Morgan stops Bishop's GPS winning streak at six

GREENVILLE, SC (May 12, 2001)- Defending track champion Gene Morgan finally accomplished on Saturday what so many Greenville Pickens Speedway Late Model competitors had been trying to do for most of the season: put an end to Donnie Bishop's six-race winning streak. Morgan turned fast time in qualifying but had to draw a pill which inverted the top qualifiers. The field was inverted from positions 1 through 7, putting Simpsonville's David Roberts on the pole.

On lap seven, Bishop had worked his way up to the front and was threatening Roberts for the top spot as the cars came together in turn one. As the action was stopped, track officials lined up the cars on the frontstretch for the restart. With Bishop stopped on the track, Roberts came around to sharply angle his car bumper to bumper with Bishop's. Track officials eventually sorted out the cars and restored order, and when the race resumed all eyes were on Bishop and Roberts who continued to battle.

Bishop managed to get by Roberts after several more laps but by that time, Morgan and Asheville's Pete Silva had built a substantial lead. As the laps wound down, Bishop was able to move back up through the field but was still about 4 car lengths behind Morgan's power blue Ford Taurus as the checkered flag fell.

"Donnie probably had the best car out here tonight," Morgan said in victory lane after the race. "We just got lucky and got up front at the right time."

The win was Morgan's first of the 2001 season, as he became only the third Late Model driver to make it to victory lane in the new season. Silva, the 1998 track champion, won on opening night on March 17 and Bishop begin his winning streak of six the next Saturday night.

In the TOTALCOM 100 lap PARTS Pro Truck event, defending series champion Dusty Williams of Savannah, GA assumed the lead late in the race and held off Chet Chester and polesitter Josh Noles to score his second win of the season.

Tim Sams of Greenville continued his run in the B.F. Goodrich Street Stock division, picking up his second consecutive victory. Roger Knight of Travelers Rest and Michael Pittman of Greenville scored wins in the Chargers features which opened the night of racing.