2017 PASS RACE

MCCASKILL - IRVAN - ECKES


		Photos by Laura LWpictures.com

Irvan Makes Late Charge to Claim
PASS Winter Meltdown at Dillon

DILLON, SC (February 4) - Third-generation racer Jared Irvan was able to move past leader Christian Eckes following a late-race restart and led the rest of the way to win the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model national season opener Saturday afternoon at Dillon Motor Speedway. Irvan's win in the Winter Meltdown 200 was his first since capturing the checkered flag at Anderson Motor Speedway back in 2015.

"We both spun the tires a little bit on that last restart and ended up going into turn one too fast and I actually thought I went in too high, but he [Eckes] did too and I was able to come off with the lead," said Irvan. "This is really big for our momentum for the rest of the year and hopefully we can get a little more sponsorship to help us through the rest of the year."

In qualifying, Eckes edged out Tate Fogleman by five 1/1000ths of a second to claim his first career PASS quick qualifying time with a speed of 90.068 miles per hour. Following the top 10 qualifiers redraw, Eckes would slot in to the sixth starting position, while Derek Griffith and Chad McCumbee would move up to the front row.

Griffith led through a couple of early cautions before Eckes would take the top spot on a lap three restart. By lap five, the third caution of the day would already be waving as Jeff Batten and Eddie Fatcher collided in turn four and spun.

When the race went back green, Joey Polewarcyzk was able to get the better of Eckes on the restart and take the lead. Polewarcyzk stretched his lead until the caution waved again on lap 46 for hard contact with the inside wall by Kodie Conner. Back under green, Eckes moved by Polewarcyzk for the fourth lead change of the day, but the car on the move was 4-time PASS National Champion, Ben Rowe. Rowe started 11th, but had charged into second by lap 62. After another rash of caution periods, Rowe was able to take the lead from Eckes on lap 93.

Just five laps later, the caution would wave for the ninth time of the race when Roy Hayes, Jr. checked up to avoid the slowing car of Kyle DeSouza and made hard contact with the front stretch wall. Again on the restart, the outside groove would prevail and Eckes would move by to take the lead from Rowe.

Following the competition caution on lap 125, Eckes continued to lead, but Spencer Davis, Irvan, and Bradley McCaskill were all becoming factors. Rowe lost ground to Eckes in lapped traffic, nearly being caught up with defending race winner, Brandon Setzer, with 24 laps to go. Three laps later, Irvan moved past Rowe for second and set his sights on Eckes. But, like Rowe, Irvan got tangled with the lapped machine of Polewarcyzk with 19 laps to go and had to go to the apron entering turn one to avoid an accident.

Irvan caught the break he needed when the final caution of the day waved with 14 laps to go for debris in turn two that came following contact between Tanner Thorson and JP Josiasse. On the restart, both Eckes and Irvan charged into turn one, but Irvan was able to take advantage of the banking on the outside, using the momentum to take the lead at the end of the backstretch. Irvan led the rest of the way to take the win over Eckes, McCaskill, Rowe, and Davis. Rounding out the top 10 were Dave Farrington, Jr., Gus Dean, Griffith, Setzer, and Fogleman.

The PASS South Super Late Models will be in action once again for 150 laps, along with the NASCAR Late Model Stocks, as part of the Dogwood 300 on Saturday, March 4th at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, NC. Entry forms will be available soon at ProAllStarsSeries.com.

Be sure to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14.

PASS SLMs at DILLON MOTOR SPEEDWAY
OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS - 2-4-17

1) 28 - Jared Irvan - 200 Laps
2) 15 - Christian Eckes - 200
3) 18 - Bradley McCaskill - 200
4) 4n - Ben Rowe - 200
5) 29 - Spencer Davis - 200
6) 7 - Dave Farrington Jr. - 200
7) 56 - Gus Dean - 200
8) 12g - Derek Griffith - 200
9) 6 - Brandon Setzer - 199
10) 8F - Tate Fogleman - 199
11) 97 - Joey Polewarczyk - 199
12) 51 - Eddie Fatcher - 199
13) 54 - Matt Craig - 199
14) 24j - JP Josiasse - 194

15) 55 - Tanner Thorson - 184
16) 84 - Roy Hayes II - 97
17) 10 - Kyle DeSouza - 97
18) 16 - Hayes Goodson - 93
19) 00 - Byan Kruczek - 77
20) 16m - Chad McCumbee - 71
21) 45 - Kodie Conner - 51
22) 74 - Josh Berry - 46
23) 7c - Tyler Church - 31
24) 49 - Jeff Batten - 5
DNS - 71 - Jimmy Doyle
DNS - 99 - Sarah Cornett-Ching
DNS - 55 - Kevin Floars

| Entries Received - Dillon - 2-4 |

Winter Meltdown and Rich SC History
Meet in PASS Opener at Dillon

CHARLOTTE, NC (February 2) - While New England and Canada's best dig out of the snow to make their way South, Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model racers from across the Southeast prepare to greet them for this weekend's 4th Winter Meltdown at Dillon Motor Speedway. While Dillon has hosted PASS as part of the South Carolina Clash event since 2008, this year's 200 lap Meltdown will be held there for the first time. The Winter Meltdown has been dominated by New Englanders with Brad Leighton taking the checkered flag at New Smyrna in 2010 and Maine's Joey Doiron claiming the last two versions with wins at Auburndale and Greenville.

On Saturday afternoon, the Winter Meltdown and South Carolina Clash combine for a mega-event, which will feature over 300 laps of racing for the PASS Super Late Models, DMS Late Models, and Pro 4 Cylinders. The South Carolina Clash at the Winter Meltdown will be 200 green flag laps and will double as the first race of the PASS National Championship Series and PASS South Super Late Model season.

Ever since the first South Carolina Clash was held at nearby Florence Motor Speedway in 2006, the event has been one of the featured races annually on the PASS South schedule. In that race 11 years ago, the late Charlie Bradberry held off short track legends Mike Rowe and Freddie Query in a frantic battle to the checkered flag.

In 2008, the South Carolina Clash moved to the tough, egg-shaped Dillon Motor Speedway and has seen quite the list of winners. Ryan Blaney leads all drivers with two victories, while Justin Wakefield, Ben Rowe, Preston Peltier, Austin Theriault, Daniel Hemric, Tyler Church, and Brandon Setzer have all visited victory lane there in the past. Peltier looked to join Blaney as a two-time winner at Dillon, but was edged out by Theriault in 2013 for the closest finish in PASS South history.

This year's South Carolina Clash at the Winter Meltdown gets under way Saturday at 2 PM as Tyler Church looks to repeat his emotional victory there from a two years ago. But, he will be joined by the strongest field of cars in Meltdown history including 4-time PASS National Champion, Ben Rowe, and fellow PASS South champions, Matt Craig and Tate Fogleman. Championship contenders Jared Irvan, Kodie Conner, and Jimmy Doyle will be joined by fellow North Carolina drivers Chad McCumbee, Bradley McCaskill, and Mike Speeney. Sarah Cornett-Ching and JP Josiasse will be making the long haul from Canada, along with New England drivers, Bryan Kruczek, Dave Farrington, Jr., Derek Griffth, and Joey Polewarczyk. Transplanted New Englander Kyle Desouza will be chasing the PASS South title and will be joined by local favorites Hayes Goodson and Gus Dean. USAC National Midget Champion, Tanner Thorson, will be making his first start in a stock car and will share company with Derby champ, Christian Eckes, and Late Model Stock title holder, Josh Berry.

The afternoon of racing will be filled out by the DMS Late Models racing for 75 laps with $1500 going to the winner and the Pro 4-Cylinders competing in a 40 lapper paying $600 to win.

From Dillon, the series returns to Southern National Motorsports Park on Saturday, March 4 and the beginning of a new tradition with the birth of the Dogwood 300. The PASS South Super Late Models will compete for 150 laps and will be joined by the NASCAR Late Model Stock cars in another 150 lapper at Kenly.

Just three weeks later, one of the most anticipated short track events of the Spring will go green on Saturday, March 25 as the Orange Blossom Special and PASS return to Orange County Speedway in Race 2 of the PASS National Championship Series. The trip to Orange County will be the first race on "The Road To The Oxford 250," with the winner receiving a guaranteed starting spot for the $25,000 to win race in August. And if the return of the "Original" Orange Blossom was not already big enough, the Southern Modified Racing Series returns the excitement of Tour Mods to the high banks.

Action gets underway at Dillon Motor Speedway Speedway on Friday, February 3 with gates opening at 12:30 PM and rotating practice for the PASS Super Late Models, Late Models, and Pro 4s from 2 - 5 PM. On Saturday, February 4, gates will open at 8 AM, with rotating practice from 10 AM - Noon, qualifying at 12:30 PM, and feature events, led off by the PASS Super Late Models, set to go green at 2 PM.

Entry forms for the PASS Winter Meltdown at Dillon Motor Speedway, along with the 44th Annual Oxford 250, can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com. The 2017 license forms for the PASS Super Late Models are also available at ProAllStarsSeries.com. Drivers purchasing licenses for the 2017 season will receive bonus points for each race they are pre-registered for and will also save money towards any events that they enter early.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America's premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the Easter Bunny 150 and the Mason-Dixon MegaMeltdown 300 at Hickory Motor Speedway and the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or alandietzpass@live.com.

Don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

MCCUMBEE

ROWE

BERRY

McCumbee, Rowe, and Berry
Head Next Round of Entries for
Winter Meltdown At Dillon

CHARLOTTE, NC (January 26) - Prominent names from the North and South head the ever growing list of drivers for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model season opener at Dillon Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon, February 4. The "Original" Winter Meltdown will be headlined by the 200 green flag lap South Carolina Clash and will pit the best short track racers in North America against one another for the first race of the 2017 PASS National Championship series. The 12th Annual Clash at the Winter Meltdown will also double as the first race for the PASS South Super Late Models.

Ocean Isles, NC's Chad McCumbee has done nearly everything you can think of when it comes to auto racing. From a successful career in Late Model Stocks at Myrtle Beach Speedway to nearly winning in the Camping World Truck Series, McCumbee even played Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in an ESPN production based on his father. In recent years, McCumbee has honed his road racing skills driving the ModSpace Mazda and will compete this weekend in the preliminary events at Daytona International Speedway leading up to the Rolex 24. But, with all that on his resume, the Winter Meltdown at Dillon will be his first start in a PASS Super Late Model.

"Super Late Models are somewhat of a step I skipped coming up through in the early 2000's," says McCumbee, who will pilot the Elliott Trucking #16 at Dillon. "Last year we decided to try something different and got a Fury Super. Dillon will be my second race in a Super Late Model and our test went pretty well a couple of weeks ago. I am in Florida now so I was very limited with my time leading up to the race. I don't really have any expectations but feel confident we will be competitive."
While McCumbee plans to continue his road racing pursuits in 2017, he says that Dillon will not be his only start behind the wheel of a PASS Super Late Model this year and that has him excited for the prospects.

"My schedule is packed for 2017 but we plan to run a handful of PASS events and do a bit of traveling," says McCumbee. "Plans seem to change week to week for me but my hope is to race as much as I can."

McCumbee will not be alone in what is quickly becoming a star studded field of short track talent. Turner, ME's Ben Rowe will make the trip south to Dillon as he pursues his record fifth PASS National Championship. The all-time PASS wins leader returns to Dillon where he went to victory lane at in 2009 en route to his lone PASS South title.

Joining McCumbee and Rowe, will be Late Model Stock standout, Josh Berry, who will be piloting the potent #74 out of the Robert Hamke shops. While this will be Berry's first start at Dillon, it will be his second PASS start following a strong debut in the North-South Shootout at Concord last November.

Veterans Jimmy Doyle and JP Josiasse will also be returning when the season cranks up at Dillon next weekend. Doyle has finished in the top five in PASS South points each of the last two years, while Josiasse makes the long tow down from Ontario as he seeks to back up a top 10 performance in points a year ago.

Action gets underway at Dillon Motor Speedway Speedway on Friday, February 3 with gates opening at 1 PM and rotating practice for the PASS Super Late Models, Late Models, and Pro 4s from 2 - 5 PM. On Saturday, February 4, gates will open at 8 AM, with rotating practice from 10 AM - Noon, qualifying at 12:30 PM, and feature events set to go green at 2 PM.

Entry forms for the PASS Winter Meltdown at Dillon Motor Speedway, along with the 44th Annual Oxford 250, can be found here in the left column. The 2017 license forms for the PASS Super Late Models are also availabl. tDrivers purchasing licenses for the 2017 season will receive bonus points for each race they are pre-registered for and will also save money towards any events that they enter early.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America's premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the Easter Bunny 150 and the Mason-Dixon MegaMeltdown 300 at Hickory Motor Speedway and the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or alandietzpass@live.com.

Don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

Cornett-Ching

Thorson

Polewarczyk

Diverse Entry List Continues to
Grow for PASS Winter Meltdown
at Dillon Motor Speedway

CHARLOTTE, NC (January 18) - Diversity is the name of the game as drivers from far and wide continue to prepare for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model season opener at Dillon Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon, February 4. The "Original" Winter Meltdown will again be on Super Bowl weekend and will pit the best short track racers in North America against one another for 200 laps in the first race of the 2017 PASS National Championship series.

Sarah Cornett-Ching comes into 2017 with realistic goals in PASS and something to prove to herself starting at Dillon. For the 25-year-old driver from British Columbia, just being at the Meltdown will be a victory of sorts. Following a season that saw her finish seventh in ARCA Racing Series points in 2015, Cornett-Ching ran a partial schedule last year. In the ARCA season finale at Kentucky Speedway, she suffered a serious concussion after a devastating crash. Experiencing symptoms similar to those of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Cornett-Ching was unsure of her racing future.

"I don't really know the exact time when I felt like I was 'coming back', but it's more like the symptoms began to go away slowly and I would wake up one day and realize I didn't feel nauseous anymore and then a few weeks later I would notice that I didn't have a headache all the time," says Cornett-Ching. "My memory would slowly improve and I would feel like I could do anything I used to be able to and when I started exerting energy it just knocked me back down. I am still working on getting my stamina back to where I was but thankfully the symptoms have totally gone away and the doctor has cleared me for all competition."

After three PASS starts in 2016, Cornett-Ching returns with Tony Blanchard and the Race 101 team this year, with plans to compete for the PASS South Super Late Model championship and possibly the PASS National title. She will also be looking to better the sixth place results of Tayla Orleans and Kenzie Ruston-Hemric, currently tied as the best finishes by a female driver in PASS history.

"I don't have lofty goals for 2017, but I hope to be a competitive top 10 car at each race I enter," says Cornett-Ching. "My ultimate goal is to be the most successful female ever to compete in the PASS Series, win races and be a threat each time I show up to the track. This will be my first race back after several months of not racing and I know the PASS Series has some high car counts and competitive racing. I would like to be in the top 10, but ultimately running 200 laps clean and finishing this race will be priority #1. I really like Dillon, it has some neat character and Ron Barfield has done a great job of facilitating us any way he can, so I am looking forward to an awesome time."

Joining Cornett-Ching at Dillon will be first time PASS starter, Tanner Thorson. Following in the footsteps of former PASS South winner, Christopher Bell, the Minden, NV driver is hoping to make the successful transition from open wheel cars to stock cars. After finishing as the USAC National Midget Series runner-up in 2015, Thorson did even better last year, capturing six wins and the series championship. Already this season, Thorson finished fourth in the Chili Bowl, the most prominent event for Midgets. Thorson joins the Bond Suss Motorsports team at Dillon for the Meltdown after the organization went to victory lane for the first time last November at the North-South Shootout at Concord Speedway with Dalton Sargeant behind the wheel.

Joining the growing list of drivers from New England on the entry list is New Hampshire's Joey Polewarczyk. The former ACT Late Model champion and Oxford 250 winner will be making his first trip to a PASS South race since 2013. Running a limited schedule last year, Polewarczyk captured three wins in just nine PASS North Super Late Model starts. The PASS Winter Meltdown will be Polewarczyk's first trip to Dillon Motor Speedway.

Action gets underway at Dillon Motor Speedway Speedway on Friday, February 3 with gates opening at 1 PM and rotating practice for the PASS Super Late Models, Late Models, and Pro 4s from 2 - 5 PM. On Saturday, February 4, gates will open at 8 AM, with rotating practice from 10 AM - Noon, qualifying at 12:30 PM, and feature events set to go green at 2 PM.

Entry forms for the PASS Winter Meltdown at Dillon Motor Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com. The 2017 license forms for the PASS Super Late Models are also available at ProAllStarsSeries.com. Drivers purchasing licenses for the 2017 season will receive bonus points for each race they are pre-registered for and will also save money towards any events that they enter early.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America's premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway and the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or alandietzpass@live.com.

Don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

Early Entrants Abound for
Expanded PASS Winter Meltdown
at Dillon Motor Speedway

CHARLOTTE, NC (January 13) - With just three weeks left to go until the "Original" Winter Meltdown goes green, Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model teams from across North America are beginning to make their final preparations. This year's fourth running of the early-season event looks to be the biggest yet as the Meltdown moves to its new home at Dillon Motor Speedway. Northern drivers have dominated the three previous runnings of the PASS Winter Meltdown with New Hampshire's Brad Leighton taking the checkered flag at New Smyrna Speedway in 2010 and Maine's Joey Doiron claiming the victory at Auburndale Speedway in 2013 and backing that up with a victory at Greenville last year.

Once again being on Super Bowl weekend, the PASS Winter Meltdown will be short track racing's first major points event of the year. The "Original" Meltdown will feature the 12th Annual South Carolina Clash for the PASS Super Late Models and will be bigger than ever before. The South Carolina Clash will now be 200 laps, paying $6,000 to win, and will give competitors the option to change two tires with 75 laps to go. The Winter Meltdown will also feature a 75 lap event for the Late Model Stocks paying $1500 to win and an event for the Pro 4s. The PASS Winter Meltdown will go green on Saturday afternoon, February 4 at 2 PM and will serve as the first race of 2017 for the PASS South Super Late Models and the PASS National Championship Series. Saturday's action will be preceded by an optional practice day for all divisions on Friday afternoon, February 3.

The first batch of PASS Super Late Models entries has been released and includes drivers from all over the United States. Tate Fogleman, the 2015 PASS South Super Late Model champion, scored his first series win last year at Hickory and will be joined by former South Carolina Clash winner and 2014 PASS South titlist, Tyler Church. Both North Carolina drivers will be seeking to become the first two-time series champion. New York youngster Christian Eckes will make his second trip to Dillon Motor Speedway for the Winter Meltdown. Eckes had several big, late season wins in 2016, including the Snowball Derby and Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park in Super Late Models and the Myrtle Beach 400 in a Late Model Stock Car.

Teenager Kodie Conner from Kannapolis, NC will be back after an impressive rookie season in 2016 that saw him finish second at Dillon early in the season. Conner went on to follow that performance up by just missing out on the PASS South championship to Matt Craig. New England racers hope to continue their dominance in the Meltdown again this year and are well represented in the early entries. New Hampshire's Derek Griffith and Bryan Kruczek are both former winners in PASS North, while Jay, ME's Dave Farrington, Jr. will also be making his first start at Dillon as he looks to chase both the PASS National and PASS North series championships in 2017.

Third-generation racer Hayes Goodson, from nearby Darlington, is a former winner at Dillon in Late Models and Supertrucks and returns to his home track driving the iconic #16 his father, Hal, made famous, while Mike Speeney will make the move from Tour-type Modifieds over to PASS Super Late Models for his first start.

Action gets underway at Dillon Motor Speedway Speedway on Friday, February 3 with gates opening at 1 PM and rotating practice for the PASS Super Late Models, Late Models, and Pro 4s from 2 - 5 PM. On Saturday, February 4, gates will open at 8 AM, with rotating practice from 10 AM - Noon, qualifying at 12:30 PM, and feature events set to go green at 2 PM.

Entry forms for the PASS Winter Meltdown at Dillon Motor Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com. The 2017 license forms for the PASS Super Late Models are also available at ProAllStarsSeries.com. Drivers purchasing licenses for the 2017 season will receive bonus points for each race they are pre-registered for and will also save money towards any events that they enter early.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America's premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway and the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or alandietzpass@live.com.

Don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.