Pole sitter Shane Stewart lost the lead to Pennsylvania Posse member TJ Stutts on the opening lap of the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA, on Saturday but reassumed the top spot with a lap-12 restart and never looked back. He earned his first win on the famed half-mile oval and the first of the 2017 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season. 

"You don't even know what it means to me to finally get here in Victory Lane," Stewart said afterward. "I know the East Coast isn't always kind to me, but I am very happy and going to cherish this win."

Hailing from Liverpool, PA, outside pole sitter Stutts gained the advantage over Outlaws regular Stewart in turn three of the first lap. 

The Pennsylvania Posse are typically difficult to beat on their home tracks because of the familiarity with the characteristics, but when Stewart crossed under the checkers first, he completed a sweep of the weekend for the Outlaws. David Gravel won the Gettysburg Clash at Lincoln Park Speedway in Lincoln, PA, on Wednesday and the opening night of the Morgan Cup on Friday.

"It means a lot to me," Stewart said. "I know that the rivalry here is out of this world, which I appreciate. I love the enthusiasm and the Pennsylvania fans."

 
Daryn Pittman had to come from deep in the field to finish second. He was third in his heat but suffered from the inversion and started the race 12th.   

"I've seen this place about every which way that's an option, but I don't think I've ever seen it quite like it was tonight," Pittman explained. "It was definitely different. I've never seen a wet strip a car length and a half off the bottom stay that long throughout the night. It was the dominant way around."

Williams Grove developed a single line the previous night as well. 

"I had such a good car on restarts that every time we went green, my car had the right attitude," Pittman said. "Everybody seemed to be a little rolled up down there on the start in turns three and four and I could get by a couple guys every time."

During the opening laps, the argument over third was also a local favorites versus interlopers affair. Outlaw Sheldon Haudenschild was embroiled in a battle with Tim Shaffer from Aliquippa. PA. That skirmish was resolved when, for the third night in the past week, Haudenschild spun out and kept going after losing only a handful of positions. 

Shaffer avoided contact and finished third. His third-place finish equaled the best results for Posse drivers during this swing. Danny Dietrich finished third at Lincoln, and Freddie Rahmer was third at the Grove. 

Posse member Lance DeWease and Outlaw Logan Schuchart rounded out the top five. 

Stutts faded to sixth after losing the lead. 

As for the incredible spinning machine Haudenschild, he looped his sprinter again later in the going and was not as fortunate the second time. He finished 18th. 

Top 10 Finishers

1. Shane Stewart
2. Daryn Pittman
3. Tim Shaffer
4. Lance Dewease
5. Logan Schuchart
6. TJ Stutts
7. Ryan Taylor
8. David Gravel
9. Jason Johnson
10. Brad Sweet
Complete Results, with heat finishes

Season Winners

Donny Schatz: 9 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 10, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 18, Missouri State Fair Speedway on May 5, 81 Speedway on May 6, Eldora Speedway on May 13)
David Gravel: 7 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 17, Placerville Speedway on March 29, Perris Auto Speedway on April 1, Gator Motorplex on April 13, Plymouth on April 28, Lincoln on May 17, Williams Grove on May 19)
Jason Johnson: 2 (Volusia Speedway Park on February 17, Devil's Bowl on April 14)
Brad Sweet: 2 (Stockton Dirt Track on March 25, Devil's Bowl on April 15)
Logan Schuchart: 2 (Keller Auto Speedway on March 31, Eldora Speedway on May 12)
Brian Brown: 1 (Cocopah Speedway on April 7)
Rico Abreu: 1 (Arizona Speedway on April 8)
Parker Price-Miller: 1 (Tri-State Speedway on May 14)
Shane Stewart: 1 (Williams Grove on May 20)