by | Jan 23, 2014 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Over two hundred drivers, crewmembers, sponsors, family members and supporters of the Pro All Stars Series, gathered to honor the champions and top finishers at the 2013 “Night of Champions” awards banquet held at the Seasons Event and Conference Center in Portland, Maine.
After being treated to a delicious meal, PASS President, Tom Mayberry stepped to the podium and addressed the crowd by thanking them for their support in 2013. Mayberry also thanked Scott Reed for his years of support and dedication to the PASS Series and then introduced and welcomed Charlie and Jamie Rockwell to the PASS Tech team. Mayberry laid out his plans for 2014 and wished everyone a very successful racing campaign this season.
Specialty awards were first on the agenda. They included:
Most Improved Drivers:
PASS Sportsman – Rusty Poland
PASS Mods – Travis Buzzell
Pass Super Late Models – Joey Doiron
Rookie of the Year:
PASS Sportsman – Rusty Poland
PASS Mods – Travis Buzzell
Pass Super Late Models – Joey Doiron
Lifetime Achievement Award: Walter Hight
PASS Series awards were next on the agenda, and each divisions champions and competitors were honored. North Bridgeton, Maine’s, Carey Martin was honored as the 2013 PASS Sportsman champion. Martin secured his championship by picking up a pair of victories, and six top five finishes in the seven events run. The top five included Martin, Rusty Poland, Joe Pastore, Dan McKeage and Nathan Leavitt.
Scott Alexander proudly carried the PASS Mod championship awards back to his hometown of Newburgh, Maine. Alexander captured his championship by being consistent all season as he failed to win a race, but had the most top five finishes with eight in twelve race starts. Rounding out the PASS Mod top five were Travis Buzzell, Mitch Miller, Scott McDaniel and Mike Carignan.
Farmington, Maine’s, Cassius Clark edged out Joey Doiron and DJ Shaw for the 2013 Pass North Super Late Model Championship. Clark held off Doiron by a mere four points, and Shaw by just five. Clark also had a very solid championship season as he collected a pair of wins, nine top fives, and eleven top ten’s in twelve starts. Completing the top five was the 2012 PASS North champion Travis Benjamin, followed by Ben Rowe.
The 2014 PASS Series will open up the season at Oxford Plains Speedway on Saturday, April 12 at 2pm.
PASS Series awards were next on the agenda, and each divisions champions and competitors were honored. North Bridgeton, Maine’s, Carey Martin was honored as the 2013 PASS Sportsman champion. Martin secured his championship by picking up a pair of victories, and six top five finishes in the seven events run. The top five included Martin, Rusty Poland, Joe Pastore, Dan McKeage and Nathan Leavitt.
Scott Alexander proudly carried the PASS Mod championship awards back to his hometown of Newburgh, Maine. Alexander captured his championship by being consistent all season as he failed to win a race, but had the most top five finishes with eight in twelve race starts. Rounding out the PASS Mod top five were Travis Buzzell, Mitch Miller, Scott McDaniel and Mike Carignan.
Farmington, Maine’s, Cassius Clark edged out Joey Doiron and DJ Shaw for the 2013 Pass North Super Late Model Championship. Clark held off Doiron by a mere four points, and Shaw by just five. Clark also had a very solid championship season as he collected a pair of wins, nine top fives, and eleven top ten’s in twelve starts. Completing the top five was the 2012 PASS North champion Travis Benjamin, followed by Ben Rowe.
The 2014 PASS Series will open up the season at Oxford Plains Speedway on Saturday, April 12 at 2 p.m.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series held their first meeting of the new season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
Series president Mike Parks spoke to nearly 100 competitors, owners, and crew members, discussing the schedule and options for years beyond the upcoming season. One of the main changes in the off season is the format for the heat races. In previous years, the winner of a heat race would receive 6 points, and would descend according to position by 1 point each. In 2014, each position will receive double the points, giving the winner 12 points, second place earning 10 points, descending each position by 2 points.
“Heat races are so important,” states 2013 champ Mike O’Sullivan. “In heat races, you try to gain more positions which will earn more points. With more points being awarded, the heat races are magnified. My brother (Tommy O’Sullivan) and I have circled them as an area of importance.” O’Sullivan credits his success in heat races to helping him win the championship last year. His 4 heat race wins contributed heavily to earning top honors in the series.
Adding to the importance of the heat races, the GSPSS has joined forces with McClellan Metal Finishing out of Waltham, MA to grant the winners of each heat race an extra $25 bonus in their earnings. “It gives you something else to race for,” O’Sullivan adds. “Every little bit helps.”
There was a strong showing from the state of Maine at the meeting, with a couple of drivers throwing their names into the hat for the upcoming season. 2012 Beech Ridge Pro Stock champ Brad Babb has filed paperwork to compete in the GSPSS in 2014.
“If everything goes well, we are going to go after the 2014 championship,” Babb comments. “We came down to the World Series at Thompson last year, were treated well, felt appreciated, and had a pretty good time. We are looking forward to 2014 season, especially the races at Lee and White Mountain Motorsports Park.”
Along with multiple feature wins at Beech Ridge, Babb was the 2010 Rookie of the Year in the American-Canadian Tour, and has dabbled in PASS as well. Joining Babb, Westbrook, ME resident Matty Sanborn has filed to compete for Rookie of the Year. “Each year we are seeing an increase in car counts and talent in our series,” remarked Parks. “We have more ‘true rookies’ coming in and more drivers in general. Every year the bar is being raised.”
The Granite State Pro Stock Series will begin the season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 5th and 6th. There will be an open practice at the facility on March 22nd, and an open practice on Friday, April 4th from 2-5PM, with pits opening at noon. The 10 race schedule will also conclude at Thompson for the World Series, and will stop at Monadnock, Hudson, Star, Lee, and White Mountain Motorsports Park, with the possibility of other dates added shortly.
OPS President Tom Mayberry announced recently that the Budweiser Pro Late Models that race every Friday night in the Oxford Championship Series will be enjoying a major purse increase in 2014. The new purse shows that the weekly winner that has a track license will receive $1,500. The entire purse breakdown is as follows:
2014 PRO LATE MODEL PURSE:
1st $1,500,
2nd $750,
3rd $600,
4th $500,
5th $450,
6th $400,
7th $375,
8th $350,
9th $325,
10th $300,
11th $200,
12th $150,
13th $125,
14th $120,
15th $110,
16th on back $100
After talking with drivers at the 2013 awards banquet this past Saturday night, excitement is at an all-time high for this 2nd year division. Not only were drivers excited about the top prizes, they also were ecstatic about tenth place paying $300. As one driver said, “This is awesome, as I can pretty near cover my night of racing if I finish in tenth. Thanks Tom Mayberry and Oxford Plains Speedway staff!”
All racers from throughout the Northeast are eyeing the all new PASS Late Model Series featuring three events in 2014. All three events will be held at Oxford Plains Speedway located in Oxford, Maine, with Round #1, a $2,000 to win, 100 lap grind, taking place on Friday, June 13th. Post time is 7:30pm. Round #2 takes place the night before the Oxford 250 on Saturday, July 19th at 6pm. This will be a 125 lap main event that pays the winner $4,000, or they can take $3,000, convert their car to Oxford 250 specs, and be a guaranteed starter in the 250 as long as they use the same car as they ran in Saturday’s Late Model race, and attempt to qualify in all necessary heats, consis, and last chance races. Round #3 takes place on Saturday, September 27, PASS Championship weekend. The finale is scheduled for 100 laps, and pays the winner $2,000. Post time is 2 p.m.
Drivers from all over New England have been inquiring about the Series. Tom Mayberry is very pleased and excited about the new PASS LMS Series. “We designed this new Series so that with our rules package, just about any Late Model, Pro Stock and Sportsman cars can easily meet the specs to compete in these three events. We have tried to put together a rules package that rivals the old Getty Open Series, where cars from all over New England and Canada came together to race. It was one of the most exciting eras of racing at Oxford and we want to try to bring that back to OPS in 2014.”
We would like to congratulate all 2013 champions and all racers and race teams that joined us at the 2013 Award Banquets. The PASS North banquet on Friday night was an outstanding event, one in which everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. On Saturday night at the OPS Championship Series Banquet, the atmosphere was much the same. A delicious meal, appreciative award winners, and some great fun, fellowship and dancing throughout the evening. Congrats to all!!
Registration continues as we edge closer to race season. Don’t forget that the only way to reserve a number is to register your car with the Speedway. When you purchase your license, that’s how you reserve your number. Numbers are now reserved on a first come, first serve basis. You can contact the office at 207-539-8865.
We are pleased to announce the hiring of a new Office Manager here at OPS. We are pleased to announce June Walker as our new leader here at Oxford. Many of you met her at the OPS banquet last Saturday evening, as she was your hostess that guided you to your seats. Her pleasant smile and great people skills will be a great asset to the OPS family. We would also like to thank Michelle Butler for filling in as Office Manager for the past couple of months. She did a great job, and we wish her the best.
You may now find the 2014 Mini-Cup Car rules on the website at www.oxfordplains.com. If you have any question with the rules please feel free to contact our Tech Team. The 2014 season will see the Mini-Cup Cars competing on a specially designed track on the frontstretch.
We still have job openings here at OPS for the 2014 racing season. In order to apply for a job, you must stop in the office and fill out an application. You may also get an interview that same day. If you have any questions contact Dick Therrien at 207-539-8865, or e-mail him at [email protected].
We would like to thank and congratulate all the race teams that supported OPS immensely at the Northeast Motorsports Expo in Augusta. The weather on Saturday was horrible but that didn’t deter great crowds from joining us on Friday night and Sunday. Oxford was well represented as Pro Late Model competitors, Corey Morgan and Gunnar Rowe had their beautiful cars with us, along with PASS Sportsman newcomer Alex Lacognata, and PASS Mod standout, Scott Alexander. Also joining us in our booth were Mini-Cuppers Rich Hall and Barry Morris. Jordyn Childs represented the new Go-Kart program, and the ISMA Super Modified show car was also a great hit. Rowe, Alexander and Morgan each received awards for their efforts.
We are looking for four racecars to fill up our booth at the Racin’ Preview in Portland, Maine scheduled for Friday night and Saturday, February 21st and 22nd. Show hours are Friday from 4pm–10pm, and Saturday from 9am–9pm. You must be able to bring your racer to the show early in the morning on the Friday, February 21st. I would love to have a Colossal Carnage 150 Enduro vehicle in the booth. To reserve a spot, contact Dick Therrien at 207-539-8865, or e-mail him at [email protected].
Due to a computer malfunction, the Oxford 250 Reserved Seats ticket forms were mailed out later than usual. We encourage everybody to order their favorite seats for the Northeast’s premiere Super Late Model race by mailing in their ticket form, order through the online store, or call the office at 207-539-8865. The 2014 date for the Oxford 250 is Sunday, July 20. Post time is 2 p.m.
Informational meetings for stock car and go-kart competitors at Devil’s Bowl Speedway have been rescheduled for Saturday, February 1 at the Holiday Inn Rutland-Killington in Rutland, VT. The meetings were postponed from their original January date and have been slated to the afternoon prior to the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Banquet of Champions.
The “town meeting” style forum will be open to all race drivers and teams interested in competing in the developmental classes at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT in 2014. Times for the divisional meetings are as follows:
· Renegade – 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
· Mini Stock – 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
· Kart Series – 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m
The full 2014 season schedule will be revealed at the Banquet of Champions on Saturday, February 1, along with several other major announcements.
Season schedule, other announcements to be made at Banquet of Champions
– Provisional Starting Spots for Highest Non-qualified Points Contenders in the 41st Annual Oxford 250, Paying $25,000 to the Race Winner