Ruckersville’s Morris staves off Deiny, Harris in overtime thriller

In two race weekends at Motor Mile Speedway, two green-white-checker finishes have resulted in two victories for Philip Morris.
In a race that lasted 154 laps, the race was for second place for the 29 drivers chasing last season’s track champion.
“The car ran flawless all day- the best it’s ever handled at Motor Mile Speedway. I know I’ve said that before, but this one topped it,” Philip Morris said from victory lane.
Morris led every circuit of the contest, but as the driver of the no. 26 Clarence’s Steakhouse Chevrolet paced the race uncontested, the battle for the runner-up spot was never certain.
Chad Harris maneuvered around outside pole-sitter Frank Deiny Jr. for second on lap 3, but the pass proved to be the easy part; for the remainder of the race Harris was forced to fend off advancements from Tommy Lemons Jr. and Mike Looney, respectively.
Sixteen laps following the first yellow flag of the day, mayhem enveloped turn three. After a throttle problem necessitated Davin Scites to flip the kill switch on his no. 06 Chevrolet, a chain reaction crash between Lynn Phoenix and Andrew Thomas sent the no. 14 car careening into the turn three fence. Although both drivers sustained damage, Phoenix bore the brunt of the wreck; the tail-end of his machine was completely demolished.
“Davin [Scites] had something wrong with his car, and he was trying to get out of the way, and it happened so fast there wasn’t nothing anybody could do; wasn’t anybody’s fault…just a racing deal,” Phoenix explained. “We’re probably done.”
After a brief return to competition 52 laps after the incident, Scites retired from the race on lap 109. It was the team’s first attempt at MMS this season.
“The throttle spring broke on the front stretch, and when I hit it going down the back stretch it stuck again, so I had to hit the kill switch. When I hit the kill switch I threw my hand up,” Scites said. “Lynn [Phoenix] was right on me -I feel bad for him- he was a victim of the mess.”
A battle for second birthed as racing resumed following the lap 47 caution. Tommy Lemons Jr. began his assault on Harris’ no. 3, and after several attempts yielded no results for the no. 27, Mike Looney joined the fray for second on lap 67.
The racing that ensued was riveting.
After holding off a hard-charging Lemons for over 40 laps, the driver of the no. 27 began to fade, falling into the clutches of Looney. The pass for third came on lap 96.
“We had a little bit better car than Chad [Harris], I just burnt my stuff up trying to get around him,” Lemons said.
Looney picked up where Lemons left off, and Harris continued to keep second with a new challenger in the rear-view mirror. The second place race nearly turned catastrophic as a lapped car caused both drivers to slide up the banking in turn four and collide on lap 117. The crash was avoided; Looney allowed Harris to gather up his racecar as the pair continued down the front stretch.
A similar incident three laps from the finish did not reap the same result, however.
The third and final yellow flag of the day was unfurled on lap 147 following a single car spin on the back straightaway. Looney had managed to maneuver underneath Harris off turn two, but as the duo drove off the corner, Looney’s machine suddenly snapped loose, and a split second decision sent Looney sliding into the inside retaining wall.
“I have a ton of respect for Chad [Harris], and I didn’t want to get into him off the corner,” Looney said of the incident.
The one-car crash sent Looney to the back of the pack, and sent the field into overtime.
The green-white-checker scenario gave Harris one more shot at the top spot. As the field got the green, Morris faltered, and the opportunity presented itself. Harris darted outside and immediately dove inside, and as the pair of leaders entered turn one Harris had the lead. But the bump-and-run that put Harris to the point sent him back to second as Morris retaliated in turn three. The contact opened the door for Deiny, and the front three came to the white flag three abreast.
Deiny’s stab at the inside lane impeded the progress of Harris, and Morris was able to advance by a car length at the line. Morris didn’t relinquish the lead, and after fighting throughout the race, Harris surrendered second to Deiny at the finish.
Although Harris failed to secure second, the Landmark Builders Dublin Developers no. 3 team has recorded two podium finishes in the first two races.
“It looked like [Morris] got a slow start, and we got a run- he pulled down, it was just one of them deals. I just couldn’t use what I had; I was too free in,” Harris explained. “But I reckon it was exciting.”