PASS South Racers Focus Attention To Concord And Hickory
CHARLOTTE, NC (March 9) – Following another successful and competitive Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model event this past weekend at Dillon Motor Speedway, the focus now shifts to two huge events at a couple of legendary North Carolina short tracks. The next two PASS South Super Late Model races will be the inaugural Southern Sizzler on March 19 at Concord Speedway and the 11th Annual Easter Bunny 150 on March 26 at Hickory Motor Speedway. PASS will be paired with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour at Concord and the new Southern Modified Racing Series Presented By PASS at Hickory. And both events could loom large in the race for the 2016 PASS South Super Late Model title.
A trio of talented youngsters currently leads the PASS South Super Late Model standings following the first two events of the season. Rookie Kodie Conner leads the points race after a runner-up finish at Dillon Motor Speedway, over second year racer Matt Craig and defending PASS South champion, Tate Fogleman. Craig trails Conner by just two points on the strength of a pair of sixth place finishes. The Kannapolis, NC driver is excited about returning to Concord and Hickory as he seeks his first career PASS South Super Late Model win.
“I really like racing at Concord and Hickory because it’s close to home and the fans there during the pit party always ask about the old #54 they saw back in the late 90s and early 2000s,” said Craig referencing the family-owned car once piloted by drivers like Rodney Childers, Clay Rogers, and Jeff Fultz. “With a couple of back-to-back sixth place finishes to start the season, it’s kind of sweet, but bitter at the same time. We definitely have momentum to build off of going in to Concord.”
Just a week after the Southern Sizzler at Concord, one of the most prestigious short track events of the Spring will go green on Saturday, March 26 as the 11th Annual Easter Bunny 150 brings PASS racers from across the continent back to Hickory Motor Speedway. And if the Easter Bunny weekend was not already big enough, two inaugural series events at Hickory will make it that much bigger. The Southern Modified Racing Series Presented By PASS is expected to bring Tour-type Modified racers from across the East Coast together in the first ever Easter Bunny 125. And, the new South East Mini Stock tour will also be in action following an exciting introductory event at Concord last Fall.
As an added bonus, the winner of this year’s Easter Bunny 150 will get a guaranteed starting spot in arguably the biggest Super Late Model race in the country as part of the “Road To The Oxford 250.” David Garbo, Jr. secured his spot via a win in last year’s North-South Shootout at Concord. The most recent winner in PASS South competition, Brandon Setzer, is excited about the opportunity following his win at Hickory last year in the Mason-Dixon Meltdown 200.
“Hickory is already a huge race for my crew and I because it’s so close to home and I raced there for years before I started touring with PASS,” says Setzer, who lives in nearby Newton, NC. “It’s also a huge bonus that, if we could win, it would lock us into the Oxford 250. That’s a race I’ve wanted to run since I went up two years ago to help Dick Woodman. It would be awesome to go up to Oxford knowing that we are guaranteed a starting spot.”
All the action gets under way on Friday, March 18 at Concord Speedway with open practice for all competing divisions from 2 – 6 PM. On Saturday, March 19, practice will begin at 12:30 PM with qualifying starting at 3:15 PM for the PASS South Super Late Models, Mid-Atlantic Limited Late Models, Mini Stocks, and the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour followed by main events for the Southern Sizzler starting at approximately 5 PM.
PASS South Super Late Model entry forms and complete weekend schedules for the events at Concord Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.