Andrew Morrissey has experience winning big races and winning at State Park Speedway. It all added up to a winning combination again when the veteran driver claimed the ARCA Midwest Tour Cabin Fever 100 super late model touring series main event Saturday night.
The 2009 Larry Detjens Memorial Race winner, Morrissey won for the fourth time on the ARCA Midwest Tour, including for the first time in the series’ eighth trips to State Park Speedway. Morrissey brought a bent car across the finish line first, holding off a late challenge from Casey Johnson to win a race that was caution free, going green for 100 straight laps in a terrific display of clean racing on the quarter-mile oval.
Morrissey was up front the entire way, leading 96 of 100 laps and taking the lead for good on lap six after a side-by-side, front row battle with Dan Fredrickson to start the race.
Morrissey built a sizable lead on Fredrickson and later Casey Johnson for most of the first 60-plus laps. That changed on lap 64, when the DeForest, Wis., driver tried to check-up after contact by lapped cars but received some damage to the left front of his car in the chain reaction.
Johnson quickly shaved five car lengths off his deficit and closed in on the leader in traffic before Morrissey was able to gain some distance again. Johnson closed back in on lap 82 before slipping back again, but he continued to lurk in the final 10 laps as Morrissey came up on heavy lapped traffic.
Johnson almost touched Morrissey in turns one and two with nine laps to go, but he’d get no closer in the closing stages. Morrissey held on to win by three car lengths, with 2016 State Park Speedway champion Dalton Zehr finishing third, Fredrickson fourth and SPS regular Justin Mondeik coming in fifth.
“It’s awesome, I just can’t believe it,” said Morrissey when interviewed after the race. “I have to thank Casey for running me clean.”
With the hood of his car obstructing his vision, Morrissey said “I was just trying to follow the guys in front of me. We had just barely enough to hold on.”
“I think we had a little better car (at the end),” said Johnson after the race. “I think I was a little better going into the corner, but he was better coming off.
“I think we were both switching our lines at the end…it was a lot of fun, sure didn’t expect to go 100 laps green. It was a heck of a race here at State Park Speedway.”
Zehr claimed a solid third-place finish, and after said “honestly, the way the race was going, it could’ve been 150 laps (without a caution). These guys just race so clean.
“We were a little quicker, just in the wrong spots.” And about a long battle with Fredrickson for third place, one that went on for the better part of 40 laps, Zehr said “I think he thought I needed a haircut, because he let me go by…we were able to sneak away to third place.”
Racing continues at State Park Speedway this coming Thursday, May 24, with a full regular racing program as well as the Midwest Truck Series on hand. Fan gates open at 4:30 p.m., with Fred Mueller Qualifying at 6 p.m. and racing to follow at 7 p.m.
Results
ARCA Midwest Series Super Late Models
Fast Qualifier: Chris Weinkauf, Merrill, 13.561 sec.
Qualifier: John Beale, Verona; John DeAngelis Jr., Hubertus; Michael Ostdiek, Lakeville, Minn.; Mark Mackesy, Wausau; Derek Doerr, Watertown
Even Heat: Paul Shafer Jr., Portage, Ind.; Billy Mohn, New Market, Minn.; Jonathan Eilen, Hampton, Minn.; Casey Johnson, Edgerton; Austin Nason, Roscoe, Ill.
Odd Heat: Rich Bickle Jr., Edgerton; Jason Weinkauf, Merrill; Dan Fredrickson, Lakeville, Minn.; Justin Mondeik, Gleason; C. Weinkauf
Feature: Andrew Morrissey, DeForest; Johnson; Dalton Zehr, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Fredrickson; Mondeik; Shafer; Nason; Bickle; Eilen; Beale