Morris has whale of a weekend at Ocean with Pettit Shootout IMCA Modified sweep 

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Troy Morris III followed his Friday night $1,003 feature win with the $3,006 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified checkers at Ocean Speedway’s Sept. 23-24 Pettit Shootout. (Photo by Top Dawg Racing Photos)

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Sept. 23-24, 2022) – Troy Morris III had a pair of DNQ’s to show for his first Pettit Shootout outings in 2020.

He has a pair of Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature wins to show from his second trip to Ocean Speedway’s season-ending special. 

The Bakersfield driver led every lap of Friday’s $1,003 to win main event and the last 18 circuits while checking out in Saturday’s $3,006 to win 53-lapper. 

“I was super pumped,” said Morris, who won ahead of Bobby Hogge IV and Cody Burke on night one, and was six seconds in front of Nick DeCarlo and then Burke on night two. “I was feeling good after Friday but to be able to win again on Saturday was really special.”

“I grew up watching my dad race there and his birthday is the week after the Pettit,” continued Morris, who celebrates his 19th birthday in early October. “It was fun to go up there and win for him.”

Morris started outside row one on Friday and had Hogge, a double winner at last year’s event with seven career Pettit checkers to his credit, chasing him all the way.

Despite a near-collision with a lapped car, Morris beat Hogge to the finish by four tenths of a second. Hard charger Brian Cass started 15th and finished fourth, and Andy Obertello was fifth.

Saturday saw Morris started fifth in the main event. He was running third when what proved to be the only caution of the race come on lap four.

Morris took charge on lap 35 and then took off, leaving the rest of the field far behind. Front row starters DeCarlo and Burke were scored next, then Hogge and Trevor Fitz-Gibbon.

“We didn’t get Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational eligible until the day before Super Nationals this year,” said Morris, winner of the Sept. 4 Fallen Heroes show at East Moline Speedway. “It was good to get that out of the way so soon for next year.” 

Cale Kanke ran his Pettit Memorial win streak to three straight with Friday’s $553 Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod victory. Andrew Pearce was second, Brent Curran third.

Fred Ryland was fourth on opening night and topped Saturday’s $1,006 to win feature ahead of Kanke and the 16th starting Nick Spainhoward.

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