Touring Series News
Clark Heads To PASS Record At White Mountain, Welch Leads Late Models
PHOTO: Johnny Clark will try to secure his fifth PASS North championship on Friday at White Mountain. (Norm Marx photo)
Sylvania 300 weekend coverage presented by New England Dirt Track Championships and Subway of VT/NH
NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. -- Johnny Clark has been the man to beat all year in the Pro All Stars Series. Friday at White Mountain Motorsports Park -- barring any major problems -- he’ll get to celebrate that.
Clark, of Hallowell, Me., has all but locked up the PASS North Super Late Model championship, as he enters the 150-lap White Mountain finale with a 71-point lead on Ben Rowe. Clark only needs to start the main event to assure himself of the title -- his third-straight and fifth overall, both of which would be PASS records.
Clark enters the White Mountain event having just won the last two races, including season’s biggest race, a 300-lapper at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Clark’s first of five wins on the season came at the White Mountain quarter-mile in May, his first win at the track in nine years of trying.
“Being the first one to possibly win three championships in a row and the first one to win five overall, that makes it even more special to me,” said Clark. “Every championship you win is obviously different, but this year winning five races, winning the most races of anyone (in the series) and winning in dominating fashion -- we've just had an absolutely fantastic year.”
Number-two man Rowe, of Turner, Me., himself a four-time PASS champion, has a series leading eight career victories at White Mountain Motorsports Park. He is trailed in the standings by fellow Maine racers Cassius Clark and Trevor Sanborn and Nick Ribbe of Kingston, Mass.
Clark isn’t the only driver with something on the line at White Mountain: Quinny Welch enters with a 25-point lead in the track’s weekly NAPA Late Model division and just two feature events remaining.
Welch, of Lancaster, N.H., leads the father-son team of St. Johnsbury, Vt.’s Stacy and Tyler Cahoon, who are separated by just three points. Welch has a division-high six feature wins in 2010 including last week’s 50-lap race, and will race the following day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., as the White Mountain representative in the American-Canadian Tour Invitational. Dan Colby of Lyman, N.H., and McIndoe Falls, Vt., racer Bernie Lantagne complete the top five in points.
Gary “Thumper” Griswold of Wells River, Vt., leads the Shuttle Connection Super Sportsman of East Haven, Vt., rookie Michael Moore. Alex Kelley leads the Beacon Resort Strictly Stocks, and Nick Pilotte is the Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini point leader. Racing begins at 6:00pm on Friday.
