Scott Mulkern: PASS North Series
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
Scott Mulkern of Falmouth, Maine, heads to his home track for the PASS North Series season-opening PASS 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, April 30. Mulkern, races the three PASS races at Beech Ridge each season as part of his part-time schedule and he has a best career finish of third on several occasions at the facility in PASS North competition. This season marks the 30th anniversary of Mulkern Racing, as Mulkern began his racing career at Beech Ridge in 1981 in the the Limited Sportsman class.
THE FACTS
WHO: Scott Mulkern, Falmouth, Maine
TEAM: No. 84 Community Pharmacies/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Tony Ricci, Westbrook, Maine
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 3rd (multiple times)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 5th (September 2010)
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 3 p.m., Saturday, April 30
PASS North Series
NEXT RACE: May 14, PASS 150, Star Speedway, Epping, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
DID YOU KNOW?
Scott Mulkern will pull double-duty of sorts this weekend, as a driver for his own No. 84 Community Pharmacies/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet and also as owner and teammate to Lonnie Sommerville in the No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders Chevrolet.
Scott Mulkern won a track championship at Beech Ridge in 1985 – the last year the track operated as a dirt track.
The next race Scott Mulkern is scheduled to compete in is the PASS North Series race at Beech Ridge on July 9.
Mulkern Racing finished second in the final PASS North Series standings in 2010 with driver Ben Rowe in the No. 48 entry.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
SCOTT MULKERN, Driver of the No. 84 Community Pharmacies/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet, On racing at Beech Ridge: “You need to be smooth and keep the tires under you there. It’s kind of my style. I kind of like that. I don’t seem to be right there at the end like I want to be, but it’s all about saving everything that you can for the end.
“The thing about the place is that whenever you go there, the minute you drop the green for the feature, you’ve got something different than you had in practice. You could be fighting a loose problem all day in practice, and then they start the feature and all of a sudden you’re pushing. After five times of that, you realize that’s kind othe way the place is. You just really have to work to have a neutral (handling) car. If you get tight, chances are it’s the same for a lot of guys.”
On the competing part-time now: “In the big picture, if you look at my style and the way I sometimes shoot myself in the foot, I don’t care about (points). Not at all. Guys like Ben (Rowe) – he likes that. Johnny (Clark) likes that. That’s the challenge for those guys. They like that whole thing, their whole team does, of points racing.
“I don’t think they drive much different than if they weren’t racing for points – that’s not necessarily the way they are. But I personally don’t care about the championship. I want to win races more than that. If you told me I could race all year and not win a race but win the championship, or I could win four races and no championship, I’d want to win four races. We’re trying to do that – but it just goes along with everything else you’re doing.”
On having Lonnie Sommerville in the No. 48 this season: “He’s got a great personality. (Crew chief Gary Crooks) has a lot of confidence in Lonnie. Obviously, I’ve seen him race, and as far as the Canadian drivers, he’s one of the top dogs. He’s in that league – Scott Fraser, Patrick Laperle, those guys – and I’d put Lonnie right there.”
UP NEXT
The PASS North Series returns the quarter-mile Star Speedway in Epping, N.H., on Saturday, May 14, for the PASS 150… While Scott Mulkern won’t compete there himself behind the wheel, he will have a car entered in the event for driver Lonnie Sommerville, who will run the entire PASS North Season for Mulkern Racing.