GRAIN VALLEY, MO. (July 19, 2019) - Chris Morgan of Topeka, Kans. earned the title of "King of Kansas City" on Friday night, topping the 50-lap main event at Valley Speedway.
Sitting in fourth-place at the halfway competition caution, Morgan trailed young Jack Wagner of Lone Jack, Mo. in the Jesse Hockett Racing No. 77, Quinton Benson's No. 15B and Chris Parkinson aboard his No. 65 entry.
Making the most of the open red flag that allowed crews the opportunity to throw a curveball at the setup, Morgan went top shelf and rode the tricky and treacherous high side as most of the field crept low and felt comfortable on the bottom.
Fighting his way past Parkinson and then Benson, Morgan soon snatched the lead from Wagner to take command of the top spot. Benson eventually made his way by Wagner for second and set his sights on Morgan out front. As the race entered the final stages, the battle for the lead intensified.
With Morgan high and Benson low, the duo swapped the lead on a handful of occasions as the No. 81A and the No. 15B went back-and-forth with the title on the line.
A green-white-checkered restart set the stage for an epic finish, and an epic finish it was indeed. Morgan remained committed to the top and Benson stayed down low hugging the low line, which resulted in a thrilling photo finish at the checkered flag.
Extending his advantage to just over a nose at the stripe, Chris Morgan of Topeka, Kans. held on to secure the $1,000 payday, the five-foot tall trophy, and the King of Kansas City crown.
Quinton Benson came up a few feet short, but settled for a strong second-place finish. Brian Beebe put on a hard-charging display from 19th-to-3rd, Riley Kreisel hustled from 10th-to-4th and Jack Wagner rounded out the top five.
Main Event (50 Laps):
- 81A-Chris Morgan (2); 2. 15B-Quinton Benson (5); 3. 37-Brian Beebe (19); 4. 90-Riley Kreisel (10); 5. 77-Jack Wagner (1); 6. 41X-Brad Wyatt (12); 7. 51-Mitchell Moore (17); 8. 65-Chris Parkinson (6); 9. 38-Cody Baker (11); 10. 91-Gunner Ramey (15); 11. 12-Wesley Smith (4); 12. 73-Samuel Wagner (13); 13. 9-Casey Baker (8); 14. 30-Ryan Kent (9); 15. 75E-Broc Elliott (20); 16. 14K-Kyle Lewis (18); 17. 21M-Michael Moore (7); 18. 2-Jason Billups (21); 19. 11W-Wyatt Burks (3); 20. 88-Chad Tye (16); 21. 73S-Lane Stone (14); 22. 03-Tyler Burton (22); 23. 85-Casey Lewallen (23).