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Naples, ME – July 17, 2005) After last night’s PASS Super Late Model/Pro Stock race at White Mountain Motorsports Park in N. Woodstock, NH, Ben Rowe may look back on the DJ Equipment 150 as the race that made the 2005 season for the Mechanical Services #00 team.
However, it wasn’t the familiar yellow #00 that Ben piloted last night. In the last race at Unity, Ben’s #00 was pretty beat up after a late race incident with Johnny Clark and had to go to the chassis shop for a new front clip. Ben didn’t escape unscathed himself as he dislocated his thumb in the wreck.
At White Mountain this week, Ben and the #00 team arrived with the borrowed red #10 car of Chris Kennison of Oxford, ME. He put it in the Dash with the fifth fastest in time trials after never driving the car except for the afternoon practice session.
Ben started the DJ Equipment 150 on the outside pole after finishing second in the Dash behind Johnny Clark, which seemed fitting since they were tied for the point’s lead coming into the race. Ben jumped out early and led the first 25 laps until Johnny took the lead on a restart after the #7 of J. R Baril came to a stop at the top of turn four. However, Ben came back as the two former PASS champions went side by side for five laps until Ben prevailed on lap 30. Mike Rowe followed his son into second as Clark slipped back to third, with Tracy Gordon and Rick Martin making their presence felt in the top five.
They were clicking off the laps, and on lap 68 Gordon passed Johnny Clark for third. At the halfway mark it was son and father Rowe, Gordon, Clark, Donnie Whitten, Rick Martin, Travis Benjamin, Ge Ge Gravel, Larry Gelinas, and Richie Dearborn making up the top ten.
On lap 82, the #83 of Whitten was forced to retire with overheating and a skip in the engine. Ben was pulling away in the #10, and Gordon decided he had to go. He went by Mike Rowe on the outside for second as Mike’s #24 was tight in the middle and wouldn’t turn.
Ben was brought back to the field as the yellow flew for contact in turn four between Eric Chase in the #40 and Walt Hammond’s #97 on lap 97, which cost them both a lap. On the restart, Tracy got the jump and after several laps took the lead, only to have Ben fight back in another side-by-side battle until he took back the lead on lap 103.
Tracy pressured Ben throughout with Mike Rowe back up to third, Johnny Clark fourth, Benjamin fifth, Rick Martin sixth, Alan Wilson quietly up from the 16th starting spot to seventh, Dearborn eighth, Martin ninth, and Donnie Lashua tenth at lap 125.
Over the last 25 laps Tracy could only get to Ben’s bumper on several occasions, but that was it. Gordon was next with Mike Rowe third, Johnny Clark fourth, Benjamin fifth, Dearborn up to sixth, Wilson seventh, Martin eighth, Lashua ninth, and Gelinas tenth.
It was a great exhibition of talent for Ben’s team. They have often been chided by others as having the best equipment and that’s why they win, but this time it was an unfamiliar car with no seat time in it until practice. Ben and the #00 team (aka the Kennison #10) may look back on their performance in the DJ Equipment 150 as a major milestone in their chase for a third PASS title. But, then again, we’re only halfway through the season.
