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2010 Schedules for North SLM,
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| Joey Doiron Wins
PASS North Series Rookie Of The Year |
BERWICK, Maine -- When
the PASS North Series season rolled to an end last weekend at
White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., there
was one celebration nobody witnessed in front of the main
grandstands.
That celebration took place in a tiny corner
of the tiny track's sprawling pit area.
Joey Doiron
completed his season as the series' Rookie of the Year.
"It feels pretty good," Doiron said. "For going into this season
having only run these (Super Late Model) cars a couple of times
ever in my life, I think it was a pretty good accomplishment for
us."
Doiron posted one Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes in
12 starts this season, and he finished ninth overall in the
final PASS North standings. With his efforts, he was able to
check off two of his biggest goals heading into the season --
winning Rookie of the Year and finishing in the Top-10 in the
standings.
It marked Doiron's second straight Rookie of
the Year award in a major touring series, having done the same
in 2009 while competing on the ACT Late Model Tour.
"The
hardest thing was that we didn't have a lot of information on so
many tracks I'd never been to before," said the 19-year-old
Doiron. "We were good at Spud Speedway, Speedway 660 (in New
Brunswick) and Seekonk Speedway.
"There was really only
one place that we struggled badly, and that was at (Riverside
Speedway) -- but we found out after that race that we'd bent the
front end. Really, we can't be upset about that."
The
obvious goal, Doiron said, missing from his wish list was a trip
to Victory Lane.
"We've got to get better at running our
new car with the (built) motor," said Doiron, who switched from
an older car with a crate engine to a newer chassis with the
built engine midway through the season. "We learned a lot in the
last two races with that car. It's important to learn how to
drive that car without burning up the tires too early, because
it's a big asset to have that big power with that car."
With his Top-10 points finish, Doiron laid the foundation for a
good start to the 2011 season -- both literally and
figuratively. The Top-10 in the PASS North and PASS South
standings this season are guaranteed starting spots in the
lucrative 300-lap event scheduled for next April a North
Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
"That's a big deal," said
Doiron, who plans to compete full-time in PASS North again next
year, while also attempting some of the bigger PASS South Series
events, including any PASS National Championshp races.
Having experience with the cars and tracks should help Doiron
going forward.
"We ran a lot better than what our stats
show from this year," he said. "But you can't change luck, per
se. You can only make your own luck for so long." |
|
Johnny
Clark: PASS North Series
White Mountain Motorsports
Park Race Report |
Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine,
won his fifth PASS North Series championship with a 21st-place
finish in the season-ending PASS 150 at White Mountain
Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on Friday, September
17. Clark suffered mechanical issues early in the main event
after winning his heat race and working his way to third
position on the race track. Still, Clark earned his
series-record fifth title and won an unprecedented third
straight series championship. In 13 starts, Clark won five
races, posted 10 Top-5 finishes and 12 Top-10 runs and finished
with a final margin of victory of more than 40 points.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM: No. 54 Clark's
Car Crushing/Port City Chevrolet
WHAT: PASS North Series
PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain Motorsports Park, N.
Woodstock, N.H. (.250-mile oval)
STARTED: 11th -
FINISHED: 21st
JOHNNY, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A CHAMPION
AGAIN?
It's pretty cool. It shows how good of a car we
really had all year. To have five championships and three
championships in a row -- I mean, it just puts it into
perspective when you realize that nobody can do that again until
2013. It's pretty amazing.
It's huge. It was a great year
for us. And the championship is obviously a great way to cap off
the year.
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR CAR?
We broke a
panhard bar in the rear end. We were a rocket, too. We won our
heat, started 11th and made it to third in 16 laps.
It
just happened all at once. We went into the turn and 'Boom!'
Race over. We thought we were going to go and do it in the right
fashion and go straight to victory lane and celebrate.
But it was a simple part failure and that was it.
www.johnnyclarkmotorsports.com |
|
Ben Rowe: PASS North Series
Season End & WMMP Report |
With his fifth-place finish in the
season finale at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North
Woodstock, N.H., last weekend, Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, locked
up a second place in the 2010 PASS North Series final standings.
The finish marked Rowe's eighth in the Top-2 at season's end in
the PASS North Series, and the winningest driver in series
history (36) has never finished worse than third overall. This
marked his first season with Mulkern Racing.
WHO:
Ben Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM: No. 48 Community
Pharmacies Dodge
PASS NORTH SERIES - FINAL POINTS
POSITION: 2nd
LAST RACE: September 17, White Mountain
Motorsports Park, N. Woodstock, N.H. (5th-place finish)
BEN, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SEASON YOU JUST
COMPLETED?
It went well. I think anytime you have two
wins and finish second in the points, it's a good season. I
figured all year long we were a second-place car behind (Johnny
Clark), and that's right where we ended up.
Obviously,
everyone wants to win more races and win the championship -- but
I think the year was as good as any of us could have expected.
Everything about the team was totally, totally new -- new team
owners (Scott and Vickie Mulkern), new crew chief working with a
new driver.
WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, ARE YOU GOING TO FEEL
GOOD ABOUT THE EFFORT THIS SEASON?
I am. Johnny has
been with all of the guys on his team for so long, it's like
second nature for them. We did a lot of testing this year -- a
lot -- and we still couldn't quite get on the same page. It's
not just about setups. It's about communication and spending
time working together.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE
DIFFERENT NEXT YEAR IN ORDER TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
I thought we were better at the end of the year. Right up
until we went to Beech Ridge (for the PASS 300), I thought we
were making pretty good strides.
The biggest thing for
us is to get things in order as soon as we can (in the
offseason). I really feel like we have to have things rolling
along by the time the first race (of 2011) gets here, so we
don't go to North Wilkesboro in April still trying to figure
things out.
www.mulkernracing.com |
|
Derek
Ramstrom: PASS North Series
White Mountain Motorsports Park Race Report |
Derek Ramstrom of West Boylston,
Mass., finished ninth in the PASS North Series PASS 150 at White
Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on Friday,
September 17. Ramstrom's finish in the season finale was his
second straight Top-10 in PASS competition after finishing
seventh in the PASS South Series Labor Day Classic 200 at North
Wilkesboro on September 5.
WHO: Derek Ramstrom, W.
Boylston, Mass.
TEAM: No. 35 Charter Communications/Matthews
Truck Service and Towing Chevrolet
WHAT: PASS North
Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain Motorsports Park, N.
Woodstock, N.H. (.250-mile oval)
FINISHED: 9th - LED: 0
time for 0 laps
DEREK, HOW WAS YOUR RACE DAY?
We
struggled the whole race. We were pretty fast in practice, and
the car felt really good and comfortable. But the weather
drastically changed, and it got really cool and overcast and the
car was way off.
We were tight right off the bat (in the
feature). We made a bunch of adjustments, but the car wasn't
reacting to anything we did. I don't know if something was
broken or not -- we'll have to go back and go through it and see
if anything was wrong that we didnt' find.
THERE DOESN'T
SEEM TO BE ANY SOLACE IN THE TOP-10 FINISH.
To be honest,
I'm not all that happy about it. I was bombing around in the
back for most of the race. A bunch of cars must have been
dropping out left and right for us to end up where we did.
As for passing cars, I didn't do much of that at all. I just
think there must be something wrong with this car.
www.derekramstrom.com |
|
Johnny
Clark: PASS North Series
White Mountain Motorsports Park Race Preview |
Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine,
is expected to win his unprecedented fifth PASS North Series
championship when the series runs the PASS 150 at White Mountain
Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on Friday, September
17. Clark owns a 71-point lead over his closest challenger, Ben
Rowe, heading to the season finale and needs only to start the
main event to win the PASS North title for the third straight
year. Clark has five wins this season, including last weekend's
$10,000 PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Clark has never
enjoyed such a large lead atop the standings going into a
season-ending race, but his season to date has been stellar. In
12 races, he's yet to finish outside the Top-10 with the five
wins and 10 Top-5 finishes. Clark picked up his first career win
at White Mountain Motorsports Park back in May, the second in a
stretch of three straight victories in the first half of the
year.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM: No.
54 Clark's Car Crushing/Port City Chevrolet
BEST CAREER WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 1st (May 2010)
LAST RACE AT
WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK: 1st (May 2010)
WHAT:
Season Finale -- PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White
Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 6 p.m., Friday, September 17
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Sunday, September 12, PASS 300, Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (1st-place finish)
POINTS
POSITION: 1st
****************
JOHNNY, WHAT ARE
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CHAMPIONSHP?
Being the first one to
possibly win three championships in a row and the first one to
win five overall, that makes it even more special to me. Every
championship you win is obviously different, but this year
winning five races, winning the most races of anyone (in the
series) and winning in dominating fashion -- we've just had an
absolutely fantastic year.
To think that we're going to
end up with five championships in nine years racing full-time
with PASS, that's pretty cool.
WHAT DID WINNING AT WHITE
MOUNTAIN BACK IN MAY DO FOR THE TEAM?
I think it
definitely propelled us for the rest of the year, winning at a
track nobody expected us to win at. To be honest, I didn't even
expect it. You want to win every race you go to, and if you
don't go to the race track believing you can win, you shouldn't
even bother going -- but our goal this year was to win at tracks
we needed to work on. White Mountain, Thompson, Seekonk, Spud,
and we were able to win a couple of those.
(Winning at
White Mountain) was a huge confidence builder for us, winning
right out of the box like that. Over time, we were just getting
better and better with our setups -- not just there, but at
every race track. You're always working to get better.
www.johnnyclarkmotorsports.com |
|
Derek Ramstrom: PASS North Series
White Mountain Motorsports Park Race Preview |
Derek Ramstrom of West Boylston,
Mass., returns to PASS North Series racing for the PASS 150 at
White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on
Friday, September 17. Ramstrom, who has two career PASS North
victories, earned one of his best career finishes at White
Mountain in 2009 when he finished second at the track. He's
coming off a Top-10 finish in a PASS South Series race at North
Wilkesboro Speedway on Labor Day weekend. Ramstrom also owns a
two-point lead atop the Thompson International Speedway Super
Late Model standings, where he competes weekly in the NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series. There are just three races remaining
in that season.
WHO: Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass.
TEAM: No. 35 Charter Communications/Matthews Truck Service &
Towing Chevrolet
BEST CAREER WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK
FINISH: 2nd (May 2009)
LAST RACE AT WHITE MOUNTAIN
MOTORSPORTS PARK: 19th (May 2010)
WHAT: Season Finale --
PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain Motorsports
Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 6 p.m.,
Friday, September 17
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE:
Sunday, September 12, PASS 300, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway,
Scarborough, Maine
POINTS POSITION: 17th
****************
DEREK, WHAT IS IT YOU LIKE ABOUT WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK?
Honestly, it's probably
because it's a small, short-track with a good amount of banking.
I really don't like the smaller flat tracks all that much, but I
always tend to run good at the short tracks with banking like
White Mountain has.
It's a really racy track. The bottom
is definitely the preferred way around there, but you can also
work on the outside if you have to to get around people. It's a
pretty fun place to race.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE
WEEKEND?
We've been really working hard on the PASS car
trying to get it ready. I'm pretty confident going into this
race. It should be pretty interesting.
We're looking
forward to this. It's the last race of the year for PASS North,
and we'd like to go up and get a Top-3 and really finish off the
year on a high note.
www.derekramstrom.com |
|
Joey
Doiron: PASS North Series
White Mountain Motorsports Park
Race Preview |
PASS North Series Rookie of the
Year leader Joey Doiron finishes the season with the rest of the
series in the PASS 150 at White Mountain Motorsports Park on
Friday night, September 17. Doiron has two goals remaining for
the weekend, both of which he has a firm hold on -- winning the
Rookie of the Year honors while also finishing in the Top-10 in
the final PASS North standings to guarantee himself a starting
spot in the lucrative 300-lap event scheduled for North
Wilkesboro Speedway next April. Currently, Doiron is ninth in
the standings with one Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes in 11
races as a rookie.
WHO: Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: JBJ Machine/Rescue Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars No. 73
Dodge
BEST CAREER WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 9th
(May 2010)
LAST RACE AT WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK: 9th
(May 2010)
WHAT: Season Finale -- PASS North Series PASS
150
WHERE: White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock,
N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 6 p.m., Friday, September 17
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Sunday, September 12, PASS
300, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
(23rd-place finish)
POINTS POSITION: 9th
**********
JOEY, WHAT'S THIS ROOKIE YEAR BEEN LIKE FOR YOU SO FAR?
I'm just ready to move on and go to White Mountain. I know
we have a good car, and we just need to get it going again. If
we could just get some luck.
We've just had awful luck
all year -- and there's nothing you can do about luck. You can't
make your own luck all the time. We put ourselves in good
positions, and sometimes, it's just not our day.
YOU'VE
KIND OF CHANGED YOUR OPINION OF WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK.
I didn't really care for the track going in, but as the race
went on there in May, it wasn't bad. I kind of like the place
now.
It's not like Beech Ridge where you have to save
your stuff the whole race. You can go a lot harder a lot sooner
there.
HOW WILL THIS TIME AROUND BE DIFFERENT FOR YOU,
OTHER THAN HAVING SOME EXPERIENCE ON THE TRACK?
We had a
good run there earlier this year. I'm excited to go there with
this new car. It's got a lot of power. The first time I went
there, that was the problem -- we didn't have enough power.
|
|
Ben Rowe: PASS North
Series
White Mountain
Motorsports Park Race Preview
4-time PASS North Series champion
Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, attempts looks for an unprecedented
ninth career victory at the track when the series heads to the
PASS 150 at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock,
N.H., on Friday night, September 17. Rowe owns a PASS-record
eight career victories on the high-banked quarter-mile as he
heads into the PASS North Series season finale. A solid second
in the series standings, Rowe is looking for his 10th Top-5
finish in 13 races this season.
WHO: Ben Rowe, Turner,
Maine
TEAM: Community Pharmacies No. 48 Chevrolet
BEST
CAREER WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 1st (8 times;
most recenty: May 2009)
LAST RACE AT WHITE MOUNTAIN
MOTORSPORTS PARK: 5th (May 2010)
WHAT: Season Finale
-- PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN:
6 p.m., Friday, September 17
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST
RACE: Sunday, September 12, PASS 300, Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (28th-place finish)
POINTS
POSITION: 2nd
**********
BEN, YOU OBVIOUSLY LOOK
FORWARD TO ANY TRIP TO WHITE MOUNTAIN.
I can't wait to
get to White Mountain. I love White Mountain. It's a great
place. It's a Friday night deal, and hopefully a lot of people
come up from (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at New Hampshire
Motor Speedway) to check it out.
I love that place. It's
one of the race tracks you can actually race on, and I've had a
lot of success there.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE TRACK THAT
YOU'VE TAKEN TO OVER THE YEARS?
A place like Beech Ridge
is all finesse. You've got ot be really easy on the throttle --
but at White Mountain, you don't have to worry about the race
track. You go and drive the car, basically. That's probably why
I get myself in so much trouble at Beech Ridge. I try to take
too much -- but up there, you 've got a little bit of banking to
hold you.
Ever since I showed up there, I love the place.
It's probably all in my head, but whatever works.
DO YOU
HOLD ANY HOPE OF ADDING A FIFTH PASS NORTH CHAMPIONSHIP TO YOUR
RESUME THIS WEEKEND?
(Johnny Clark) basically wrapped it
up. But a championship isn't won on one race and it isn't lost
on one race. It's what you do all year long. I feel he's had the
better car all year long.
We chased him, chased him,
chased him -- and we kept it close as long as we could. It was
fun, and we'll go to White Mountain and we'll try to go out and
win it.
www.mulkernracing.com |
|
Trevor Sanborn:
PASS North Series
White Mountain
Motorsports Park Race Preview |
Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield,
Maine, heads to the PASS North Series season finale with the
PASS 150 at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock,
N.H., on Friday night, September 17. Sanborn, who sits fourth in
the overall series standings, matched his career-best White
Mountain finish the last time PASS visited the high-banked
quarter-mile in May with a third-place run. Interestingly, the
May race at White Mountain was the first race for Sanborn with
Richard Moody Racing since 2008. The team put the No. 44 Ford
Fusion in victory lane at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H.,
in late July -- a similarly configured quarter-mile.
WHO: Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield, Maine
TEAM:
No. 44 Hancock Lumber/Subway Ford Fusion
BEST CAREER
WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 3rd (2 times; most
recently May 2010)
LAST RACE AT WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS
PARK: 3rd (May 2010)
WHAT: Season Finale --
PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 6 p.m., Friday, September 17
PASS NORTH
SERIES
LAST RACE: Sunday, September 12, PASS 300, Beech
Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (22nd-place finish)
POINTS POSITION: 4th
**********
TREVOR, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING TO WHITE MOUNTAIN TO CLOSE
OUT THE SEASON?
I really like the place. It's a
bullring. It's racy. You have to be so careful all the time at
places like Beech Ridge, but there you can really drive the car
and get after it. I like that about it.
WHAT DID
WINNING AT RIVERSIDE SPEEDWAY THIS SUMMER DO FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE
HEADING TO THIS TRACK AGAIN?
I think we'll be
pretty good there, for sure. We won at Groveton, and we have a
good setup for places like that now. I have a good idea we'll be
running up front.
THIS SEEMS LIKE IT COULD BE A
GOOD BOUNCE-BACK WEEKEND AFTER THE PASS 300 AT BEECH RIDGE.
I was a little frustrated, becasue (Beech Ridge) is
my home track and we had a lot of people here to watch and see
me do well. It was just disappointing -- to the whole crew and
me.
We'll see what happens at White Mountain.
www.richardmoodyracing.com |
|
Johnny Clark: PASS North Series
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway PASS 300 Race
Preview |
PASS North Series points leader Johnny
Clark of Farmingdale, Maine, heads to the longest race on the
schedule with the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in
Scarborough, Maine, on Sunday, September 12. The 2008 champion
of the event, the four-time series champion Clark holds a
13-point lead over Ben Rowe atop the standings with two races
remaining. He's finished sixth and fourth in the two previous
PASS North races at Beech Ridge this season, but Clark enters
the weekend off one of the biggest wins of his career -- a
victory at the Auto Value 250 at Speedway 660 in Geary, New
Brunswick, last weekend that carried with it a record payday of
more than $26,000. Clark has four PASS North Series wins this
season and is the series' most recent winner, having taken the
checkered flag at Spud Speedway in Caribou, Maine, last month.
WHO:
Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM: No.
54 Clark's Car Crushing/Port City Chevrolet
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FINISH: 1st (September 2008)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 4th (July 2010)
WHAT:
PASS North Series PASS 300
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway, Scarborough, Maine. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN:
Qualifying -- 2 p.m., Saturday, September 11; Race -- 12 noon,
Sunday, September 12
PASS
NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE:
August 21, Spud Speedway, Caribou, Maine (1st-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Friday, September 17, White Mountain
Motorsports Park, N. Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION:
1st
****************
JOHNNY, HAS LAST WEEKEND'S WIN AT SPEEDWAY
660 SUNK IN YET?
That was just awesome. It's definitely one of the biggest wins
of my career to date. That fact that we broke records up there
-- for most laps led (207) and most money won ($26,350) -- adds
even more to it. It's pretty neat, and it was great for all the
guys on the team.
Regardless
of what happens in the (PASS North) championship, we know that
we've had a pretty good year.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO HOLD
OFF BEN ROWE FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED FIFTH PASS NORTH SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP?
We
have to do exactly what we've been doing -- winning races,
leading the most laps. We're just going to try to continue doing
that. There's nothing else we can do. We can't control what Ben
does. It's a two-car race now, but we won't change anything.
We'll keep plugging away.
BEECH RIDGE ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE SUCH
AN UNPREDICTABLE TRACK FOR THIS SERIES. DOES 300 LAPS WITH LIVE
PIT STOPS CHANGE RACING THERE?
Absolutely. I think that we'll see the
cream really rise to the top. There will be cars and teams that
are more prepared than others, and I think you'll see those guys
make it to the 300-lap mark at the front of the field.
You'll see a more 'predictable'
finish, I think, being that it's 300 laps on Sunday.
www.johnnyclarkmotorsports.com |
|
Ben Rowe: PASS North Series
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway
PASS 300 Race Preview |
Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, joins the PASS
North Series for its longest race of the season -- the PASS 300
at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Sunday,
September 12. Rowe won the event in 2006 and heads into this
weekend 13 points behind leader Johnny Clark in the PASS North
standings with two races remaining. A four-time PASS North
champion and the defending PASS National Series champion, Rowe
is third in this year's National standings heading into the 300
-- the fourth of five National Series events. Rowe won the most
recent PASS National event -- the PASS 75 at Thompson
International Speedway in July -- and has two wins, nine Top-5s
and 10 Top-10 finishes in 11 PASS North races this year.
WHO:
Ben Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM:
No. 48 Community Pharmacies Dodge
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FINISH: 1st (September 2006)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE SPEEDWAY: 9th (July 2010)
WHAT:
PASS North Series PASS 300
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway, Scarborough, Maine. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN:
Qualifying -- 2 p.m., Saturday, September 11; Race -- 12 noon,
Sunday, September 12
PASS
NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE:
August 21, Spud Speedway, Caribou, Maine (5th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Friday, September 17, White Mountain
Motorsports Park, N. Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION:
2nd
****************
BEN, HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS YOUR PASS NORTH
CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES WITH TWO RACES REMAINING?
We've got to keep doing what we're doing.
Neither of us has shot ourselve in the foot yet, and hopefully
neither of us will. We just need to get to the level that
they're at. We were getting there slowly, a couple races at a
time, and then he put us back to reality (by winning at Spud
Speedway in August). Johnny''s been good all year. We gained
some points, but only a few at a time here and there.
Anything can happen at Beech Ridge.
This is going to be the tell-tale race. If I can't gain a whole
lot at Beech Ridge, then it's going to be really tough going
into White Mountain next weekend. But anything can happen. There
will be lots of cars we don't usually race with there this
weekend, and it's kind of a wild card race.
YOU WERE PRETTY FRUSTRATED WITH YOUR LAST
RACE AT BEECH RIDGE. ARE YOU BETTER NOW THAN YOU WERE IN EARLY
JULY?
I tested all
day (Thursday) to get ready -- all day with both cars at Oxford
(Plains Speedway). We just struggle on the flat tracks. I left
Oxford feeling pretty good, but (Friday) is a whole different
day, and it's Beech Ridge. I've gone there and run decent, but
I've also been there and not been very good.
We've done a lot of changing, a lot of
testing (this season). We've done everything we can. I think we
can go down there and run up front. I want to beat Johnny, but I
want to beat him fair and square, too. I don't wish him any
trouble or anything like that.
No matter what, I guarantee you that at
some point we'll be running nose-to-tail on the track during
that race. It's always that way for us at Beech Ridge. |
|
Trevor Sanborn: PASS North Series
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway PASS
300 Race Preview |
Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield, Maine, and
the PASS North Series head for the longest race of the season,
the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough,
Maine, on Sunday, September 12. After finishing second in this
race in 2006, Sanborn has had two near misses -- leading more
than 220 laps in 2008 without winning and then seeing victory
taken from him when his engine expired while leading with less
than 10 laps remaining in 2009. Sanborn returns to the seat of
the Richard Moody Racing No. 44 this weekend -- the same car
with which he had such a dominating performance two years ago
and in which he won his first career PASS North Series race at
Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H., in July. Earlier this
year, Sanborn won a pair of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
40-lap Pro Series features at Beech Ridge.
WHO: Trevor
Sanborn, Parsonsfield, Maine
TEAM: No. 44 Richard Moody
Racing/Hancock Lumber Ford Fusion
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 2nd (September 2006)
LAST RACE
AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 30th (July 2010)
WHAT:
PASS North Series PASS 300
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway, Scarborough, Maine. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN:
Qualifying -- 2 p.m., Saturday, September 11; Race -- 12 noon,
Sunday, September 12
PASS
NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE:
August 21, Spud Speedway, Caribou, Maine (2nd-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Friday, September 17, White Mountain
Motorsports Park, N. Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION:
4th
****************
TREVOR, HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PASS 300 TO
YOU?
It's really
important. I've had a lot of opportunities to win it, and it's
never come through. Now I'm back with (car owner Rick Moody and
crew chief Brian Burgess) and those guys. We're taking Moody's
own car and leaving mine at home. It's the same car I drove when
we dominated in 2008, and I really wanted to try that car again.
I just want to win it,
especially because it's the 300. Every year I've been in the
Top-5, except the first year. It's just a big race for us.
WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD AT BEECH RIDGE?
I think it's just having all
the laps there. I've had a lot of them, and that's probably the
plus for me. Mostly the thing as a driver is to be smooth and
don't burn it up. Beech Ridge is pretty abrasive and it can be
rough on tires. You've just got baby the car.
HOW IS 300 LAPS DIFFERENT THAN 150 AT BEECH
RIDGE?
You do have
to be patient. Even though you get to pit for tires -- no matter
how you look at it, you're going to pit halfway through and
still have another 150 laps or so to go. You can't use the car
up, you can't make stupid decisions early. You've got to be
there for the end. |
|
Joey Doiron: PASS North Series
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway PASS
300 Race Preview |
PASS North Series Rookie of the Year leader
Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, heads to his home track this
weekend for the PASS North Series PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Sunday, September 12. Doiron
holds down 10th spot in the overall PASS North standings,
ranking him as the highest rookie in the series with two races
remaining. Beech Ridge not only marks the track where he's made
his most career starts (3) but the track is also the site of his
best career PASS finish of fourth back in May. Doiron will bring
a new car to Beech Ridge for the first time, a car that has
tested at both Beech Ridge and Oxford Plains Speedway but has
yet to see race action.
WHO:
Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: JBJ Machine/Rescue
Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars No. 73 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FINISH: 4th (May 2010)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 18th (July 2010)
WHAT:
PASS North Series PASS 300
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway, Scarborough, Maine. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN:
Qualifying -- 2 p.m., Saturday, September 11; Race -- 12 noon,
Sunday, September 12
PASS
NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE:
August 21, Spud Speedway, Caribou, Maine
NEXT RACE:
Friday, September 17, White Mountain Motorsports Park, N.
Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION:
10th
****************
JOEY, YOU MUST BE LOOKING FORWARD TO RACING
AT BEECH RIDGE. IT SEEMS THAT YOU ALWAYS ARE.
I'm always excited about going to
Beech Ridge. It's where I grew up racing. Even when we're not
racing, I enjoy going there. The run the best weekly program
around, and any time I get to race there, it's great.
We're taking the new car. There are a
lot of unknowns about what the car will do on the long runs, and
that will be the biggest thing. We tested the car last week, and
it ran way better than any car I've ever had at Beech Ridge
before. It's just going to be up to me to keep the tires on it,
because it's got a bigger motor in it than the other car.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH 300 LAPS AT
BEECH RIDGE?
I'm
just going to try to go into it like any other race. The biggest
thing is the pit stops. Being that it's so close to home, we'll
get enough people at the race track to help out. Still, it's
tough going up against Johnny (Clark) and teams like that,
because they're so good at pit stops and their teams practice
that.
HOW MUCH OF AN
ADVANTAGE IS IT FOR YOU TO HEAD TO A TRACK WHERE YOU HAVE A LOT
OF EXPERIENCE IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT RACE CARS?
It's extremely important. Most of
the time this year we've gone to the race track and the first
practice is a wash as I try and get comfortable with the track
and the car.
Now we go to
Beech Ridge, and other places we've been before, and we can get
to work right away on setup and work on getting comfortable.
That's big for us. |
|
Trey Mitchell
Continues Success Streak;
Fired Up for Firecracker 125 at
Greenville-Pickens
Mooresville, NC 6/28/10- The signs of change are easy to see amongst the
Trey Mitchell Racing team as they made it back to back top ten finishes
in PASS South series competition with his seventh place finish in the
Southern Sizzler 150 at the Orange County Speedway this weekend. In the
process, Mitchell qualified within the top ten in back to back events
for the first time all season; a department that has been the team’s
weak point in the past.
“I can’t tell you how good things are
going for me and this entire Trey Mitchell Racing team right now. We are
really firing on all eight cylinders, Gary Crooks, my crew chief is
giving me quality racecars every time we unload and our communication is
really coming around which is allowing us to tune the car to the track
conditions and its showing with these top ten finishes,” praised
Mitchell. “Ace was a real tough place to race at and it’s no secret that
Orange County isn’t my favorite track on the schedule so to leave both
those tracks with top ten finishes was a good feeling.”
Mitchell
will now go from his least favorite track on the 2010 PASS South
schedule to his favorite in the form of the half mile paper clip shaped
Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina. The team will
have just four days to get their #47 Magnum’s Oilfield Service Ford
prepared for the 125 lap event on July 2nd.
“We only race at
Greenville once this year so this has been a race I’ve had circled on
the schedule all year-long. I love that place, the history and the style
of racing it puts on is awesome. Everyone says it’s a love it or hate it
type track and it doesn’t seem like many people love it but I have since
the first time I went there,” said Mitchell.
This same race a
season ago, Mitchell had his best chance of capturing his first career
super late model win as he and Corey Williams came from the rear of the
field to battling for the win after racing around the high side of the
competition, something almost unheard of around the ultra flat half mile
oval. The two made contact with just two laps to go ending their run and
what many deemed as one of the best PASS South series races ever up to
that time. So with a shot at redemption and an excited race team going
to a track that has been good to them in the past, one can bet Trey
Mitchell will be a factor to contend with at Greenville-Pickens.
For more information about Trey Mitchell Racing in 2010 visit his
website at
www.treymitchellracing.com. |
Trevor
Sanborn: PASS North Series
Canaan Fair Speedway Race Preview
Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield, Maine, visits one of the
few tracks in New England he's never seen as the PASS North Series runs
the Firecracker 150 at Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H., on
Saturday, July 3. Sanborn has three top-5 finishes in the series' first
four races, including a second and a third since joining Richard Moody
Racing on a full-time basis following the second race of the year.
Sanborn has never started a race, nor attempted to qualify for one, at
Canaan -- where PASS has not visited since 2006.
WHO: Trevor
Sanborn, Parsonsfield, Maine
TEAM: No. 44 Hancock Lumber/Subway Ford
BEST CAREER CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT CANAAN FAIR
SPEEDWAY: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series Firecracker 150
WHERE:
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 5 p.m.,
Saturday, July 3
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: June 20, Unity
Raceway, Unity, Maine (2nd-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July
10, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
POINTS POSITION:
4th
TREVOR, HOW DO YOU APPROACH RACING ON A TRACK YOU'VE NEVER
SEEN?
You just have to get out there and go for it. That's all
I've have ever done. Working with a team like I have helps a lot. The
crew chief (Brian Burgess) -- I know when we unload there, we're going
to have a pretty good car and the only changes we make are going to be
minor ones curing practice.
It's just about me adapting to the
track. I had a few issues adjusting to track at Unity during the first
practice, but in the second and third practices we started to find it. I
just have to get the line.
HAS THE TEAM STARTED TO GEL AFTER A
COUPLE OF RACES TOGETHER?
We're still trying to figure each other
out a little bit. It will come as the races go on. We're all looking for
that first win -- I think that will definitely help when we get it.
We're very close (to winning). We've had such good race cars
everywhere we go, finishing second and third. Now I'm looking for that
No. 1 spot. I'm tired of seconds and thirds.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW
ABOUT CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY?
Not a thing. I've never been there,
and I know nothing about it, really. I've seen it from the outside -- I
worked up in that area car crushing for my dad a while back. But I've
never seen the track itself, never even set foot on the grounds. |
Joey Doiron:
PASS North Series
Canaan
Fair Speedway Race Preview
PASS North Series
Rookie of the Year leader Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, tries to keep
his momentum going in the Firecracker 150 at Canaan Fair Speedway in
Canaan, N.H., on Saturday, July 3. For the second straight race, Doiron
tackles a track where his only prior experience is in a Limited
Sportsman car, but for the second straight race he'll try and pull
another top-10 out of his first visit. Doiron is sixth in the overall
PASS North standings and has a 219-point lead in the rookie standings
over Dustin Hubbard.
WHO: Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM:
JBJ Machine/Rescue Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars No. 73 Dodge
BEST
CAREER CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT CANAAN FAIR
SPEEDWAY: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series Firecracker 150
WHERE:
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 5 p.m.,
Saturday, July 3
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: June 20, Unity
Raceway, Unity, Maine (9th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July
10, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
POINTS POSITION:
6th
JOEY, ARE YOU ANXIOUS TO GET TO CANAAN AND RACE?
Yeah, I'm anxious to get to Canaan, but I'm anxious to get there because
of what we have coming after that with Beech Ridge and Lee, a couple of
tracks where I know we can go and run well.
I think Canaan's a
little bit like (the closed) All-Star Speedway, just with longer
straightaways and a little tighter turns. It's smooth, too, but it's the
kind of place where you definitely don't want to go off the asphalt.
ARE YOU OFF TO A BETTER START THROUGH FOUR RACES THAN YOU EXPECTED?
I'd be feeling better if we had gotten the finish at Speedway 660
that I thought we deserved (before being caught in a wreck). I was
adding it up, and that was like a 40-point swing that would have us in
the top-5 right now.
Really, though, I'm trying not to think of
the points right now. I just want to go out and win a race. It's been a
while for me, and I just want to win again. |
Derek
Ramstrom: PASS North Series
Canaan Fair Speedway Race Preview
Derek Ramstrom returns to a track with some sentimental
value this weekend for the PASS North Series Firecracker 150 at Canaan
Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H., on Saturday, July 3. Though Ramstrom has
never competed in a PASS North Series event at Canaan, he does have a
Super Late Model win at the track. He earned his first career PASS
Outlaw Late Model victory at Canaan in 2006 en route to the championship
that season. Ramstrom ran the first two events of 2010 before returning
to weekly competition at Thompson International Speedway in Thompson,
Conn., where he's posted four wins in six races.
WHO: Derek
Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass.
TEAM: No. 35 Charter
Communications/Matthews Truck Service & Towing Chevrolet
BEST CAREER
CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY:
N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series Firecracker 150
WHERE: Canaan Fair
Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 5 p.m., Saturday, July
3
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: June 20, Unity Raceway, Unity,
Maine (n/a)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July 10, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway,
Scarborough, Maine
POINTS POSITION: 25th
DEREK, HOW
EXCITED ARE YOU TO GET BACK TO PASS NORTH SERIES RACING?
I'm
excited. I like traveling around for races, and the PASS series is
always a lot of fun. Like anywhere, I guess you can have your share of
'controversy,' but the atmosphere there is always fun to be a part of.
There's a lot of good guys in that series, a lot of good
competition, and it's always a challenge for us. I can't wait.
YOU TESTED AT CANAAN LAST WEEKEND. HOW DID THAT GO?
We were
quick, which was good. One of the local guys there said we were as fast
as they usually run for lap times, so we know we were right there. It
went pretty good for us, but we'll obviously be able to tell when we get
there with other PASS cars on the track with us.
It takes a
little bit to adjust to getting back in the PASS car. It's got a little
more horsepower, a little more throttle response than (the weekly car).
So it took me about 20 or 30 laps to get back into with swing of it. But
you know what? That's why we go test.
NOW THAT YOU'RE A
'PART-TIME' TEAM WITH PASS, DO YOUR GOALS CHANGE?
No, I don't
think so. I want to get a top-3 finish out of there. I miss being on the
podium in PASS at the end of races. This is a chance to show that we
belong there, back at the place where I got my first (PASS Outlaw Late
Model) win. |
Ben Rowe: PASS
North Series
Canaan Fair Speedway Race Preview
4-time PASS North Series champion Ben Rowe of Turner,
Maine, heads to one of his favorite stops on the circuit this weekend
with the running of the Firecracker 150 at Canaan Fair Speedway in
Canaan, N.H., on Saturday, July 3. Rowe has 3 career victories at
Canaan, including a sweep of the two PASS stops there in 2005. The
all-time winningest driver in series history with 32 wins, Rowe is
looking for his first win in the Mulkern Racing No. 48.
WHO: Ben
Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM: No. 48 Community Pharmacies Chevrolet
BEST CAREER CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (3 times; most recently:
September 2005)
LAST RACE AT CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY: 7th (May 2006)
WHAT: PASS North Series Firecracker 150
WHERE: Canaan Fair
Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 5 p.m., Saturday, July
3
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: June 20, Unity Raceway, Unity,
Maine (3rd-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July 10, Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
POINTS POSITION: 2nd
BEN, TALK ABOUT CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY?
It's definitely fun to race
there. It's a fast track, and I like it. It's a lot like Speedway 660
(in New Brunswick), so we should be fast there. It's pretty fast and has
a lot of grip -- and it's one of the tracks I actually look forward to
going to.
Everytime we go there, we're pretty decent.
YOU'RE THE ONLY SERIES DRIVER WITH A TOP-5 IN ALL FOUR RACES THUS FAR IN
2010. HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO THAT FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON?
We're
just 'that much' away from winning. I keep telling everybody that once
we get it all figured out and learn how to win together, we're going to
win a bunch of races.
We're just knocking on that door right now.
DO YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO FINALLY BREAK THROUGH AT CANAAN?
I
think so. We're going into this weekend knowing we can run good enough
to win. We know the things that we're running and we know the things
that are keeping us just a little off, so there's no question we can
win.
We just have to raise our standards to (points leader Johnny
Clark), because he's obviously running really well right now. We're
almost there. |
Johnny Clark:
PASS North Series
Canaan Fair Speedway Race Preview
Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine, goes for a PASS North
Series-record 4th straight victory this weekend when the series runs the
Firecracker 150 at Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H, on Saturday,
July 3. A record-setting victory at Canaan would be fitting for Clark,
who won his first 150-lap PASS event at the track back in 2004, one of
his 22 career series wins. This marks the first series visit to Canaan
since 2006.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM: No. 54
Clark's Car Crushing/Port City Chevrolet
BEST CAREER CANAAN FAIR
SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (May 2004)
LAST RACE AT CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY:
14th (May 2006)
WHAT: PASS North Series Firecracker 150
WHERE:
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 5 p.m.,
Saturday, July 3
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: June 20, Unity
Raceway, Unity, Maine (1st-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July
10, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
POINTS POSITION:
1st
JOHNNY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE POSSIBILITY OF A
FOURTH-STRAIGHT VICTORY THIS WEEKEND?
It's a pretty cool
opportunity to have, and we want to make the best of it. I knew that we
would be capable of winning races, but you never think you'll win three
in a row. We'll just try and treat it like any other race.
It's
kind of a neat deal when you think about it -- but I don't want to think
about it coming to an end. So, that being said, we're going there to win
the race.
WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY?
Setup-wise and the way you drive it, I treat it a lot like Wiscasset
(Raceway). It's fast, and it's kind of a power track the way Wiscasset
is. At least, that's how it was a few years ago when we were there. The
pavement's nice and smooth, so it should still be the same.
I
think we're going to be good, because we have been at those kinds of
tracks. I'm really excited to get there.
WHAT'S BEEN THE KEY TO
YOUR WIN STREAK EARLY IN THE SEASON?
I think it's just the
communication between (crew chief Robert Green) and I has been really
good. He's done a really good job of trusting what I want in the car
when I try and explain to him what I'm feeling. I feel so lucky to have
someone like him right now in my career -- 10 years ago, I wouldn't have
been able to use him the right way.
We've learned a lot of the
same things over the years, and the communication between us is really
clicking right now and we're able to find 'it' on race day. |
Joey Doiron: PASS North
Series
Unity Raceway Race Report |
Rookie of the Year candidate
Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, finished 9th in the PASS North
Series Father's Day 150 at Unity Raceway in Unity, Maine, on
Sunday, June 20. Doiron was the first car one lap down at the
finish after starting 8th in his Supeer Late Model debut on the
bumpy old track. Doiron unofficially jumped one spot in the PASS
North standings to 6th with his third top-10 finish in four
races this season
WHO: Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: No. 73 JBJ Machine/Rescue Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars
Dodge
WHAT: PASS North Series Father's Day 150
WHERE:
Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine (.333-mile oval)
STARTED: 8th
- FINISHED: 9th - LED: 0 times for 0 laps
NEXT: Saturday,
July 3, Firecracker 150, Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
(.333-mile oval)
JOEY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE
TOP-10 FINISH AT A NEW TRACK FOR YOU?
I came in here with
the expectation of just staying on the asphalt for 150 laps and
we did that, so I can't really be disappointed. The crate motor,
sometimes around some guys, it's like bringing a knife to a gun
fight. It wasn't a bad decision, because I didn't want to bring
the new car here and end up (wrecked).
WHAT DID YOU LEARN
OVER THE COURSE OF 150 LAPS?
We ran the same setup we ran
pretty much everywhere else. It wasn't as bad as I thought it
was going to be here. When you get with other cars out there,
it's not as bad as when you're by yourself. By myself, I tended
to overdrive it and make it worse than it actually was.
YOU'VE GOT TO BE HAPPY WITH THE WAY THE SEASON HAS STARTED.
I think for our first year racing these cars full-time,
we're having a phenomenal year. But to run for a championship in
PASS, we're going to have to step it up a little bit. With
Johnny (Clark) winning every race, top-10s aren't going to be
good enough -- where in every other series that would be
phenomenal. |
|
Trevor
Sanborn: PASS North Series
Unity Raceway Race Preview
Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield, Maine, gears up for round four of
the PASS North Series season as the series heads to the PASS 150 at
Unity Raceway in Unity, Maine, on Sunday, June 20. Sanborn sits fourth
in the series standings after a DNF last weekend at Speedway 660 with
overheating problems, an race in which he was running third at the
halfway point. Sanborn has a best career finish of fifth at Unity
Raceway, and he will compete in the Father's Day event as part of a
doubleheader weekend. Sanborn will enter his own car in the NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series 40-lap Pro Series feature at Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway on Saturday night, where he hopes to make it three wins
in three starts this season.
WHO: Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield,
Maine
TEAM: No. 44 Richard Moody Racing/Hancock Lumber/Subway Ford
BEST CAREER UNITY RACEWAY FINISH: 5th (October 2006
LAST RACE AT
UNITY RACEWAY: 6th (June 2007)
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 3 p.m.,
Sunday, June 20
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: June 12, Speedway
660, Fredericton, New Brunswick (25th-place finish)
NEXT RACE:
Saturday, July 3, Canaan Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
POINTS POSITION: 4th
TREVOR, HOW DISAPPOINTING WAS LAST WEEKEND AT SPEEDWAY 660?
I knew we had a pretty good car, and I'm still wound up about what
happened. We started out and we were really, really good. We were fast,
and we had a top-3, if not a winning car. But we came to the yellow and
everybody got checked up behind a lapped car and I ran into the back of
Cassius (Clark). It messed up the duct work and we overheated.
I
know everybody has their highs and lows in this sport, but it seems like
I've had my fair share of lows.
ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT GOING TO
UNITY RACEWAY THIS WEEKEND?
I can't wait to go. (Crew chief Brian
Burgess) said we have a good setup for that place, and we should have a
good car. It's a little rough there, but it's a driver's track. I'm
excited about that.
There's a lot of give and take at Unity, and
you have to give more than you take. That's just the way it is there.
There's not a lot of room, and you just have to survive until the end.
YOU MUST BE LOOKING FORWARD TO A RETURN TO BEECH RIDGE?
I am.
Absolutely. I'm hoping to make it three in a row there. We're going
there to win -- and hopefully that happens. If it does, great, and if
not, oh well, we'll just take it and move on. |
Joey Doiron: PASS North Series
Unity Raceway Race Preview
PASS North
Series Rookie of the Year candidate Joey Doiron of Berwick,
Maine, tries to shake off last week when the series heads to
Unity Raceway for the PASS 150 on Sunday, June 20. Doiron posted
consecutive top-10 finishes at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and
White Mountain Motorsports Park to start the season, but was
involved in an accident early in a 200-lap event at Speedway 660
last weekend. He has never raced at Unity Raceway in a Super
Late Model, having posted a top-5 at the track in a Sportsman
division car a couple of years ago.
WHO: Joey
Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: JBJ Machine/Rescue
Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars No. 73 Dodge
BEST CAREER UNITY
RACEWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT UNITY RACEWAY:
N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE:
Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 3
p.m., Sunday, June 20
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST
RACE: June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick
(25th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July 3,
Canaan Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
JOEY, WHAT'S
THE BEST WAY TO CHARACTERIZE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT LAST WEEKEND?
Frustrated. You'd think at this level of racing with these
caliber drivers on lap 8 (of 200) you’d have a little give and
take. I can understand if it's halfway through the race or
you're racing for the top-5 at the end -- but that early in the
race, give them a lift or something.
I don’t know if I
could have beaten Johnny (Clark), but I think we could have been
up there with (second- and third-place finishers) Cassius Clark
and Lonnie Sommerville at the end. It's good that we had another
good car at a track we hadn't been to, but it still leaves a
sour taste to get wrecked on lap 8.
YOU TESTED AT
UNITY BEFORE THE START OF THE SEASON. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
TRACK?
You want to bring a mouth guard for all the
bumps. I raced a Sportsman car once and finished fifth, but
those cars are a lot easier to drive there. I hit the dirt bank
twice last week (at Speedway 660), hopefully that was enough and
I won’t hit them this week.
We learned a couple of things
setup-wise during the test -- especially what we can’t do. I
hadn't raced on it for a couple of years, and I'd kind of
forgotten where the bumps were. It only took a couple of laps to
get acquainted with that again.
HAVE YOU RAISED YOUR
EXPECTATIONS AFTER SUCH A GOOD START TO YOUR ROOKIE SEASON?
Not at Unity, not with how rough it is there. I haven't
raced on a rough race track in a Super Late Model yet. I'm
really going in there this weekend with no expectations other
than to keep it on the pavement the whole time.
If I can
get out of there without much damage, we'll probably end up
having a decent finish. |
|
Ben Rowe: PASS North Series
Unity Raceway Race Preview
4-time PASS North Series champion Ben Rowe of
Turner, Maine, returns to one of the toughest tracks on the
circuit this weekend when the series visits Unity Raceway in
Unity, Maine, for the PASS 150 on Sunday, June 20. Rowe finished
5th last weekend at Speedway 660 near Fredericton, New
Brunswick, and is the only driver to post a top-5 finish in each
of the first three PASS races of the season. Rowe has won twice
at Unity in his career and is looking to put his new Mulkern
Racing No. 48 in victory lane for the first time this season.
WHO: Ben Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM: Community Pharmacies
No. 48 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER UNITY RACEWAY FINISH: 1st (2
times; most recently: October 2006)
LAST RACE AT UNITY
RACEWAY: 3rd (August 2009)
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS
150
WHERE: Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 3 p.m., Sunday, June 20
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST
RACE: June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick
(25th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July 3, Canaan
Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
POINTS POSITION: 2nd
BEN,
IT WAS ANOTHER SOLID RUN FOR YOU LAST WEEKEND NORTH OF THE
BORDER.
Another top-5, so I can't complain. It's what we
need to do. When I first started with (owner Tom) Estes -- and
it was the same when I started with (Richard Moody Racing) -- it
took us a while to hit on things and we never won a race until
end of the year. And where we are now is way ahead of all that.
We just need to get a little bit better, and then things will be
really good.
I was really happy with the car in practice.
The first segment (of the 200-lap race), the car bottomed out
really bad. It was dragging, and we tried to make up for it in
second segment but we just kind of overdid it. We were closer
than we have been this year, though, and I'm happy about that.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING TO UNITY RACEWAY THIS
WEEKEND?
It's fun place to race during the actual race,
if you can get around the right people. It's really fun racing
guys like Johnny (Clark) there or Randy Turner. Those guys are a
lot of fun to race with.
I used to go there and totally
hate it, and I'd run terrible. Now, I just try to keep it on the
race track. My whole thing is just stay on the asphalt for 125
laps and then race at the end. We've had some really good races
there doing that. The track puts on some good racing, and
hopefully we'll be right there with 25 to go. |
|
Johnny Clark: PASS North Series
Unity Raceway Race Preview
Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine, heads into his favorite
track on the schedule when the PASS North Series invades Unity
Raceway for the PASS 150 on Sunday, June 20. With back-to-back
wins in his hand, Clark enters the week having inherited the
series points lead in search of his record fifth PASS North
championship. Clark led the final 140 laps at Speedway 660 last
weekend. Not only does he own two career victories at Unity, but
he's also won on Father's Day at the track before -- back in
2007.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM:
Clark's Car Crushing/Port City No. 54 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER
UNITY RACEWAY FINISH: 1st (2 times, most recently June 2007)
LAST RACE AT UNITY RACEWAY: 6th (August 2009)
WHAT: PASS
North Series PASS 150
WHERE: Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine
(.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 3 p.m., Sunday, June 20
PASS
NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton,
New Brunswick (25th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July
3, Canaan Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
POINTS POSITION: 1st
JOHNNY, YOU CLICKED OFF WINS AT TWO TRACKS WHERE YOU'D NEVER
WON IN PASS COMPETITION. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU ABOUT THIS NEXT
STRETCH OF RACES?
It's been a lot of fun, I can tell you
that. It's always more fun when the car's running like it should
and everything's clicking for you as a team. That's exactly
what's happening, which is really nice. We're just going to ride
it as long as we can and try to win as many of these things as
we can.
It's going to be interesting to see how we do at
a track like Unity where everyone's expecting us to do well. The
next few tracks on the schedule are all tracks we've won races
at -- Unity, Canaan, Groveton, N.H. -- they're all decent
tracks. We're just going to go out and try to win as many of the
races as we can, just like we always try to do.
WHAT'S
THE SECRET TO RUNNING WELL AT UNITY?
I don't know what
the secret's been, I really don't. Growing up around some of
these tracks has really helped me. I think there's one really
good way to get around Unity, and I think there's a couple of
people that know how to do it -- Travis Benjamin, Scott
Chubbuck, Randy Turner and a few others. There's just a feel you
have to be looking for when you get there, and when you find it
it's pretty good.
I just love going there, I can tell you
that. I'm really looking forward to it. I can't wait for Sunday.
I wish it was tomorrow. |
|
| Sommerville Captures Podium
Finish at Speedway 660 |
Saint John, NB, Canada 6/15/10- Not
since the PASS South event on April 3rd at the Hickory Motor
Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina had the Lonnie Sommerville
Racing team rolled out their #23 A.E. McKay Builders Chevy
Impala for competition. Their return to racing this weekend at
their home track of Speedway 660 for the PASS North tour’s only
trip to Canada was just two positions away from a perfect race
as Lonnie would bring home the third place hardware.
The
finish, by Sommerville, was the highest among the eight Canadian
locals hoping to fend off the American invaders. While the plan
to become the first Canadian winner on the PASS North tour in
quite some time didn’t go as planned, the solid podium finish
was still a great way to start the 2010 Canadian racing season.
“This third place finish tonight is bitter-sweet because
every year this is a race I really want to win and we’ve come up
just short the last couple of years. The top five cars were all
pretty close together in my opinion, maybe Johnny (Clark) had a
car that was just a bit better than everyone else so that’s
probably why he was the winner at the end of the night,” stated
Sommerville after the event.
The 200 lap event, divided
into two 100 lap segments, produced some tight hard-nosed racing
with a lot of give and take style racing among the leaders
making a good show for those who had bought a ticket. Over the
first thirty-five laps Sommerville was able to make his way into
the top five with ease. It would take the remaining amount of
laps however to make it to the fourth position at the event’s
halfway break. The five-minute break allowed the Sommerville
camp to change two right side tires, add fuel, and make a small
chassis adjustment in hopes of giving their A.E. McKay
Builders/Pub’s Bottle Exchange Chevy that extra bit of grip to
have a shot at the win.
The final half of the event went
clean and green with the racing among the leaders and lap cars
becoming intense at times. Clark was able to pull away out front
due to the advantage of the move-over flag for lapped vehicles.
This left Sommerville battling with Cassius Clark for a chance
at the runner-up position in the closing laps, but without some
type of contact or mistake on Clark’s part, it was not to be,
forcing Sommerville to cross the line third. |
|
Trevor Sanborn: PASS
North Series
Speedway 660 Race Preview |
Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield,
Maine, returns to full-time PASS North Series competition with
Richard Moody Racing this weekend as the series heads to the Pro
All Stars Series 200 at Speedway 660 in Fredericton, New
Brunswick. Sanborn last ran a full schedule with RMR in 2008,
and he finished third while driving the RMR No. 44 at White
Mountain Motorsports Park last month. After winning back-to-back
40-lap Pro Series features to open the NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series season at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway,
Sanborn and Moody reached agreement for Sanborn to run the
remaining 11 races on the 2010 schedule and compete for the
championship. Sanborn trails Mike Rowe by two points atop the
PASS North standings.
WHO: Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield,
Maine
TEAM: Richard Moody Racing No. 44 Ford
BEST CAREER
SPEEDWAY 660 FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT SPEEDWAY 660: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series Pro All Stars Series 200
WHERE:
Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 7:05 p.m., Saturday, June 12
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May 22, PASS 150, White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H.
(3rd-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Sunday, June 20, Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine
POINTS POSITION: 2nd
TREVOR, BEFORE THIS SEASON
STARTED YOU SAID THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD KEEP YOU FROM RUNNING
FOR THE BEECH RIDGE CHAMPIONSHIP WAS A SHOT AT THE PASS NORTH
CHAMPIONSHIP. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY?
I can't really even explain it. I always wanted to race on
that tour from the beginning, and even though we didn't have
everything together this spring, now that it's come together I'm
really excited about it.
I know we can be a contender for
the championship, and I know that I've got a great shot at
finally winning my first PASS North race. With this team, I know
we can go to any race track and win, and I have a ton of
confidence in the crew chief (Brian Burgess) and the cars. It
all just adds up.
DO YOU STILL PLAN ON COMPETING IN
NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES PRO SERIES RACES AT BEECH
RIDGE?
Absolutely. I won't be able to run for the
championship, especially because the entire month of July it
seems we're PASS racing. But I plan to go there still on our off
weekends and try and win some races.
WHAT ARE YOUR
THOUGHTS ON SPEEDWAY 660 THIS WEEKEND?
I haven't been up
there in a while, but I remember that it was a pretty tight
little track. It wasn't quite as banked as White Mountain
(Motorsports Park), but it was a lot like (All-Star Speedway).
It's definitely more of a driver's track, and I like those kind
of places. It's fun to get up on the wheel and really race the
car on those kinds of tracks. |
|
Austin Theriault: PASS North
Series
Speedway 660 Race Preview |
PASS North Series rookie Austin
Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, looks for his first career top-10
when the series heads to the Pro All Stars Series 200 at
Speedway 660 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on Saturday, June
12. It will be a long weekend for Theriault, who will compete in
the ACT Late Model Tour race at Lee, N.H., on Friday night
before he drives through the night to make it to New Brunswick
in time for PASS practice the next day. Theriault has never
raced at Speedway 660, though it's one of the closest tracks to
him on the PASS schedule.
WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort
Kent, Maine
TEAM: Varney's Insurance/Mainely
Motorsports/Peter Petit Excavating No. 12 Chevrolet
BEST
CAREER SPEEDWAY 660 FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT SPEEDWAY 660:
N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series Pro All Stars Series 200
WHERE: Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 7:05 p.m., Saturday, June 12
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May 22, PASS 150, White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (21st-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Sunday, June 20, Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine
POINTS POSITION: 18th
AUSTIN, IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG
WEEKEND FOR YOU WITH A RACE IN LEE, N.H., ON FRIDAY NIGHT
FOLLOWED BY THE 200 AT SPEEDWAY 660 -- A TRACK YOU'VE NEVER
RACED ON BEFORE.
Yeah, it's going to be a long drive, but
I'm looking forward to it. I've been (to Speedway 660) a couple
of times to watch the (Peterbilt) 250. It looks like a tricky
track. It's hard to say exactly what it will be like until I get
there and get on the track.
LOOKING BACK AT YOUR LAST
PASS START AT WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK IN MAY, WHAT HAVE
YOU LEARNED SO FAR IN SUPER LATE MODELS?
I've only been
to that track once and we had a little trouble -- so there's a
lot we can work on as a team and a lot I can work on as a
driver. I don't think we were at our best at White Mountain, not
by any means.
That was kind of a wakeup call for us at
White Mountain. I only qualified through a provisional, and it
was a tough day. I'm not sure yet how many more of these races
we're going to run, so it would be nice to go out and have a
good race this weekend and kind of leave on a high note for a
little while.
HAVE YOUR GOALS CHANGED FOR THE SEASON
AFTER TWO RACES?
They have a little bit, yeah. We're
looking forward this weekend to getting into the race on our own
merit, running in the top-15 all night and staying out of
trouble. That could be hard to do, just because it's a pretty
tight track. |
|
Johnny Clark:
PASS North Series
Speedway 660 Race Preview
Johnny Clark of
Farmingdale, Maine, looks to make it back-to-back PASS North Series
victories when the series heads to the Pro All Stars Series 200 at
Speedway 660 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on Saturday, June 12. Fresh
off a win at White Mountain Motorsports Park last month -- his first
career victory at the track -- Clark hopes to check another track off
his bucket list this weekend. While he's never won at Speedway 660 in
PASS competition, Clark has won the prestigious $20,000-to-win Peterbilt
250 at the track in 2007. He enters the weekend fourth in the standings,
just eight points out of first.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale,
Maine
TEAM: Clark's Car Crushing/Port City No. 54 Chevrolet
BEST
CAREER SPEEDWAY 660 FINISH: 3rd (2003)
LAST RACE AT SPEEDWAY 660:
14th (September 2009)
WHAT: PASS North Series Pro All Stars
Series 200
WHERE: Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick (.333-mile
oval)
WHEN: 7:05 p.m., Saturday, June 12
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May 22, PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park,
North Woodstock, N.H. (1st-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Sunday, June 20,
Unity Raceway, Unity, Maine
POINTS POSITION: 4th
JOHNNY,
SPEEDWAY 660 IS THE SITE OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST WINS OF YOUR CAREER.
Yeah, absolutely. I guess you kind of judge races by how much they
pay, and obviously, that's a big one. But you know, there have been
other times there that were just as important to me. I remember going
there in 2003 and finishing third behind Scott Fraser and Ben Rowe --
and at the time, we were just getting going with this PASS deal and that
was a really big deal to me.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH RACING AT
SPEEDWAY 660?
I think it's a lot like Unity Raceway. It has a
little more banking, a lot sharper turns, the track is smoother and it's
a little faster there -- but other than that it's just like Unity
(laughing). It is like Unity in how you race guys there, though. In that
way it's a lot like Unity.
AFTER HAVING A COUPLE OF WEEKENDS OFF
BETWEEN EACH OF THE LAST COUPLE OF RACES, YOU'RE ABOUT TO START A
STRETCH OF 5 RACES IN A 6-WEEK STRETCH. ARE YOU READY FOR THAT?
We are. I think it's going to be good for us. We're ready to start
grinding at it now. I'm definitely not going to complain about having
time off. Everyone's volunteer on the crew, and they get to do stuff
with their families and enjoy some time off. But I speak for the whole
team when I say that we're ready to get this on and start clicking off
races.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE UNTIMELY PASSING OF BUB BILODEAU AT
BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY LAST WEEKEND?
Shocking. Just shocking,
really. It's something you don't ever really think about -- you're not
supposed to have a heart attack at the race track. Hey, we all know that
things happen and you might get into an accident or have something like
that. But he was 53 years old. It's not like he was old.
He
always had a smile on his face, no matter what -- and, boy, I used to
make him mad. A lot. Back in 1997, 1998, 1999 -- that's when I first got
to know him. I was young, and I remember one day I dumped him once in
the heat race and once in the feature. He would never let me forget that
-- he was always smiling and joking about it later on, but he didn't let
me forget it either.
I was down there (at Beech Ridge) on opening
day this year and got to talk to him for a little while. We were still
joking around about payback and him getting revenge and all that. I'm
just glad I got to spend a few minutes with him that night. |
Ben Rowe: PASS
North Series
Speedway
660 Race Preview
4-time PASS North Series
champion Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, attempts to win for a second
straight time at Speedway 660 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, when the
series competes in the Pro All Stars Series 200 on Saturday, June 12.
Rowe won this race a year ago with his former team, and he aims to put
Mulkern Racing in victory lane for the first time this season. He's won
twice in series history at Speedway 660 and enters this weekend third in
the PASS North standings -- one of only two drivers with top-5 finishes
in each of the season's first two races. His father, Mike, is the other.
WHO: Ben Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM: Community Pharmacies No. 48
Chevrolet
BEST CAREER SPEEDWAY 660 FINISH: 1st (2 times; most
recently: June 2009)
LAST RACE AT SPEEDWAY 660: 1st (June 2009)
WHAT: PASS North Series Pro All Stars Series 200
WHERE: Speedway
660, Fredericton, New Brunswick (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.,
Saturday, June 12
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May
22, PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H.
(5th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Sunday, June 20, Unity Raceway, Unity,
Maine
POINTS POSITION: 3rd
BEN, THIS SEEMS TO BE ANOTHER ONE
OF THOSE TRACKS THAT DRIVERS EITHER LOVE OR HATE. THERE'S NO IN-BETWEEN.
It's a nice track, and it's a lot of fun to drive -- kind of like
Oxford or Beech Ridge. I think it's a fun little place, the fans really
get into it up there, and it makes it worth the long trip getting there.
I like Fredericton. It's kind of round and it's got a lot of grip if
you get the car right. I think you can race two-wide there in these
cars, and it puts on a lot of good races.
ARE YOU READY FOR THIS
NEXT STRETCH OF 5 RACES IN 6 WEEKS?
I hope so. We're testing
again (Wednesday) at Beech Ridge, just trying to get where we need to be
as we get ready for this stretch. We've got three or four cars that
could be ready to race in a day's time if we need them, so
equipment-wise we're ready. We're just not quite ready speed-wise.
IN YOUR MIND, WHERE IS THE TEAM LACKING AFTER JUST TWO RACES
TOGETHER?
I'm not quite sure. It's something very tiny. Maybe
it's just me getting too fussy with things, but I know there's more
there for us to pick up. We know everyone else is working hard to get
better, and we are, too. That's why we've done so much testing and we
keep on testing, so we can try and get this thing as good as it can be.
|
Joey Doiron: PASS North Series
Speedway 660 Race Preview |
PASS North Series Rookie of the
Year candidate Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, gets back behind
the wheel this weekend with the Pro All Stars Series 200 at
Speedway 660 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on Saturday night,
June 12. Doiron is coming off consecutive top-10 finishes at
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and White Mountain Motorsports Park
to start the season, putting him an impressive fifth in the PASS
North standings. The Noble High School senior will miss his
graduation Saturday in order to compete north of the border at
the track he's never seen before.
WHO: Joey Doiron,
Berwick, Maine
TEAM: JBJ Machine/Rescue Welding/Dale Shaw
Race Cars No. 73 Dodge
BEST CAREER SPEEDWAY 660 FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT SPEEDWAY 660: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series
Pro All Stars Series 200
WHERE: Speedway 660, Fredericton,
New Brunswick (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 7:05 p.m., Saturday,
June 12
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May 22,
PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H.
(9th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Sunday, June 20, Unity
Raceway, Unity, Maine
POINTS POSITION: 5th
JOEY,
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN SPEEDWAY 660 BUT WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT IT?
It's supposed to be flat. Some people said its like Beech
Ridge. We excel on the flat tracks, and we really have since I
started racing. We've always been good on the flatter tracks
we've gone to and we always seem to struggle on the banked
tracks.
Other than Oxford (Plains Speedway), places like
Beech Ridge, Canaan, Star, we've always run pretty well at those
tracks. I grew up racing at Beech Ridge, so a lot of my
experience is on those kind of tracks. It's kind of what I
learned on.
NOW THAT YOU'VE HAD A COUPLE OF WEEKS OFF,
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TWO SOLID PERFORMANCES TO START THE
SEASON?
I'd say it's really exceeded my expectations. I
really didn't think we'd be as high in the points as we are. I'm
trying not to look at points -- it's only been two races -- but
we've gotten off to a good start. I'd like to keep going out and
and finishing in the top-10 every week now.
I'd like to
win a race, don't get me wrong. I'd take a DNF if I could trade
it for a win somewhere, but top-10s are good, too.
HAVE
YOU HIT A COMFORT LEVEL YET IN YOUR YOUNG PASS NORTH SERIES
CAREER?
I think I have. We definitely belong. The first
two races were on totally opposite tracks. If anything, I had
doubts we'd be that good at a banked track like White Mountain.
We ran as good at White Mountain last time as we did at
Beech Ridge in the opener. I just need to get to a bumpy track
now and see how we do there. That's the only other question I
have. |
|
| Lonnie Sommerville Racing
Announces 2010 Season Schedule |
Saint John, NB Canada 6/7/10-
Canadian Maritime super late model competitor Lonnie Sommerville
of Saint John, New Brunswick and his Lonnie Sommerville Racing
team are proud to announce their 2010 racing schedule. After
already having competed in two races on the PASS National tour
and picking up his first win south of the border during New
Smyrna Speedway’s Speedweeks in Florida this past January,
Sommerville and long time sponsor A.E. McKay Builders will shift
their focus on major events only for the 2010 season making it
the first time in four seasons that the team will not compete
for the Carquest Maritime Pro Stock Tour championship.
As of now, Sommerville is scheduled to make four stops on the
Maritime tour schedule, three of them being the three 250 lap
triple crown events at Riverside Int’l Speedway (July 17th),
Scotia Speedworld (August 7th), and Speedway 660 (September 5th)
in addition to a 100 lap show at his home track of Speedway 660
on July 24th. One championship that the team will chase will be
the 2010 PASS National championship were Sommerville currently
sits fifth in points after two races. Several other PASS North
series races are scheduled, beginning with the PASS 200 at
Speedway 660 in Geary, NB on June 12th as Sommerville will look
to defend his home turf against the series regulars.
Sommerville will end the season in the same state he started it
in by closing out his 2010 season racing in his first ever
Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida on
December 6th. In its 43rd year of existence, the Snowball Derby
has become the crown jewel of short track racing, so for
Sommerville to have a shot at competing in the most prestigious
race with the stiffest competition assembled for a single race
is something he will be looking forward to all year long.
In addition to his driving duties, Lonnie will serve as crew
chief throughout the season for Speedway 660 pro stock regular
Matt Harris and his familiar #87 machine as he hopes to improve
on the team’s breakout year from a season ago by possibly
capturing the team’s first ever championship. Lonnie Sommerville
Racing will also continue to serve the Maritime with its full
service maintenance, parts, consulting and complete fabrication
services year around out of its Barnesville , NB race shop.
“I’m excited about our schedule this year and really just
getting back behind the wheel of my A.E. McKay Builders Chevy
Impala this weekend. We’ve got a great team with a few races
already under our belt so we’ve got a lot to look forward to,”
stated Sommerville. “This year we aren’t points racing so every
time we show up to the track we are looking to leave the track
with a win because there’s no reason to have a good points
finish anymore. I know the races we have planned are going to
have some tough competition, but the goal of winning races will
be the same regardless of who we race against.”
www.lonniesommerville.com |
|
| Impressive Finish for Trey
Mitchell at the Tricky Ace Speedway |
Mooresville, NC 6/7/10- Not
only was it the first ever visit for the PASS South series to
the Ace Speedway, it was Texas native Trey Mitchell’s as well.
Mitchell, who is running the complete 2010 PASS South series
schedule, raced his way to an impressive sixth place finish
after qualifying ninth at a track that gave many in attendance
more than their fair share of trouble throughout the 150 lap
event. With his best finish to date, Mitchell moved into the top
ten in the championship points standings, one race shy of the
season’s schedule halfway point.
Mitchell, lead by
veteran crew chief Gary Crooks, drove a smart race by saving his
tires for the duration of the 150 lap race all while dodging
several incidents early and often. After the series mandatory
qualifying redraw for the top ten qualifiers, Mitchell would
take the green flag from the outside of the front row next to
series points leader Preston Peltier. The two would actually
tangle, battling for the second position, just eleven laps in
sending Mitchell spinning and to the rear of the field.
“I think I just got a little anxious too early and drove it in
there a little deep, but I know Preston didn’t give me much room
either. It was just a racing deal I suppose. It put us in a hole
from the beginning because we had to go to the rear but it also
let us come in and make a few adjustments to our car to make it
better,” said Mitchell.
While it was the hard way to the
front Mitchell did it cleanly and smoothly picking off cars one
at a time based on their mistakes over a long green flag run
that lasted seventy five plus laps. Once up to the top five, the
task at hand became a little tougher as the top two had pulled
away leaving the battle for third, fourth, fifth, and sixth as
the tightest action on the track. Due to the single groove
racing the Ace Speedway produces, Mitchell had to settle for an
impressive sixth place finish not wanting to risk his equipment.
“This track (Ace Speedway) is tough to pass on; there’s no
doubt about it, but we did the best we possibly could coming
through the field and it showed leaving here with a race car
with barely a scratch on it. This is exactly what we needed as a
team because we haven’t had the start this season that we’d
hoped for so hopefully this good finish will get us on a roll
heading into the summer,” stated Mitchell after the race.
www.treymitchellracing.com |
|
Trey Mitchell - PASS
South Series
Concord
Speedway on 5/29 Race Preview |
Mooresville, NC 5/24/10- Over
the years, Concord Speedway has produced more than its fair
share of racing stars, but anyone who knows the place, including
Trey Mitchell, knows it’s a track in a category all its own.
Mitchell will get to fulfill a desire of his to race at the
track known as the “Fastest Half Mile in America” this Saturday
night in the PASS South series Old Glory 150. While the task at
hand for first timers at the Charlotte area track can be
overwhelming, Mitchell, in a recent test session, learned
quickly on how to approach this weekend’s Old Glory 150 and is
being cautiously optimistic on what it is you have to do to have
a good day at the Concord Speedway.
Team Notes:
Car: #47 Ford Fusion
Engine: McGunegill Super Late Model Spec Engine
Sponsor(s): Magnum’s Oilfield Service/SponsorTrey.com
Standings: 12th (PASS South)
-This is your first
ever visit to Concord Speedway; it’s unlike any track you’ve
ever been on; what are your thoughts on the place?
“You’re
exactly right when you said it’s unlike any other track out
there. You’re just going so fast down the back dog leg and then
you have to slow all that speed you built up to make turn three
which is really tight. For someone new to the place like me it’s
all you can do to focus on learning your marks in order to learn
the quick way around the place. Regardless of all that, it’s a
fun place because of the speed it produces, but I can tell you
right now if you aren’t on your game every lap, the place will
reach out and bite you in a hurry.”
-This is the first
track since the PASS South season opener at Dillon that you are
going to where you’ve never raced at before but you have done a
little testing at Concord, how do you attack the race itself?
“Yea we went
over there a few weeks ago on a Friday night for open practice
and I got to at least make a few laps around the place and get a
feel of the track which was really invaluable, but we didn’t get
as much track time as we’d hoped. As far as the way I’m going to
approach this race; you could probably say I might go about
things a little different than normal. Concord is a track where
track position isn’t too important because the track itself can
separate the field because you have to have a good handling race
car. I think getting in a rhythm is most important so if we can
just find a place to make laps for the first half of the race
even if it’s in the middle of the field, I’ll be fine with that.
By then I should have a better handle on the track and we can
focus on making our way to the front one at a time with a good
handling race car.”
-Last off you are
taking part in the Food Lion Speed Street festivities on
Thursday May 27th, tell us about that?
“This is one
of the races PASS is doing their free ticket giveaway and they
really want to reach out to the NASCAR fans that are in town
that week for the Coke 600 and show them what good short track
racing is all about and this is just another way to promote not
only the race and series but myself as well. I really like doing
stuff like this and for it to be at Speed Street with the amount
of people that will be there is great exposure so I was
definitely all in for it from the beginning.”
www.treymitchellracing.com |
|
Joey Doiron: PASS North
Series
White Mountain Motorsports
Park Race Preview |
PASS North Series Rookie of
the Year candidate Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, continues his
learning curve with the PASS 150 at White Mountain Motorsports
Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on Saturday, May 22. The Noble
High School senior opened eyes in the season opener at Beech
Ridge Motor Speedway by finishing an impressive fourth for his
best-career PASS finish. The 2009 ACT Late Model Tour Rookie of
the Year has a limited amount of experience at White Mountain,
having raced there in an ACT car last June.
WHO: Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: JBJ Machine/Rescue
Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars No. 73 Dodge
BEST CAREER WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday,
May 22
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May
1, PASS 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
(4th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday,
June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick
POINTS POSITION: 3rd
**********
JOEY, ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO WHITE MOUNTAIN THIS WEEK?
Everyone loves it there it seems, but I think it's just all
right. I've never really run good there before. To run good
there would probably change my opinion of it. (During a test) I
found it was a lot more fun in the Super Late Model -- but then
again, when I went there in an ACT car, I was down on power with
our engine being messed up.
I
think it will probably be an interesting race. I think the track
is kind of narrow for these kind of cars.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN YOUR WHITE
MOUNTAIN TEST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO?
Usually, I like flatter tracks. I was wary at first of going
there, but after we tested I was a lot more confident about it.
After having the test, I think we can get a decent finish there.
I'm not going to go there having the expectation that if we
don't come out of it with a top-5 it's a bad day, but I think
we'll be competitive.
YOU MENTIONED GOALS FOR THE RACE.
WHAT IS A REALISTIC EXPECTATION?
I
think if we run what we did when tested, we'll be able to run in
top-10. I'd like to get out of there with a top-10, but really,
if we can salvage that and leave with the car all in one piece
again, I'd be happy at the end of the day. |
|
Trevor Sanborn: PASS
North Series
White Mountain
Motorsports Park Race Preview |
For the first time since 2008,
Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield, Maine, will team up with Richard
Moody Racing as Sanborn enters the PASS 150 at White Mountain
Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on Saturday, May 22.
Sanborn, who is running just a partial PASS North schedule in
2010, last ran the No. 44 for RMR in the September 2008 race at
White Mountain. Sanborn enters the weekend having turned in a
strong 5th-place effort in the season opener at his home track
of Beech Ridge Motor Speedway back on May 1, leading 99 of the
150 laps in the event.
WHO: Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield, Maine
TEAM: Richard Moody
Racing No. 44 Ford
BEST CAREER WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 3rd (October 2007)
LAST RACE AT WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK: 10th (September 2008)
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday,
May 22
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May
1, PASS 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
(5th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday,
June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick
POINTS POSITION: 28th
**********
TREVOR, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS
PARK?
It's definitely one of my favorite race tracks. It's a cool
place. There's really not any race tracks around like it. It's a
little more about the driver there, and you can really help
manhandle the car around if it's not just right. I'm excited to
go back.
HOW EXCITED ARE YOU ABOUT
REJOINING RICHARD MOODY RACING THIS WEEKEND?
I
think it will be really good. I'm looking forward to it. (Crew
chief Brian Burgess) can really set up a car for White Mountain,
and I've always worked well with him. Hopefully, more will come
of this. It's a great opportunity for me, definitely.
YOU LED THE MOST LAPS AGAIN AT
BEECH RIDGE BUT ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR YOUR FIRST CAREER PASS
NORTH WIN. DO YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE?
I
do. It's basically the same as it was going into Beech Ridge. I
know we're going to have a car that is capable of going up there
and winning the race. I've always been good there in (RMR's)
cars. We're getting close to winning, though -- seems I'm always
the lap leader and never the winner. Something's got to change. |
|
Derek Ramstrom: PASS
North Series
White Mountain
Motorsports Park Race Preview |
Derek Ramstrom heads back to
the type of track where he's encountered a great deal of success
early in his PASS North Series career, entering the PASS 150 at
White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on
Saturday, May 22. The 18-year-old driver earned his first career
PASS victory on a similar quarter-mile at All-Star Speedway in
Epping, N.H., in 2008 and last year finished second in this
event on the high banks at White Mountain. Ramstrom aims to turn
his luck around after a tire issue in the season-opener at Beech
Ridge Motor Speedway earlier this month forced him to lose
valuable positions while pitting under the green flag.
WHO: Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass.
TEAM: Charter
Communications/Matthew's Truck Service & Towing No. 35 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 2nd (May 2009)
LAST RACE AT WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK: 2nd (May 2009)
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday,
May 22
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May
1, PASS 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
(26th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday,
June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick
POINTS POSITION: 21st
**********
DEREK, WE'LL PUT YOU IN THE CATEGORY OF DRIVERS WHO LIKE WHITE
MOUNTAIN, OK?
Yeah, definitely. I love White Mountain. We always seem to run
really strong there. I like the high banks, and like I said, we
always seem to run well on those kind of tracks.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOU CALL
ONE OF NEW ENGLAND'S BIGGEST TRACKS -- THE 5/8-MILE THOMPSON
(CONN.) SPEEDWAY -- YOUR HOME, QUARTER-MILE TRACKS ARE WHERE
YOU'VE SEEMINGLY BEEN AT YOUR BEST.
I
just seem to have taken to those tracks. I really have a good
feel in the car on high-banked tracks, whether it's Thompson or
White Mountain.
White Mountain kind of resembles All-Star a little bit, in that
they have some banking and they have that frontstretch wall that
comes out at you off the corner.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A TURNAROUND
AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS OFF FOLLOWING THE TOUGH DAY AT BEECH RIDGE?
Definitely. I'm pumped to get back behind the wheel, and I can't
wait. I'm looking forward to running at White Mountain. It's
always run to run up north against some of the good competition
up there. |
|
www.derekramstrom.com |
|
Ben Rowe: PASS North
Series
White Mountain
Motorsports Park Race Preview |
4-time PASS North Series
champion Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, attempts to add to his
decorated resume in the PASS 150 at White Mountain Motorsports
Park in North Woodstock, N.H., on Saturday night, May 22. Rowe
owns a PASS-record 8 career victories on the high-banked
quarter-mile and is the defending champion of this event. A
recent test at the track with with his new team at Mulkern
Racing suggested he's still one of the favorites at a track
owned by the Avery family -- which, ironically, fields an
ACT-legal Late Model in which Rowe races part-time.
WHO: Ben Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM: Community
Pharmacies No. 48 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 1st (8 times; most recently:
May 2009)
LAST RACE AT WHITE MOUNTAIN
MOTORSPORTS PARK: 2nd (September 2009)
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday,
May 22
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May
1, PASS 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
(3rd-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday,
June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick
POINTS POSITION: 1st
**********
BEN, WHAT IS IT ABOUT WHITE MOUNTAIN THAT YOU LOVE SO MUCH?
I
don't really know. The first time I ever was there, I thought I
was flying around there and then my father went by me and I
figured I was about 3-tenths of a second too slow. I just
couldn't quite get it figured out, and then he got into my car
and came back in and said, 'That's what it's supposed to feel
like.' Ever since then, I've tried to have that feeling in the
car.
I
love the place. It's just a great place where you can actually
race each other. There's plenty of room, there's two grooves,
and you can pass people.
MOST PEOPLE DESCRIBE THE PLACE AS
BEING VERY UNIQUE. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT?
Yeah, I do. It's weird. The other quarter-miles we go to --
(Riverside Speedway) and All-Star Speedway -- they're tight and
narrow. They don't suit me at all. I'm sure if you talk to
Johnny (Clark), he loves those other places.
You
always seem to find one of those places you do well at, and
fortunately for me this has been one.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE
BEEN TO WHITE MOUNTAIN WITH SETH HOLBROOK AS YOUR CREW CHIEF.
ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC?
Absolutely. We tested up there last Thursday with both cars, and
we had a really good test. I can't wait to get back there for
the race. I was so happy with everything, that I just can't wait
for this weekend.
Me
and Seth, we grew up racing with each other, so it wasn't like
it was a matter of him and I getting along. (Tony Ricci) has
been great to work with, too, and (car owner Scott Mulkern)
gives you everything you need. We go to the race track, and we
laugh and have a good time together. It's been a lot of fun with
this team so far. |
|
www.mulkernracing.com |
|
Johnny Clark: PASS North
Series
White Mountain
Motorsports Park Race Preview |
4-time PASS North Series
champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine, looks to bounce
back in the PASS 150 at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North
Woodstock, N.H., on Saturday, May 22. Clark, who is attempting
to become the first driver to win three straight PASS titles,
finished 6th in the season-opener at Beech Ridge. He's never won
at the high-banked quarter-mile White Mountain track despite
finishing second there on numerous occasions -- making it just
one of two tracks on the schedule where he's never won a Super
Late Model race. Last season, Clark locked up the 2009 PASS
North championship with a 5th-place finish at White Mountain.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM: Clark's Car
Crushing/Port City No. 54 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK FINISH: 2nd (several times; most
recently: September 2008)
LAST RACE AT WHITE
MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK: 5th (September 2009)
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 150
WHERE: White Mountain
Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday,
May 22
PASS NORTH SERIES
LAST RACE: Saturday, May
1, PASS 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
(6th-place finish)
NEXT RACE: Saturday,
June 12, Speedway 660, Fredericton, New Brunswick
POINTS POSITION: 5th
**********
JOHNNY, YOU MAKE NO SECRET ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS IS NOT ONE
OF YOUR FAVORITE TRACKS. HOW DO YOU APPROACH THIS WEEKEND?
We're not giving up, that's for sure. We're going with something
a little different setup-wise, something similar to what we've
done before but think we've been just a little off with.
There's no track we go to that's that small and that fast for as
small as it is. It's extremely high-banked. A place like
Thompson (Conn.) is high-banked, too, but White Mountain's still
just a quarter-mile. But it's fast for a quarter-mile.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE LONG
DAY AT BEECH RIDGE EARLIER THIS MONTH TO OPEN THE SEASON?
I
was really hoping we were going to find some things when we got
back that we could put a finger on for why we were so off at
Beech Ridge. But, when you think about it, it tells you a lot
about this team -- how many other teams would be as disappointed
as we were with a 6th-place finish? It was just kind of a
typical day there for us.
I
know that I'd take a win at White Mountain any way possible. I
don't care if at end of the day I didn't have a car that was the
fastest car out there. I just want to win there, period.
WHAT'S THE KEY TO SUCCESS AT
WHITE MOUNTAIN?
I
can tell you more about what won't work at White Mountain than
what will work at White Mountain.
The
car's got to turn in the middle of the corner. If the car
doesn't turn, you're going to push up in the middle and never
get any traction going down the straightway. If you miss that
corner, it's going to mess up your whole lap, and it will
probably take you another lap or two just to get back in your
rhythm. |
|
www.johnnyclarkmotorsports.com |
|
Trey
Mitchell Event Preview:
PASS South Wake County Speedway |
Mooresville,
NC 5/4/10- Wake County Speedway is the fourth stop on the 2010
PASS South tour and will also mark the fourth race of 2010
season for the Trey Mitchell Racing team. The quarter mile
bullring is a track that can make even the calmest driver lose
their cool if their memory isn’t a short one once the green flag
falls. For Texas native Trey Mitchell having made several stops
at the Corpus Christi Speedway over his career ladder climb,
Mitchell knows the characteristics of what a driver has to
possess in order to have a good run at a place like Wake County.
However; the question is, can Mitchell dodge his own
frustrations throughout the race, but more importantly can he
dodge the frustration of others?
Team Notes - Car: #47 Ford Fusion - Engine: McGunegill Super
Late Model Spec Engine
Sponsor(s): Magnum’s Oilfield
Service/SponsorTrey.com
QUOTES
- Wake County Speedway
is a tight bullring, where as a driver you have to be “up on the
wheel” each and every lap; how do you approach a race track such
as this?
“First off, let me say that these types
of tracks are not my favorite, that’s for sure, but they sure do
make for some entertaining racing for the fans. I mean as far as
deciding on a strategy to approach the race, it is really up in
the air. You could say that being out front is the place to be
but then you start getting into lap traffic and you never know
what can happen, so the biggest thing is just focus on running
your race and racing the track, not the drivers around you.”
-The PASS South series allows several
different motor combinations from crate motors to super late
model spec motors of which you have both; one of the toughest
choices by teams every year is which motor combination do you go
with for Wake County?
“Well deciding on what
motor to bring this weekend has definitely been the topic of
discussion between me and crew chief Gary Crooks all week long
but after talking it over and talking to a few other teams out
there, we decided to go with the spec motor. The big motor will
be better for getting through and off the corners which is
something that is real important when your racing in a tight
pack where racing real estate is at a premium.”
-Your are 13th in PASS South points standings, not exactly where
you hoped to be at this point of the year, Wake County is know,
for a track that can shake up the points standings in a hurry,
do you see your team as a gainer or loser on the points ladder
at the end of 150 laps around the quarter mile?
“That’s a tough question to answer before the race because Wake
County is such a craps shoot when it comes to having an idea on
how well you’ll do there. You may have a great car but get
caught in someone else’s mess in a hurry. Right now if I had to
say one way or another I would say we will be a minimal gainer.
There are a couple of guys right in front of us that I feel
standings wise we should be in front; so I would say at the end
of the night we should have a good shot at being right around
the top ten in the points standings.” |
|
Derek Ramstrom: PASS
North Series
Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway Race Preview |
Reigning Thompson (Conn.)
International Speedway track champion Derek Ramstrom makes his
2010 PASS North Series debut in the seaon opener at the PASS 150
at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on
Saturday, May 1. A two-time winner on the PASS North Series in
his career, Ramstrom finished 10th in the final PASS standings a
year ago, despite not competing in the full schedule. He posted
four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes in 10 starts, while also
winning four Super Late Model features at Thompson over the
course of the season there. Ramstrom made two NASCAR K&N Pro
Series East starts this season with a career-best finish of 6th
at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway in March, and he also won
a pair of Super Late Model features during Icebreaker weekend at
Thompson earlier this month.
WHO: Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass.
TEAM: Charter
Communications/Matthew's Truck Service & Towing No. 35 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 3rd (September 2007)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 31st (September 2009)
DEREK, HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK INTO A
SUPER LATE MODEL THIS WEEKEND?
It's going to feel really good. Just running those couple of K&N
Pro Series races with the team I was working with, it definitely
helped me out mentally. I'll definitely be more prepared for
PASS racing, and hopefully the things I picked up from the K&N
Series will help me there.
PASS is a great series with really good exposure. They race all
around the East Coast, with a ton of different drivers and
driving styles. A lot of people don't know how good a series it
really is, and I'm looking forward to running there some more.
WHAT'S THE KEY TO HAVING SUCCESS
AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY? YOU HAD TWO REALLY GOOD RUNS
THERE LAST YEAR.
You
mean other than just staying in the top-5 all weekend? (laughs).
No the biggest thing is that
you want to be able to use the outside groove. If you're able to
pass guys on the outside, you'll be good to go. It always seems
there that halfway through the race, all the good cars move up
to the high line to pass. When you go to Beech Ridge, you've got
to have the mindset of running in that top line right from the
beginning -- I just do concentrate too much on the bottom
anymore.
I
like Beech Ridge. It's a nice facility, and it's always
competitive.
IS YOUR TEAM A BETTER RACE TEAM
NOW THAN IT WAS AT THIS TIME A YEAR AGO?
Yeah, we are. Definitely. We've really come a long way over the
past year. We've got a lot of new guys on the crew, and we
really seem to have come together.
I
think one of the biggest things I learned (in the NASCAR K&N Pro
Series) was about driver-crew chief communication. That's one
thing where we've gotten a lot better with our Super Late Model,
too. |
|
Trevor Sanborn: PASS
North Series
Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway Race Preview |
Former PASS North Series
Rookie of the Year Trevor Sanborn of Parsonsfield, Maine, makes
a spot start in the series with the PASS 150 at Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 1.
Sanborn expects to make only a few starts in the series this
year while returning to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly
competition at Beech Ridge on a full-time basis. A two-time PASS
South Series race winner in his career, Sanborn has
traditionally run very strong in PASS events at his home track
-- twice coming within only a handful of laps of winning the
prestigious PASS 300 at Beech Ridge.
WHO: Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield, Maine
TEAM: Cushman
Competition/Pleasant Hill Auto Sales/Knight's Flooring No. 29
Ford
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR
SPEEDWAY FINISH: 2nd (September 2006)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 23rd (September 2009)
TREVOR, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GETTING BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL
IN YOUR OWN CAR AT BEECH RIDGE THIS WEEKEND?
I'm
nervous and excited, I really am. There are a lot of new things
going on, and I hope it goes as well as it did the last time we
were there (when we were leading with 10 laps to go in the 300).
We plan on going over to the track for practice on Thursday and
Friday, just because we've got a few new parts in the car and we
want to make sure everything is OK.
We've been geared up for this race all winter. We'd planned on
it from the beginning and wanted to run well. Hopefully doing so
will prove to us that we're going to go just as well there on a
Saturday night against Beech Ridge competition.
DO YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE HEADING
INTO THIS RACE?
I'll be honest, I kind of do. I'd like to prove that I can win a
PASS North race. I really want to win the PASS race and prove to
people I can do it. I've won PASS South races and I've led so
many PASS races over the last three years, and it seems like
I've always finished second or third.
I
need that win. I want to show people I can do this.
WHAT'S THE KEY TO HAVING A GOOD
RUN AT BEECH RIDGE?
In
a Saturday night race, it's all or nothing. You go, go,
go-go-go. But in a longer PASS race, you kind of want to lay
back and let they guys up front bash it out and win it that way.
That's one way to have success.
You
just need to ride it out, basically. One hundred and fifty laps
is a long time -- run your race, don't burn yourself out. If you
can go forward, go forward, but don't use your equipment up and
don't use people up. That's not the way to start the season.
At
Beech Ridge, it helps if you've raced there. Knowing the track
helps a lot. |
|
Ben Rowe: PASS North
Series
Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway Race Preview |
4-time PASS North Series
champion Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, begins his drive for a fifth
series title with the PASS 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in
Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 1. The series schedule was
originally slated to start last month at Speedway 95 before
inclement weather intervened. Rowe is making his PASS North
debut with Mulkern Racing after several seasons with Richard
Moody Racing. Rowe owns more victories than any driver in PASS
history with 39, more than twice his closest competitor. He'll
debut a brand new Mulkern Racing car built by Distance Racing
this weekend.
WHO: Ben Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM: Community
Pharmacies No. 48 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (September 2006)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 3rd (September 2009)
BEN, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY?
I
love it there -- the facility, the track are beautiful and the
people and fans are great there. But the last two or three years
we've struggled there bad. We tested at Oxford (Plains Speedway)
so we feel like we're going to be ready.
We
haven't changed a whole lot. It almost seems like if if don't
run there weekly, it's hard to get a handle on the place. At
least I've got my dad (reigning Beech Ridge Motor Speedway track
champion Mike Rowe) there to fall back on if I need it. I'm sure
I'll be running back and forth to ask him for information.
HOW ANXIOUS IS THE TEAM TO GET
THE SEASON STARTED?
I'm
really ready to go, especially after testing the new car.
Everybody's ready to go. All the crew's been working all winter
on it, and we're anxious to get the new stuff on it and get
going. It seems like it's been a while since we raced.
IS THIS NO. 48 TEAM GOOD ENOUGH
TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN ITS FIRST SEASON TOGETHER?
I
think so. Right now, the cars I have been running (in PASS
National Series races), are the older equipment that (team owner
Scott Mulkern's) had. Now we've got all the eggs in one basket
with a brand new car -- putting together everything that I've
used and (crew chief Seth Holbrook) have used in the past. What
Seth does to his shocks and springs, it's about me getting used
to that -- having the car all sucked down against the track,
right on the bump. It feels pretty good. We were really happy
the first time we tested over at Oxford.
(The setup) is kind of foreign to
Scott, but if we can get together and have it 100 percent, I
don't see why we can't compete right out of the gate. |
|
Joey Doiron: PASS North
Series
Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway Race Preview |
PASS North Series newcomer
Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, begins his charge to become the
series 2010 PASS Rookie of the Year with the PASS 150 at Beech
Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 1.
The series schedule was originally slated to start last month at
Speedway 95 before inclement weather intervened. Doiron -- a
senior at Noble High School -- was the ACT Late Model Tour
Rookie of the Year last season and has just two career PASS
North races on his resume. Both of those attempts came at Beech
Ridge, where he spent a few seasons racing in the track's
support classes on Saturday nights before advancing to touring
racing.
WHO: Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: JBJ Machine/Rescue
Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars No. 73 Dodge
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 20th (June 2009)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 20th (June 2009)
JOEY, WHAT HAS YOU SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WEEKEND'S RACE AT BEECH
RIDGE?
I'll tell you -- it was how competitive we were last year and
the way we were running when we ran out of gas late in the race
there. It's where I grew up going to watch, and it's kind of
like going back to where I grew up, which is pretty neat.
I
like the backstretch wall at Beech Ridge, even though a lot of
people hate it. I didn't really care for Oxford because people
can run up against the dirt -- but at Beech Ridge you can't do
that, because if you try that move you'll run into the wall and
wreck.
It's the kind of track where you can run right around the speed
bumps (in the inside lane) or you can run up in the second
groove. Before the PASS race last year in June, I was a bottom
feeder. Then I watched Ben (Rowe) blow my doors off on the
outisde, so I moved up and followed him and was able to go
around cars.
IT MUST BE A GOOD FEELING OPENING
THE SEASON AT A TRACK WHERE YOU HAVE A CERTAIN COMFORT LEVEL.
I
think anything other than a top-10 finish this weekend would be
disappointing. If we don't get wrecked, I'd be disappointed if
we didn't run in the top-10. I honestly believe that if we get
some luck, we can definitely be a top-3 car even.
When we were going to start the season at Speedway 95 (before an
April rainout), I was 75 percent confident. But going to Beech
Ridge to start the year, I'm like 95 percent. I'd much rather
start at Beech Ridge and White Mountain Motorsports Park than go
to Speedway 95 or Unity Raceway or someplace else that I've
never been. I just don't know the tracks there, so I have no
expectations.
At
Beech Ridge, we could go in and we know we might have a top-5
car. That's a great feeling.
ARE YOU ANXIOUS TO GET YOUR
ROOKIE SEASON STARTED?
We
went to White Mountain last week to test with Dale Shaw, and we
really found a good baseline setup to go (to Beech Ridge) with.
We were pretty much running what D.J. (Shaw) ran for times, and
he was probably the quickest one up there that day.
I
definitely think we can probably get up to like sixth or seventh
in the standings at the end of the year. I consider that to be
something that's doable, especially if we run like we expect to
at places like Beech Ridge and White Mountain where I have some
experience already. |
|
Johnny Clark: PASS North
Series
Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway Race Preview |
4-time PASS North Series
champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine, opens the 2010
season with the PASS 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in
Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 1. The series schedule was
originally slated to start last month at Speedway 95 before
inclement weather intervened. Clark is attempting to become the
first driver in series history to win both three consecutive
championships and five total titles. Clark won PASS North titles
in 2008 and 2009 and sits second on the all-time win list with
19 career victories -- including the 2008 PASS 300 at Beech
Ridge.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM: Clark's Car
Crushing/Port City No. 54 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (September 2008)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 4th (September 2009)
JOHNNY, AFTER HAVING THE RACE AT SPEEDWAY 95 RAINED OUT IN
APRIL, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT OPENING THE 2010 PASS NORTH SERIES
SEASON AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND?
Really, when you're talking about the top race track in the
state, you couldn't ask for a better place to start the year. I
love it there.
What's actually very interesting about the place is you think
maybe you've got the place conquered one time, and the next time
you go back you can't get out of your own way. It's not my best
race track, but it's also not my worst one by any means. I
really like it.
WHAT'S THE KEY TO HAVING SUCCESS
AT BEECH RIDGE?
I
think it's going to be an interesting race, because it's just
such an up and down place for everyone. You never know who
you're going to be racing for the win there. It's so up and down
for everybody there that you really don't know what's going to
happen until the race gets underway.
I
like that it's a huge challenge trying to get the car right and
get it to go for 150 laps on one set of tires. You've got to
have the car on a rail for the whole race and be good. You're
not going to take a 10th-place car and win at Beech Ridge. The
driver just can't make up that much there.
TALK ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON
MAKING A RUN AT AN UNPRECEDENTED THIRD STRAIGHT PASS NORTH
SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON.
We
go to every race with the number one goal being to finish first.
I couldn't think of a better way to start off a year than by
winning this weekend. It's the first PASS North race of the year
and winning would be a great way to start our campaign for a
third consecutive championship. |
|
 |
Sanborn
Returning
To Roots
at Beech Ridge |
|
|
PARSONSFIELD,
Maine -- Trevor Sanborn hopes his home-track advantage will pay
off every week this season.
Sanborn recently made firm his plans to compete in Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway's Pro Series division in 2010. It marks Sanborn's
return to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly competition
for the first time since 2006.
"It
means a lot to me to go back to racing at Beech Ridge," Sanborn
said. "It's where I grew up as a kid. To go back there and be
around all the people and the fans, it's where I'm comfortable,
you know?
"I'm certain we can go there and run for a championship against
some really good cars."
Sanborn plans to augment his 2010
weekly schedule at Beech Ridge with a few PASS North Series
races. The first one on the schedule is the PASS 150 on May 1 at
Beech Ridge, followed by the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
opener at the track on May 29.
"There's a big learning curve when you go
to the PASS tour," Sanborn said. "I learned a lot driver-wise, a
lot setup-wise from (former crew chiefs) Jay Cushman and Brian
Burgess. I can work on the car and I can drive it, and I think
that's a big plus."
While Sanborn would like to return someday to a full-time ride
in the PASS North Series, he's thrilled about the present
opportunity to do something he's yet to do in his career -- win
a Pro Series championship at The Ridge.
"The competition in PASS and going
track-to-track, those are things that I really like -- but I'll
never stop racing at Beech Ridge, just because i was brought up
there," he said.
"When
we show up at Beech Ridge, we'll be ready right out of the gate.
I think we can most definitely contend with the teams that are
there. We've done pretty well there in the past."
Sanborn owns eight career Pro Series feature wins at the track.
After leaving Beech Ridge's weekly ranks in 2006, he won the
PASS North Series Rookie of the Year award in 2007 driving for
car owner Jay Cushman. He's won a pair of PASS South Series
events in his career, both in 2008, and made only a couple of
starts in 2009.
One
of those starts came in one of New England's marquee late-season
events, the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge last September. For the
second year in a row in that race, Sanborn had a dominant race
car before encountering troubles while leading in the closing
stages of the event.
Those close calls with victory lane have only energized Sanborn,
who will field the No. 29 he owns himself, sporting a Chevrolet
crate engine and a Ford body. He'll carry sponsorship help from
Cushman Competition, Pleasant Hill Auto Sales and Knight's
Flooring.
"A
lot of going well at Beech Ridge is from being there a lot,"
Sanborn said. "(In 2008), the year I went to the 300 with
Richard Moody Racing, I had a good crew and good race car and
almost won. Last year, I sat home and did my homework all year
and put my race car together -- and that was my intention all
along.
"It's funny, because it's not like I'm looking for a free ride
by any means. I'm looking for someone to help out on the
sponsorship side. I'll give the same back I get from them --
even if it costs me a little bit." |
|
| Trey Mitchell Has an Up and
Down Day at Orange County |
Mooresville, NC 4/27/10- The
last week for the Trey Mitchell Racing team hasn’t been the
best. With race three of the 2010 PASS South schedule taking
place this weekend at the Orange County Speedway, the team was
hoping for a good run to replace the negativity that has seemed
to hit the team over the recent weeks. Once again the promise of
a good car in practice didn’t quite translate to a good finish
at the end of the 125 laps.
“We
had another good car this week at Orange County; we just didn’t
leave with a good finish to prove that at the end of the night.
I think we practiced within the top five or ten most every
practice which had me pretty excited on what kind of car we had.
When it came to qualifying, we stayed about the same as we
mocked up during practice and everyone else seemed to pick up a
tenth or so. That tells you right there on how tight these PASS
South races are getting with the quality of racecars that are
showing up,” said Mitchell.
The
Texas driver qualified twenty-first, missing the top twenty and
being locked into the feature by .003 seconds forcing him to
race his way in through the last chance race. Mitchell started
on the poll of the twenty lap last chance race and finished one
spot back, easily finishing within the top six transfer spots
securing the twenty-second starting position in the thirty-one
car field.
By
the two thirds point of the race Mitchell had battled his way up
to the twelfth position. While Orange County has a multiple of
grooves through the turns that allows drivers to fan out from
top to bottom it is also a tough place to pass because of the
same reason. It was this exact reason that made a chance at a
good run go bad for the Mitchell camp when contact with the
always aggressive Alex Fleming sent Mitchell wheel hopping over
Fleming’s #08 machine resulting in a bent lower a-frame.
Over the closing laps, Trey did all he could to pick up several
positions crossing the finish line in the fourteenth finishing
position. While the exact race results weren’t ideal, the finish
did help his climb up the PASS South championship points
standings which is a major goal of the team as the top fifteen
in PASS South standings will be locked into a guaranteed
starting position in the $100,000 to win North Wilkesboro race
in 2011. |
|
 |
Joey Gase
Third
in Orange Blossom
Special 125 |
Rougemont,
NC -- April 24, 2010 Seventeen year-old Joey Gase won his first
Pro All Star Series pole position on Saturday afternoon at the
Orange County Speedway and backed it up with his first podium
finish of the young season in front of a near capacity crowd.
The checkers flew at the Orange Blossom Special 125 just as the
rain that had threatened all day long began to fall.
In
qualifying Gase would best the field of thirty-five of the
fastest late models in the Southeast posting a time of 13.75
seconds beating out TJ Reaid by .03 seconds for the pole at the
fast 3/8-mile oval. The top ten cars drew for positions and Gase
drew the seventh starting spot for the 125-lap event.
Joey’s SS Green Light Racing Chevy was good out of the box and
Gase would hover around the tip-five in the races first twenty
laps. Following a restart on lap 24, Joey got caught behind a
car having troubles on the restart and dropped back out of the
top-ten. Within several laps, Gase settled into ninth place.
Over the mid-portions of the race Joey pick-up spots one-by-one
moving into the top-five by the 55th lap. Throughout the event
Gase had several spirited battles with Ryan Lawler, with lots of
clean side-by side racing. Gase finally cleared Lawler on lap
74.
Gase moved into third on lap 71 and was poised to continue
towards the front. Eventual winner Preston Peltier got around
the No. 08 and dropped him back to fourth on lap 92. Gase fought
back and got inside of the 66 of Dan Hemrick, but the caution
came out and Gase had to drop back to fourth on the restart.
Three laps after the green fell Joey secured the third spot.
With only six laps to go, there were not enough laps for the
youngster from Cedar Falls, IA to catch Hemrick and Peltier even
though he was running the fastest lap times at the end of the
event.
Crew Chief Butch Miller is very excited about his pupil. “He
could have been a factor at the end, but we needed about ten
more laps,” Miller said after the race. “I am very pleased with
how Joey changed his driving style to compensate for a tight
race car. He did a great job.”
“It
was starting to sprinkle the last couple laps," said Gase. "We
were coming at the end, but there were just too many cautions.
We weren’t great on the restarts, but once I got going we were
pretty good. It was getting tight at the end, but I think most
of the other cars were tighter than we were. I just needed a few
more laps.”
“It
felt good to get our first podium finish and if we keep running
this good, I think our first win is just around the corner.”
Joey Gase and the SS Green Light team will return to track on
May 14th for the Sunoco National Tour race at Rockingham
Speedway.
www.SSRacingonline.com |
|
 |
TJ Reaid to
Make
First PASS Series Start
for KBM |
Acworth, GA - -
Late Model racer TJ Reaid of Acworth, Georgia will make his
first start with the Pro All Stars (PASS) South Super Late Model
Series at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina
this Saturday evening. Reaid will be driving the Kyle Busch
Foundation/Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. "I am really excited
about making my first PASS Series start this weekend," said
Reaid. "I know the KBM Team will have a great car prepared for
the race."
Reaid has some experience at the 3/8 mile oval. "We went to
Orange County last year with the ASA Southeast Asphalt Series,"
added Reaid. "We never got to run the race due to rain but I did
get some track time with practice and qualifying."
Reaid is coming off a 14th place finish at Gresham Motorsports
Park last Saturday in the Pro Late Model 100. "We were collected
by a spinning car while racing for 2nd position," said Reaid.
Reaid was unable to continue.
Fans can check out news and new photos from Gresham Motorsports
Park on Reaid's Facebook page. Search "TJ Reaid Motorsports". |
|
|
|
Joey Gase
Set for
Orange Blossom
125 |
After finishing
sixth in the caution-filled Easter Bunny150 several weeks ago,
Joey Gase will return to North Carolina to compete in the Pro
All Star Series Orange Blossom 125 at the Orange County Speedway
on Saturday April 24th.
The
young Iowan will again venture far from his Midwestern home to
the Tar Heel state to compete against some of the best super
late model drivers in the nation at the track with the slogan of
"The fastest 3/8-mile race track in America." The Orange County
Speedway is very wide for a track it’s size and features 19
degree banking through the turns and 16 degrees on the straights
creating a very fast and competitive racing surface.
The
SS Green Light No. 08 was one of the fastest cars at the recent
PASS event at the Hickory Speedway, prompting Crew Chief Butch
Miller to enter Gase in this week’s race at Orange County. “We
were real strong at Hickory, but all the cautions slowed Joeys
progress to the front,” Miller said. “The competition in the
series is very strong, but I think if we can stay clean this
weekend Joey should have another strong run.”
“Joey has done a nice job these first couple races and as we
learn more about each other he’s only going to gain more
confidence and trust the car we are giving him. I’m looking
forward to seeing his progress this weekend.”
Gase is anxious to return to the track this weekend. “Butch and
the SS Green Light guys gave me a fast car at Hickory so I can’t
wait to get back to the track this weekend.”
“Orange County is another new track for me, but Butch says we
are going to take a very similar set-up this weekend and that we
should be just as good as we were at Hickory,” Gase added. “They
are giving away a lot of free passes so there should be a large
crowd on Saturday. It’s always great to race in front of a big
crowd.”
www.SSRacingonline.com |
|
 |
Trey
Mitchell
to
Bounce Back
at Orange County
Speedway
|
Mooresville, NC
4/20/10- If last weeks test at Orange County Speedway, in
preparation for the PASS South Orange Blossom Special 125 on
April 24th, is any indication on how the Trey Mitchell Racing
team plans on making a comeback from the teams prior Hickory
disappointments, the competition better be watching the #47
Magnum’s Oilfield Service Ford.
After things in Hickory didn’t quite go as planned, salt was
rubbed in an open wound when thieves broke into the Trey
Mitchell Racing trailer stealing almost everything inside
including tools, scale pads, radios, and more the night before
the team was to test at Orange County*. Not having realized what
had happened the team, lead by crew chief Gary Crooks; did not
find out until unloading inside the infield of Orange County
Speedway. This forced the team to make a trip to a local store
to purchase enough tools just to be able to work on the car
throughout the day.
Lucky enough, not too many tools were needed as the car was a
rocket from the moment it unloaded out the trailer. Some fine
tuning adjustments made the car better in both race trim and
with fresh tires for qualifying runs, a part of the program that
has given the twenty year old driver trouble recently.
“We
haven’t had the best of luck lately, but after testing the race
car at Orange County last week, and having as good of a car as
we did I think our lucks about to change. Having all out stuff
stolen was a total shocker and huge blow to our race team
financially. Whenever you have to spend money on stuff you’ve
spent years acquiring it hurts. Hopefully the racing community
will keep an eye out for us, and maybe we can either catch the
guys who done it or maybe get some of our stuff back,” stated
Mitchell.
While the frustration of stolen goods is still in the minds of
the team, the optimism of getting back on track is the number
one priority. The Orange County facility will mark the second of
three consecutive racetracks that Mitchell competed at a year
ago in the PASS South series. At last years Orange Blossom
Special race Mitchell scored a tenth place finish after running
as high as fifth at the midpoint of the race, when a parts
failure slowly sent the #47 car backwards in the closing laps.
“I
really enjoy Orange County . It’s a track you can really race at
side by side, lap after lap if you need to. You can race on the
bottom, middle, or even the top once some rubber gets laid down,
which makes it a good show for the fans,” added Trey.
*Trey Mitchell Racing is offering a $1,000 reward leading to the
arrest and recovery of the person or persons that stole the
various items from the Trey Mitchell Racing hauler. For more
information regarding this issue, or a better description of the
items missing contact Trey Mitchell directly by calling
512-496-7845 or emailing
trey.m47@gmail.com.
www.treymitchellracing.com |
|
| Joey Doiron:
PASS North Series Speedway 95 Sun.
April 18th Race Preview |
PASS North Series driver Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine,
will begin his charge to become the series' Rookie of the Year
in 2010 when he opens the season in the PASS 150 at Speedway 95
in Hermon, Maine, on Sunday, April 18. Doiron, 18, has visited
the facility only once in his career -- having run two practice
laps in a PASS Sportsman Series car before the event was rained
out. In 2009, Doiron was the ACT Late Model Tour Rookie of the
Year.
WHO:
Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine.
TEAM:
Family-owned No. 73 Chevrolet
CAREER STARTS AT SPEEDWAY
95: 0
BEST CAREER PASS NORTH SERIES
FINISH: 20th (June
2009, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway)
JOEY, HOW DO YOU TACKLE A
TRACK THAT YOU'VE NEVER RACED ON BEFORE?
Usually you take the first half practice to scuff tires and try
to figure out what the best line is around the track. You try
and figure out where the point to lift off the gas is and where
to brake and all of that stuff.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
CHALLENGES THAT SPEEDWAY 95 PRESENTS?
It's all about passing there. It's difficult. I hear you can’t
pass unless you body slam people out of the way. There’s just no
inside groove.
It's kind of that way at Beech Ridge in a Super Late Model
lately -- at least it has been the last couple of times I’ve
been there. It's just not to the extreme of (Speedway 95). You
can rarely go on the bottom, even if you're setup to go there.
HOW DID YOUR APRIL 3rd TEST AT
UNITY RACEWAY GO?
We spent four hours there, and we kind of found a baseline for a
bumpy track setup and got some more experience with bump stops
on rougher tracks. I got more experience in the car itself,
which was good because haven’t raced in these cars that much.
I went there with high expectations, and I kind of felt like we
met them for the most part. We had competitive times on old
tires, but we didn’t pick up as much on new tires as guys have
in the past there. Usually we're pretty good on new tires -- but
if you have to be fast you want to be fast at the end of the
race. I don’t mind giving up some at the start if I know that
I’ll be there at the end.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE
WEEKEND? FOR THE SEASON?
I want to keep the fenders on it and get a top-10. That would be
good, but mainly i just want to keep the fenders on it and get
used to running a Super Late Model on a bumpy track. Then from
there we can go to Beech Ridge next and run decent.
I definitely think we can probably get up to like sixth or
seventh in the standings at the end of the year. I consider that
to be something that's doable, especially if we run like we
expect to at places like Beech Ridge and White Mountain
Motorsports Park where I have some experience. |
|
| Ben Rowe:
PASS North Series Speedway 95 Sun. April 18th Race Preview
|
4-time PASS
North Series champion Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, opens the 2010
season with the PASS 150 at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine, on
Sunday, April 18. Rowe will make his PASS North debut with
Mulkern Racing, where he signed to drive the No. 48 during the
offseason. He is trying to become the first 5-time PASS North
Series champion and first driver to reach 40 wins in PASS Super
Late Model history.
WHO:
Ben Rowe, Turner, Maine
TEAM:
Mulkern Racing/Community
Pharmacies No. 48
BEST CAREER SPEEDWAY 95
FINISH: 1st (August
2003)
BEN, YOU'VE WON TWICE AT SPEEDWAY 95 IN THE PAST, BUT NOT SINCE
2003. WHAT'S THE SECRET THERE?
I've won there a few times, but I don't know how. It's just one
of my tracks that I just dislike. It's just a tough track.
You can't really race the other competitors there, you just
worry about not running off the race track. Once you get racing
it's fun. Practice and the heats, the place is just tough. It's
not bad once you get spread out in the race, because then you
can go.
At the end there, it always comes down to who's on the outside.
Guys on the inside can just run you off the race track, but it's
hard to do. You just can't go on the bottom at all.
HOW EXCITED ARE YOU ABOUT
GETTING TO WORK WITH NEW CREW CHIEF SETH HOLBROOK FOR THE FIRST
TIME THIS WEEK?
I can't wait. Seth was really good there with Staples last year,
and then they went and won at Beech Ridge the week after that.
Hopefully he'll be good enough to make up for where I'm not as a
driver.
IS THIS NO. 48 TEAM GOOD
ENOUGH TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2010?
I think so. Right now, the cars I have been running (in PASS
National Series races), are the older equipment that Scott's
had. Now we've got all the eggs in one basket with a brand new
car -- putting together everything that I've used and Seth's
used in the past.
It's kind of foreign to (car owner Scott Mulkern), but if we can
get together and have it 100 percent, don't see why we can't
compete right out of the gate.
www.mulkernracing.com |
|
| Johnny Clark:
PASS North Series Speedway 95 Sun. April 18th Race Preview
|
4-time PASS
North Series champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine, opens
the 2010 season with the PASS 150 at Speedway 95 in Hermon,
Maine, on Sunday, April 18. Clark is attempting to become the
first driver in series history to win both three consecutive
championships and five total titles. Clark won PASS North titles
in 2008 and 2009 and sits second on the all-time win list with
19 career victories. He's won two of the last three series'
events held at Speedway 95.
WHO:
Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM:
Clark's Car Crushing/Port
City No. 54 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER SPEEDWAY 95
FINISH: 1st (April
2009)
JOHNNY, WHY ARE YOU ONE OF
THE FEW DRIVERS WHO ACTUALLY ENJOYS RACING AT SPEEDWAY 95?
I don't really know what it is about the place, but I like it.
It's rough and it's a lot like Unity Raceway, because it's the
kind of place where you have to get up on the wheel and really
hustle the car around. It's in the driver's hands.
WHY IS THE FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON IMPORTANT?
It's important to get off to a good start this weekend. All we
can control is what we do in the shop by preparing for every
race, and that's what we've been doing.
Obviously, you don't want to get too far behind early in the
year, so you want to come out of this race with a good finish.
TALK ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON
MAKING A RUN AT AN UNPRECEDENTED THIRD STRAIGHT PASS NORTH
SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON.
We go to every race with the number one goal being to finish
first. I couldn't think of a better way to start off a year than
by winning this weekend. It's the first PASS North race of the
year and winning would be a great way to start our campaing for
third consecutive championship.
www.johnnyclarkmotorsports.com |
|
 |
Ryan Blaney Heads Into Easter
Bunny 150 as the Newest PASS Super Late Model Winner |
When the 16-year-old Ryan Blaney walks through the pit gates for
the Easter Bunny 150 to be held on Saturday, April 3rd at
Hickory Motor Speedway (NC), he'll be doing something for the
first time in his career with the series.
Blaney will arrive at the
track as a PASS South race winner. He is now part of a
prestigious fraternity that includes such short track aces as
Ben Rowe, Corey Williams, Jay Fogelman, Freddie Query and the
late Charlie Bradberry, thanks to his recent victory in the
South Carolina Clash at Dillon Motor Speedway (SC).
“I think that I will feel pretty good,” said Blaney of heading
to the track with his new title of race winner. “People might
respect me a little bit more than they did. It just makes you
feel more confident knowing that you won the race before. That
confidence really carries over to the next race and that
motivates you to do even better.”
Blaney is definitely
motivated after tasting victory on the PASS South Super Late
Model circuit. Win number one might have been a relief to the
young driver, but it also just left him ready to visit victory
lane again.
“I'm even hungrier now because this is going to be an even
bigger race and there are going to be more guys here. There are
going to be some really good teams there and that motivates me
to want to win this race even more than Dillon.”
The Easter Bunny 150 is also a PASS National Super Late Model
event, which will likely draw more than 40 cars to Hickory.
Champions such as Maine's Ben Rowe and Johnny Clark, along with
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Ragan and Southeastern Late Model
standout Bubba Pollard are all on the entry list for the event.
Blaney welcomes the
challenge of racing against a list of accomplished drivers and
knows that matching his skills against them can only make him a
better race car driver.
“It's really good to get the opportunity to race against those
drivers,” said Blaney. “They are really good guys. I know where
they race and how they race. They also know how I race and we
all respect each other, so there won't be any problems.”
Blaney also looks forward
to racing at the famed Hickory Motor Speedway.
“I really like the track. We've run there a few times before and
always finished well there. So I'm really looking forward to
going back and seeing if we can get that second win.”
www.ryanblaney.com |
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Trey
Mitchell Looks to Translate Past Success
to the Present |
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Mooresville,
NC 3/30/10-
Trey Mitchell and his #47 team are looking forward to returning
to the track where they saw the bulk of their success during the
2009 season, Hickory Motor Speedway. Mitchell will hope to make
a climb up the PASS South points standings, however; with the
level of competition expected to be on hand this weekend, the
twenty year old
Texas
driver will have his work cut out for him. Forty-five plus cars
are expected to attempt to make the twenty-eight car field
making this year’s Easter Bunny 150 the best ever.
In last year’s
version of the race, Mitchell won the last chance qualifying
race and went on to finish fourth in the 150 lap feature. Later
in the year, Mitchell had his best career finish in the
Independence
150 with a second place effort. So far Mitchell’s average finish
at the
North Carolina
track is 9.33 in three career races.
This year, Hickory is a welcome sight for
Mitchell after a parts failure in the rear end of his car
relegated him to a thirteenth place finish at Dillon Motor
Speedway in the South Carolina Clash 150 just a few weeks ago in
the series season opener.
A few pre race preparations like making
the switch to a Ford crate motor this weekend to help conserve
tire wear on the abrasive 3/8th mile oval along with
the ability to share information with Canadian racer Lonnie
Sommerville who also utilizes veteran crew chief Gary Crooks
should put Mitchell in mix for a good weekend.
“Since we’ve
raced
Hickory
in the past we know it’s a place that has an old abrasive
surface that really eats tires. Having a crate motor in the car
here last year really played to our favor in the final thirty
laps. Guys with the bigger motors were slipping and sliding
everywhere while I was able to feather the throttle a little bit
more than they were throughout the race which is huge when it
comes time to go at the end,” stated Mitchell.
Mitchell will be looking for a win at one of
the most famous short tracks in the country this weekend and
with most tracks and touring series being off for Easter it may
be an opportunity to prove himself against some of the best in
the business including NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers David Ragan,
Max Papis, and Chase Elliott, the son of NASCAR legend Bill
Elliott.
www.treymitchellracing.com |
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Easter Bunny
Bound Lonnie Sommerville Seeks Redemption at Hickory |
Saint
John, NB Canada 3/30/10- For the second time of the young 2010
racing season, Lonnie Sommerville will make the long twenty plus
hour hike south of the border to compete in race two of the PASS
National series. This weekend’s Easter Bunny 150 at the Hickory
Motor Speedway will be his first visit back to the 3/8th mile
facility since the same race from a season ago left the Canadian
racer empty handed after a stellar run, which included leading a
race high fifty-seven laps before mechanical gremlins struck and
left the team with a disappointing finish.
Sommerville currently
sits third in PASS National standings with plans to race the
complete five race schedule. However, the annual Easter Bunny
150 is unlike the rest as it has quickly became known as one of
the most prestigious early season super late model races in the
country. Drivers range from south Florida, all the way to the
far west Missouri. With these competitors filing entries, it has
easily produced the toughest group of cars attempting to make
the twenty-eight car field. It’s this style of racing and level
of competition that is exactly what Sommerville and his team is
looking for when they travel south.
“Racing against guys like Bubba Pollard, David Ragan, and Chase
Elliot, and not to mention champions Ben Rowe and Johnny Clark,
is what it’s all about for us. You want to race against the best
of the best and the PASS series provides that, especially the
Easter Bunny race in particular. Last year we had close to forty
cars and now this year it looks like we are going to get
somewhere near fifty which is pretty awesome,” said Sommerville.
Lonnie Sommerville hopes his trip to Hickory is as rewarding as
the last trip to the states, when Sommerville was awarded a win
at New Smyrna’s Speedweeks back in January notching his first
career win on foreign soil. While the win wasn’t exactly how he
wanted to get it, a win is a win, but if Sommerville could break
through with an Easter Bunny win it just might be what the rest
of the world needs in order to show the quality of racing the
Maritimes of Canada has to offer.
“Our goal is to win and feel like we have as good of a shot as
the top name guys do from down south; we are just as not well
known as they are. We are going back with the same setup we had
there last time to start off with. We know with the switch to
Hoosier tires it will change things up a bit but we should be
fine. If we can get a good lap in qualifying and stay out of
trouble we should have a solid shot at a good finish. Plus, last
year I wanted to win the Easter Bunny trophy for my daughter,
now that she’s a little older if daddy could bring that home it
would be something she would really like, “added Sommerville.
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www.lonniesommerville.com |
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JOHNNY CLARK
GIVING HICKORY
ANOTHER TRY |
FARMINGDALE, Maine -- Johnny Clark will head back to Hickory
Motor Speedway next week hoping that the third time is the
charm.
After a pair of races at the North Carolina short track in which
Clark felt he had a much better car than the final results
showed, he's set to turn things around in the second round of
the PASS National Series. Clark has entered the PASS Easter
Bunny 150 at Hickory on April 3, the second of five PASS
National Series events in 2010.
"Hopefully, we'll go down there and have a good run and see if
we can't get the (National) points lead," said Clark, who
finished second in the Winterfest 150 at New Smyrna (Fla.)
Speedway in January and trails Brad Leighton on the PASS
National standings.
Clark, a four-time PASS North Series champion who ranks second
all-time with 19 career victories, qualified second in the
Easter Bunny 150 in 2009 but faded to an 11th-place finish with
an ill-handling car over long runs. In 2007, he was again fast
early but was hindered by a broken bleeder valve that left him
struggling to a 4th-place finish.
"I don't know what it is about that place," Clark said of
Hickory. "I like it -- I really do. We always seem to have a
really fast car there, but for whatever reason it's never fast
at the end."
But Clark's struggles at Hickory have paid dividends. He's never
taken his primary car -- the one he drove to his fourth title
last season in the North -- to Hickory, and he believes that
things he learned at Hickory last time around will help when the
No. 54 Port City/Clark's Car Crushing Chevrolet rolls into the
speedway this year.
"I think we're going to be a lot better this time around," Clark
said. "We're excited to go."
The race serves as the final tune up for Johnny Clark
Motorsports' PASS North Series efforts. That season kicks off on
April 18 at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine. Clark is the defending
champion of that event.
www.johnnyclarkmotorsports.com |
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ROWE TAKING
AN
EASTER VACATION |
FALMOUTH, Maine
-- Ben Rowe decided Easter weekend was a perfect time to take a
road trip.
Rowe will defend his 2009 Hickory Motor Speedway victory when he
returns to North Carolina for the PASS Easter Bunny 150 at the
storied track on April 3. The defending champion of both the
PASS National Series and PASS South Series is the all-time
winningest driver in PASS history with six total championships
and 39 career victories.
The decision to participate in the second of five 2010 PASS
National Series events was a last-minute one.
"Things have been kind of slow at work, and my father (inaugural
PASS South Series champion Mike Rowe) decided we should go
racing," Ben Rowe said. "I figured, 'Why not?' He kind of got
the whole thing rolling."
One year ago, Rowe led the final 34 laps to claim the checkered
flag in the Easter Bunny 150. Perhaps not coincidentally, both
Rowes -- Ben and Mike -- are champions of the event.
"I don't know what it is about
that track," Ben Rowe said. "I just like it. I really don't know
what it is. It's old and there's a lot of history there. The
track (surface) is pretty worn out, so I think that brings the
driver's ability into effect a little more."
The Easter Bunny 150 marks Rowe's second start with Mulkern
Racing, the team he signed with in the offseason. He led at the
halfway mark of his first race with the team -- the Winterfest
150 at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in January -- before being
caught up in a pair of wrecks and finishing 14th.
Mulkern Racing will field a
completely different car than it did at New Smyrna, bringing a
Lefthander chassis with a crate engine to Hickory.
"Anytime we can get out and do this before we get our season
started up here in the north, it's a good thing," said Rowe, of
Turner, Maine. "Just getting a chance to be around the guys,
work as a team and get to know each other better is only going
to help us."
www.mulkernracing.com
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