Johnny Clark Motorsports

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Beech Ridge - PASS 150 - Sat. 6/26

Richie Dearborn, 3rd; Winner Adam Bates; & Johnny, 2nd.

PASS Press Release (6/27) Adam Bates took over the race lead from Scott Chubbuck just past half way in the June 26th Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North 150 lap super late model feature to score his third career series win, his second at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. The Granite State racer had a car that could dominate and the talent to take advantage of it in a race that was short on cautions and featured a 115 lap stretch of green flag racing. Bates now has two wins and two second place finishes in the last four PASS races at Beech Ridge dating back to July of 2008.

Johnny Clark did his best to wrestle the win away from Bates. The pair started one-two after the night’s final caution at lap 144 set up a six lap shoot-out to the checker. Clark held his ground on the outside and the lead pair crossed the stripe on lap 145 in a dead heat. But Bates edged ahead on the bottom and slowly increased his margin of victory to .462 seconds over the three time series champ.

Clark settled for a solid second and Richie Dearborn came out on top of a three wide tussle with Kelly Moore and Scott Mulkern to finish third. Moore, who led from the pole through lap 82, had to settle for fourth. Donnie Whitten earned his first top five of 2009, and Scott Mulkern had a successful return to PASS racing with a sixth place run.

Bates takes over the PASS North points lead with Johnny right behind after Ben Rowe was caught up in a late race multi-car pile up and finished in 9th.


*Jamie Williams Photos*

Speedway 660 - PASS 200 - Sat. 6/13

Fighting Back from a Broken Front Hub to a 14th

With the fastest car in practice and a nice run in the heat, Johnny and the #54 looked like the one to beat at Speedway 660. The 2007 winner of the fall Peterbilt 250, Johnny likes the track and knows it well.
Starting from his usual past winner spot of 11th, Johnny started the run to the front followed by Ben Rowe.

Outside the #23 of Lonnie Sommerville and just car lengths behind leader Kirk Thibeau in the #28
(shot above), Johnny was suddenly into the back straight banking on lap 75 and the right front wheel was bouncing free. An unheard of failure of the front "5 on 5" wheel hub had occurred. After a quick damage check in the right front corner, Johnny grabbed the hood to get it out of the way of the tow truck crew and sprinted for the pits to get the repairs under way. Parts were pulled out and tools laid out and work started as the wrecker delivered the #54.

Helped out by two cautions in the closing laps of the first 100 lap segment, Johnny made it back out for a few laps before the mid-race tire change and refueling break. For the second 100, Johnny started at the back and left a little room to the pack......which helped in missing the big back straight wreck that started with Derek Ramstrom #35 and Cassius Clark #8 on lap 103.

Running 98 laps in the second segment for a race total of 178, Johnny grabbed a 14th spot finish (just ahead of D.J. Shaw with 175 laps) instead of being the first car out in 22nd. The 16 point gain for eight places may be important at the end of the season.



		Jamie Williams Photo

White Mntn. Motorsports Park - PASS 150 - Sat. 5/23

Johnny in 6th

Johnny had a fast #54 during his heat and took the win. But changes just before the feature did not produce the desired results. Johnny wheeled the Monte Carlo up from 11th to 6th and that all it had.

Jamie
Williams
Photos

Clark, Cassill, Wimmer, Varney & More on
Speed 51 Radio on 5/20/09
PASS North Unity Speedway (ME) winner Johnny Clark, ASA Midwest Iowa Speedway winner Chris Wimmer, last year's NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Landon Cassill and ASA Late Models President Ron Varney headline the list of guests on a special Wednesday night edition of Speed 51 Radio tonight at 8pm ET. The Speed 51 Mafia will be broadcasting live from Buffalo Wild Wings in Concord, NC, located just off Interstate 85's Exit 54.

Unity Raceway - PASS 150 - Saturday 5/16

Johnny Wins!

Johnny Clark Gets Home Cooked Unity Victory
This Time, He Has to Work Hard for PASS North Victory at Unity

By Mike Twist - SPEED51.COM
The fans at Unity Raceway (ME) face a bit of a dilemma when the PASS North Super Late Models come to town. One of their own, Johnny Clark, is usually a threat to dominate the race - which is a welcome sight. But at the same time, the fans want to witness a good and competitive show as well.

This time around, the fans got to see both things happen though. Clark won. He even dominated early and late in the race. But fans also got to see some great competition in the middle stages of the event and had the added bonus of seeing two other familiar drivers to the central Maine speedplant, Scott Chubbuck and Randy Turner, finish on the podium. FULL STORY HERE



		Jamie Williams Photo

Beech Ridge Motor Speedway - PASS 150 - May 2nd. - 7th

With a car that was OK but not really fast, Johnny let the 150 laps play out and posted a seventh place finish. Next to a first time racer in his heat, Johnny leapt into a big lead and the win as the first timer held up the rest of the racers.

Starting in 11th for the feature as a previous race winner in 2009, Johnny and Ben Rowe in the #4 ran the first part of the race in 12th and 13th with the #54 on the loose side. As the sun went down, the car went very tight and every position gained was a struggle. Johnny spent much of the race battling Marty Prevost in the #11 and Alan Ricker in the #22 with Ben in the #4 attached to his rear bumper.

With two races in the books, Johnny stands tied for 2nd in points. But everyone is real close:
Cassius Clark 436, Johnny 435, Chris Staples 435, Adam Bates 433, and Derek Ramstrom 432.

Johnny Wins at Speedway 95!
Race finishing order at PASS Here

Johnny Wins NAPA 150 PASS North Opener

PASS PRESS RELEASE - Hermon ME (April 19) Johnny Clark fired his Car Crushing/Port City Race Cars Impala SS under Richie Dearborn and Cassius Clark on lap 136 of Sunday’s Pro All Stars Series (PASS) NAPA 150 to take the opening day win at Speedway 95 in Hermon ME. Clark got into Dearborn on the backstretch in a side by side battle for the lead and Dearborn dropped his right rear off the backstretch, slipping back to fourth at the finish after leading much of the day. Cassius Clark raced back from an early race incident to capture second place. Chubbuck came home third after running up front all day . Dearborn and Adam Bates rounded out the top five.

The defending PASS North Champion beat Cassius Clark to the stripe by .389 seconds. Derek Ramstrom, Chris Staples, John Flemming, Ben Rowe and Donnie Whitten raced home sixth thru tenth. Fifteen cars finished on the lead lap. Dearborn, Ramstrom and Cassius Clark each earned heat race wins.

Cassius snatched the lead away from pole sitter Dearborn on lap six but Kelly Moore's NAPA Chevy was charging and it looked like he might have something for Clark. They battled tooth and nail for several laps before the pair got together, spinning out of the top two spots on lap fifty six. Clark fell back to thirteenth and Moore restarted fourteenth. Scott Chubbuck was the beneficiary, restarting in the lead, but Dearborn and Chris Staples soon made their way by. Those three ran nose to tail at the halfway mark, with Johnny Clark fourth and Ramstrom fifth. Staples had a great run going, keeping the pressure on Dearborn and battling back and forth with Chubbuck for the second spot.

With twenty five to go Cassius Clark had recovered from his early spin and looked like he was ready to challenge Dearborn for the win; Johnny Clark worked his way up to third and local hero Scott Alexander was running a fine fourth as Staples faded back from the lead pack. Alexander’s day would eventually end in the tires off turn four with the finish line in his sights.

It all came to a head on a lap 136 restart and Johnny Clark showed his hand, clashing with Dearborn to grab the lead. Despite Cassius'best efforts to run him down, it was Johnny at the checkers by two car lengths.

PASS NAPA 150 at Speedway 95

Naples ME (April 14) The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North season kicks off Sunday April 19th at Speedway 95 in Hermon Maine with the NAPA 150 and fans of the fastest full fender short track series in the east are asking themselves, “can Ben Rowe Rowe score three PASS super late model wins in a row and lead the points in all three title chases?”

It will be no easy task, but the four time PASS North champion is definitely on an early season roll. With PASS South wins at Dillon (SC) Motor Speedway and Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway already under his belt, Rowe leads both the PASS South and National Championship title chases. A win in the NAPA 150 and a good run in his qualifying race could put Rowe on top of the North Series points as well, a feat never accomplished since PASS started the South super late model series in 2006.

Rowe will have his hands full with a strong field of super late models that will include defending PASS North champ Johnny Clark, 2008 race winners Travis Benjamin, Adam Bates, Derek Ramstrom and 2008 PASS Rookie of the Year D.J. Shaw, Scott Chubbuck, Kelly Moore and a host of new talent including Steve Legendre and John Dabrowski.

If licensed drivers are any indication, the PASS Sportsman and Mod divisions should see their ranks grow in 2009. Many of the top guns in the Sportsman class are back on board for 2009, including Steve Bennett Sr., 2008 Rookie of the Year Kyle Hart, Mike Landry, Duane Seekins, Shane Tatro and many more. New names and veterans dot the Mod list, including Greg Ellis, Scott McDaniel, Steve Bennett Jr. and Dan Somes. The Mods “move up” to 10 inch tires this season, and the quick, economical class should be even more exciting in 2009.

- NAPA Two for One Discount Coupon: 2 Adult Tickets for $10.00 each!
If you’ve made it this far, you’re in for an additional treat! NAPA will be offering a Two for One discount coupon, valid exclusively at the NAPA 150 at Speedway 95 this Sunday, and for the Father’s Day weekend (6/21) race at Unity Raceway. The two for one coupon brings the price of two adult tickets down to $10.00 each.

“We felt it was an opportune time to give back to the fans that have supported PASS in the North for nine seasons now,” said series President Tom Mayberry, “ and with the cooperation of NAPA we are able to offer this coupon for these two events. “ The Two for One coupon will be available in Bangor area NAPA stores late this week.

PASS North goes green for the first time in 2009 at Speedway 95 on Sunday April 19th at 2:00 PM sharp.

- 2nd Fastest Qualifier -

- 11th Place Finish for Johnny -

Leftovers: Easter Bunny 150

"IT'S EVEN A TOUGHER DAY
TO BE A CLARK"

"Nothing seemed to go right today," said Johnny Clark. "It seemed like you had to have a great motor and we didn’t have one. It killed us. The track seemed weird to me. I am going to have to go home and tear this thing apart because that was the worst this car has ever ran. I would have a solid ten laps and then ten laps that were out of control. It wasn’t loose and it wasn’t pushing, it would just skate. I know there was a lot of oil on the track by looking at everyone’s windshields, but I still don’t think that was all of it. We just need to go back to the shop and do our homework."

PASS South Fields Stacked with Big Names Heading to Hickory

After repairs to the hauler on the way down, Johnny and the
#54 arrived at Hickory ready for action. All of Friday's
practice was wiped out by rain, so Johnny didn't miss anything.
Sat. Trackside live reports with Speed51 HERE

	Portland Expo - Feb. 20-21
	Johnny received the Mainely Motorsports TV Touring Series 2008 Driver of the Year award from Steve Perry at the Racin' Preview Show.


	Photos by Chris Roy

Power Rankings - A 51 Exclusive & Tradition

Speed 51 Short Track Power Rankings
So when the green flag drops, who is expected to be the most powerful players of them all in 2009? Speed51.com gathered our own big dogs to cast their votes and share their comments on that and as a result, we present the pre-season edition of our long-running and exclusive feature, the 51 Short Track Power rankings.

#7. Johnny Clark (PASS North) - It seems that every other year is when Johnny Clark will win a PASS North championship. He won the crown in 2008, so traditionally, he won't repeat the task in 2009.

But that's just hogwash in our eyes. Clark came on so strong in the second half of the 2008 season that there is no way that momentum can't carry on into the new season. He'll have some tough competition in PASS with Ben Rowe, Cassius Clark, DJ Shaw, Derek Ramstrom, Adam Bates and Travis Benjamin all chasing him, but we'd be fools to bet against Clark rising to the top again this year.

“Clark himself would joke with you and say it's an odd year so it's Ben Rowe's turn to win the PASS series championship,” wrote one of our experts. “Looking at the history, the 2004, 2006 and 2008 PASS Champion loses his title defenses to Ben Rowe. This might be the year to bet that that will not happen again. However, the series is creating new talent drivers each season like Adam Bates, Trevor Sanborn and DJ Shaw.”

Johnny Clark’s Second Half Charge Leads to
Third PASS North Super Late Model Title

PASS PR STORY: If you had to hang a title on Johnny Clark’s run to the 2008 Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Championship, it might be “a tale of two seasons”. The Farmingdale Maine race car driver didn’t start his 2008 campaign with a great deal of flourish, but his team came on strong in the second half of the season to capture their third PASS Super Late Model Championship.

His early season results were mixed at best. He finished thirteenth in the PASS North season opener at Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, but rebounded with a victory at Wiscasset Raceway. But after Wiscasset, the results weren’t there. A ninth at White Mountain, sixteenth back at Wiscasset, a tenth place run at Beech Ridge. Solid runs to be sure, but not up to par for a race team that has two PASS super late model titles and thirteen race wins to their credit. To be a title contender in the ultra competitive PASS North, top fives are the key and you need them in each and every race.

Clark didn’t score another top three until July at Thompson (CT) Speedway, and he was mired back in the point standings. But, Clark is quick to point to that Thompson race as a turning point in his season. The family-focused team never gave up. With a new race car that the crew painstakingly assembled over the off season and a set-up that made that car run like it was on rails, Clark turned on the jets. He claimed his second win of 2008 two weeks later at Groveton NH’s Riverside Speedway, and dominated the action at All-Star Speedway before a flat tire set him back to fourth at the finish. Still, he recovered from what could have been a disastrous result and scored solid points, and it looked like the season might be turning around for the Clark’s Car Crushing team.

He contended for the Atlantic Cat 250 win in Nova Scotia but had to settle for seventh at the checkered flag. Clark got back to his winning ways at Wiscasset in August, rebounding for a $30,000.00 payday in the Toyota Tundra 250 followed by a second place run at White Mountain and a $10,000.00 win at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in the PASS 300.

It all came down to the Fall Brawl at Johnny’s home track, Wiscasset Raceway. When the checkers flew Clark had a fifth place finish, beating four time series champ Ben Rowe by five spots to secure the 2008 PASS super late model title by ten points. On his way to the crown Clark scored the most series wins (4) and led the most laps (469). He raced home in the top five eight times, with eleven top tens.

Clark put an exclamation point on a super 2008 season by dominating the PASS South 250 lap feature at the Mason-Dixon 500 at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway, collecting yet another $10,000.00 payday along with his first PASS South victory.

PREVIOUS RESULTS & PHOTOS HERE