ROWE EARNS PASS WIN AT SPEEDWAY 95
Turner Maine’s Ben Rowe took
advantage of lapped traffic to slip by Chuck LaChance and held off repeated challenges
from LaChance and eventual runner-up Louie Mechalides to score a 5 car-length victory in
the Pro All Stars 150 at Speedway 95. The win gave Rowe a sweep of the two PASS
appearances at the Hermon, Maine oval and his fourth trip to PASS victory lane in 2001.
Pro All Stars points leader Sam Sessions
topped 35 other time trialers to earn his first Sunoco Race Fuel Fast Time Award with a
lap of 14.674 second, 25 thousandths of a second quicker than Larry Gelinas. The luck of
the draw gave PASS newcomer Kirk Thibeau the number one spot for the Pole Dash and Thibeau
took advantage, winning the 10-car shoot-out over Scott Chubbuck, Mechalides, Rowe and
Sessions.
When the green flew for the 150 green
flag lap feature, Thibeau took command but soon gave way to a charging Louie Mechalides.
Mechalides held the point throughout a long stretch of green flag racing, with Thibeau and
Scott Chubbuck in hot pursuit. Racin’ Ralph Nason put on a passing clinic in the
race’s early stages, charging up from the 13th starting position to run
second when the caution flew on lap 38. On the restart, moisture laid down on the
backstretch sent Nason, Thibeau and Larry Gelinas spinning; all three had to restart at
the tail end of the line-up. Rowe avoided the mess to move up to the second spot and took
advantage of Speedway 95’s high line to power by Mechalides for the lead. Chuck
LaChance also made a move on Mechalides to take over the second spot. A third turn pile-up
sent Dave Avery, Phippen, and Scott Modery to the pits and set the stage for LaChance to
challenge Rowe for the point. LaChance made the outside pole work to his advantage and
took the lead away from Rowe, while Nason’s charge from the back ended when he failed
to come back up to speed on the restart. At the halfway point LaChance held the advantage
over Rowe, Chubbuck, Mechalides, Bub Bilodeau, Dave Gorveatt, Duane Seekins and Aaron St.
Peter.
A caution on lap 75 ended Thibeau’s
night and set the stage for another Rowe/LaChance shoot out. LaChance took the point once
again, but Rowe was looking inside and outside on LaChance and made the winning move,
powering under LaChance for a lead he would never relinquish. Louie Mechalides took
advantage of a lap 125 restart to wrestle second away from LaChance. At the checker it was
Rowe’s 00 over Mechalides,
LaChance and Chubbuck, with Kenny Wright
coming back from a spin for fifth. Bub Bilodeau, Sessions, Aaron St. Peter, Johnny Clark
and Larry Gelinas rounded out the top ten.
The Pro All Stars travel to Scotia
Speedworld on Saturday Sepetember 8th for the C & R Auto Supply 150. |
