Riverside 2004

Johnny Clark Checkers PASS at Riverside

PASS Top Three: L to R - Tracey Gordon, 3rd; Johnny Clark, 1st; & Richie Dearborn, 2nd.

The Pro All Stars had to wait out mother nature, but the wait was well worth it for Johnny Clark who drove his DNK Select Used Cars/Clark’s Cars and Parts Chevrolet to victory in Saturday night’s PASS Oquossoc Marine/Polaris Fusion 900 150 at Groveton New Hampshire’s Riverside Speedway The victory was Clark’s third of 2004; he’s the only PASS driver to accomplish that feat to date.

Hollis Maine’s Richie Dearborn earned his best finish of the season by claiming the runner-up spot after starting the event eleventh on the grid in his Chadwick-Baross/Dayton Sand and Gravel Chevrolet. Strong Maine’s Tracy Gordon earned the final podium position for his CAP Financial Trust/SNF Crane team.

Gary Drew made a rare but successful PASS appearance to finish fourth and Rookie Corey Williams came home fifth for his best-ever Pro All Stars result. The Boothbay Maine youngster earned the PASS/Northern Race Tires Rookie of the Race award for his solid performance. Ben Rowe led the second five with Larry Gelinas seventh, Gary Smith eighth, Rick Martin ninth and Donnie Whitten tenth. The hardy fans that hung in despite the rain delays were treated to an action-filled race, short on cautions and full of battles for position all the way through the field.

Gary Smith earned the Sunoco Race Fuel fast time award with a lap of 12.633 seconds, edging out Tracy Gordon (12.655), Ben Rowe (12.663), and Johnny Clark (12.672) six- one hundredths of a second separated the fast timer from Rick Martin’s ninth fastest lap of 12.693 seconds. Heat and dash races were scratched due to the late hour and the top ten redrew for starting position with the balance of the field set by time trials. Rick Martin drew the pole with Mike Rowe alongside on the front row. Gelinas and Clark filled out row two with Gege Gravel and Walt Hammond in row three , Ben Rowe and Gary Smith in row four and Cassius Clark inside of Tracy Gordon for ninth and tenth.

Martin took off to an early lead and built up a comfortable margin on the field with Mike Rowe second and Johnny Clark third. Clark got by Rowe on lap sixty four and set sail after Martin, taking the lead six laps later. Meanwhile Tracy Gordon was on the move from his tenth starting spot and was up to second after working his way by Martin at lap ninety-one. Gordon lined up next to Clark on a lap 102 restart but had nothing for the 54, actually losing second to Mike Rowe at the green. The field raced cleanly until lap 118 when Richie Dearborn and Martin got together, sending Martin to the pits to replace a flat. Mike Rowe began to fade with fuel delivery problems, handing the second spot back to Gordon. But Gordon had used up his right front tire fighting his way to the front and could not challenge Clark, eventually giving up second to Richie Dearborn as Clark pulled away for the win. Unofficially the victory leaves Clark alone atop the Pro All Stars Series point standings once again after being locked in a tie for the point lead with Ben Rowe

The PASS Mods joined the touring Pro Stocks on the card at Riverside and Bath Maine’s Steve Reno came out on top with his third win of the season. Mark Lucas of Harpswell Maine came home in second with Waterford’s Dana Grover third.

The Pro All Stars head north to Halifax Nova Scotia next weekend for Atlantic Canada’s biggest Pro Stock event of the year, the Atlantic CAT 250 at Scotia Speedworld. The Atlantic Cat 250 weekend gets underway on Friday, August 13th with The Lockhart Truck Centre 100 for the Dominion Auto Auctions Sportsman Super Series. They will be accompanied by the Miller Tire/BFGoodrich Thunder & Lightning Cars and two rounds of PASS qualifying for the Atlantic CAT 250. Grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 14th it’s the Pro All Stars Series Atlantic Cat 250 plus the Nova Automotive Hobby Stocks and the Maritimes Legends cars. Pre-race activities get underway at 5 p.m. with music and a 30-minute autograph session. Racing starts at 6 p.m. Grandstands will open at 3 p.m.

For more information visit www.ScotiaSpeedworld.CA .

Official Order of Finish – Pro All Stars Series race #9 -
Oquossoc Marine Polaris "Fusion 900" 150
Riverside Speedway – Groveton, NH – 8/7/04

1)   54 Johnny Clark, Farmingdale ME - DNK/Clark’s Cars and Parts Chev
2)   33 Richie Dearborn, Hollis ME - Chadwick BaRoss/Dayton Sand and Gravel Chev
3)   14G Tracy Gordon, Strong ME - CAP Trust Financial/SNF Crane Chev
4)   71 Gary Drew, Otisfield ME - Drew Excavation Chev
5)   47 Corey Williams, Boothbay ME - Midnight Oil Co, Chev
6)   00 Ben Rowe, Turner ME - Mechanical Service/Hi Tech Insulation Chev
7)   37 Larry Gelinas, Scarborough ME - Watts Racing Ent. Chev
8)   75 Gary Smith, Bangor ME - UncleHenry’s.com/ Bud&Ray’s Chev
9)   14 Rick Martin, Westport MA - G.Lopes Construction Chev
10) 83 Donnie Whitten, Biddeford ME - Richard Moody & Sons Construction Chev
11) 54g Gege Gravel, Groton MA - Eliminator Inc./Downeast Drilling Chev
12) 24 Mike Rowe, Turner ME - K&K Excavating/Lux Enterprise Chev
13) 6 Joe Bessey, Rangeley ME - Oquossoc Marine Chev
14) 8 Cassius Clark, Farmington ME- E.J.Prescott/DNK Ford
15) 97 Walt Hammond, Canaan NH - Carpet Mill Chev
16) 01 Sam Gooden, Whitefield NH - Chev
17) 24K Travis Kheil, Denmark ME - Frechette Tire/K&W Timberlands Chev
18) 84 Scott Mulkern, Falmouth ME - Community Pharmacies Dodge
19) 0 Sam Sessions, So. Paris ME - Auburn Metal Fabrication Chev
20) 34 Joe Squielia, N. Salem NH - North East Recycling Corp Chev
21) 02 Eric Hudson, Manchester NH - Newmarket Sand & Gravel Chev
22) 35 Garry Johnson, Hollis ME - Johnson Trucking/Watson Racing Heads Chev
23) 2 Todd Patnode, Swanzey NH - Patnode Oil Chev

Riverside PASS Mods Top Three: L to r - Dana Grover, 3rd; Mark Lucas, 2nd; & Steve Reno, 1st.

Riverside NEALS Top Three: L to R - Kyle Coolidge, 3rd; Ron Bryant, 2nd; & Dave Sullivan, 1st.

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PASS Webmaster & Photographer: Norm Marx

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