by Jay | Aug 24, 2009 | PASS
Naples, ME 8/24/09- Saturday August 29th the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South super late models make their third and final trip to the “Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars,” Hickory(NC) Motor Speedway. So far this season, two different drivers have scored wins at the 3/8th mile bullring. First being Ben Rowe who claimed his first Easter Bunny 150 win in March and then on July 5th Justin Wakefield finally broke his string of bad luck to score his first win of the ’09 season. With several new names expected to be in attendance, this year’s version of the Over the Mountain 150 may be the best one yet.
One driver who will be showing up for nothing less than the winner’s trophy will be Riverview, Florida driver Perry Brown who will be making his 2009 series debut. Brown collected his one and only series win at the Watermelon Capital Speedway on his way to a third place finish in the 2008 final championship points standings. Other expected entries include Michael Pope and Alex Yontz who really turned heads in his first ever super late model start at Orange County Speedway on August 8th. Possibly the most anticipated entry will be that of Andy Loden, who has won the last three NASCAR late model stock car championships at the track, proving he knows his way around the place. However; super late models are a new venture for the Stanley, North Carolina based race team as he and his team are coming off of a fourteenth place finish in their first ever super late model start at Five Flags Speedway’s Blizzard series event on August 7th.
Championship leader Ben Rowe can now hopefully turn his focus more on his return to victory lane as he has built a comfortable but not insurmountable fifty-two point lead over second place man Ryan Blaney during the summer months of racing. With just four races before the ’09 season comes to a close, it leaves little time for sixteen year old Ryan Blaney to pick up his first career win. Blaney has been a factor each and every race yet trouble has hit his High Point, North Carolina based race team time and time again. Heath Hindman, who has been a staple in the series since 2007, has come on as of late notching a pair of top fives in the last two races. This recent success mixed with returning to the track where he scored his one and only PASS South series win in 2007 is more than enough motivation for the hard charging Hindman to do it again this year.
Preston Peltier, Jay Fogleman, Mark Gibson, Ryan Moore and a whole pack of the fastest cars and stars in the southeast will be looking to notch a Pro All Stars Series win at the famed Hickory oval.
The super late models won’t be the only PASS sanctioned series in action as the PASS Late Model Trucks will make their third start of the year at the famed track. While the first year series is still growing with each event, this has not taken away from the fact that the quality of racing hasn’t been anything less than stellar. Grant Davidson, who is the championship points leader and four time feature winner, as well as Jody Measamer have each scored wins at Hickory this season.
Tickets still remain for the Over the Mountain 150 at the Hickory Motor Speedway including a great two for one general admission ticket deal. For more information contact the track directly at www.hickorymotorspeedway.com or call 828-464-3655.
PASS time trials roll out at 3:00 PM and the racing action gets the green at 6:15 PM. All the drivers will meet and greet their fans on the front stretch at 7:30 PM, and the PASS South Over the Mountain 150 is scheduled for an 8:15 (approx) start.
For more information including schedules, standings, and results for all PASS sanctioned touring series visit their home on the web at www.racewithpass.com or www.proallstarsseries.com . For marketing or media questions contact Norm Desjardins at 603-539-3368 or for technical information contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230.
by Jay | Aug 24, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – Sammy Gilman, Dave Blanchard, Louie Maher Jr. and John Morin Jr. all found their way to Hudson Speedways victory lane this past Sunday evening.
Gilman drove the race of his young life in the Thunder Lites, Hudson’s youth racing division. Gilman led wire to wire in a caution free event but it wasn’t easy for the Sandown, NH driver with multi-feature winner Bobby Stirk lll within a few car lengths the entire race. Dodging lapped traffic on the last lap, Gilman showed the poise needed to win. Second through fifth were Tyler Hatch, Dan Fortin, Derek Griffith and Dylan Bilodeau.
Blanchard won a hard fought battle in the Outlaw Sportsman. Taking the lead before the midway point, Blanchard held off a slew of challenges with Lee Weldy giving Blanchard the most trouble before contact with a lapped car ended Weldys day. Rob McCrae came home 2nd. Chris Lee recovered from two spins to finish 3rd. Fourth through tenth were Chuck Dehney, Peter Fiandaca, Tim Casey, John Meaney, Mark Parenteau and Keith Nelson.
Mark Nevers led the early part of the Rookie Stock main before getting together with Keith ”Slika” Ennis and spinning to the infield. Andy Nichols took control from there and led the middle laps until John Morin Jr. powered by and took home the checkers. Second through tenth were Dean Wendell, Corrie Merritt, Dan Murphy, Brian Harron, Nichols, Travis Nevers, Jerry Lepage and Ennis.
Louis Maher won his 8th Roadrunner feature. Second through fifth were Jef James, Patrick D’Alba, Darren Jacobs and Peter Raby.
The 4cyl. Enduro was won by Darren Jacobs followed by Patrick D’Alba, Leon Keniston, Ricky Labracque, and Kevin Hardy.
The Grand Enduro was won by Mark Nevers followed by “Recon” John Griffith, Travis Nevers, Brian Distephino and Corrie Merritt.
Buddy Wilkins won the Flagpole Race. Dave Heliwell won the Spectator Drags, and Rich Morrocco won the Spectator Race.
Next Sunday, August 30th at Hudson Speedway, it’s the return of the Classic Lites and V-6 Modifieds plus Rookie Stocks, Roadrunners, Thunder Lites, Spectator Race, Spectator Drags and the Flagpole Race. For more info please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info.
by Jay | Aug 24, 2009 | Beech Ridge, Maine, New England, PASS
Naples ME (8/24/2009) It’s been four months since Ben Rowe captured the first round of the four race Pro All Stars Series (PASS) National Championship Series at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway, but the series will heat up in earnest when the National Championship trail leads to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on September 12 and 13th for the PASS 300.
There’s still three weeks before the series takes to the beautiful Scarborough Maine oval for their biggest event of the season, but the early entries are already rolling in.
The PASS South super late model contingent is already well represented. Teen sensation Ryan Blaney, three time 2009 PASS South winner Jay Fogleman, PASS South stalwarts Jeff and Jane Day’s entry with Mark Gibson at the wheel and John Batten have already filed entries, and there’s more to come from the south.
Bub Bilodeau has what it takes to race with PASS anytime, anywhere. Bilodeau is a multi-time Beech Ridge Pro Series champion, and he’s the first home track regular to to file an entry for the 300 lap showdown. PASS North touring pro Richie Dearborn cut his racing teeth at the Ridge, and his was the first entry blank to arrive at the PASS office.
Adam Bates has been tough to beat at Beech Ridge; he’s got two wins under his belt and ran a close second to 2008 PASS 300 race winner and series champ Johnny Clark. He’ll be trying to better that by one spot but Clark will be back to try and make it two “300s” in a row.
There’s a whole lot of racing on tap over the course of the weekend. On Saturday all divisions will qualify and the Wildcats, Road Runners and Legends will have their feature events. Sunday kicks off with the PASS 300 “B” main for the super late models. Then it’s 100 laps for the PASS Sportsman division, a 50 lap shootout for the PASS Mods and the $10,000.00 to win PASS Super Late Model 300.
Entry blanks for the Wildcats, PASS Sportsman and PASS Super Late Models are available now at www.racewithpass.com .
The races go green at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. Check out the complete PASS 300 entry list by visiting www.racewithpass.com or www.proallstarsseries.com . Beech Ridge Motor Speedway is on line at www.beechridge.com .
by Jay | Aug 23, 2009 | Maine, Wiscasset Raceway
Wiscasset, ME- Saturday night at Wiscasset Raceway was not only special because it was sponsored by J.C. Stone and Harold C. Ralph Chevrolet but because a rookie driver picked up his first career win. Alex Waltz was been fighting hard all season with some of the best in the business and Saturday night crossed the stripe in front of them all. Waltz won the 20 lap New England Transmissions Strictly Street feature. He held off Ian Bresnehan and Mike Moody for the victory. Jamie Henderson would finish fourth and Wally Henderson fifth.
In the Aable Auto Parts Mini Stock division Ryan Ripley picked up another win but the Waldoboro driver had to hold off Thomas True to get the victory. Third place went to Chelsea Young out of Winterport and fourth to Steven Turner. Alex Cromwell rounded out the top 5 and in the U.S. Cellular Mini Truck division Ryan Hayes won and Josh Harjula got second.
The Verizon Wireless Super Street race ended with a photo finish as Bernie Dinsmore picked up the feature victory. He beat Jeremy Glasier by less then a bumper. Third would go to Allan Moeller Jr. Fourth to Ed Drake and fifth to Bryan Robbins.
In the Steel’s Real Rod’s and Custom’s Late Model’s Chris Thorne won his third race of the season increasing his point lead over Adam Chadbourne who finished second. Third would go to James Osmond and fourth to Nick Hinkley. David Farrington got fifth.
The Clark’s Car Crushing Pro-Stocks saw a father-son battle for the lead. Charlie Colby was able to hold off his son Chuck Colby for the win. Randy Turner was able to get by Chuck on the last lap for second. Third would go to Colby. Fourth and fifth went to Scott Moore and Scott King respectively.
by Jay | Aug 23, 2009 | Maine, Speedway 95
Kyle Gallant of Veazie took off from his outside pole starting spot and outran the field of Sport-Fours to the checkered flag Saturday night at Speedway 95. As he was cruising out front, though, there were a couple of race long battles going on for the runner up spots. Gary Richards of Stetson and David Green of Hampden raced side by side and nose to tail for the entire race to decide who finished second and third to Gallant. At the end, it was Richards in the second spot and Green settling for third. By finishing third, Green, the current division points leader, also locked up the win in the three race series in the Allenfarm Fence Co. sponsored division. His closest competitor for the series title, Old Town’s Brent Fletcher, dropped out of the event on the 30th lap with mechanical issues. While Richards and Green were battling for the runner up spot, Rick Grant of LaGrange and Derick Terrell of Plymouth were also in a close race for fourth and fifth. Grant won that battle and finished fourth, with Terrell coming home in fifth. Richards won the 10 lap qualifier after racing with Gallant over the entire distance for the pole position in the feature.
The winner of the Strictly Street feature event was decided in post race inspection when Dustin Hubbard of Unity was disqualified for an illegal carburetor. As a result, Bradley Norris of Ellsworth, the current points leader, was declared the winner of the event when his car went through the inspection process successfully. Second spot went to Glenburn’s Doug Day, who had to come back from the rear of the field when he was sent there by the race director following a lap 4 incident that sent Bangor’s Shawn Hamel II climbing the tire wall on the backstretch. Day apologized to Hamel in his post race interview stating it was totally an error with no intention on his part to cause Hamel any harm. Rookie Nick Huff of Orrington finished the race in third, with Jim Carr Jr. of Clifton and Travis Poulin of Holden rounding out the top five. With only three races remaining for the season, Norris has an 89 point lead over Shawn Hamel II for the title. Norris also won the division’s qualifier for the night.
Kris Watson of Hermon returned to the winner’s circle in the Super Streets after several weeks of sub par performance. Watson took the lead on the fourth circuit and was never challenged on his way to victory in the caution free event. While Watson rode around alone out front, Holden’s Steve Moulton was working his way through the field to place his car in the second spot at the finish. Lindsey Young of Winterport started the event on the pole and kept her car in the competition, finishing in third for her second top three finish of the season. With only Watson and Moulton able to go by her, Lindsey has begun to really get a handle on racing in the more powerful Saturday night cars, after cutting her teeth in the Wednesday night Ladies division, where she was a past points champion. Artie McGuire of Bucksport, another former Wednesday night racer, finished in fourth with Hermon’s Doug Sinclair coming in fifth. Moulton won the division’s qualifier. Watson currently holds a 14 point edge over Moulton for the division championship.
Dale Swoboda of Hermon found the top spot in the Late Models for the third week in a row Saturday night as he held off a strong challenge from points leader John Phippen Jr. of Bar Harbor. Earlier in the race, Phippen got tangled up with pole sitter Dwayne Seekins coming out of turn four on the first lap. Seekins spun in front of the field, but received only minor damage and was able to continue. Phippen made a short trip to the pit for repairs, so restarted at the rear of the field when the green flag restarted the race. As Swoboda worked his way to the front, Phippen was also coming from the rear and caught Swoboda by the fifth lap, but was unable to make his car work in the lower groove to make the pass. Phippen challenged hard and pulled up alongside Swoboda several times in the closing laps, but Swoboda held fast on the outside forcing Phippen to settle for a runner up finish. Seekins recovered from the lap one incident to place third. Winterport’s Shane Clark came under the checkered flag in fourth, followed by Scott Modery of Hermon in fifth. Seekins was the pole sitter for the feature by virtue of his winning the 10 lap qualifier. Phippen currently leads Swoboda by 69 points in the championship chase.
Racing continues at Speedway 95 on Saturday August 29 at 6:30 with a regular card of racing highlighted by visits from the Maine Super Cup Racing League and the Wicked Good Vintage Racing League.
