2016 PASS SOUTH RACE

MATT CRAIG #54

NOLES - CRAIG - PELTIER





*Photos by Laura - LWpictures.com*

Craig Dominates Southern National
For 2nd Career PASS South Victory

LUCAMA, NC (March 4) - Defending Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model champion, Matt Craig captured the lead from Spencer Davis on lap 16 and never looked back en route to his second career series win in the Dogwood 150 Saturday afternoon at Southern National Motorsports Park. Following his win, Craig laid down a challenge amidst a furious chassis builder battle going on in the South's oldest Super Late Model tour.

"This was just an awesome car and I can't thank my crew enough for all the hard work they put in to it," said Craig, driver of the C&C Boilers Sales & Service Chevrolet. "Everybody thinks the Furys are the best, but they just got waxed by a brand new Hamke. We struggled a bit at Dillon, but we've got it figured out. He [Noles] got us on a restart, but I laid the hammer down off two and cruised from there."

In qualifying, Craig just missed out on the track record to claim his first career PASS quick qualifying time with a speed of 97.853 miles per hour. Following the top 10 qualifiers redraw, Craig would start third, while Davis and Tanner Thorson moved to the front row.

At the drop of the green flag, Davis jumped to the lead over Craig, while Thorson and Noles struggled in the outside groove. The car on the move in the early going was PASS South points leader, Bradley McCaskill. After starting 10th, McCaskill moved by Jeff Batten for fifth just five laps into the race. On lap 16, Craig was able to make the move on a faltering Davis for the lead. By lap 34, Davis would pull into the pits with distributor problems, losing many laps in the process.

The first caution of the race would not wave until lap 97 when Dave Farrington, Jr. appeared to drop fluid on the track causing Batten and Preston Peltier to spin in turn one. Just five laps later, Batten's day would come to an end after serious contact with JP Josiasse sent both cars hard into the outside wall in turn one.

On the restart, Noles would take the lead from Craig entering turn one, but before the lap was complete, Craig had retaken the lead down the back straightaway. At this time a furious battle was taking place between McCaskill, Thorson, and Sarah Cornett-Ching for fifth. Cornett-Ching made an aggressive move around both drivers with 17 laps to go to take fifth, before McCaskill would spin from contention seven laps later.

Craig led the rest of the way to take the win over Peltier, Noles, Tate Fogleman, and Thorson. Rounding out the top ten were Cornett-Ching, Kodie Conner, Tyler Church, Eddie Fatscher, and McCaskill. With her sixth place finish, Cornett-Ching equals Tayla Orleans and Kenzie Ruston as the highest finishing female driver in PASS history.

Lee Pulliam survived a furious race, taking the lead when Tommy Lemons, Jr was sidelined with a mechanical problem late in the going, to take the win in the 150 lapper for the NASCAR Late Model Stocks. Mason Diaz finished second, over Justin Johnson, Tyler Hughes, and Rusty Daniels.

The PASS National Championship Super Late Models will be in action again, along with the Southern Modified Racing Series Tour Modifieds, as part of the 10th Running of the Orange Blossom Special on Saturday night, March 25 at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC. The PASS race winner will also receive a guaranteed starting spot for the $25,000 to win, 44th Annual Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in August.

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 SLMs at SOUTHERN NATIONAL
OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS - 3-4-17

1) 54 - Matt Crag - 150 Laps
2) 33 - Preston Peltier- 150
3) 2 - Trevor Noles - 150
4) 8 - Tate Fogleman - 150
5) 55 - Tanner Thorson - 150
6) 99 - Sarah Cornett-Ching - 150
7) 45 - Kodie Conner - 150
8) 7c - Tyler Church - 150
9) 51 – Eddie Fatscher - 149

10) 118 - Bradley McCaskill - 148
11) 15 - Roy Hayes, Jr. - 147
12) 48 - John Batten - 146
13) 7 - Dave Farrington, Jr. - 145
14) 24 - JP Josiasse - 145
15) 29 - Spencer Davis - 117
16) 49 - Jeff Batten - 99
17) 10 - Kyle Desouza - 55
DNS - 55 - Kevin Floars

| Entries Received - SN - 3-4-17 |

Dogwood 300 Doubleheader On Tap
For PASS Return To Southern National

CHARLOTTE, NC (March 2) - As the thermometer rises, so does the excitement level of eastern North Carolina race fans as the "Big Boys With The Bad Fast Toys" head back to Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, NC. This Saturday afternoon's Dogwood 300 will see the South's original Super Late Model tour compete for 150 laps, along with a 150 lapper for the NASCAR Late Model Stock cars. It also marks the return of the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Models to Southern National for the first time since 2014. PASS will be the exclusive sanction for Super Late Models at Southern National with another event scheduled for July 15.

To show how tough the high-banked, 4/10 mile speedway is, look no further than the record books and some of those who came away with checkered flags at Southern National in the past. Freddie Query won the inaugural event in 2006 and Ben Rowe in 2009, two of the best to ever race Super Late Models.

In the late 1990's and early 2000's, drivers like former PASS regular, John Batten, as well as John Jones, Shelton McNair and others were the men to beat when it came to Super Late Model racing at Southern National. But, as car counts in the region began to struggle, PASS President Tom Mayberry stepped up to create the South's original Super Late Model tour with tracks like Southern National, Hickory Motor Speedway, and Orange County Speedway coming on board.

Just a year after the track reopened in 2012, PASS returned and it has been a priority of speedway owner Mike Diaz to keep Super Late Model racing strong in the region. Daniel Hemric leads an impressive list of drivers, a list that includes Jay Fogleman, Austin Theriault, and Preston Peltier, with two PASS South Super Late Model wins at Southern National.

Several drivers who have pre-entered for this weekend's Dogwood 300 have tasted victory at Southern National with PASS. Fuquay-Varina, NC's Trevor Noles returns to the Randy Renfrow led Coulter Motorsports #2 this weekend for his first start of 2017. In 2014, Noles scored his lone PASS victory at Southern National Motorsports Park in the Mason-Dixon Meltdown 200. Noles will be joined by another fellow winner, Hickory, NC's Tyler Church. Church took the Meltdown win at Southern National in 2013 and followed that up by securing the series championship at the track a year later. And, while Spencer Davis has yet to win a PASS South event, he won a PASS Pro Late Model race at Southern National in 2013 and has always performed well in his Super Late Model there.

Joining these drivers will be PASS South points leader and local favorite Bradley McCaskill, as well has fellow home track favorite Jeff Batten. Former PASS South champions, Tate Fogleman and Matt Craig have also entered along with title contenders Kodie Conner and Kyle Desouza. Former USAC National Midget champion, Tanner Thorson, will be back after a strong run at Dillon. Jay, ME's Dave Farrington, Jr. will make his first start for the Woodman Racing team, while Canadians JP Josiasse and Sarah Cornett-Ching will also be looking for strong runs at Southern National.

Action gets under way on Friday, March 3 for the Dogwood 300 with rotating practice from 3 - 6 PM for the PASS South Super Late Models and NASCAR Late Model Stocls. On Saturday, March 4, pit gates open at 8 AM, with rotating practice for from 10 - 11:40 AM, qualifying at 12:15 PM, and feature racing set to begin at 2 PM.

Entry forms for the Dogwood 300, along with the 44th Annual Oxford 250 and upcoming events at Orange County Speedway, Thompson Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway, and Beech Ridge 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 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.

Bradley McCaskill In Unexpected
Position For PASS Return To
Southern National

CHARLOTTE, NC (February 22) - In the early 2000s, the ranks of Super Late Model racing in the southeast were shrinking. The few tracks that featured the division, which included Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, NC, were eliminating them and there was not a series for teams to follow. By the winter of 2005, Pro All Stars Series (PASS) President Tom Mayberry decided to take a big risk in expanding his sanctioning body that was already finding success in New England. When the inaugural PASS South Super Late Model season was announced in 2006, the second race that inaugural year was at Southern National and was won by the legendary Freddie Query. Now, 11 years later, PASS South continues as the oldest and most successful Super Late Model sanction in the region, and fittingly, returns to Southern National for the first time in two years, along with the NASCAR Late Model Stocks, for the Dogwood 300 on Saturday afternoon, March 4.

One of the drivers who came on board to support PASS virtually from the beginning was Knightdale, NC's Bradley McCaskill. In 2008 and 2009, McCaskill competed for the championship, with a best point finish of 10th in 2009. As he settled down to start a family, he stepped back to compete closer to home in the Limited Late Model and Late Model Stock divisions. But, with his own graphics business that worked closely with many PASS teams, McCaskill was never too far from the series that he got his start.

"I love the series, it has a lot of great people involved and a lot of great teams, and PASS has always had really strong competition," said McCaskill.

Following a serious accident last summer that left him with major burns to his hands, McCaskill and his family made the decision to return to the Super Late Model ranks in 2017. In his first race back with the series in the PASS National Championship event at Dillon Motor Speedway earlier this month, McCaskill ran with the leaders all day and finished a career-best third following a thrilling battle with four-time national title holder, Ben Rowe. Now, he looks forward to returning with PASS to his hometrack, Southern National, as he seeks his first win and with the unlikely honor of being the series point leader.

"Honestly, we had no idea on the points, we take them one race at a time and focus on just getting the best outcome we can at each event," says McCaskill. "It was very important to start the year off with a strong run like we had at Dillon and give our little team the momentum we needed to go to Kenly. We're really looking forward to running at Southern National."

Joining McCaskill among the early entrants will be fellow championship contenders Matt Craig, Spencer Davis, Kodie Conner, and Kyle Desouza. British Columbia's Sarah Cornett-Ching and Ontario's JP Josiasse will also be in action at Southern National representing Canada.

All the action gets under way for the Dogwood 300 on Friday, March 3 at Southern National Motorsports Park with rotating practice for all divisions from 3 - 6 PM. On Saturday, March 4, practice will begin at 10 AM with qualifying starting at 12:15 PM and Twin 150s going green at 2 PM for the PASS South Super Late Models and NASCAR Late Model Stocks.

Entry forms for the Dogwood 300, along with the 44th Annual Oxford 250 and upcoming events at Orange County Speedway, Thompson Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway, and Beech Ridge 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 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.