MAGNOLIA, Miss. — When pole-sitter Kenny Merchant pulled away at the outset of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Southern United Professional Racing event at Pike County Speedway, Rob Litton was content to finish second on a night when rough track conditions caused by heavy rains plagued late-model competitors.
“Kenny Merchant had it won,” said Litton. “He was gone and we weren't even trying to catch him. We were just trying to take care of our stuff.”
But when engine problems knocked Merchant out of the 30-lap feature on lap 19, Litton suddenly found himself in the lead and in a tussle with Dwight Falcon through the late stages. Falcon took control on lap 21 when Litton caught a rut on a restart, but Litton worked his way back out front on the 26th lap and went on to a victory worth $2,500, the 13th of Litton’s SUPR career and his first since Sept. 8 at Houston (Texas) Raceway Park.
Ray Moore finished third, while Corie Herberger and Duke Whiseant rounded out the top five.
The finish:
Rob Litton, Dwight Falcon, Ray Moore, Corie Herberger, Duke Whiseant, Ryan Plaisance, Jeff Chanler, Kevin Sitton, Allen Tippen, Nicholas Brown, Kenny Merchant, Marlon Wild, Patrick Daniel, Donald Watson, Ricky Idom, Jason Polite, Rusty Cummings, Kyle Cummings, Ronny Adams, James Ward, Robbie Stuart, Waylon Morris.