2016 PASS SOUTH RACE

ROWE - PELTIER - CRAIG





*Photos by Laura - LWpictures.com*

Peltier Edges Rowe For 4th
Easter Bunny 150 Triumph
At Hickory Motor Speedway

HICKORY, NC (April 15) - Preston Peltier survived a three lap scramble to the checkered flag to edge out Ben Rowe for his fourth Easter Bunny 150 win Saturday night at Hickory Motor Speedway. Peltier's seventh win at Hickory and 15th overall Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model win ended a two-year winless drought dating back to the 2015 Easter Bunny 150.

"Three to go when that last caution came out, I thought, oh man, here we go again," said Peltier, driver of the Roger Newton Concrete Finishing Chevrolet #33. "My tires really weren't the best there at the end, but I've got to thank Ben [Rowe] because he really could have used me up. It's funny how life works out and right now, life's pretty good."

In qualifying, Peltier just beat out Kyle Busch with a lap of 14.752 seconds (88.584 MPH) for his 21st career quick qualifying time in PASS. After the top 10 qualifiers redraw, Peltier would move back to the sixth starting position, while Raphael Lessard and Derek Griffith would move up to the front row.

At the drop of the green flag, Lessard would take the lead before being overtaken by Griffith on lap three. Meanwhile, Busch would encounter early problems dropping back through the field, before coming to a stop on the track on lap 13. After just five more laps, Busch would retire for the night due to distributor problems and finish 30th.

Up front, the leaders were wasting little time, with Lessard again moving by Griffith for the lead on lap 33. The lead trio of Lessard, Peltier, and PASS South points leader, Matt Craig, would encounter heavy lapped traffic as the race neared the halfway point. As they weaved their way through slower cars, Lessard made contact with the machine of Lee Hansard, sending the Georgia driver for a spin down the frontstretch on lap 59.

On the next restart, rookie Dawson Cram struggled to come up to speed and was spun from behind, making hard contact with the inside wall. Under the brief period of green flag racing, Peltier was able to get by Lessard to take the lead. Peltier would continue to lead until the third caution flag of the night would wave with 54 laps to go for a spin by Dave Farrington, Jr. entering turn three.

Back under green, Peltier and Craig traded the lead back and forth before Peltier would again take control with 48 laps to go. Peltier appeared to be on his way to victory until a caution waved with three laps to go for a crash by Travis Kvapil entering turn one.

On the final restart, Peltier, Lessard, and Rowe ran extremely hard, making contact on occasion. But, Peltier would have enough to take the checkered flag over Rowe and Lessard. However, following the event, Lessard's third place finish was taken away due to a disqualification stemming from his spotter entering race control immediately following the race. After the race PASS officials released a statement regarding Lessard's disqualification:

FOLLOWING SATURDAY NIGHT'S EASTER BUNNY 150 AT HICKORY, THIRD PLACE FINISHER RAPHAEL LESSARD WAS DISQUALIFIED DUE TO ACTIONS DETRIMENTAL TO PASS. AT NO TIME ARE DRIVERS, CREW MEMBERS, OR SPOTTERS ALLOWED INTO RACE CONTROL DURING AN EVENT. AFTER SATURDAY NIGHT'S RACE, LESSARD'S SPOTTER ENTERED RACE CONTROL WHICH RESULTED IN AN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION. RAPHAEL LESSARD DROVE AN EXCELLENT RACE, HOWEVER THIS ACTION BY THE SPOTTER FOR THE #99 TEAM HAS NEVER BEEN AND WILL NEVER BE TOLERATED AT ANY TIME.

The revised finish order showed Peltier with the win, followed by Rowe, Craig, Butcher, and Brandon Setzer. Rounding out the top 10 were Travis Stearns, Jody Measamer, Nicolas Naugle, Griffth, and Kodie Conner.

In preliminary action, George Kurtz claimed the win in the USAC Eastern Midgets, while Mike Womack took the Legends win in a photo finish over Zack Miller.

The PASS National Championship Super Late Models will be in action again on Saturday, April 29 with the Beech Ridge 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine. PASS North will be in action Saturday, April 22 with the Speedway Homes 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway, while PASS South hits the track again on Friday, May 5 at Caraway Speedway.

Entry forms are currently available at ProAllStarsSeries.com. Be sure to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14.

PASS SOUTH/NATL. SLMs at HICKORY OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS - 4-15-17
1) 33 - Preston Peltier - 150 Laps 2) 4N - Ben Rowe - 150 3) 54 - Matt Craig - 150 4) 53 - Cole Butcher - 150 5) 6 - Brandon Setzer - 150 6) 16ME - Travis Stearns - 150 7) 98 - Jody Measamer - 150 8) 08 - Nicholas Naugle - 150 9) 12g - Derek Griffith - 150 10) 45 - Kodie Conner - 150 11) 41 - Trevor Sanborn - 150 12) 55 - Tanner Thorson - 150 13) 8F - Tate Fogleman - 150 14) 29 - Spencer Davis - 150 15) 9 - Chris Dilbeck - 149 16) 7c - Tyler Church - 149	17) 51f - Eddie Fatscher - 149 18) 97 - Joey Polewarczyk Jr. - 149 19) 76 - Ryan Millington - 149 20) 7f - Dave Farrington Jr. - 149 21) 35 - Travis Kvapil - 145 22) 15x - Roy Hayes - 107 23) 15h - Mike Hopkins - 96 24) 89 - Lee Hansard - 80 25) 15e - Christian Eckes - 69 26) 75 - Dawson Cram - 60 27) 12h - Heath Hindman - 52 28) 12x - Mark Reedy - 30 29) 71 - Jimmy Doyle - 24 30) 51b - Kyle Busch - 15 31) 99c - Sarah Cornett-Ching - 8 DQ - 99x - Raphael Lessard
*\| Entries Received - EB - 4-15-17 \|*
SATURDAY PRACTICE 3	*TIME TRIALS*
SATURDAY PRACTICE 1	SATURDAY PRACTICE 2

PASS Statement Regarding Raphael Lessard Disqualification at Hickory Motor Speedway
CHARLOTTE, NC (April 19) - Following Saturday night's Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway, driver of the #99, Raphael Lessard, was disqualified due to the inappropriate actions of his crew chief/spotter, Seth Smith, following the event. The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) would like to further clarify what transpired leading to the disqualification. First, Lessard was warned and fined $500 for intentionally spinning the #89 car driven by Lee Hansard on lap 59. Mr. Hansard is a veteran of short track racing in the southeast and has competed with PASS on a limited basis for over 10 years. While Lessard was battling for the lead, Mr. Hansard was racing hard to stay on the lead lap when he was unnecessarily tagged from behind by the #99 car. Second, on the ensuing restart, Preston Peltier passed Lessard on the track for the lead when the caution immediately waved for a crash by Dawson Cram on the front straightaway. The #99 team incorrectly assumed that PASS reverts to the last completed lap in scoring. Lessard passed Peltier under caution, was told to give the position back, and was again warned and fined $500 for illegally passing under yellow. In reality, as PASS has done since the sanctioning body began in 2001, the field is locked when the caution waves and timing and scoring scores ahead to the next lap. Drivers, crew chiefs, and spotters were told this in the driver's meeting prior to the race as is done at each and every PASS event. After the second warning for Lessard and some confusion from Smith in the spotter's stand, Smith was summoned to race control. At this time, Smith was told that the team had received its last warning and would be penalized or parked for any further infractions that disrupted the event. Following the race, Smith returned to race control, this time, not invited. Smith was warned by another PASS official on multiple occasions to not enter race control and that he could talk to PASS officials after a "cooling off" period. Despite this, Smith entered race control without permission and the #99 car driven by Raphael Lessard was summarily disqualified.

TYLER CHURCH #7

Strongest Field In Years Set To
Tackle Hickory’s Easter Bunny 150
This Weekend

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 11) - The best short track racers from across North America will once again be descending on Hickory Motor Speedway this weekend as they seek to claim the checkered flag in the 12th Annual Easter Bunny 150. Super Late Model racers have flocked to the legendary speedway nestled in the North Carolina Piedmont since 2006. The "Bunny" has become an Easter weekend tradition for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models and this year's race has added importance. In addition to being part of the PASS National Championship Series, the Easter Bunny 150 will serve as a major tune up for November's Mason-Dixon MegaMeltdown 300, which will pay $15,000 to the winner. Likewise, fans of short track racing recognize the Easter Bunny 150 as one of the sport's premier races, thanks in large part to the star-studded field of drivers the event attracts year after year.

Names like Rowe, Lawler, Williams, Naase, Grissom, and Shaw have all visited victory lane in the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory. And, only former national champions, Ben Rowe and Preston Peltier, have achieved victory in racing's ultimate Easter egg hunt more than once. But, even with the best the sport has to offer coming to duke it out against one another, it is a homegrown product of Hickory Motor Speedway that some have circled on their entry lists as an early favorite.

Former PASS South Super Late Model champion, Tyler Church, is actually from Hickory, NC. He started as a fan attending races at Hickory Motor Speedway and, after becoming a racecar driver, became a top contender in the track's Limited Late Model division. Church became an immediate frontrunner with PASS, scoring an emotional win in the 2013 Over The Mountain 150 at Hickory. A win made even more special in that it came in front of longtime fans, family, and friends that had supported his journey up the racing ladder. And, by the fact, that his late mother is buried in the cemetery which overlooks the historic speedway. Now, Church is hoping to get a rash of bad luck behind him with some home cooking this weekend.

"The car has had speed, but the problem is when we go to these tracks we unload fast, but the longer we go through the weekend, the slower we get," says Church of his Church's Carpet #7 Chevrolet. "I feel like Hickory owes us an Easter Bunny. I think we've finished second twice and should have won one."

Despite his success in PASS, that elusive win in the Easter Bunny haunts him. It is a race Church believes can turn his season around and inject him back into the PASS South title hunt.

"Hickory is home for one and I would say I've got more laps around that place than anybody we race with in PASS, so that helps," says Church. "I've been successful there in PASS and in other divisions. All the Hickory races are the ones I look forward to the most, but I want that Easter Bunny on the trophy. That's the biggest thing. "

Church will certainly have his work cut out for him though this weekend as one of the strongest groups of Super Late Models of the year will assemble at Hickory Motor Speedway. Fellow PASS South points contenders Matt Craig, Tate Fogleman, Tanner Thorson, Spencer Davis, Dave Farrington, Jr., and Kodie Conner have all filed entries. Former Hickory winners, Brandon Setzer, Chris Dilbeck, and Heath Hindman, will be joined by Derby winner, Christian Eckes and an entry for Kyle Busch Motorsports, all looking for their first wins in the Easter Bunny 150. As is usual for the Easter Bunny 150, a strong contingent of Northern drivers will be making the trip down to Hickory including PASS National points leader, Ben Rowe, Derek Griffith, Mike Hopkins, Travis Stearns, Trevor Sanborn, and Joey Polewarcyzk. Canada will be well represented by drivers from three provinces, Quebec's Raphael Lessard, British Columbia's Sarah Cornett-Ching, and Nova Scotia's Cole Butcher and Nicholas Naugle. Veterans Jimmy Doyle, Lee Hansard, and Jody Measamer will all be making their first starts of the season.

Entry forms and the complete weekend schedule for the 12th Annual Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.

Action gets under way on Friday at Hickory Motor Speedway with rotating practice from 2 - 5:10 PM for the PASS South Super Late Models, USAC Eastern Midgets, and Legends. On Saturday, pit gates will open at 11 AM for the 12th Annual Easter Bunny 150, with rotating practice for all divisions from 1 - 3:40 PM. Qualifying will begin at 4:30 PM, with the on track Pit Party at 5:45 PM, and racing will start at 7 PM, featuring 150 laps for the PASS Super Late Models.

Fans can also purchase Pay-Per-View coverage of the Easter Bunny 150 for $19.99 from Speed51.com

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 PASS South's Easter Bunny 150 and the MegaMeltdown 300 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway and the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

For technical information concerning all PASS divisions please send questions to passracing@roadrunner.com.

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

And, 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.