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Morris Takes Lead With Victory

Philip Morris returned to his home track for his final race of the season and finished off in grand style: In Victory Lane.

Morris won the 150-lap asphalt Late Model feature Saturday night at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. - where he had already clinched a sixth track title -  and took the unofficial lead in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standings.

Morris, from Ruckersville, Va., has 955 points. Brian Harris, of Davenport, Iowa, has 953. His opportunity to improve his points total was put on hold Saturday when rain postponed racing at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Va., until Sunday.

Now Morris, who did all he could do on the track, has to wait on Harris.

"That's the hard part, too," Morris said.

The deadline for points to count toward NASCAR championships is Sunday. All points totals are unofficial pending review by NASCAR Membership & Points, and the final complete updated standings will be released Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Morris won at Ace Speedway in North Carolina Friday with a 21-car field, which netted him a 47-point night and allowed him to drop a 46 from earlier in the year. It moved him within six points of Harris. The win at Motor Mile came against 28 other competitors, which gave Morris the maximum 55 points for the win and allowed him to drop the 47 from Ace.

A driver's points total is based on their best 18 finishes at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks.

Morris won the pole Saturday but quickly lost the lead to Mike Looney at the start of the race. Morris said it was a three-way battle between him, Looney and JR Motorsports Davin Scites until about midway through the race when Scites was involved in an accident with a lapped car. Morris and Looney battled over the closing laps for the win.

"We had a bunch of lead changes," Morris said. "Mike and I had a pretty wild battle. With 10 to go, we traded a little paint. He took the lead. I just waited until he slipped up and then I just drove under him. With about three to go, I finally cleared him and we brought it home."

Morris, the 2006 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion, has 14 wins and 23 top fives in 28 starts.

Harris finished eighth Friday night in the first of three features that make up the Legendary 100. The other two, which were scheduled for Saturday, will now be run Sunday.

"Nothing happened - it was a total rain out," Harris said. "The weather doesn't look all that good for Sunday, but they're going to try for it."

Harris, who ran the first feature in a local competitor's dirt Late Model, will compete Sunday in a Late Model of Jason Rauen. Harris and Rauen run against each other at their home tracks in Iowa.

"We'll be a lot more familiar with this car," said Harris, who has 20 wins and 35 top fives in 38 starts.

The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion also earns a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to be held at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) Jan. 23-24, 2009.

Under the points structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 25 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 25 cars, the winner receives 50 points, second gets 48 and third 46. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26. New this year, drivers receive five bonus points for a win.