Baton Rouge Raceway
Moore fights off Sitton, captures SUPR finale
By Steve Molnar
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Moore races to a victory in the SUPR finale. (Steve Molnar)
BAKER, La. (Oct. 18) — Starting outside the front row, Ray Moore of Shreveport, La., jumped into the lead at Baton Rouge Raceway and held off a late charge from Kevin Sitton to capture the Floyd Clausen Memorial Louisiana State Championships at Baton Rouge Raceway. Moore, last year's series champion, earned $2,500 for his second series victory of the season and ninth of his career. | Slideshow
Moore outjumped polesitter Kyle Cummings of Minden, La., at the outset and led Allen Tippen of Minden in the early laps while Robbie Stuart of DeRidder, La., held the third spot as Cummings slipped back after getting too high in turn two on the first lap. The top three ran the high groove with Moore firmly in control.
As the feature entered the late stages, the eighth-starting Sitton, the 2008 SUPR Rookie of the Year from Baytown, Texas, started making up ground in the low groove. The Texan slipped under Stuart and Tippen on the same lap and began closing on Moore, who moved down to the lower groove himself in the waning laps. Moore was able to fend of Sitton's charge for the victory while Kenny Merchant of West Monroe, La., was third in putting the finishing touches on his series championship season. Merchant added the title to his 2003 SUPR crown. Stuart got past Tippen to finish fourth while Tippen rounded out the top five. Cummings ended up eighth.
Notes: Moore's MasterSbilt Race Car is sponsored by Moore Wireline, Tools International, Bayou Swabbing and Stuckey Enterprises. ... Moore advance to a front-row starting spot because three-time SUPR champion David Ashley of Zachary, La., scratched from the event. Ashley left the track to join his son at a nearby hospital after Alex Ashley suffered an unspecified injury in a flipping accident in the limited modified division
O'Reilly SUPR @ Baton Rouge: (1) Ray Moore, (2) Kevin Sitton, (3) Kenny Merchant, (4) Robbie Stuart, (5) Allen Tippen, (6) Donald Watson, (7) Jon Mitchell, (8) Kyle Cummings, (9) Corey Herberger, (10) Mickey Trosclair, (11) Michael Santangelo, (12) Jason Polite, (13) Marlon Wild, (14) Joyce Chelton, (15) Rob Litton. Scratched: David Ashley, Kennith Crowe.
