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The following press release is from PAS Racing, Inc.
PASS North Opener At Oxford To Clark
(Naples, ME – April 29, 2006) The 2006 season opener for the PASS North Super Late Model Series at Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, ME drew a field of 40 of the best super late model/pro stock racers in the New England and Canada for the New England Dodge Dealers 150.
The new PASS qualifying procedure of heats only -- and no time trials -- put some of the big names at the back of the four heat races while Dale Shaw, Rollie MacDonald of Pictou, Nova Scotia, Oxford regular Ricky Rolfe, and Corey Williams of Boothbay all parlayed good draws into solid first place finishes in the four heat races.
The first consi brought Travis Benjamin, Curtis Gerry of Waterboro, ME, John Flemming of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2004 PASS champion Johnny Clark, and Chris Kennison of Oxford into the fold. The Whorffs, father Bill and son Jeremie of Topsham, ME, Eric Chase of Milton, VT, Travis Khiel of Denmark, ME, and Billy Penfold of Yarmouth, ME rounded out the field from the second consi. The two PASS provisionals went to Chuck LaChance and Gary Smith, and the two Oxford provisionals went to Andy Shaw of Center Conway, NH and Scott King of Jay, ME to fill out the 34 car field.
The winner of the second heat and outside poll sitter Rollie MacDonald withdrew from the race. Since the field was already set, by rule, the outside line moved up and the winner of the fourth heat Corey Williams brought the 34 cars to the green alongside pole sitter Dale Shaw.
Shaw led the first lap in 2006 in front of a big opening day crowd with Williams settling into second. On lap four, the #0 of Whorff senior, the #66 Andy Shaw, and the #72 of Scott Robbins of Dixfield, ME all slid off turn one. Shaw and Whorff were able to continue, but Robbins had a mechanical problem and was done for the night.
By lap 17, Williams had faded to fourth behind Cassius Clark and Scott Chubbuck in the Cushman #29 Ford, and the #51 of Ricky Rolfe of Albany, ME, another Oxford regular who is always tough when the tour comes to town, started to challenge the front runners.
The “Magic Goup” put down in the outside grove was working and there was plenty of grip in the second grove that led to some terrific side-by-side racing as Shaw and Rolfe went door to door for a dozen laps until lap 35 when Rolfe took the lead at the line, only to have Shaw battle back to lead the next lap. By lap 40, the two had swapped the lead several times, but Rolfe took over for good on lap 40.
Mike Rowe was falling back from his eighth place starting spot and took advantage of several yellows to pit for adjustments as Shawn Tucker of Killarney, New Brunswick in the #52 slowed on the track on lap 21 and a spin by the #7 of Curtis Gerry on lap 25. On lap 28, Gary Smith’s #55 got booted off turn four and destroyed the right front after contact with the turn four wall. Unfortunately, the #55 is Gary’s son Jessie’s car that he runs at Speedway 95 weekly.
At the 50-lap mark, it was Rolfe, Scott Chubbuck, Shaw, Cassius Clark’s #8, and Jeff Taylor in the #00, the former Ben Rowe ride. At lap 63, Clark started working on Chubbuck’s outside and completed the pass for second on lap 66.
At halfway, it was still Rolfe at the point, followed by Clark, Chubbuck, Shaw, Taylor, Gary Drew in the #71, Tim Brackett’s #60, Radical Rick Martin of Westport, MA in the #14, Johnny Clark’s #54 quietly arriving in the top ten from his 27th place start, Gary Johnson in the #35, and rookie contender Alan Tardif in the #8T knocking on the door.
On lap 95, Cassius went to the outside of Rolfe as they got into lapped traffic and took the lead. Mike Rowe’s shifter stuck on a lap 115 restart and everyone scattered to avoid. Mike got it unstuck but lost a lap in the process.
With 25 to go, it was still Clark, Shaw now second past Chubbuck, followed by Taylor, Johnny Clark, Brackett, Ben Rowe in the beautiful Moody #4, Martin, Alan Wilson’s #53 back from a lap down courtesy of the Lucky Dog, and Travis Benjamin’s #17 back to the top from an early spin.
On lap 134, turn two saw the “big one” as Rolfe, Ben Rowe, Eric Chase’s #40, and the #28 of Kirk Thibeau of Fort Fairfield, ME all got tangled after contact from behind sent Ben around. Thibeau was able to drive to the pits, but Rowe, Chase, and Rolfe all went off on the hook. Alan Wilson drove directly to the back pits with a mechanical problem under the caution ending his night, and Jeff Taylor had to dive into the pits on the restart, only to lose several laps and ending a top five run.
Cassius pulled away from Shaw to stretch out his lead over the final laps. At the line it was Cassius, Shaw, Chubbuck, Brackett, Johnny Clark, Benjamin, Martin, Gary Johnson and Chuck Lachance’s #38 there at the end into eighth and ninth, and Corey Williams in 10th.
