(Naples, ME – June 19, 2005) Some people didn’t get the weather memo, but those who did and came out under clear blues skies saw a great day of racing at Unity Raceway in the IBG-PASS sanctioned Hight Chevrolet/Budweiser/Sunoco Racing Fuels/Coca Cola 250.

The field was set by a random draw for three heat races. Richie Dearborn of Hollis, ME in the #33 edged Scott Mulkern’s #84 at the line in heat #1, Mike Rowe in the #24 took the second, and Dave Gorveatt of Charlottetown, PEI in the 77X took the third heat.

The three heat winners were followed by Mulkern, last week’s winner at Oxford Cassius Clark in the #8, Gary Smith’s Custom Speed & Tune, Pestco of Maine sponsored Uncle Henry’s #75, defending Unity track champion Randy Turner of Freedom, ME in the #1, PASS points leader Ben Rowe in the familiar #00, Johnny Clark in the #54 -- the winner of last year’s DNK 250 at Unity -- and J. R. Baril of Haverhill, MA in the #7 rounded out the top ten.

Dearborn and Rowe in the #24 went side-by-side for three laps before Mike pulled ahead and the field settled down until lap 13 when Big John Phippen of Bar Harbor, ME went “flippin’” off turn one and ended up on his roof.  It took a few minutes, but Big John crawled out unhurt and walked away from the wrecked #59.

Rowe and Gary Smith swapped the lead over the next several laps until Randy Turner moved by Smith into second. On lap 50, it was Rowe, Turner, Smith, Cassius Clark, Johnny Clark, Dearborn, Ben Rowe, Mulkern, and Donnie Whitten in the #83 up from his 13th starting spot.

On lap 60, Smith tangled out of turn four with a lapped car and ended up in the front stretch ditch, putting him one lap down. After a single car spin by Steve Nelson of Albion, ME in the #4x, Mike Rowe pitted out of the lead and was followed to the pits by Ralph Nason in the #77. On the restart, Cassius Clark moved to the point with Johnny Clark’s #54 joining him at the front several laps later.

At lap 75, Cassius was pulling away, and Patrick Laperle from St Denis, PQ had quietly made his way into the top five from his 17th place starting spot. Ralph Nason pitted under green on lap 90 with a flat tire and called it a day. After a quick yellow for debris on lap 97, Johnny Clark moved by Cassius on the outside and assumed the lead, with Ben Rowe now third and Laperle fourth, with Alan Wilson of Hebron, ME up to fifth in the #53 as they clicked off the halfway mark.

At the 150 lap mark, Mike Rowe took third from Laperle after he had made his way from the back after pitting earlier.

On lap 173, the caution flag few again as Scott Mulkern’s Communities Pharmacies #84 broke the right front suspension and ended up stopped across the pit road entrance as the car would not turn. Mike Rowe again abandoned a top five spot and pitted for an adjustment.

At lap 190, it was Johnny Clark back out front with Cassius back up to second as the pit stops were cycling through. At the 200 lap mark, Johnny was pulling away at what he calls his favorite track with a repeat of his 2004 win in the DNK 250 in sight. Cassius was second and Laperle third, followed by Randy Turner, Whitten, Wilson, Baril, and Mike Rowe back inside the top ten.

Cassius spun off turn three on lap 218 after a bolt broke on the left rear trailing arm bringing out the yellow and moving Laperle to second. At lap 230, Mike Rowe was up to third and coming fast. The #54 and #91 of Laperle were a straightaway ahead but Mike was running them down.

With ten to go, it was still Johnny and Patrick out front with Mike closing, followed by Ben Rowe, Randy Turner, Baril, Whitten, Dearborn, and Wilson. On lap 242, Mike moved by Laperle to second and was closing on Johnny when the yellow came out on lap 245 for the #9 of Scott Chubbuck spinning off turn three with a flat right front.

On the restart, it was Clark and Mike Rowe followed by Laperle, Ben Rowe, Turner, and Whitten. Clark and Rowe banged together on the frontstretch and then again in turn one, but they held on and continued to battle side-by-side. It was clear that Johnny intended to hold on to the lead. Mike had fresher tires and wanted the win badly after a frustrating first quarter of the season. On lap 249, they were banging again in turn one as Mike tried to drive under the #54 and Johnny tried to slam the door. When they came out of turn two they were still glued together and rubbing the paint off both cars. They continued to fight for the lead as they went down the backstretch with both sideways and spinning off into the ditch. Laperle barely slipped by them both and assumed the lead as the yellow flew for the final time. Clark was able to drive out of the ditch in fifth place, but Rowe had to be towed out and went to the pits to return just as Laperle and Ben Rowe were taking the green for a green-white-checker finish.

Laperle held off Ben on the restart and pulled away on the white-flag lap for the win, making him the fourth different winner in five races. Donnie Whitten was third, Dearborn fourth, Johnny Clark fifth, J. R. Baril sixth, Randy Turner seventh, Alan Wilson eighth, Mike Rowe ninth, and Scott Chubbuck tenth.

In only his second visit to Unity – he finished 13th in last year’s DNK 250 --  it was the St. Denis, Quebec driver’s first win in the Infinity Business Group sponsored PASS Series, and he made it a good one as he took home the $12,000 winner’s share.

Next Saturday, it’s Halifax, Nova Scotia for the first of two visits to Scotia Speedworld against the top pro stock racers from the Maritimes in the Forbes Chevy-Olds 200.