Cassius
Clark Captures New England
Dodge Dealers 150 at Beech Ridge |
SCARBOROUGH, Maine - Cassius Clark took the lead with just four laps remaining and hung on
to capture the New England Dodge Dealers 150 for PASS North Series teams Sunday afternoon
at the beautiful Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. The race was originally scheduled for August
20 but was postponed twice by inclement weather.
The Farmington driver battled side-by-side in the closing laps with Ben Rowe, the two-time
champion still looking for his first victory in 2006. Rowe led on two occasions for a
total of 73 laps, yet could not hold off Clark as he posted his fifth victory of the
season.
Current PASS South series point leader Mike Rowe edged former champion Johnny Clark at the
line for third, while 2006 Oxford 250 winner Jeremie Whorff finished fifth.
"We used to run here Thursday nights with the Legends cars and we won quite a
few," said a jubilant Clark in Victory Lane. "It's pretty special to come back
here and win a PASS race. I had to work for this one, I thought that with 20 to go we were
going to stay green and we'd be alright. We had 10 to go on that next to last restart, Ben
got by me and I knew I had to try something. I drove it into the corner pretty deep with
four to go and it stuck, and we were able to pull it off. The car was strong tonight, and
I'm thrilled to win here."
Rowe took the lead for the first time on lap 31 and set the pace for over 60 laps. His
Richard Moody-owned machine looked invincible during the mid stages of the race, yet he
had nothing for Clark in the closing stages.
"My car developed a tight condition halfway through the race," explained Rowe.
"I just couldn't keep up with Cassius. When you have cautions late in the going like
we did today, that brings eveybody back together and you feel like you've got a shot. This
is a brand new car for this season, and it's the first time I've finished with it. I'm
just happy for the team and hope to carry the momemtum into White Mountain next
Saturday."
After thrilling the big crowd with an incredible side-by-side battle with his son during
qualifying (he won Heat No. 1), Mike Rowe led the first eight circuits until Dave Dion,
another northeastern short track legend, drove by to take over the point. In typical Mike
Rowe fashion, the cagey veteran stayed within sight of the leaders then made his push back
to the front when it counted most.
"The car was real tight in the beginning," said Rowe. "We had to pit and
loosen it up some to gain some speed. Traffic was heavy coming back through the field, I
seemed to get pinned in and I didn't want to turn anybody to get by them. I tried to be
careful, and we were able to nip Johnny (Clark) at the finish to get third. It was an
exciting race for us."
Finishing sixth through tenth Sunday were Corey Williams, Paul White, Bill Rogers, Curtis
Gerry and Richie Dearborn. Seven cautions slowed the event, most for minor incidents. A
big melee on lap 144 involving several cars in Turn 1 was the day's only delay of any
length.
Seven cars finished on the lead lap, while 29 of the 32 starters were running at the
finish.
Qualifying heat winners were Mike Rowe, Johnny Clark, Kelly Moore and Patrick Laperle.
Dale Shaw and Beech Ridge veteran Bub Bilodeau won the Consis, while Beech Ridge veteran
Mike Maietta Sr. won the Last Chance Qualifier.
With the second annual PASS 400 weekend just two weeks away, the 45 Super Late Model/Pro
Stock teams on hand were trying to improve their setups on the Cusack family's immaculate
1/3-mile oval. Several teams from other tracks, including 2006 Oxford 250 winner Jeremie
Whorff, competed in the New England Dodge Dealers 150. The event had a definite
international flair as Canadian star Patrick Laperle started 13th on the 32-car grid, ran
as high as fourth at one point, then fell victim to mechanical trouble in the late stages.
The next round for the lightning-fast Pro All Stars Series machines is this coming
Saturday night at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire. The
event coincides with NASCAR weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, drawing many
fans from the camp grounds and crew members from the garage area as they seek out some
exciting short track action during NHIS weekend. |
Official Finish -
New England Dodge Dealers 150 - 9/10/06
| 1 |
8 |
Cassius Clark |
Farmington, ME |
EJP Pineline Services |
| 2 |
4 |
Ben Rowe |
Turner, ME |
Richard Moody & Sons Construction Co. LLC |
| 3 |
24 |
Mike Rowe |
Turner, ME |
P. T. Watts, Lux Enterprises |
| 4 |
54 |
Johnny Clark |
Hallowell, ME |
VIP Parts, Tires, & Service |
| 5 |
00 |
Jeremie Whorff |
Topsham, ME |
AAA Insurance |
| 6 |
47 |
Corey Williams |
Boothbay, ME |
Aegis Investigations |
| 7 |
15m |
Paul White |
Corinna, ME |
Max Graphics |
| 8 |
53x |
Bill Rodgers |
Old Orchard Beach, ME |
Bill Dodge Auto Group |
| 9 |
7 |
Curtis Gerry |
Scarborough, ME |
RJF Motorsports |
| 10 |
33 |
Richie Dearborn |
Hollis, ME |
Chadwick BaRoss |
| 11 |
04 |
Joey Porciello |
Hudson, NH |
Porciello Drywall |
| 12 |
47m |
Kelly Moore |
Scarborough, ME |
Napa Auto Parts |
| 13 |
53 |
Alan Wilson |
Hebron, ME |
Wheelers Market |
| 14 |
10x |
Chris Kennison |
Oxford, ME |
Thule Trailers |
| 15 |
35r |
Dereck Ramstrom |
Worcester, MA |
West Boylston Auto Parts |
| 16 |
29d |
Dave Dion |
Pelham, NH |
Berlin City Ford |
| 17 |
17 |
Travis Benjamin |
Morrill, ME |
Arrow Fuel |
| 18 |
40 |
Dan McKeage |
Gorham, ME |
McKeage's Top Gun Construction |
| 19 |
44 |
Trevor Sanborn |
Parsonsfield, ME |
Richard Moody & Sons Construction Co. LLC |
| 20 |
29 |
Scott Chubbuck |
Brunswick, Me |
Cushman Competition |
| 21 |
0 |
Bil Penfold |
Yarmouth, ME |
VIP Charter Coaches |
| 22 |
2 |
Steven Jones |
Gorham, ME |
Gorham Sand and Gravel |
| 23 |
27 |
Richard Pelton |
Scarborough, ME |
Risbara Bros. |
| 24 |
13 |
Mike Maietta |
Scarborough, ME |
Dennwood Builders |
| 25 |
9 |
Bub Bilodeau |
Standish, ME |
Betterliving |
| 26 |
8t |
Alan Tarfiff |
Lyman, ME |
Kevin Bedard Contrating |
| 27 |
10 |
David Oliver |
Scarborough, ME |
Charles Towing |
| 28 |
91 |
Patrick Laperle |
St. Denis, QC |
Precision JLM, Inc. |
| 29 |
60 |
Dale Shaw |
Center Conway, NH |
American Air Systems |
| 30 |
5 |
Chris Staples |
Brunswick, ME |
Dallas Oil |
| 31 |
34 |
Jeff Burgess |
Fairfield, ME |
Burgess |
| 32 |
3 |
Mike Maietta Jr. |
Scarborough, ME |
Dennwood Builders |
| Heat
1 Top Five: 24 - 4 - 47 - 53x - 00 |
| Heat
2 Top Five: 54 - 8t - 15m - 04 - 10 |
| Heat
3 Top Five: 47m - 3 - 5- 35r - 44 |
| Heat
4 Top Five: 91 - 29d - 8 - 29 - 27 |
| B
Main "Last Chance" Race: 13 - 0 - 38 - 53 - 72 - 75 - 97 - 98 - 44r - 88x
- 0x - 09 - 33 - 17 - 2 |
Complete Timing and Scoring
for Practices, Heats, Concis, B Main, & Feature with Lap Chart
at MYLAPS.COM HERE |
|
A Big
Field OF PASS Super Late Model/Pro Stocks Expected at Beech Ridge Sunday, Sept. 10th
(Naples, ME – September 8, 2006) When the New England Dodge Dealers PASS 150 race at
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, ME was rained out again on August 27th there were
37 cars in the pits including Scott Chubbuck, Johnny Clark, Richie Dearborn, Patrick
Laperle, Travis Benjamin, Corey Williams, and over 30 other drivers of the biggest,
fastest, full-fendered, short track cars in the country.
The pits were full of some of the best known drivers in New England racing including
former NASCAR touring series champions Kelly Moore, Dave Dion, and Dale Shaw, and we also
saw a number of PASS Outlaw Late Model Series drivers stepping up to the big cars from the
late models including Derek Ramstrom, Jimmy Rosenfeld, Mike Fowler, and Chris Staples
taking a taste of the big cars in preparation for the big PASS 400 Weekend on September 23
– 24 at Beech Ridge and also testing the waters for the 2007 season.
The Beech Ridge contingent included Trevor Sanborn, Curtis Gerry, Bill Rodgers, and David
Oliver as well as some additional visitors including Bill Whorff, Jr., Joey Porciello,
Brad Hammond, Paul White and Mike Maietta.
This Sunday we will see Mike Rowe, Cassius Clark, and Oxford 250 winner Jeremie Whorff
joining the fray after their trip to Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, NC for the Over
the Mountain 150 on the 20th. With the season ending in the last few weeks at several New
England tracks, we expect the field to swell even further as more teams will be testing
the waters in preparation for the PASS 400 Weekend.
In addition to the 150 green-flag laps of PASS Super Late Model/Pro stock racing, there
will be a 75 lap Sport Series (Limiteds) race and a 50 lap Wildcat race to fill out a
great day of racing. Heats get under way at 1:30 on Sunday after noon.
Remember, they’re called SUPER late Models for a reason.Chances for a First Time Winner are
Strong As
PASS North Gets Ready for Beech Ridge Race
Two Young Stars on the SLM Tour Have Extensive
Experience at “The Ridge”
NAPLES, ME (August 11, 2006) – Everyone likes to see a fresh face in victory lane.
Race fans also like to be able to say that they were on hand for a rising star’s
first victory. When the Pro All Star Series North Super Late Models visit Beech Ridge
Motor Speedway (ME) for the New England Dodge Dealers 150 on Sunday, August 27th, there
will be a better than usual chance of the tour having a first-time winner.
Two of the up and coming young drivers in PASS North, Corey Williams and leading 2006
Rookie of the Year contender Alan Tardiff have extensive experience at the track. Williams
has scores of Legends car victories at the facility, while Tardiff is a graduate of the
Pro Series at Beech Ridge. In fact, he won his first race in the track’s top division
at the record-setting age of 15.
Both young men are looking for their first PASS North victories and Beech Ridge might just
be the place for that to happen.
“We’ve got a lot of laps around Beech Ridge,” said Williams. “I think
that we have enough experience at the track to be able to pull over a win there.”
“If we’re going to win a race this season on the PASS tour, it will probably be
at Beech Ridge,” said Tardiff. “We’ve got a little bit of an advantage
there with all of the information that we have for the track. It’s a difficult place
to get around and I’m sure as the years go on and we race there more, the other teams
will catch up. But for now, racing at Beech Ridge for me is like Mike Rowe racing at
Oxford.”
Tardiff got a head start on his rookie season by running a few PASS shows late in 2005.
Beech Ridge was one of those events and it paid off for the young driver. Tardiff finished
a strong fifth in the longest race of the PASS season, the Pullen Heavy Industries 300.
“Running well there helps our confidence,” Tardiff said. “We’re pretty
excited about going back there. We also ran there in a weekly race [on August 5th] and the
car was very good. If the track stays the same, we’ve got a good set-up.”
Williams has turned some laps there in 2006 as well, behind the wheel of a Legends Car and
he also recalls having a strong run in last year’s 300.
“We had an excellent car there last year, but we got into trouble during a late race
caution,” said Williams.
Although both drivers are young, they both have a strong appreciation for the history of
Beech Ridge.
“Beech Ridge goes way back,” said Williams. “I’ve heard stories of
when the track was dirt and I always enjoy those.”
“My whole family has been involved with the track for a long time,” said
Tardiff, who lives 20 minutes away in the Town of Lyman. “My grandfather was there
when the place opened and my father has raced there and owned cars there for years.
It’s one of the nicest facilities of anywhere we race.”
While Williams and Tardiff might be the obvious choices for a first victory at Beech
Ridge, they are not the only ones who have a shot at winning on the tour for the first
time. Several Beech Ridge Pro Series competitors are expected to enter the event and that
group cannot be counted out. Curtis Gerry has a pair of top 10 finishes in PASS
competition this season, young Travor Sanborn finished a strong sixth in the TD Banknorth
250 last month and Dan McKeage is always fast. Those are just a few of the Saturday Night
Ridge Runners who might enter the PASS event.
The New England Dodge Dealers 150 at Beech Ridge is set for Sunday, August 20th. Racing
action is scheduled to get underway at 4:00pm. |
