, followed by Wall, Craig Carlton and Turbitt. Only the top-five finishers were on the lead lap at the checkers. Bangas was sixth, while Leach, Sparky West, Prillaman and Miller completed the top 10.
***
Patrick Morgan started on the pole and led all 50 circuits to kick off his season in style -- with a victory in the A Main.
While Morgan showed the way, Scott Prillaman and Derek Miller held down the second and third spots. In the meantime, Adam Florian was working forward from the ninth starting position.
The first caution flag flew on lap 7 when Spencer Saunders, in fourth at the time, did a half-flip in Turn 4, smacking the outside wall roof-first.
Back under green, Morgan led Prillaman, Miller and Florian in a four-car breakaway at the head of the field. On lap 9, Florian overtook Miller to nab the third position. The second caution flag appeared two laps later.
As the race resumed, Morgan and Prillaman bolted from the pack, while Miller motored to the outside of Florian in a bid for third. Florian fought off the advance, but lost nearly half a straightaway to the top two in the process.
Caution #3 appeared on lap 25 when Zach Moran careened into the inside barrier off Turn 4. Setting the lineup, Morgan was the leader, followed by Prillaman, Florian, Miller and Robbie Davis.
Returning to green, Morgan, Prillaman and Florian sped off in nose-to-tail formation, while Miller lingered half a length off Florian's bumper.
Exiting Turn 4 on lap 32, Florian poked a fender to the inside of Prillaman. He completed the pass on lap 33 to take over second place. The exchange allowed Morgan to pad his lead to four lengths.
By lap 44, Florian had chased down Morgan and was hunting for an opening. Behind them, Prillaman fought off Miller's bid for the third spot.
The last of the race's four yellow flags flew on lap 47 for debris in Turn 1.
On the last restart, Morgan quickly jumped out to a one-length advantage over Florian. Florian closed the gap, but couldn't overcome Morgan, who held on for the victory. Prillaman was third, followed by Miller and Travis Wall. The top five finishers, along with sixth-place Charlie Green, moved on to the Top Dog race.
***
Starting from the outside pole, Brittany Bangas moved out front on the first circuit and showed the way to the checkered flag in a caution-filled 50-lap B Main.
Matt Leach drew the pole for the start, but couldn't hold back Bangas as the race got under way. Brad Hancock tagged along with Bangas and took over second in the early going.
For the first 47 laps, which were interrupted by six yellow flags, Bangas, Hancock and Leach held down the top three positions.
On lap 48, Hancock and Leach tangled briefly along the backstretch, creating a logjam in the pack. That situation came to a head in Turn 4 in the form of multi-car pileup, prompting the seventh caution flag.
Back under way, for a "green-white-checkered" sprint, Bangas quickly gained a one-length edge over Nelson Moody, the new second-place runner. Just as quickly, though, the eighth yellow flag appeared for a three-car tangle in Turn 4.
Under green for the final time, Bangas eked out a slim margin over Moody and drove on to a one-length win. Moody was second, followed by Mike Dayton, Aaron Leach and Curtis Hughes.
The top four finishers -- Bangas, Moody, Dayton and Aaron Leach -- advanced to the Top Dog feature. Dayton, who suffered some damage in the closing laps of the race, was unable to answer the Top Dog bell and his spot passed to Hughes.
***
Cody Turbitt pulled off a perfectly executed bump-and-run on the white-flag lap and picked up the win in the 50-lap C Main.
Cory Millard started on the pole, but gave way to Craig Carlton on the opening lap. The only caution flag flew on lap 2 when Chris Crecelius spun in Turn 2, collecting several other cars.
When the race resumed, Carlton quickly bolted to a four-length advantage, while Matt Midgett, Turbitt and Sparky West bypassed Millard.
Carlton enjoyed a leisurely cruise for much of the event. By lap 30, he was up by a full straightaway over Turbitt, who had swiped second from Midgett on lap 23. For the leader, though, a heavy pack of lapped traffic loomed in his path.
On lap 37, Carlton tried to overtake Crecelius off Turn 4 and the two made contact, skidding to the track apron. Carlton quickly righted his machine and continued, but the scuffle allowed Turbitt to creep closer.
Nearing the finish, Carlton ran up on rookie contender Josh Ayer and was stymied. As Carlton struggled to clear the Ayer machine, Turbitt chopped into the lead. By lap 48, Turbitt was parked on Carlton's bumper.
Turbitt tailed Carlton until lap 50. In Turn 2 for the final time, Turbitt rooted Carlton up the track and grabbed the top spot on the backstretch.
At the checkers, Turbitt was the winner by a car-length over a less-than-pleased Carlton. Rookie Landon Florian was third to the line, followed by Midgett and Ayer.
With the win, Turbitt moved on to the evening's Top Dog finale. He was joined by Carlton, Midgett and Sparky West. As rookies, Florian and Ayer were ineligible for a Top Dog starting spot.
***
Adam Florian set the pace in afternoon time trials, lapping the tenth-mile course in 8.138 seconds to edge out Scott Prillaman by just one-thousandth of a second. Travis Wall, Spencer Saunders and Patrick Morgan were third, fourth and fifth, respectively, on the speed chart. Thirty-three drivers took part in the qualifying session. The separation from first to 33rd was 0.813-second.
OCT. 24 RACE RESULTS from Hampton Coliseum:
TOP DOG (50 laps):
1. Patrick Morgan;
2. Adam Florian;
3. Travis Wall;
4. Craig Carlton;
5. Cody Turbitt;
6. Brittany Bangas;
7. Aaron Leach;
8. Sparky West;
9. Scott Prillaman;
10. Derek Miller;
11. Curtis Hughes;
12. Nelson Moody;
13. Charlie Green;
14. Matt Midgett.
Pole: Morgan.
A MAIN (50 laps):
1. Patrick Morgan;
2. Adam Florian;
3. Scott Prillaman;
4. Derek Miller;
5. Travis Wall;
6. Charlie Green;
7. Robbie Davis;
8. Pete Hunt;
9. Zach Moran;
10. Anthony Perez;
11. Spencer Saunders.
Pole: Morgan.
B MAIN (50 laps):
1. Brittany Bangas;
2. Nelson Moody;
3. Mike Dayton;
4. Aaron Leach;
5. Curtis Hughes;
6. Brad Hancock;
7. Matt Leach;
8. Jason Styron;
9. Michael Weddell;
10. Chris Raiford;
11. Clayton Parrish.
Pole: M. Leach.
C MAIN (50 laps):
1. Cody Turbitt;
2. Craig Carlton;
3. Landon Florian;
4. Matt Midgett;
5. Josh Ayer;
6. Sparky West;
7. Chris Crecelius;
8. Cory Millard;
9. Mark Brooks;
10. Mike Conley;
11. Jordan Wood.
Pole: Millard.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday, Oct. 31 @ Hampton Coliseum. Doors open at 6 PM and racing begins at 7 PM.
MEDIA CONTACT: Blake Murphy
Phone: 757.216.4426
E-mail: Blake@ArenaRacingUSA.com