Mulkern Racing: PASS North Series
Lonnie Sommerville Oxford Plains Race Preview
Lonnie Sommerville of Saint John, New Brunswick, heads to the PASS North Series season finale in the PASS 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Sunday, September 30. Sommerville and the Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet sits fifth in the overall PASS North Series standings with the final race of the season remaining, and the team is hoping to cap 2012 with its first win of the season. Sommerville – who enters the weekend off a seventh-place finish last weekend at White Mountain Motorsports Park – posted a pair of Top-10 finishes at Oxford in 2011, including a seventh-place effort in the 2011 season finale won by his car owner and teammate, Scott Mulkern.
THE FACTS
WHO: Lonnie Sommerville, Saint John, New Brunswick
TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C.
BEST CAREER OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY FINISH: 3rd (July 2011)
MOST RECENT OXFORD PLAINS SPEEDWAY FINISH: 16th (July 2012)
WHAT: PASS North Series 150
WHERE: Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Maine (.375-mile flat oval)
WHEN: Saturday, September 29 – Practice, 11:45 a.m.; Sunday, September 30 – Practice, 10:30 a.m.; Qualifying, 1:30 p.m.; Race, 6 p.m.
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: September 22, PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park, N. Woodstock, N.H. (7th)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 5th
DID YOU KNOW?
Lonnie Sommerville is only 17 points out of third place in the overall PASS North Series standings heading into the final event of the 2012 season.
Mulkern Racing won this event in 2011, with Scott Mulkern scoring his second career PASS North Series victory.
Mulkern Racing will be competing in two events this weekend. Lonnie Sommerville is racing in the PASS 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway, while Scott Mulkern is entering the Glass City 200 at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway, an Outlaw Super Late Model race at Toledo Speedway on Saturday.
Lonnie Sommerville has 10 Top-10 finishes and two heat race wins in 14 starts this season on the PASS North Series.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
LONNIE SOMMERVILLE, Driver of the Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet, On heading back to Oxford Plains Speedway this weekend: “We had really good cars at Oxford last year, and both races we were pretty quick. We got all the way up to third after a long green-flag run in the July race, and then we were rain-shortened in this race in October. In both races, we never really got to where the potential of the car was.
“I don’t know what we have in store this year. We had a really good car in July, and we didn’t get to race with the guys from where we started. Got into the Top-5 or six, but we were down a lap, so we backed off and let the leaders race. I know our car’s going to be good there. We did a tire test two weeks ago. We shook it down, and it seemed pretty good then.”
On how important it would be for the team to close 2012 with a win at Oxford: “Huge. For me, this is my 15th season of racing and I’ve never had a season where I didn’t win a race. To me, it would be a big deal. I hate to leave it to the last one, but it always gives you confidence when you can win. We all have egos as race car drivers, and it’s hard on your ego when you don’t accomplish all your goals. When you don’t accomplish any, it’s even harder.
“Our goal this year was to win races and win the championship. If we can have a good solid day at Oxford and win the race, we can still come out of it third in the points. With the way things have gone this year, you know it’s got to change sooner or later. I don’t see why it can’t change this weekend.”
On racing at Oxford Plains Speedway: “Not a lot changes there. It’s still a place that you don’t have a lot of grip. In July, there’s less when it’s 100 degrees out, but it’s still a place where you’re not going to have a lot of grip whether it’s this time of year or the middle of summer.. If your car’s tight in July and you go back with the same setup, it’s only going to get worse in the cool weather.
“I’m confident with (crew chief Gary Crooks), that he’s going to be on top of that. Between the two of us, I know we’ll have as good a car as anybody when we get there.”