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2007

Ben Rowe Wins Wild Mason-Dixon Meltdown at Concord On Final Lap
Ryan Lawler Crowned 2007 PASS South Champion Despite Early Race Accident

CONCORD, NC (November 17, 2007) - In what could only be described as unbelievable, Ben Rowe capped off an amazing 2007 season in Saturday night's 2nd Annual Mason-Dixon Meltdown at Concord Motorsport Park (NC) by passing Corey Williams on the final turn of the final lap to take the victory.

Rowe passed Corey Williams as the white and yellow flags were waving at the same time. PASS South rules dictate that once the leaders have taken the white flag, they race to the checkers unless the track is blocked and officials deem it a red-flag period. Williams came out of the final turn, ducked low to avoid a spun car and got out of the gas long enough to allow Rowe to jump to the outside and take the checkers in the final 50 feet of the race.

"This is unbelievable," said Rowe, who also won the 2007 PASS North Championship. "To come down here and win this race at this track is just amazing. It was pretty wild there at the end, but the rules are the rules. I've lost two or three races in my career by slowing down when the caution comes out on the white flag lap and that is what Corey did. I feel bad for him because he had a better car than us, no doubt. But my spotter told me to go high to avoid the spun car and that is just what we did. So to win this race is just awesome."

Williams held on to finish second. Johnny Clark was able to get by Preston Peltier on the last lap as well for third. Peltier was fourth and Trevor Sanborn rounded out the top five. Seven of the top-10 finishers in the race represented PASS North.

Ryan Lawler locked up the 2007 PASS South Championship despite falling out of the event on lap 93 after contact with another car forced him into the wall. Peltier made a charge at him in the final standings, but wound up second.
FULL RACE PAGE with RESULTS/PHOTOS HERE

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Sat. Oct. 27th

Cassius Clark Howlin' at Greenville-Pickens

Northern Contingent Sweeps Podium at "The Howler"
But Lawler Retains Point Lead


GREENVILLE, SC (October 29, 2007) - Under a sky that was dark as can be and a moon that was nearly full, the Pro All Stars Series South Super Late Model Tour has begun a new tradition on Halloween weekend. The inaugural "Howler 150" was held Saturday at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina and in the end, it was Maine's Cassius Clark who tricked the competition and earned the treat of being the first to etch his name into the history books as the winner of this event.

It was a shootout right to the very end, as Clark took the lead from PASS North Series champion Ben Rowe with just 16-laps remaining to grab the $5,000 to prize in the next-to-last event on the 2007 PASS South season.

"We were good for the long runs," said Clark, who started the race from inside the fifth row. "He (Ben Rowe) was awesome on the short runs. The track is pretty worn out and we just saved our stuff in the beginning. They jumped out to a pretty big lead there for 30 or 40 laps and I took my time getting up through. I made all the right moves and got by the guys I needed to get by at certain times."

The Rowes, as usual, were pretty tough in PASS competition. Father, Mike held the number-one spot in time trials, but his son Ben grabbed the top spot (pole position) for the race by winning the Dash, which determines the starting spots of the top-eight qualifiers.

Both Ben and Mike would share the lead throughout the first three-quarters of the 150-lap distance with five-time NASCAR Elite Series winner at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Jeff Fultz. But, during a long green flag run in the mid-portion of the event, both Mike Rowe and Fultz began to fade and that's when the white number-8 of Clark began to pour it on.

With 50 laps to go in the event, Clark had worked his way up to the bumper of Ben Rowe's number-4. The two fought hard for the top spot for more than 30-laps. Rowe tried to hold him off as long as he could, but with 16 laps remaining, Clark made the move that got him the win.

"We had a shootout there at the end,." said Clark. "I didn't want to lay the bumper to him, but I was going to try like hell to get by him. I was awesome getting into the center and pretty good off there, but with the little motor, it was hard to get up off the corner. I have crate motors and they have the big motors. I could get up to his rear wheel and door, but at the tail end of the straightaway he could pull down and get back in front of me. I knew if I kept putting the pressure on him he would have to drive in too deep and that is what happened. We had a five or six lap shootout there where I was on the bottom and he was on the top. It was good clean racing and I am happy with the outcome."

Ben Rowe did everything he could to keep the lead in the late portions of the race, but had to concede to Clark's car in the end.

"We had a good car there early on," said Ben Rowe. �We knew we had to save tires. The crate engine car is just 200 pounds lighter than we are, which is huge on tires. I tried to save tires and I wanted a yellow there at the end. I knew Cassius was coming and there was nothing I could do. It is discouraging. I could hold him off down the straightaways, but there isn't much of an outside so when he got up underneath me I just spun my tires. We were beating and banging and ran side by side there for some laps. We had a good car. We were the best in class with the big engine cars. He just had a different engine and weight package, and that is what beat us today."

Behind the leaders, a hardcore battle for the third position in the closing laps had the fans keeping one eye on the leaders and another behind them. Out of nowhere, with just a few laps to go, 16-year-old Derek Ramstrom made his move up to the third position.

"Right about 50-laps (to go) we had a bleeder get stuck on the right rear," said Ramstrom. "It was constantly letting out air. We pulled in, changed the tire and fixed the bleeder. It turned out to be pretty good after that. I just hung back and let the crashes happen and some cars get eliminated. I kept my car under me and it was there at the end."

Championship leader Ryan Lawler had an up and down day, but when it counted at the end of the race, he crossed the line in fourth, giving him championship thoughts heading into the final race of the season at Concord Motorsport Park (NC).

"Man, I knew from the get go, about five or 10 laps into it, it was going to be slick," said Lawler. "I was just hanging out saving my stuff. We dropped back, and then people were getting bottled up so we went to the high side and got our way back up. It is pretty unusual. I like running the top side pretty well everywhere we go, but I have never done it on a flat track.

"Me and Corey (Williams) had a pretty good battle there (at the end). The 35-car (Derek Ramstrom) kind of came out of nowhere. I think he had a tire issue though. I guess he came in and put on a right rear tire and took some fuel.

"My guys told me on the radio afterwards that this is why we are going to win championships. We just kept digging all weekend. I think we were 15th or 20th on the sheet the first day. We kept working on it and working on it and got the thing pretty decent."

Williams, who ran in the top five all race, had a blast racing at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, and was satisfied with his fifth-place finish.

"We ended up fifth, but that is probably the most fun I have had in a while," explained Williams. "Ryan and I raced real hard. We both raced clean and it seemed like we were both just as out of control as the other. We didn�t quite have the handle on the car that we needed. We were just too loose off. We tried to save it and when it was go time we didn't have anymore. We just couldn't keep up with that crate motor tonight."

The race was slowed a couple times throughout the race, including a stoppage of the race on lap 15 when Shannon Mines slowed on the front stretch and was hit in the rear by Kory Blevins. The #10k car of Blevins took a nasty ride down the track on his side and turned over, coming to a rest on his wheels in turn one against the wall. While both cars appeared to be destroyed, both drivers were able to walk away from the incident due to the safety regulation for PASS South cars.

The podium at "The Howler" belonged to drivers who hail from north of the Mason-Dixon line, but now the southern drivers will regroup for the biggest race of the PASS South season, the "Mason-Dixon Meltdown" at Concord Motorsport Park on November 16th - 17th.

"We like to race," said Clark, who won the inaugural Mason-Dixon Meltdown, held last year at South Boston Speedway (VA). "Our race season is over up there and it is not much fun waiting for the snow to come. We came down here to race with the big guys and sometimes we are lucky enough to beat them."

The final event of the 2007 PASS South Super Late Model tour, the second-annual Mason-Dixon Meltdown, comes November 16th and 17th to Concord Motorsport Park.

Official Finish - "The Howler" - PASS South Super Late Models
Greenville-Pickens Speedway - Greenville, SC - Sat. Oct. 27th

1) Cassius Clark
2) Ben Rowe
3) Derek Ramstrom
4) Ryan Lawler
5) Corey Williams
6) Preston Peltier
7) Jeff Fultz
8) Gary Greenwood, Jr.
9) Mike Rowe
10) Randy Gentry
11) Perry Brown
12) Tim Nooner
13) Ralph Carnes
14) Heath Hindman
15) Strom Altman
16) Zach Stroupe
17) Brad Bischoff
18) Justin Wakefield
19) Dean Clattenburg
20) Tim Pinion
21) Allen Karnes
22) Clete Caywood
23) Randy Porter
24) Mark Gibson
25) Lee Tissot
26) Ed Surrett
27) Jimmy Doyle
28) Brian Payne
29) Kory Blevins
30) Shannon Mines

Lead Changes: 12 among four drivers

Lap Leaders: Ben Rowe 1-2, Jeff Fultz 3-4, Mike Rowe 5-15, Jeff Fultz 16, Mike Rowe 17-24, Jeff Fultz 25, Mike Rowe 26-27, Jeff Fultz 28-32, Mike Rowe 33-35, Ben Rowe 36-81, Mike Rowe 82, Ben Rowe 83-133, Cassius Clark 134-150

Cautions: 6

Fast Qualifier: Mike Rowe (19.768)

Dash Winner: Ben Rowe

Heat Winners: Derek Ramstrom, Lee Tissot, Cassius Clark

Last-Chance Race Winner: Zach Stroupe

PASS South "Howler" T-Shirts Available At Greenville
T-shirts Can Be Purchased At The Track This Weekend

This coming weekend at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, fans and teams alike will be able to take a piece of the "Howler" weekend with them.  That's because PASS South will be offering up an event t-shirt commemorating the first-running of the Howler 150 for the PASS South Super Late Models. 
 
The t-shirt was designed by 51 Sports, the same group that designed last season's ultra-popular Mason-Dixon Meltdown t-shirts and sweatshirts.
 
The black t-shirts will be both available in short sleeve and long sleeve.  The shirts feature a Howler design on the front left chest, as well as a full design, featuring a PASS South Super Late Model, along with skulls and pumpkins in this "scary & cool" design.
 
The t-shirts will be available for purchase at a couple of different locations on both Friday at Saturday at Greenville-Pickens Speedway.  Short-sleeve t-shirts will cost $20.  Long-sleeve will be $25.  There will also be a limited number of kid sizes available, which will be $10.
 
The PASS South event at Greenville-Pickens will mark the return of Super Late Models to the hallowed facility.  The schedule for the "Howler" begins with an open practice session on Friday, October 26th.  On Saturday, gates open for the 150-lap event on at 9am, with practice beginning at noon.  Qualifying is set to begin at 2:30pm with heat races beginning at 6pm.  The PASS South feature event is scheduled to go off approximately at 8:30pm.
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Sat. - Aug. 4th
Lanier National Speedway
Braselton, GA

-

Corey Williams Wins PASS South "Saturday of Speed"

Youngster Beats Peltier For Third-Straight PASS South SLM Win
Corey Williams is having one of those seasons most drivers would love to taste just once in their career. On June 9th, Williams scored his first Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South win at Orange County Speedway (NC). Then he followed it up with a victory in the PASS South event at Peachstate Speedway (GA) on July 3rd, serving notice to the competition he is on top of his game on the track.

Heading into the PASS South Super Late Model "Saturday of Speed" at Lanier National Speedway (GA), Williams had momentum on his side. After winning the Dash, Williams started from the pole position and drove on to victory for his third-straight win of the season.

It wasn't an easy win for Williams, as many players factored into the race throughout the 150 laps. After only leading for two laps, Williams was passed by Preston Peltier and Heath Hindman, forcing him to settle in third on the field. This, however, was part of his race plan.
"We kind of had the same strategy that we have been running," said Williams. "We wanted to hang back and save the tires. When we went to the back to save the tires, I started second guessing myself, wondering if that was the right move because we didn't seem to have the car to win."

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Tuesday - July 3rd
Peachstate Speedway
Jefferson, GA

-

Corey Williams Wins "Firecracker 125" at Peachstate
Young Maine Native Scores Back-to-Back PASS South Victories

JEFFERSON, GA (July 3, 2007) - Grand finales are a common treat around the Independence Day holiday. As fireworks shows in town centers and backyards throughout the country come to a close, a gigantic display of sight and sound fills the night air to celebrate the country's freedom.

Fittingly, a double-file restart with just two laps remaining on July 3rd at Peachstate Speedway (GA) set up for a grand finale of a different kind in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South "Firecracker 125." Corey Williams took the lead on lap 122 of the 125-lap race and held off a determined Preston Peltier on a final green-white-checkered restart for his second-straight PASS South victory after winning on June 9th at Orange County Speedway (NC).

Williams took the lead late from Peltier, who dominated after taking the lead on lap 95 before Williams, took the lead for the final time on lap 122. Williams had set fast time in qualifying for the race, but started eighth after suffering mechanical problems in the Dash race that were fixed in time for the feature,

Peltier pulled even with Williams on the white flag lap of the feature, but was unable to clear the Boothbay, Maine native for the victory and settled for second. Ryan Crane dominated the middle portion of the event and finished third. Kevin Perry and Jason Hogan rounded out the top-five.

The PASS South Super Late Models will return to action on Saturday August 4th for the "Saturday of Speed" event at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, GA.
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Corey Williams Wins PASS South
"Orange Blossom Special"

Youngster Doesn't Let Mother Nature Or PASS South Points Leader Ryan Lawler Stop Him
CONCORD, NC (June 9, 2007) - Corey Williams outlasted Mother Nature and PASS South points leader Ryan Lawler to earn his first-career PASS South win on Saturday night, winning the several-hour rain-delayed Orange Blossom Special at Orange County Speedway.

Williams was the dominant car all day long at Orange County, winning the pole and leading the most laps. However, it was Preston Peltier that looked like he was going to be the man to beat, grabbing the lead with just over 35 laps to go and pulling away from the field. However, a cut tire and a meeting with the outside wall cut short Peltier's night and handed the lead back to Williams.

Lawler, who won the first two PASS South races of the season, made a hard charge through the field after cutting a tire late in the race and used timely caution flags to finish second and battle for the lead late in the race.

Dean Clattenburg, Grant Enfinger and Tim Nooner rounded out the top-five finishers.
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Ryan Lawler #31 - 1st - Ben Rowe #4 - 2nd - Tim Nooner #02 - 3rd

Ryan Lawler (center) was joined on the podium at Hickory
 by Tim Nooner (left) and Ben Rowe (right).
Lawler Kicks Some Easter Bunny Tail in PASS South Season Opener
Crate Engine Beats Others at Hickory Once Again
On Easter weekend 2006, there were a few things that debuted at Hickory Motor Speedway (NC) - mainly the PASS South Super Late Model Series and Ryan Lawler's full-sized stock car racing career.

One year later, both were alive and well for the second running of the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway. The 2007 PASS South season opener attracted 37 teams, but none of those entries could outperform the #31 of Lawler, who led the final 68 laps to score the victory over Ben Rowe, Tim Nooner, Johnny Clark and Dean Clattenburg.

Lawler, who turns 20 years old on Monday, is quickly becoming the young prince of Hickory. The Texan also won last August's PASS South event there.

"I knew that we were going to win some races, but I didn't know we'd be this good here," said Lawler. "I came here last year and ran fifth in my first Super Late Model race. Then we came back for the second Hickory race and won that. Now, we've come back and won again."

"I can't get enough of this place. It's my kind of racetrack. It's worn out, it's fun and you've got to get up on the wheel. I like that. We're pretty pumped up about winning, especially at a place like this with so much history."

Lawler's victory might have looked easy, and his margin of victory might have seemed comfortable, but he did face a number of worthy adversaries during the evening. Fast qualifier Preston Peltier led early, but dropped out of the race with a mechanical problem. Defending Easter Bunny 150 winner and PASS South champion Mike Rowe fell off the pace early and then his number-2 car was run over by another competitor after slowing on the backstretch. PASS North regulars Ben Rowe and Johnny Clark also led laps, but had flat tires.

Photos by
Norm Marx

Finish for Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory on 4/7

1 31 Ryan Lawler Mooresville, NC Grapevine Suzuki
2

4

Ben Rowe

Turner, ME

Richard Moody & Sons Construction

3

O2

Tim Nooner

Salisbury, NC

On Track Auto Sales

4

54

Johnny Clark

Hallowell, ME

Clark's Cars & Parts

5

O9C

Dean Clattenburg

Dartmouth, NS

N/A

6 91x Heath Hindman Signal Mtn., TN TS Racing
7

60

Dale Shaw

Center Conway, NH

N/A

8 48 John Batten Nashville, NC Batten Ceremic
9

1

Chris Dunn

Raleigh, NC

N/A

10

9

Shane Riffel

Huntersville, NC

Tenacious Racing

11

35

Derek Ramstrom

West Boylston, MA

West Boylston Auto Parts

12

47

Corey Williams

Boothbay, ME

Aegis Investigations

13 91 Joe Mattress Zebulon, NC Atlantic Ave. Tire and Service
14

29

Allen Gordon

Leesburg, GA

Gordon Electric Company

15 27 Tab Boyd China Grove, NC Cakes by Cindy
16 84 Chad Martin Denver, NC Automaster
17

5

Preston Peltier

Concord, NC

Corporate Image

18 53 Brad Buschoff Myakka City, FL Orion Communications
19 59 Greg Boone Louisville, KY Boone Drilling
20

O9

Randy Gentry

Piedmont, SC

DMR Inc.

21

O1

Brian Scott

Mooresville, NC

AP Brakes

22 3 Cassius Clark Farmington, ME EJP
23

O5

Alex Fleming

Raleigh, NC

Mom & Dad

24

26

Rob Stevens

Aberdeen, NC

N/A

25

12

Mark Reedy

Kannapolis, NC

MAL Entertainment

26

2

Mike Rowe

Turner, ME

PT Watts Inc.

27

62

Mark Gibson

Winston-Salem, NC

Yarbrough Transfer Company

28

98

Larry Pollard

Taylorsville, NC

Pollard Raceway Park

Friday Practice at Hickory
Photos by
Norm Marx

 

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