Matt Merrell Returned To The Track At Tri-County Motor Speedway With Orion Motorsports

Rain Puts the Brakes on Chances of a Victory at Tri-County

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 17, 2010)-ARCA Racing Series driver Matt Merrell raced at Tri-County (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Friday, May 14 in the Lap Limited Late Model Series. A persistent rain and ominous forecast for the remainder of the night forced the red-flag to be waved after heavy rains made track conditions unsafe.

"I am thankful to the Orion Motorsports for giving me this opportunity," said Merrell, who piloted the Orion Motorsports' No. 24 Chevrolet Impala. "Short tracks are where I have had the most success in my career, and I was excited to get back behind the wheel at Tri-County Motor Speedway."

Rain held off long enough during qualifying for 35-lap feature for Merrell to qualify in the fifth position. As the green flag dropped, Merrell went to the inside. On lap-one, the rain started to fall and brought out the red-flag. Tri-County Motor Speedway announced the decision to postpone Friday's activities because of the ominous weather system that developed over the 4/10-mile banked asphalt track.

Merrell, a Portland, Texas native headed back to the short track Friday night debuting at Tri-County Motor Speedway located in Hudson. The 25-year-old veteran has 13 career starts in the ARCA Racing Series including five top-five finishes.

The event was Merrell's first race since September 2009 with the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards.

Orion Motorsports is owned and operated by veteran race team owner Ed Cox of Taylorsville. Orion Motorsports runs in the Limited Late Model series at both Tri-County and Hickory Motor Speedway.

"We were very happy to have gone to Tri-County with Merrell in our car," said Ed Cox, Orion Motorsports' owner. "We looked forward to giving Merrell an opportunity to have a great return to the short track."