New Names Stepping Up to Challenge the PASS Regulars at LEE USA Speedway
Naples, ME — The fastest full fendered race cars in the east are back! Lee USA Speedway will host the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North super late models for a special Tuesday night July 14 appearance at the Route 125 oval, and the series competitor’s couldn’t be more pleased with their return to the immaculate speedway that hosted the first ever PASS race nine seasons ago.
Dale Shaw was the victor that time around, and DJ Shaw will look to follow in his father’s footsteps He’s already visited Lee USA victory lane in a late model and has to be considered one of the favorites on Tuesday night. His dad will be behind the wheel of a second Dennis Ciotti super late model for the Bastille PASS 200 in a rare on track appearance for the veteran racer and car builder. Steve Knowlton will be behind the wheel of Ciotti’s primary car, and he’s well capable of putting it up front at Lee.
The Bastille PASS 200 will have a little southern flavor added. Michael Pope will attempt his first PASS North race behind the wheel of SPEED TV personality Bob Dillner’s potent machine, and Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola will travel to New Hampshire to pilot his friend D.J. Howards’ car. The Howards are well known to Lee USA fans and D.J.’s home track experience makes this pairing an immediate threat. Wayne Helliwell Jr. will be taking his family super late model out of mothballs for his first PASS start in several seasons, and if anyone has the home track advantage it’s Helliwell.
In addition to Shaw’s 2001 PASS win, the travelling pros visited Lee USA on two occasions in 2004. Richie Dearborn and Tracy Gordon each went home with a victory and Dearborn will be back to try and get his first win of 2009.
Two names noticeably absent from the victory column at LEE USA are Johnny Clark and Ben Rowe. The pair has seven PASS titles between them and they both have to be hungry for a Lee win. It’s one of only a handful of tracks that neither has conquered, and one that has to be on top of both drivers must win lists.
The 200 lap distance will add pit strategy to the mix and guarantee a cliff hanger of a finish. Expect all the usual front runners to be on hand; Adam Bates, Derek Ramstrom, Kelly Moore, Travis Benjamin, Scott Chubbuck, Chris Staples and many , many more. It’s likely that the Bastille 200 will see several surprise entrants from the southern tier due to the special Tuesday night schedule.
The PASS Mods will share the bill along with Lee’s own small block supermodifieds and Iron Man series. The action gets underway at a special start time of 6:00 PM, so make plans now to be at Lee USA for the only PASS super late model stop in Southern New Hampshire this season.
Lee USA Speedway can be found at www.leeusaspeedway.com.
Sources: PASS PR