by Jay | Oct 19, 2009 | PASS
Naples, ME 10/19/09- It couldn’t have been a more fitting way for Ben Rowe to capture the 2009 Pro All Stars Series (PASS) National championship as he continued the north’s dominance by winning the fourth annual Mason Dixon Meltdown at South Boston (VA) Speedway. The podium was a clean sweep of Maine natives as Ben held off his father Mike Rowe who finished second followed by defending Cassius Clark who rounded out the top three.
Defending race winner Johnny Clark managed a fourth place finish and Heath Hindman represented the south as the highest finishing PASS South regular with a fifth place finish. Mark Gibson and Ryan Blaney who came into the Meltdown second and third in national championship standings were both able to hold those positions and take home some national championship hardware. Gibson managed a season high finish of sixth in the process while young Ryan Blaney fought an uphill battle to finish seventh.
Rowe was able to cruise to victory in the final laps but it was another driver who looked as if he had the car to beat all weekend long. Corey Williams who picked up a win earlier in the year at Orange County scorched the field in qualifying and just as quickly made his way to the top spot during the race. Williams lead 140 of the first 145 laps quickly putting a lap on the field when several competitors battling for position spun a half turn in front of him. One would have thought Williams would have made it through untouched but Williams got caught up in the middle of it ending his night.
The incident brought the front runners to pit road for two fresh tires and handed the lead over to Cassius Clark who pitted the previous caution. Cassius did his best to hold off a pair of Rowe’s in the form of the father and son combo but Ben overtook Cassius for the top spot on lap 208 and never looked back for his fourth PASS South win of 2009. With the win Rowe expanded his PASS South points lead, all but wrapping up the southern championship heading into the final race of the year.
The season ending finale for the PASS South is right around the corner on Saturday night October 24th at the Greenville-Pickens (SC) Speedway. Fans that make plans to see the annual Howler 125 will not only see a race winner take home the hardware, but will also see the PASS South series champion crowned that night. For more information including tickets, contact the track directly at www.greenvillepickens.com or call 864-269-0852.
For more information including schedules, standings, and results for all PASS sanctioned touring series visit their home on the web at www.racewithpass.com. For marketing or media questions contact Norm Desjardins at 603-539-3368 or for technical information contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230.
Official Results – PASS South super late model Mason-Dixon Meltdown 250 – South Boston Speedway –South Boston Speedway – 10/17/2009
1) 4N Ben Rowe 2) 2 Mike Rowe 3) 8 Cassius Clark 4) 54 Johnny Clark 5) 91 Heath Hindman 6) 26 Preston Peltier 7) 62 Mark Gibson 8) 10 Ryan Blaney 9) 4S Jay Fogleman 10) 60 DJ Shaw 11) 23N Lonnie Sommerville 12) 48 John Batten 13) 98 Justin Wakefield 14) 20N Steven Legendre 15) 74 Ryan Moore 16) 18 Bradley McCaskill 17) 47 Corey Williams 18) 05 Alex Fleming 19) 20X John Stancill 20) 11 Joey Doiron 21) 1 Louie Mechalides 22) 23 Jimmy Weller 23) 02 Tim Nooner 24) 15 Clay Jones
by Jay | Oct 18, 2009 | New England, New Hampshire, PASS, Riverside Speedway
Naples ME (10/18/09 Championships aren’t easy to come by in sports, and auto racing is no exception. To win the deciding race to claim a championship is the dream of many a racer. Carey Martin lived out that dream Saturday when he won the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Sportsman finale at Groveton New Hampshire’s Riverside Speedway. Martin claimed the feature over his nearest championship rival Mike Landry, securing the 2009 PASS Sportsman title by a two point margin. Clyde Hennessey finish third, Lyman McKeage fourth and Grant Arthur came home fifth.
After the qualifying heats were completed the two were deadlocked in the standings, with Dan McKeage just two points behind. Clyde Hennessey captured heat one to sit on the pole, with heat two winner McKeage to his outside.
Hennessey took the lead from the first green but Martin quickly moved up to second with Landry right on his bumper in third. The pair chased Hennessey until lap twenty nine when Martin took command. Dan McKeage was charging, up to second from fourth ahead of Hennessey and Landry, Arthur and Lyman McKeage.
When the crossed flags were displayed it was Martin, Dan McKeage, Landry up to third and Hennessey fourth. The front three were evenly matched ran nose to tail for thirty laps until Dan McKeages’ challenge for a second PASS Sportsman title went up in smoke with driveline problems. McKeage was done for the day at lap 59.
The final caution set up a sixteen lap showdown between the top two title contenders, with Martin on the inside and Landry outside. Martin got the jump on Landry at the green and try as he might, Landry could not find his way past the veteran Sportsman racer. Landry ran Martin clean, putting on a great battle for the win but Martin wasn’t to be denied, taking the victory and the title of 2009 PASS Sportsman Championship in the process. It was Martins’ third win of 2009 and firth top five in seven starts.
Just three cautions slowed the seventy five lap feature event. Seven cars completed all the laps; heat race wins went to Hennessey and Dan McKeage.
Carey Martin and his fellow PASS competitors will gather November 7th at Verillo’s Convention Center in Westbrook Maine for the 2009 Pro All Stars Series Banquet of Champions.
The Pro All Stars Series is on line at www.racewithpass.com and www.proallstarsseries.com .
Unofficial Results- PASS Sportsman 75 lap feature–Riverside Speedway, Groveton NH -10/17/09
1) 18 Carey Martin, Denmark ME 2) 40 Mike Landry, Oakland ME 3) 8 Clyde Hennessey, Windham ME 4) 58 Lyman McKeage, Gorham ME 5) 7oz Grant Arthur, Exeter NH 6) 34 Richie Morse, Waterford ME 7) 51 Dan Sidney, St. Johnsbury VT 8) 1 Kerry Marten, Littleton NH 9) 02F David Fowler, Barnstead NH 10) 67 Jourdain Davis, Whitefield NH 11) 7x Shawna Randall, Stark NH 12) Dan McKeage, Gorham ME 13) 35 Bobby Nadeau, Hollis ME 14) 73 David Ofswyk, Newport Center VT
by Jay | Oct 18, 2009 | NASCAR
Jimmie Johnson has done it again. He won the NASCAR Banking 500 Saturday night, extending his lead over teammate Mark Martin to 90 points in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.
Johnson drove away from the field after dicing with teammate Jeff Gordon in the closing laps of the 334-lap race.
It was Johnson’s sixth win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and put him another step closer to a fourth consecutive championship, which would be a first in NASCAR history.
Trailing Johnson at the finish line were Matt Kenseth, with his best finish since winning at Auto Club Speedway in February, Kasey Kahne, Gordon, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer, Casey Mears, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex and Kurt Busch.
Martin had his worst night of the Chase thus far after accidentally hitting the rear of Juan Pablo Montoya’s car on a restart. The accident ended Montoya’s streak of top-five finishes at four, and relegated Martin to a 17th-place finish. Montoya didn’t fare so well. He wound up 35th.
It was not a good night for other Chase drivers as well. Denny Hamlin ran with the leaders before losing an engine. Carl Edwards was the victim of an accident and his damaged car lost an engine when he returned to the track in an attempt to get as many points as possible. Edwards was 39th. Brian Vickers had another terrible run, finishing 34th.
Other drivers in the Chase wound up better with Ryan Newman finishing 11th; Tony Stewart 13th and Greg Biffle 16th.
The race was delayed several minutes by a cold, spitting rain but it stopped and Johnson took off from the pole in quest of another win at LMS, a track he owns in recent statistics.
Sam Hornish Jr. brought out a caution on Lap 3 when he spun and barely glazed the second Turn 2 wall. The race was back underway at Lap 7 and Hornish spun again, this time off the fourth turn. Once again, the former Indy 500 winner escaped with no serious damage to his car.
When the race resumed on Lap 13, it was Johnson out front, followed by Martin, Kyle Busch, Newman, Kahne, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Montoya, Kenseth and Hamlin. Montoya had gained 10 spots in just a few laps from his 18th starting position.
Rain prompted NASCAR officials to throw a caution again on Lap 35. Following pit stops, Kenseth was the leader on the 42nd lap restart with Johnson and Kyle Busch right behind him. Rounding out the top 10 were Hamlin, Biffle, Kahne, Montoya, Gordon and Newman.
Johnson eventually regained the lead with Hamlin in second and Kenseth third. By Lap 70, Johnson had built nearly a full-second lead, showing everyone why he has been so successful at this 1.5-mile hometown track.
However, just a few laps later, Hamlim zoomed to the front in his FedEx Toyota owned by Joe Gibbs.
All of the frontrunners pitted under green between Laps 93 and 96 and when the smoke cleared, it was Kenseth in front briefly before Hamlin took back over, followed by Kyle Busch, Johnson, Montoya, Mears, Martin, Bowyer, Kahne and David Reutimann.
Kyle Busch spun in Turn 4 at 120 laps to bring out another caution. Gordon was the leader on the 124th lap restart with Biffle, Newman and Hamlin in tow.
Martin got into the back of Montoya on the restart, causing considerable damage to Montoya’s Chevrolet. Montoya dropped well back in the pack due to the accident because his right rear fender was bent outwards, acting like a parachute catching the wind.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled into the garage shortly after the restart with transmission problems.
At the halfway mark (162 laps), the top 10 were Gordon, Hamlin, Johnson, Kahne, Kenseth, Biffle, Newman, Bowyer and Bill Elliott.
Montoya brought out a caution when his ill-handling car spun shortly before the halfway point. He lost two laps while his crew made repairs.
by Jay | Oct 15, 2009 | New England, New Hampshire, PASS, Riverside Speedway
NAPLES ME (October 14 2009) The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Sportsman racers started their 2009 season at Speedway 95 in April, when the season was new and every competitor was tied for the points lead. October has arrived and after six races and six months there’s still a tie at the top of the heap and one driver that trails the top two by just three markers.
That’s as tight as it gets, and the top three will do battle this Saturday afternoon at the PASS sanctioned Riverside Speedway in Groveton New Hampshire for the title. Carey Martin and Mike Landry are deadlocked with 284 points apiece and Dan Mckeage trails the pair by three at 281. Any one of the three could wind up with the 2009 Champion’s trophy. Lyman Mckeage sits in fourth with 213 and just one point separates him from fifth place points man Shane Tatro.
So there’ll be plenty of races within the race to keep an eye on as the PASS Sportsman take on an expected full field of Sportsman/Limited racers from throughout the region. It’s guaranteed to be some of the best racing you’ll see this season, and the tough Riverside oval only makes the show even better.
The PASS Sportsman title race is just a portion of the huge Russ’s NAPA presents the 4th annual Frostbite 400, highlighted by a 250 lap, $5,000.00 to win four and six cylinder Enduro, the speedway’s own Cyclone division championship, Dwarf Cars and Daredevils. It’s grass roots racing at its very best, and a great way to wrap the PASS Sportsman season.
Pit gates open October 17 at 8:00 AM, tech gets underway at 9:00 AM, and post time for the first race is 1:30 PM. For more details please visit www.riversidespeedway.org .
by Jay | Oct 14, 2009 | NASCAR, New England, Thompson
The 25th season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will draw to a close and a champion will be crowned at the World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart on Sunday, Oct. 18 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.
The final stop for the Whelen Modified Tour in 2009 will be a familiar one as Thompson has played host to more events than any other venue in the Tour’s 25-year history. And as the season concludes, a familiar storyline has once again come to the forefront: a tight championship battle.
Donny Lia – the 2007 Whelen Modified Tour champion – carries a slim 26-point lead into the season finale. Lia, from Jericho, N.Y., earned his Tour-high fourth win of the year last time out at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, and consequently took the points lead for the first time this year.
Although he may have momentum on his side after winning three of the last five races, Lia will have his hands full at Thompson, however. Ryan Preece is Lia’s closest competition at just 26 markers back.
Preece, from Berlin, Conn., has been the season’s most consistent top finisher. Highlighted by a pair of wins and third-place efforts in the last three races entering Thompson, Preece has a Tour-high nine top-five finishes in 12 starts this year. Recent history has shown that – barring mechanical failure or getting caught up in an accident – Preece will be at or near the front on Sunday.
The Lia versus Preece match-up provides an interesting storyline entering the World Series. The No. 4 “Mystic Missile” driven by Lia has been a fixture in NASCAR Modified racing since 1962 with car owner Bob Garbarino, while the No. 3 “Ole Blue” Modified of Boehler Racing Enterprises began competition in 1957 under the direction of the late Len Boehler. History has come full-circle in the 25th season of the Whelen Modified Tour with Lia and Preece the title frontrunners in cars that represent the longest-running Modified teams in the Northeast by far.
For all intents and purposes, it is a two-horse race between Lia and Preece. Although still mathematically alive, Ted Christopher, Todd Szegedy and Rowan Pennink will be long shots for the championship trophy at Thompson. Szegedy and Pennink will be eliminated from contention when Lia takes the green flag and Christopher – at 109 points out of first – would need to win and have Lia finish worse than 30th to pass the current points leader. Should that happen, Christopher would also have to leapfrog Preece by finishing sixth or better, assuming Preece finished between 22nd and 32nd.
The 2009 World Series marks the second year in a row – and just the latest on the list of instances – where the championship comes down to the last race. A year ago, Christopher carried a 35-point lead to Thompson against Matt Hirschman. Christopher went on to win the race and secure his first title.
Raceday Notes: The smallest championship points differential occurred in 1995 when Tony Hirschman edged Steve Park by three points … If Lia were to win the title, he would become just the fourth driver in Whelen Modified Tour history to earn multiple championships, joining Tony Hirschman (5), Jimmy Spencer (2) and Mike Stefanik (7) … If Preece were to clinch the title, it would mark the third year in a row that the crown goes to a first time winner, following Lia in 2007 and Christopher in 2008 … Lia enters the race with 15 career wins, which has him tied with Spencer on the Whelen Modified Tour all-time list, and one shy of the totals of Mike McLaughlin and Park … The Whelen Modified Tour champion will earn a secured starting position in the 2010 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to be held Jan. 29-30 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) … Renee Dupuis will attempt to make her 100th career Whelen Modified Tour start at the World Series.
Fast Facts
The Race: World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart
The Place: Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, October 18
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 150 laps / 93.75 miles
Race Purse: $85,971
2008 Winner: Ted Christopher
2008 Polesitter: Eric Beers
Event Schedule: Saturday: Practice 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Qualifying 2:20 p.m.
by Jay | Oct 12, 2009 | PASS
CHARLOTTE, NC (October 12 2009) – Pro All Stars Series (PASS) officials announced today that the 2009 season has been completed for the PASS Late Model Trucks. While the PASS Late Model Trucks will not compete in a previously scheduled event for Saturday, October 24th at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, the PASS South Super Late Models will still be there in action. The Howler will be the final points race of 2009 for the PASS South Super Late Models.
In 2009 PASS sanctioned the Late Model Trucks for the first time as a support division for the PASS South Super Late Models. Veteran racer Hal Goodson won the first ever PASS Late Model Truck race back in March at the Dillon Motor Speedway. In nine races in 2009, 30 drivers competed in at least one event with four drivers taking wins including Goodson, Grant Davidson, Jody Measamer, and Clint King. On the strength of a series leading four wins and never finishing lower than third, Davidson will be crowned as the inaugural PASS Late Model Truck Champion. Davidson took the title by 36 points over Measamer, who finished the season by winning three of the final four PASS Late Model Truck events.
The decision to cancel the final PASS Late Model Truck event at Greenville was made following a disappointing Truck turnout for the most recent series event at Southern National. A decision regarding the 2010 season will be coming soon.
“This season we decided to bring the Late Model Trucks in under PASS sanction and we saw some really outstanding races everywhere we went,” said PASS President Tom Mayberry. “We really appreciate Grant Davidson, Jody Measamer, Michael Cooper, and Justin Crider for their support throughout the entire season. During the off season will talk to the Truck competitors and make a decision about next year in the coming weeks.”
The PASS South Super Late Models return to action this weekend at the South Boston Speedway in Virginia for the Mason-Dixon 500. The race will be the longest at 250 laps and richest of the 2009 season. In addition to the 250 laps of racing for the PASS South Super Late Models, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stocks will also be competing in a 250 lap event. For more information go to southbostonspeedway.com, racewithpass.com or proallstarsseries.com..
