Pulling for a Good Story

  Back when I was regularly traveling the NASCAR circuit to report on races, folks back home occasionally would ask me which drivers I did pull for.

 Since reporters are supposed to be unbiased, that can be a difficult question to answer.

  So I followed the lead of my fellow scribe and friend Monte Dutton, who answered that question by saying he pulled for a good story, one that would be relatively easy to write – and fun as well.

 That was my excuse last Saturday night as I, like most others at Senoia Raceway, was glad to see my friend Glenn Morris take the checkered flag in the Limited class.

 For those that don’t know him, Glenn is an old-school, blue-collar racer who has been racing at Senoia in one division or another for most of his 60 years. Before that, he was there in support of his late father, Bob Morris, who was one of the track’s early stars.

 Glenn rarely misses a race at Senoia. It takes a lot to keep him away. The only race I recall him missing in recent years was when he suffered a heart attack, and he wasn’t out for long.

 It had been a while since I or anyone else got to experience a Glenn Morris win. Local racing historian Jeff Smith said Glenn’s last win – before Saturday night – was on June 23, 2016.

 If memory serves Glenn and me correctly, that 2016 race saw a young Bailey Williams lead most of the way only to spin as the laps wound down, opening the door for Glenn to get the win.

 This time around, Glenn was the one who dominated, earning the pole and leading every lap of the feature. His only scare, ironically, came when the same Bailey Williams spun in front of him.

 On Monday morning, as he welded on a muffler at his shop in Fayetteville, Glenn said it occurred to him as he saw Williams spin that karma might be coming into play.

 But he steered clear of Williams’ car and drove on to victory.

 This weekend, the World of Outlaws will race at Senoia. Glenn, despite being a decided underdog, plans to be there trying to snag a starting spot. If he does, it’ll be a victory of sorts.

 It’s not every day that a guy who welds on mufflers for a living and spends a big portion of the money he and his wife Cheryl earn each week on their No. 27 race car, gets to carry the checkered flag on a victory lap and hear the cheers of a racing audience one week and has a chance to compete against the World of Outlaws the next.

  Some people only dream of finding success and continuing to compete in an increasingly expensive sport like auto racing. For years, Glenn and Cheryl have found a way to do it.

 Who wouldn’t cheer for a story like that?



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