There were a lot of new tracks and new experiences for Al Morey in his first USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires season as he concluded it at the ultra-fast Portland International Raceway (PIR). In his first trip to the legendary facility, the Jay Howard Driver Development (JHDD) driver earned a pair of top-ten results and improved on his starting position in each of the three wheel-to-wheel races to finish his 2023 campaign.
Kicking off the weekend with test sessions, it was straight into qualifying on Friday where the Indiana resident clocked the 15th quickest lap time. Disappointed with the row eight starting spot and determined to move his way forward in the final event weekend of 2023, Morey avoided the carnage in race one to cross the line seventh Friday afternoon, before adding another top-ten result on Saturday finishing tenth. Sunday would see the final wheel-to-wheel action of the 2023 season as Morey found himself in the 13th position on the results sheets.
“The Portland International Raceway is a different kind of track to what we normally see,” explained Morey. “It is a long run down to a very tight first complex of corners that usually cause a lot of drama. The rest of the track is fast and flowing which requires a good setup. Making it through the first corner is a priority to give yourself a chance to fight for results.”
With championship points calculated, Morey slotted himself in the 11th position, and sixth amongst rookies out of the 34 drivers that competed this season. Beginning his racing career just a few years ago in karting, Morey has ascended the ladder into the popular ladder series program and shown promise.
“Many people do not understand that Al only started racing a few years ago,” explained Jay Howard. “While much of his competition had several years of karting and training, Al was a late bloomer and the success he has had in a few short years is great.”
Morey added, “The JHDD program has been a huge asset for me to develop as quickly as I have. While we do not have 2024 plans set yet, I hope that we will be able to confirm those in the coming weeks. In the meantime, it is back to the gym and back to training.”
For more information on Al Morey and Al Morey Racing, please contact him at almoreyiv@gmail.com. To stay up to date with all the news, information, photos, and results from Al Morey Racing, please follow him on social media by searching Al Morey Racing or following the links below:
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