By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

Last year, Danny Morrison Jr. won without winning -- at least in the form of a points title.

Most of that was due to consistency and staying out of the big wreck.

That's exactly what the Minneapolis racer hopes to do again at Friday's season-opener at RPM Speedway in Hays -- well, with one exception anyway.

Morrison is wanting a win at the dirt track. He won the modified points title in Hays a year ago, grabbing a 14-point victory ahead of Salina's Corey Lagroon. Lucas' Barry Maupin was third.

But Morrison didn't win a feature race in seven starts at RPM.

"I haven't won anything down there," Morrison said. "So I don't know what the key is to winning a race."

While he might not know the key to taking the checkered flag, he knows how to take home a title.

"I've been awfully close down there," he said. "I was leading the points from the beginning of the year, and that puts you deeper into the field every night. And there are so many good cars out there, plus the races go so fast. Somebody is good every night."

Both of Morrison's wins in 2008 came at his hometown track in Minneapolis. He knows starting the season off right -- even in his heat race Friday -- will be crucial to begin the year.

"The heat is a big factor in winning," he said. "You want to make those invert spots in the heat race, and that can go a long way to getting wins."

Another racer looking for a win Friday in modified action is Sharon Springs' Ronnie Hill. Hill's lone feature win a year ago came at Colby during a Blood, Sweat and Tears event.

"I had a good season last year," said Hill, who narrowly missed another win at WaKeeney Speedway in early June -- losing by inches to Mark Zorn. "But I'd like to have a better season this year. ... Hopefully we'll get things rolling our way."

Hill, who was sixth in track points at RPM in 2008, knows another key for the season-opener will be to get a good draw when pulling through the gate to unload his car.

"A good finish in the heat will get you a good spot in the feature," he said. "The first night's a draw night since it's the first race. That's important, too."

Hill is in his fourth year of racing modifieds, and he knows come Friday night all the drivers will be battling for that first win of the season.

"The competition in modifieds is the greatest there is,"  he said. "Any modified any night can win. There's good competition, and that's fun."