PASS SOUTH HOME PAGE      2006 POINTS HERE

By Mike Twist and Amy Hayes

Mainer Goes Into Record Books as First PASS South Winner

When Mike Rowe walked into the gates of the Hickory Motor Speedway for the WFMX Easter Bunny 150 Pro All Stars Series inaugural South race, he was in awe. The Maine racing veteran took a good look around, gathered his thoughts and remarked about how humbled he was to get the chance to finally race at the historic facility for the first time in his career.

“When the PASS said that they were coming to Hickory, with the history of the people who have been here, I said ‘Man, I want to go down there,’ said Rowe. “So did Seth Holbrook, my crew chief, so we did it. The track is old, but there’s still good racing here.”

It was a natural choice for Rowe to make his first Hickory start in the Easter Bunny 150. Rowe is a strong supporter of the original flavor of PASS, which is still going strong in New England, and he wanted to endorse their new Southern tour. Rowe’s SP2 Motorsports team wanted to see how they stacked up against the best Super Late Model jockeys in the country and when you’ve won the biggest races in the Northeast throughout your career, you quite honestly just run out of new victory lanes to visit unless you are willing to travel.

Rowe’s formula to win at Hickory was pretty straightforward. He timed second in qualifying, beat Travis Kittleson in a thrilling heat race to earn the pole

position, hung around the top five all night and made his way into the lead with only a few laps to go in the 150-lap main event.

Did the best car win? At first glance, it might appear not. The story of the night was several of the guys who were out front fell by the wayside one by one. But then again, Rowe has a habit of waiting around the top five all race long and making a charge late in the going. That was no different at Hickory. The outcome of the race might have been the exact same even if the storyline and players were a little bit different.

Travis Kittleson and Cassius Clark ran away and hid from him in the opening laps before they both were eliminated by mechanical gremlins. Mid-race leader Jason Hogan got into one of those “racin’ deals” with Scott Mulkern and ended up in the wall. Mulkern was quick too, but had to settle for fourth at the end. Corey Williams had a weekend of speed cut short with a DNF. Former All-American 400 winner Chuck Barnes was in Rowe’s mirror at the end of the race, but couldn’t get by. J.R. Norris got stuck in the pits and lost a lap early. 2005 PASS Most Popular Driver Travis Benjamin was quick, but had an ignition problem in qualifying and a suspension part break in the race while running in the top five. The list goes on and on. All were potential winners.

That wasn’t lost on Rowe at all.

“To beat Jason Hogan, Travis Kittleson and all those guys, I know that he had some bad luck, but they were fast. We beat Freddie Query (Super Late Model legend in the south) and guys like them and that means a lot. To be in the class of guys like that is awesome. To come down here with the history of this track and bring that Easter Bunny 150 trophy home to Maine is awesome.”

Barnes held on to finish second and the Kentucky driver just wished that there had been a couple dozen fewer laps.

“The race was too long,” laughed Barnes, who approached the race with the same strategy as Rowe did. “Everybody was driving around and knocking the crap out of each other and I just kind of rode around. Mike Rowe got knocked out of the way, and fell back and I was feeling pretty good; he was the main guy I was racing against. I saw him fall back in the mirror and I kind of picked them off and worked my way up.

“When I got the lead, it was where I wanted to be because everyone else was getting knocked around,” continued Barnes, who lost power steering on his 55-machine later in the event. “I missed a shift on one of the restarts, and we just had to fight our way back to the front. When Mike got up to me, I knew I had my hands full. I pitted next to him all weekend and those guys of his were like, “He’s a tough old man,” so I just raced him as hard as I could and I just couldn’t beat him.”

USAR Pro Cup Southern Division point leader Clay Rogers was third. “I guess we kind of represented the south down here,” said the North Carolina driver. “We were the first from the South to finish and I guess I have a lot of laps down here so I am supposed to do that. The crowd was great for showing up tonight, and there was good competition and I got to meet a lot of new people and see a lot of new faces.”

Scott Mulkern, Ryan Lawler, Ted Musgrave Jr., Clay Jones, Dean Clattenburg, Wade Day and Dennis Schoenfeld rounded out the top-ten finishers.

PASS South will return to action on May 27th at Southern National Speedway in Kenly, North Carolina as part of the 11-race schedule for the first year tour.

Becomes Title Sponsor of Easter Bunny 150
Country Station Partners with Premier Event for PASS South Series       www.wfmx.com

The PASS South Series announced today that WFMX 105.7 of Statesville, NC, will be the official race sponsor of the series’ first-ever Super Late Model race at Hickory Motor Speedway on April 15th. The WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150 marks the first-ever race of the newly-formed PASS South Series, featuring a who’s who of Super Late Model stars from around the country and all kinds of fun things for adults and kids alike.

“We’re extremely proud to have WFMX 105.7 on board with the new PASS South Series for the WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150,” said Tom Mayberry, owner of PASS. “The station has supported racing and race fans for a long time and we know that their listeners are passionate about their racing. We also know that their listeners are very family-oriented and that’s just what the Easter Bunny 150 is; a racing event with much more for fans of all ages.”

WFMX 105.7 is the Statesville area’s home for “Good Times and Great Country,” and now the station will be a part of some great action at Hickory Motor Speedway. In addition to the 150-lap Super Late Model feature on April 15th, fans will be treated to even more fun on the racetrack with the Redneck Racers and the Hickory Motor Speedway Truck divisions. An Easter Egg hunt, an autograph session with PASS and NASCAR racing stars and a high-flying performance by the Vertical Outlaws motorcycle stunt team, all at old-fashioned prices, makes the WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150 an exciting racing event for the whole family.
“Presenting the WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150 is our way of saying thanks to all the race fans for their support over the last 30 years,” said WFMX Account Executive Kim Heck. “We pride ourselves on our motto, ‘If it happens in racing, you’ll find it on WFMX 105.7,’ and this is another way that we can support the fans that support the station.”

WFMX 105.7 will be doing a live remote broadcast from Hickory Motor Speedway on race day and fans will be able to win free tickets to the WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150 beginning Monday April 10th only on WFMX 105.7.

Tickets for the WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150 are just $15 for adults while teens 13-17 are just $5. Kids 12 and under are admitted absolutely free. For more information on the PASS South Series, contact Matt Kentfield at DSG by calling (704) 455–2051.

NORTHERN INVADERS GET READY FOR EASTER BUNNY 150
PASS South Opener Set for Saturday
For most of the off-season, the Northeastern-based teams of the PASS Super Late Model Series had the date of April 29th circled in red on their calendars. That is when Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway opens it pit gates for the first PASS North race of the season. Full Story

ADD CHUCK BARNES JR. TO THE LIST FOR THE WFMX EASTER BUNNY 150
JR Norris, Greg Boone & Ryan Lawler Add to Prestigious List of Names for Hickory
As raceday grows closer for the inaugural WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150 Pro All Stars Series South race at the Hickory Motor Speedway (NC), more and more drivers from across the country are doing their best Peter Rabbit impersonation and hopping into the mix for the April 15th event. The most recent addition to this list is Chuck Barnes Jr., the 2004 winner of the All-American 400, one of the most well-known and historic Super Late Model races in the country.  Full Story

FLORIDA STARS MIDDLETON & RUSSELL TO INVADE PASS SOUTH OPENER
Easter Bunny 150 to Include Some of the Best Racers in the East in Hickory, NC
While a lot of drivers are coming south to participate in the WFMX 105.7 Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway on April 15th, two well-known names in the Super Late Model world are actually coming north. Florida Late Model stars Jay Middleton and Tim Russell have confirmed that they will be making the trek from the Sunshine State to the Hickory Motor Speedway this Saturday to participate in the PASS South season-opening race.  Full Story

CLAY ROGERS ENTERS PASS SOUTH'S OPENING EASTER BUNNY 150
Former Hooters Pro Cup Champ is One of the Stars Headed to Hickory
The list of champions from all of the different series that will be competing in next week’s Easter Bunny 150 keeps growing and growing. Accomplished Southern Super Late Model racers Jason Hogan, Freddy Query, Travis Kittleson, Ted Musgrave Jr. and a host of others are already on the list, and now the 2004 USAR Hooters Pro Cup Champion, Clay Rogers, has added his name to the list of stars kicking off the PASS South season at Hickory Motor Speedway on April 15th. Full Story

ROUSH DRIVER X STARS KITTLESON, HOGAN SET TO HOP TO EASTER BUNNY 150
Entries Pouring in for Inaugural PASS South Race at Hickory Motor Speedway
On April 15th, the PASS South Series will make its debut at Hickory Motor Speedway with the Easter Bunny 150 and several big name Super Late Model drivers have already pledged their allegiance to the event. Among those entries are two drivers who participated in the Roush Racing’s “Driver X” program on the Discovery Channel. Full Story

PASS SOUTH: WHO’S COMING TO HICKORY...........
The PASS South era is about to begin.  The April 15th Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway will attract some of the best Super Late Model drivers in the South with Freddie Query, Jason Hogan, Travis Kittleson and Jay Middleton all entered for the event. Full Story

PASS SOUTH DRIVERS ON RIGHT TRACK WITH AMERICAN RACER TIRE
Northern Race Tire Will Be The Official Supplier Of Both PASS Series
Continuing a longstanding partnership, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) will be utilizing the services of Northern Race Tires of Ossipee, NH, as its exclusive tire distributor for both the Northeastern PASS Series and the PASS South Series that kicks off with the Easter Bunny 150 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway on April 15th. Full Story

NEW PASS SOUTHERN SERIES ANNOUNCES 2006 SCHEDULE
Seven Dates Announced at Meeting, More to Come Soon
(March 4, 2006)   The Pro All Stars Series is breaking new ground. The successful northeast-based Super Late Model (Pro Stock) tour announced today that it will begin the PASS South Series starting this year. The series will consist of at least eight races; seven of them are already scheduled at tracks in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The races will be 125- to 150-laps in length and will pay $5,000 to win. FULL Story HERE

Full Page Report HERE

Jason Hogan and Travis Kittleson have raced Super Late Models all across the Southeast and together they were among the “elite 25” in the search for Roush’s next Craftsman Truck Driver in 2005. Hogan was last year’s All American 400 winner and Travis Kittleson most recently won the Super Late Model championship during “Florida Speedweeks” at New Smyrna Speedway.

Both of these drivers have the experience needed to take on an upstart series and while the PASS South division may be new, Hickory is familiar territory for both of these drivers.

“I’m excited about going to Hickory because we’ve won there three times and finished second the other time. We have a pretty good track record there” said Hogan. “Plus I love what the PASS Series is trying to do. They are extremely good to work with and the season hasn’t even started yet.  Full Story