Five-time Whelen All-American Series champion Philip Morris started his quest for a Virginia Late Model Triple Crown on the right note by securing the pole for tonight’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200.
It took time for Morris and his team to get his #01 Late Model to his liking, as South Boston regular Trey Crews paced the early minutes of practice, but Morris eventually worked his way to the top of the board with a time of 15.116.
With Morris slated to go out in the last group, 2016 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Mike Looney set the bar for everyone else in qualifying with a 15.106, which was good enough for him to stay in front of several strong competitors that included 2017 CARS LMSC Tour champion Josh Berry and former Virginia Late Model Triple Crown champion Timothy Peters.
Morris quickly eviscerated any hope Looney had of starting on pole with a blistering lap of 15.022, but none of the other cars in Morris’ group were able to better Looney’s time and earn a spot on the front row.
Berry’s lap of 15.137 put him third on the 31-car grid for tonight’s 200-lap Late Model feature, while Ryan Repko and Crews rounded out the Top 5.
Defending Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 winner Peyton Sellers will start sixth, while four-time Whelen All-American Seris champion Lee Pulliam will have to work his way up to the front from the 12th position.
In the Limited Sportsman division, Daniel Moss was able to outduel Danny Willis Jr in the final qualifying group to earn the pole for the 75-lap feature. Rounding out the Top 5 were Eric Winslow, Jacob Borst and Jason Myers.
Late Model Qualifying Results:
1. 01 Philip Morris- 15.022
2. 87 Mike Looney- 15.106
3. 88 Josh Berry- 15.137
4. 14 Ryan Repko- 15.163
5. 9 Trey Crews- 15.174
6. 26 Peyton Sellers- 15.177
7. 22b Bobby McCarty- 15.187
8. 12t Timothy Peters- 15.208
9. 24 Colin Garrett- 15.212
10. 18 Ty Gibbs- 15.227
11. 2 Brandon Pierce- 15.229
12. 5 Lee Pulliam- 15.237
13. 39 Mike Jones- 15.252
14. 99 Layne Riggs- 15.259
15. 8 Tyler Hughes- 15.260
16. 57 Justin Carroll- 15.260
17. 15 Ryan Millington- 15.270
18. 78 Corey Heim- 15.307
19. 12r Ryan Wilson 15.317
20. 4 Timmy Phipps- 15.330
21. 8 Thomas Scott- 15.348
22. 1 Terry Dease- 15.384
23. 03 Brenden Queen- 15.386
24. 91 Justin S. Carroll- 15.509
25. 12 Austin Thaxton- 15.548
26. 55 Mark Wertz- 15.551
27. 38s Daniel Shelton- 15.676
28. 90 Terry Carroll- 15.684
29. 38k Mark Keesee- 15.717
30. 22j Jordan Pickrel- 15.755
31. 75 Quincy Adkins- 15.798
Limited Sportsman Qualifying Results:
1. 58 Daniel Moss- 15.468
2. 23 Danny Willis Jr.- 15.532
3. 22 Eric Winslow- 15.594
4. 25 Jacob Borst- 15.602
5. 17m Jason Myers- 15.844
6. 0 Landon Pembleton- 15.892
7. 8 Drew Dawson- 16.072
8. 6 Brent Younger- 16.267
9. 17p Caleb Dyer- 16.291
10. 2 Kenny Daniel- 16.301
