JP Morgan Claims Third Victory At X-1R Pro Cup Series

JP Morgan stole his third victory of the season at the Motor Mile Speedway by a narrow 0.16 second at last Saturday night’s X-1R Pro Cup Series. There were some hard racing that went on on the track. During the first half, Morgan’s #23 Chevrolet spun in turn four which left him just outside the top eight cars after the halfway redraw; setting off from ninth position on lap 100, Morgan held steady in the mid-pack for the second half of the race. A pit road altercation between Benny Gordon and Caleb Holman on lap 186 brought out the red flag, taking Gordon out while Holman was relegated to one lap down. This, and with a bit of luck, allowed Morgan to hold off Brian Keselowski's #29 Ford machine and the remaining field until he claimed victory.

Morgan said, “…we were able to turn a negative into a positive for us and capitalise on the last remaining laps of the race and pull off a third season win for the #23 team. It’s awesome to be here in victory lane for a third time and I couldn’t be more proud of our guys and the hard work and dedication they put into this car for tonight’s race.”

The race did not end so happily for others: 2013 X1R Pro Cup Series’ Rookie of the Year, Brady Boswell, and Codie Rohrbaugh were sent into the wall on lap 77; both cars were taken out of the race and the second caution of the race was thrown. Young gun Red Wilson was ahead of the field by six car links and held the lead for 44 laps, and looked to be heading for his first victory until lap 197 when his motor blew, ending his chances of crossing the finish line, much less for victory for team #66.

Keselowski finished second, his best performance of the season so far, and Matt Craig, rookie contender and youngest driver, claimed the last place on the podium. Morgan said, “Things are getting ready to shake up with the championship races starting soon at Kenly, so we’ll just have to re-adjust and go into that knowing that we are a lead contender for the championship.”

image: facebook.com/CARSProCup