Turner Topples PASS regulars at Unity
Naples ME (8/3/2009) Randy Turner drove by Scott Chubbuck on lap 117 of Sunday afternoon’s Pro All Stars Series (PASS) NAPA 150 at Unity (ME) Raceway, taking the lead for good to capture his first career Pro All Stars Series (PASS) super late model feature win. DJ Shaw came from the back of the field to nip Ben Rowe for second at the checker. Rowe settled for third and Chubbuck slipped to fourth; Richie Dearborn rounded out the top five.
Unity Raceway lived up to its name and Maine’s Toughest Oval served up an afternoon of side by side racing along with a few spectacular wrecks for those unlucky enough to get out of bounds at the tricky third mile oval.
The first half of the show belonged to Louis Mechalides, Turner, Chubbuck and Kelly Moore, with Mechalides, urner and Chubbuck swapping the lead on several restarts and racing hard for the top spot. That was the way they raced until a lap 107 restart when Chubbuck and Mechalides gave each other a shove or two, resulting in a broken suspension and retirement for Mechalide’s 1C Cat Scales ride.
That left Turner and Chubbuck, two drivers with plenty of Unity experience, to battle it out. Turner has been chasing a Pro All Stars win whenever the series visits his home track and he came close in May, finishing third and running up front throughout the race. This time around he wouldn’t be denied. Turner’s win was a first for the Toyota name plate in PASS North competition, and it’s the first feature win for a non series regular since Joey Porceillo scored at Beech Ridge in May of 2007. Turner is the seventh different driver to visit PASS super late model victory lane this season, joining Chris Staples as a first time feature winner.
Staples didn’t fare so well this day, taking a lazy roll in the mud off turn one. He was uninjured. Wrecks slowed title contenders Adam Bates (11th) and Derek Ramstrom (19th). The race was slowed by seven cautions and one red flag period. Heat race wins went to Turner, Mechalides, and Gary Smith.
The PASS North super late models have a week off before heading south to Seekonk (MA) Speedway when Cirelli Foods presents the PASS 150 on Saturday August 15th. The race marks the series’ first visit to the track that invented super late model (nee pro stock) racing, and the first Bay State appearance in the Pro All Stars Series’ nine year history. It’s a trip to the Cement Palace that can’t be missed. Race time is 6:00 PM; Seekonk Speedway’s web site can be found at www.seekonkspeedway.com .
Learn more about the Pro All Stars Series schedules, point standings and six race series b y visiting www.racewithpass.com or www.racewiyhpass.com .
Unofficial Order of Finish – PASS North Super Late Model NAPA 150 – Unity Raceway – Unity ME 8/2/2009 (finishing position, (starting position), car number, driver, home town (laps completed)
1) 1 (2) Randy Turner, Readfield ME (150) 2) (8) 60 DJ Shaw, Center Conway NH (150) 3) (13) 4 Ben Rowe, Turner ME (150) 4) (4) 77 Scott Chubbuck, Dresden ME 5) (9) 33 Richie Dearborn, Hollis ME (150) 6) (11) 54 Johnny Clark Hallowell ME (150) 7) (6) 47 Kelly Moore, Scarborough ME (150) 8) (7) 7 Donnie Whitten, Wells ME 9) (17) 17 Travis Benjamin, Morrill ME (150) 10) (15) Cassius Clark, Farmington ME (150) 11) (12) 98 Adam Bates, Warner NH (150) 12) (10) 54R Ryan Deane, Winterport ME (150) 13) (3) 75 Gary Smith, Bangor ME (150) 14) 85 Nick Ribbe , Kingston MA (149) 15) (24)33H John Higgins, Glenburn ME (147) 16 ) 9 (5) Tim Turner, Freedom ME (147) 17) (19) 12 John Dabrowski, West Bridgewater MA (144) 18) (20) 20 Steve Legendre , St. Johnsbury VT (135) 19) (18) Derek Ramstrom, Worcester MA (123) 20) (16) 17A Scott Alexander, Orrington ME (108) 21) (1)1C Louis Mechalides, Tyngsboro MA (107) 22) (14) 5 Chris Staples, Brunswick ME (42) 23) (22)15 David Folsom, Skowhegan ME (24) 24) (21) 01 Joe Decker Chesterville ME (19) 25) (25) 28 Ken Beasley, Richmond ME (14)