SWEETWATER, Tenn. — Morgan Havener (formerly Morgan Turpen) charged from her outside front row starting position into the lead and wired the field on her way to winning Saturday’s 30-lap USCS NRA North-South Shootout weekend finale at I-75 Raceway.
It was Havener’s first USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters win if the 2022 season, but, it was also her first weekend of competition on the season.
Havener had a five-car length lead over the K&N Filters Pole Position and the previous night’s winner, Jared Horstman when Horstman abruptly exited the track with an apparent engine issue to end his night and leave Havener to do battle with the balance of the 21-car field.
Havener’s teammate and car owner for her entire USCS career, Terry Gray, who started inside the second row chased her the 28-lap distance to the checkers fell on the contest.
Gray ran side by side with his team-mate for six laps before fading to a half straightaway behind while holding off Chase Dunham for the runner-up spot.
Brad Bowden started 11th and charged his way back to a fourth-place finish. Shawn Valenti started 10th and completed the top five.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 10M-Morgan Havener (Turpen)[2]; 2. 10-Terry Gray[3]; 3. 23-Devon Dobie[5]; 4. 4X-Brad Bowden[11]; 5. 28V-Shawn Valenti[10]; 6. 9M-Liam Martin[20]; 7. 28X-Luke Verardi[12]; 8. 11G-Luke Griffith[14]; 9. 66-Chase Dunham[4]; 10. 10P-Dylan Postier[8]; 11. 71M-Caden Englehart[13]; 12. 7E-Eric Gunderson[15]; 13. 15-Dan Nanticoke[9]; 14. 07T-Brandon Taylor[19]; 15. 7D-Donnie Goodwin[17]; 16. 33-Joe Larkin[16]; 17. (DNF) 24-Kobe Allison[21]; 18. (DNF) 5-Gavan Boschele[7]; 19. (DNF) 17-Jared Horstman[1]; 20. (DNF) 28-Jeff Willingham[18]; 21. (DNS) 24W-Jeffrey West Jr.