PASS South SoBo 100 photos
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PASS South SoBo photos
Credit: Mark Rogers, Jr./RACE22.com
Kenseth Completes PASS South Season Sweep At SoBo
Ross Kenseth led the most laps, but had to fend off a furious late race challenge from rookie Jared Irvan to win the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model SoBo 100 Saturday night at South Boston Speedway. With his win, Kenseth completed a sweep of both PASS South events held at South Boston Speedway this year.
“It’s always fun coming back here, heck of a job by Jared Irvan, he raced us really clean and it was fun racing him for the win,” said Kenseth after his 4th career PASS South Super Late Model win. “I felt like we were really good, but if we got pinched down to the bottom it would take us about two or three laps to get going. Real proud of the guys, we brought the same thing back here as last time and it work really good again.”
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Masse Rolls To Impressive Third Win At Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT. – Steve Masse, of Bellingham, MA, drove to victory Friday night, Aug 30, winning the Valenti Modified Racing Series sanctioned 4th Annual Shark Cycle 80 at Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford Springs, CT.
Masse leads all series competitors with three victories this season.
The 23-year-old driver is tied with Dwight Jarvis and Louie Mechalides with seven series wins.
Front row starters Ted Christopher, of Plainville, CT, and Keith Rocco, of Meriden, CT, at the drop of the green flag were the show. Seven lead swaps took place between the two drivers until Christopher made contact with Rocco on a lap 53 pass attempt.
With Rocco and Christopher (penalized) relegated to the rear of the field, Masse took the top spot for the balance of the 80 laps and was never challenged.
In victory lane Masse explained, “I saw Keith and Teddy on the front row and I knew it was going to be a hard fought battle up there and once I got to fourth place I just drove it around. There was plenty of race left.”
Masse, who blew an engine at Thompson, disclosed he didn’t think the Stafford race was on the radar until Wednesday.“ We threw the backup motor in. Its got a couple of seasons on it but it’s still pretty good.”
Berlin, CT, driver Ryan Preese finished runner-up from his 11th starting position. “It’s awesome to finally finish a race here with the MRS series but we got some work too do. Second place is pretty good. I’m happy with it. Especially happy that Stevie won.” Preece said.
Norm Wrenn, of Nashua, NH, has struggled throughout the season. Wrenn won his qualifying heat, started fourth in the 26-car field, never ran outside the top five, and finished in a solid third pressing Preece right to the finish.
Post race Wrenn said, “ I did not want to see that caution on lap 72 but we were good. I thought I had something for Ryan but he’s a good driver. Its nice to run that close to someone and run clean.”
Wrenn added, “ The last couple of weeks we ended up going home in a basket. Really discouraging with all the work the crew puts in. We really needed this third place finish.”
With regular driver Jon McKennedy committed elsewhere, Ken Barry, of Preston, CT, opted to compete driving Art Barry’s racer to a strong fourth place finish.
Dave Etheridge, of Portland, CT, turned in his best ever series performance rounding out the top five.
Sixth through tenth were, Zane Zeiner, Richard Savary, Rocco, Christopher, and Dan Meservey Jr.
Qualifying heat winners; Rocco, Christopher, Wrenn.
Consolation winners were, Mark Bakaj & Todd Owen
The race, slowed by eight caution flags, was completed in 1:00: 49.
A season high 36 cars entered the event. 17 of the 26-car field finished on the lead lap.
Race No.13 of 17- Stafford Motor Speedway
Entrants: 36 (26 starters)
Distance: 80-laps
Time of Race: 1:00:49.605
Best Lap Time: 18.696
Lead Changes: 8 (among 3 drivers)
Lap Leaders: Christopher (1-6,19-22, 26-32, 46) Rocco (7-18, 23-25, 33-45, 68-52) Masse (53-80)
Cautions: 8 (22,32,36,41,51,51,52,72)
Unofficial Order of Finish: (1) Masse (2) Preece (3) Wrenn (4) Barry, (5) Etheridge (6) Zeiner (7) Savary (8) Rocco (9) Christopher (10) Meservey (11) Chris Pasteryak (12) Charlie Pasteryak (13) Zachem (14) Mechalides (15) Malave (16) Drown (17) Mead (18) Goodale (19) Barrett (20) Bitondo (21) Holdridge (22) Goodenough (23) Pennink (24) Schneider (25) Owen (26) Bakaj
GSPSS Point battle heats up heading into Riverside!
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On Saturday night September 7th, the Granite State Pro Stock Series will invade the high banked ¼ mile of the Riverside Speedway in Groveton NH. This will mark the first visit to Riverside for the GSPSS. “We are looking forward to bringing Pro Stock/Super Late Model racing back to Riverside”, stated series president Mike Parks A limited number of teams have turned laps on the ¼ mile but all and all it will be a first for 90% of the teams. Current point leader Jeremy Davis hopes to turn his recent string of bad luck around, Davis holds a slim 7 point lead over defending Thompson Speedway champion Mike O’Sullivan. As with Davis, O’Sullivan has struggled over the last couple of events. Third place point man Matt Frahm has been on a roll over the last few events and has turned the most laps on the ¼ mile oval, Frahm is one of the favorites for the event. Rounding out the top 5 in the point standings is former Oxford 250 champion Larry Gelinas and longtime Pro Stock competitor Mike Parks. The GSPSS is coming off very successful events at Both Star Speedway where PASS invader DJ Shaw nailed down the win, and Hudson Speedway where Bobby Baillargeon took the win over 2012 Rookie of the year 15 year old Derek Griffith. There are three events left on the GSPSS schedule, after Riverside it’s off to the Cannan Fair Speedway on Sat September 14th for the last event ever to be hosted at the speedway. Than the GSPSS will crown the 2013 series champion at the Thompson Speedway during the annual World Series in October. Remember this Saturday night September 7th come on out to Riverside Speedway In Groveton NH. Post time is 6pm.
Derrick O’Donnell Crowned “King of the Road”
Phil Scott, Darrell Morin, Will Hennequin and Al Derrington Claim Wins
Barre, VT – Phil Scott made Kyle Pembroke pay for one mistake at the front of the field on lap 37 of the VP Racing Fuels Late Model 50 Thursday at Thunder Road and went on to his 2nd win of the season and the 29th of his career.
Scott shot between a backmarker in the low lane and Pembroke on the rim of turn two in a go-for-broke move for the last of six lead changes.
“I knew I had to take the opportunity, when I saw it,” Scott said.
During the first half of the event, Pembroke and pole sitter Joe Becker raced side by side for more than 20 laps with Scott and eventual runner-up Joey Laquerre in close pursuit.
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BRADLEY BABB: Babb Heads To WMMP For Historic PASS Doubleheader
PASS North Series: Bradley Babb
White Mountain Motorsports Park Race Preview
THE STORY
WINDHAM, Maine – Bradley Babb of Windham, Maine, joins the PASS North Series for a rare doubleheader with two PASS 150s at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on Saturday, August 31. The starting field was set for the first PASS 150 before the main event was rained out on August 4, while the second PASS 150 will be the one originally scheduled for the date. Babb finished third – his best career PASS North Series finish – at White Mountain in 2011, the last time he competed on the scenic, high-banked quarter-mile. Babb sits 21st in the current PASS North standings, despite making only four starts, with two qualifying race wins and one Top-10 finish. The 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Maine state champion is hoping to rebound at White Mountain after a blown engine at Oxford Plains Speedway during qualifying forced him out of the TD Bank Oxford 250 last month.
THE FACTS
WHO: Bradley Babb, Windham, Maine
TEAM: No. 4 Babb Wood Contractors/McGoldrick Bros. Blasting Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Bobby Babb, Windham, Maine
BEST CAREER WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 3rd (September 2011)
LAST RACE AT WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK: 3rd (September 2011)
WHAT: PASS North Series Twin 150s
WHERE: White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile banked oval)
WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday, August 31
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: August 6, Budweiser 150, Autodrome Chaudiere, Vallee-Jonction, Que. (N/A)
NEXT RACE: September 7, PASS 200, Autodrome Chaudiere, Vallee-Jonction, Que. (.25-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 21st
DID YOU KNOW?
Bradley Babb became the first third-generation champion in Beech Ridge Motor Speedway’s top division when he won the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Pro Series championship at the track. His father Bobby Babb and grandfather Robert Babb are both multi-time Beech Ridge champions in the top division.
Bradley Babb was honored at the NASCAR Hall of Fame convention center in Charlotte, N.C., in December as both a state and track champion in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Bradley Babb finished second in a 50-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature event at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on June 1.
Bradley Babb won the pole for his most recent start at Oxford Plains Speedway in April, led nearly a third of the race and had a solid Top-10 run going when he was shuffled back by contact from another car on a green-white-checkered restart at the end of the 150-lap event.
Bradley Babb was the 2010 ACT Late Model Tour Rookie of the Year.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
BRADLEY BABB, Driver of the No. 14 Babb Wood Contractors/McGoldrick Bros. Blasting Chevrolet, On heading to White Mountain Motorsports Park this weekend: “It’s my favorite track. I’ve always liked going there and watching races, even. The first time I went there, I didn’t have any luck. I ended up losing power steering, but it was still so much fun to drive.
“It was the first place I ever ran besides Beech Ridge. The next time we went back, I had the fastest car all day and had a chance to win an ACT race there. It’s always been my favorite place to go, even though I’ve never had the luck when I’ve gone there.”
On how racy White Mountain Motorsports Park is: “Some guys can’t figure out the top, but if you figure out how to drive out there, there definitely is an outside groove. Maybe you wouldn’t run it if you were alone, but you can go out there and make passes.
“It’s a driver’s track, once you get the hang of it.”
On if his approach to races has changed now that he’s no longer chasing points: “Not really. The way my whole season’s been going, I’m sort of looking for more of the same of what we had at Oxford the week before the 250 – where we had a good run. If we can just come out of there with a good run, don’t stove anything up and have a good finish, hopefully we can run some more races this year.”
UP NEXT
The PASS North Series returns to Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jonction, Que., for the PASS 200 on Saturday, September 7.