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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. |
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5flagsspeedway.com
Johnny and the
Team headed
down to Florida for the 41st
Snowball Derby in early Dec.
Johnny had good speed but
distributor trouble dropped
the #54 to 13th place. |
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Johnny and the Team pose in their PASS North SLM Championship Jackets
at the PASS Banquet on Nov. 15th at Verillo's.
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Speed51.com Short Track Power Rankings
A 51 Exclusive - and Tradition
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#4 - Johnny Clark (PASS North)
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Johnny Clark poured on the power late in the PASS North
Super Late Model season. After a mediocre early part of the
year, nobody really expected Clark to be capable of making
up enough ground to win the title, but from the halfway
point on, he was nearly unstoppable. A flat tire ended a
dominating run at All-Star Speedway, but victories at
Wiscasset, Beech Ridge, and Riverside made up for that. In
the final race of the season, he wrestled the crown away
from many time PASS North champion Ben Rowe and upstart
Travis Benjamin. It is Clark's third such championship of
his still relatively young racing career. |
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CHAMPIONSHIP |
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Sat. Oct. 25th |
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Johnny Wins the Mason Dixon
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Johnny Clark turned in a dominate performance
Saturday night at Virginia’s South
Boston Speedway to win the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South
250 lap season finale. It was the 2008 PASS North
champion’s first win in the South series and
Clark’s fourth checkered flag in his last eight
PASS super late model starts.
Clark
beat Jeff Fultz to the line by a margin of 2.223 seconds.
Cassius Clark raced home third with Trevor Sanborn in
the fourth spot and Randy Porter fifth. DJ Shaw, Kelly
Moore, Ryan Blaney, Lonnie Sommerville and Corey Williams
finished sixth through tenth. The top
eight finished on the lead lap. |
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Alex Haase ‘s Kyle Busch Foundation Toyota
looked like a super late model “cutaway”
car after 250 laps, but the eighteen year old’s twelfth
place finish was enough to clinch the PASS South super late
model Championship for the Las Vegas Nevada native that now
calls North Carolina home. Haase earned
three race wins, six top five and nine top ten finishes in
twelve PASS South starts on his way to the title.
Haase topped Johnny Clark by nine-one
thousandths of a second to capture the RC2 Race City Race
Cars Pole Award.
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2nd fastest
time trial run for Johnny. Redraw for a 9th place start.
Race starts at 8:24. 250 green-flag laps with a pit break at
lap 125.
Johnny took the
lead from Corey Williams on lap 73. At the pit break at lap
125, Johnny says the car is so good he's not changing
anything.
Trevor Sanborn
in the Moody #44 takes the lead from the #54, then
gets sideways in turn one and is collected by Corey
Williams.
On the restart, Johnny leading from Lonnie Sommerville.
100 laps to go at 10:16 PM.
Lap 171, Johnny leads Cassius Clark and Jeff Fultz.
10:38 PM -
There are only 12 cars on the track at this time. With
215 laps down, the top five are: Johnny Clark, Jeff
Fultz, Cassius Clark, Trevor Sanborn, Randy Porter.
10:48 PM -
Johnny Clark Has Won
the PASS South 250-lap event
as part of the Mason-Dixon 500.
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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. |
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Johnny
is the 2008 PASS North SLM Champion!
Johnny finishes 5th to
Ben Rowe's 10th
Top Three in the
Fall Brawl 150 are:
1st-Adam Bates,
2nd-Cassius Clark, & 3rd-Travis Benjamin
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Johnny Clark and Ben Rowe to Battle for PASS Super Late
Model Title at The FALL BRAWL |
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The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models and
Mods wrap up their 2008 campaigns At Wiscasset Raceway
on Saturday October 4th, and the battle for
their division championships couldn’t be much tighter.
The
PASS North Super Late Models
head for the coastal
Maine
oval for the Fall Brawl Weekend presented by Ray Haskell
Ford with a new but familiar name on top of the
standings. Johnny Clark takes the overall point lead to
the Fall Brawl by five points with 2,666 over Ben Rowe
and Travis Benjamin who are deadlocked at 2,661 points
each. DJ Shaw is fourth with 2,629 and Adam Bates trails
him by one point in fifth at 2,628.
But wait,
there’s more – much more, in fact. PASS
adopted a “best twelve” points format for the North and
South Super Late Models in 2008, and that formula
tightens the standings even further. If you eliminate
the top five’s worst two finishes, the title
chase looks like this: Eliminate Clark’s two drops (show
points from Speedway 95 on 5/3 and an 18th
from Wiscasset on 6/22) and Rowe’s
two (show and heat points from Speedway 95 5/3 and a 22nd
at Beech Ridge on 7/5), and
Rowe comes out on top heading to
the Fall Brawl – by three points!
That’s 2379 for Rowe and 2376 for
Clark. Travis Benjamin at, 2,356,
drops his Speedway 95 show and heat
points and a twelfth place run at Wiscasset on 8/17 and
trails Rowe and Clark by 23 and 20, respectively. Adam
Bates is fourth with drops at Speedway 95 and a 23rd
at All-Star. He’s nine back from Benjamin with 2,347.
D.J. Shaw rounds out the top five,
with
Bangor show
points and an 11th place finish at several
events to drop, 23 markers behind Bates at 2324.
To gain Championship points at Wiscasset, these drivers
will have to better their “drop race” finish. Rowe has a
slight edge in that department with a 22nd to
throw away, versus an 18th for
Clark. That’s a difference of eight points,
but odds are good that the pair won’t be racing back in
the pack; they’ll be charging for the win and the points
will take care of themselves.
The
PASS MODS
point battle is a little easier to follow, but just as
close at the top. Andy Shaw fought his way back to
victory lane at Beech Ridge on PASS 400 Weekend, and the
win couldn’t have come at a better time.
Shaw’s win put him on top of the
standings by one point over Mark Lucas, and Tom Oliver
is just three back from Shaw. The trio will go
for broke in a 40 lap shootout at the Fall Brawl.
350’s, 305’s and Stock Fours will complete Saturday’s
card; PASS 400 weekend rules apply for these divisions,
contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230 with tech questions.
The action goes green at 4:00 PM on
Saturday October 4th. The PASS 150 is
scheduled to start at approximately 6:15 PM.
SUNDAY - "NATIONALS DAY"
Then on Sunday the Fall Brawl presented
by Ray Haskell Ford continues with “Nationals Day”; the
100 lap , $10,000.00 to win Super Street/Sportsman
Nationals, 100 lap $3,000.00 to win Street Stock
Nationals, $1,000.00 to win 50 lap
“Real Stock” Mini Stock Nationals
and a $500.00 to win, 50 lap Mini Truck Nationals.
Sunday’s racing kicks off at 2:00 PM. Get all the
details for Sunday’s activities at
www.wiscassetraceway.info . |
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JOHNNY IS THE
WINNER AT THE PASS 400 WEEKEND!
Johnny Clark Is On Top of His Game in PASS North
By Mike Twist
Victory in Beech Ridge's 300 Lapper is No Surprise
to Anyone
Green-White-Checker -
Travis Barrett
Pit
Perfection Pays Off
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2nd for Johnny
DJ Equipment 150 at WMMP Top Three: Ben Rowe,
3rd; Winner DJ Shaw; & Johnny, 2nd.
A win in the heat and
steady run from 12th place on the starting grid to a close 2nd
for one of Johnny's best runs at WMMP and a bunch of points. With two races
dropped
in the "best 12 of 14" points system (and only two races left in the PASS
North season)unofficially Ben Rowe is the leader just about 20 points ahead
of Johnny & Travis B.
PASS REPORT:
Naples ME ( September 14 2008) Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North rookie DJ
Shaw challenged PASS North newcomer Travis Kittleson for 80 laps before
making his move by Kittleson for the lead on lap 120 of Saturday nights’ DJ
Equipment 150 at White Mountain Motorsports Park. Shaw then held off Johnny
Clark and Ben Rowe on a key lap 134 restart to secure his second PASS North
win of the season in Julio and Rita Miglioli's Precision JLM Ford. Clark,
Rowe, Kittleson and Cassius Clark chased Shaw to the line in a race that was
short on cautions and long on the kind of hard core short track racing that
only super late models can produce.
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The Biggest Race in New Brunswick
Sunday, August 31st
5th for Johnny
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Johnny and the Team are off to New Brunswick on
Labor Day weekend with the white #54 to defend
their win in last year's big Peterbilt 250.
The special guest drivers this year are Andy
Santerre and Ron Hornaday.
For more info, hit the track's web site at
http://speedway.brandnewkickz.com/ |
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Peterbilt
250 (Pro Stock - Feature)
Finish
Car No Driver Hometown
1 23SFR Craig Slaunwhite Terence Bay, NS
2 44 Wayne Smith Timberlea, NS
3 17B Travis Benjamin Morrill, NB
4 52 Shawn Tucker Killarney Road, NB
5
54ME Johnny Clark Hallowell, ME
6 23
Lonnie Sommerville Saint John, NB
7 48 Dave O’Blenis Boundary Creek, NB
8 66 Paul Gahan Lower St Mary’s, NB
9 29C Travis Kittleson Mooresville, NC
10 89 Donald Chisholm Antigonish, NS |
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Johnny Wins
the Tundra 250!
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Tundra 250 Top Three: Corey
Williams, 2nd; Winner Johnny; & Steve Knowlton, 3rd
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Johnny Comes Back
to a Fourth Place
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after a flat while in the lead costs the win
With the fastest car and easily
able to build a
lead on each restart, Johnny has the right front
wheel crack at the inner bead and flatten the tire.
The wheel was an unused one from the recalled batches
that the team
didn't realize they still had. |
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Johnny
WINS
Rain-Shortened
Groveton PASS 131!
Travis Benjamin 2nd - Derek
Ramstrom 3rd
Naples ME (July
27,2008) Johnny Clark took the high road around a fading
Cassius Clark on lap 99 and led the final 31 laps to win the
Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Summerfest 150 at Groveton New
Hampshire’s Riverside Speedway. The victory was the second
of 2008 for the two time PASS North Super Late Model
Champion. Travis Benjamin, Derek Ramstrom, Ben Rowe and Adam
Bates completed the top five in the rain shortened event
that took the checkers at lap 130.
Cassius Clark looked like he’d be tough to beat in the first
two thirds of the race. Lining up third behind the front row
of Derek Ramstrom and Alan Wilson, he raced under Ramstrom
for the lead on lap five. The field stayed green for sixty
one laps and Clark was clearly in control, his EJ Prescott
Fusion hooked up on the bottom and pulling away from the
field.
Meanwhile, the skies were darkening and the crossed flags
that would signify a completed feature were approaching. At
the seventy five lap mark it was Cassius Clark, Alan Wilson,
Ramstrom and Kelly Moore first through fourth; Johnny Clark
had raced his Clark’s Car Crushing Chevy up to fifth from
his twelfth place spot on the starting grid. The pace picked
up as the black clouds approached, and the front of the
field shuffled on a lap 80 restart. Ramstrom got by Wilson
to regain the second spot and Johnny Clark shot up to third
with Wilson now fourth and Travis Benjamin fifth.
At lap 90 Cassius had pulled out to a ten car length lead
but Johnny was charging, taking the outside line around
Ramstrom for second. Suddenly the field was reeling Cassius
in. Johnny drove around him unchallenged for the lead on lap
99; Cassius had lost a power steering belt, ending a strong
run that looked like his best shot at a 2008 PASS North
victory to date.
Travis Benjamin had the leader in his sights and went around
Ramstrom for second on lap 106, but Clark maintained a solid
lead to the checkers and Benjamin would be denied his first
PASS victory once again. Alan Wilson’s great run came to an
abrupt end on lap 128, the victim of a flat tire that sent
him spinning off turn four. Ben Rowe nipped Adam Bates for
fourth at the finish, a great come back after a heat race
miscue forced him to start eighteenth.
Derek Ramstrom and Alan Wilson each won heat races. D.J.
Shaw was the rookie of the race, finishing eleventh after
starting nineteenth. |
More at
Green-White-Checker HERE
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IWK 250
Super Weekend July 18/19
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Regan Smith, Shawn Turple, & Mike
McKensie
the Top 3 at the IWK 250.
Johnny posts a
11th place finish,
one lap down after suffering a flat tire.
Johnny led laps: 30-82, 116-132, & 151-169.
Go to the Canadian racing site
CheckersToWreckers.com
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Full Fendered Frenzy
75
Johnny: "Well I know I finished
third.....twice."
2nd Green-White-Checker with Johnny
leading the pack to the
the finish line to nail down third place!
New SnoPro Pit Cart >>
www.snoprotrailers.com |
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Heat start - leading
to a win |
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"Finish" of 1st
Green-White-Checker |
Lineup for 2nd
Green-White-Checker |
Jump of restart for 2nd
Green-White-Checker |
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To the finish line for 3rd |
By
Mike Twist
It's Rowe....No, Martin....No, Rowe....at Thompson
Green-White-Checkers, Restarts and Rough Driving
Produce PASS North Drama
"JOHNNY GETS ROLLING AT THE BIG T"
When you think of tracks where Johnny Clark excels, you usually
think of places like Wiscasset, Riverside Speedway and Unity
Raceway - places where he has just dominated races. It turns
out though that the two-time PASS North champion also does
pretty well at Thompson too - as proven by a third-place finish.
“We finished second here between Cassius once and
bumper-to-bumper behind Ben. We've had good runs here,” said
Clark. “We've always finished in the top five or done ok here.
This is one of our better cars and we were real good tonight.
We were maybe a fourth or fifth place car, but at least we were
in the pack of five that was out front. We haven't had a top
five since we won Wiscasset.”
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10th Place
at Beech Ridge
Avoided the wrecks, lost a lap to the
leaders who were flying during
the first long green run, and posted a 10th place finish.
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"PASS 98" -
16th Place
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but not the usual domineering car at Wiscasset - Johnny had his
work cut out for him at the second Wiscasset PASS North 125
lapper on June 22nd. Already postponed from the 15th by rain,
the race again faced showers later in the afternoon so the show
was hustled right along with no introductions.
Although posting a top finish in
the heat, the #54 started from 11th as a previous race winner.
At the green Johnny started a slow climb towards the front. With
Scott Chubbuck and Kelly Moore sent to the back after a turn
three tangle, D.J. Shaw held the lead with Adam Bates and
Cassius Clark just ahead of Johnny in fourth.
Then coming off turn four on lap 94, the #54 snapped into a spin
to the inside. The first thought was a flat, but a pit stop
showed all four up. Then the showers came on lap 98 (just a
couple of laps too late), and Johnny wound up being scored in
16th. Back at the shop a broken rear end was discovered.
Johnny and the crew are looking forward to the All-Stars 200
coming right up on June 28th since their All-Star Speedway setup
had been so fast last October before rain knocked that event off
the schedule. |
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"PASS 150" - 9th Place
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THE WINNER!
Johnny won Sunday's Ray Haskill 125 at Wiscasset. He led every lap, but
barely held off Travis Benjamin at the finish.
Ben Rowe, Cassius Clark, Adam Bates, DJ Shaw, Kelly Moore, Scott
Chubbuck, Richie Dearborn and Steve Berry rounded out the top 10
finishers.
story by Mike Twist:
Johnny Clark Dominates Close to Home at Wiscasset
But Travis Benjamin Keeps Close By at The Finish
Green-White Checker Blog Reports by
Travis Barret:
ON SITE: It's deja vu for Johnny Clark
Green's behind-the-scenes work
leading Johnny Clark Motorsports
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Saturday, May 10th - FIRST
Clark's Car Crushing Pro Stock 50
Johnny takes the
season opener at Wiscasset.
Reports of the
Wiscasset action at
Travis Barrett's blog
Green-White-Checker
Track report:
Hallowell's Johnny Clark
has been on a major roll at Wiscasset Raceway over the past year
and his dominance of Maine's fastest track continued Saturday
May 10th with a convincing win on opening day. Clark started
11th in the 23 car field and gradually picked his way along the
outside lane into the top five. From there he took the lead from
Chuck Lachance following a lap 22 caution and survived two more
late race restarts to take the checkers in the 50 lap main event
for the Clark's Car Crushing Prostocks. Travis Benjamin had one
final shot at the leader on the final restart with six laps to
go as Clark's car picked up a skip in the engine in the closing
circuits, but the 2-time PASS Super Late Model champ was up to
the task and withstood the challenge.
The win was his fourth in his last five appearances at Wiscasset
and gave him a good practice run for the upcoming 125 lap PASS
race on Sunday May 18th. Benjamin chased Clark across the line,
but would lose his runnerup finish after failing post-race
inspection for a ride hight violation. 5-time track champion
Scott Chubbuck would move up in the order to claim the 2nd place
trophy and Freedom's Randy Turner would be awarded 3rd.
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Speedway 95 - Hermon, ME - Saturday, May 3rd |
Despite the best efforts of the Pro All Stars Series and Speedway 95
officials, Saturday’s Pro All Stars (PASS) North Community Pharmacies
150 super late model main event was lost to rain. John Fleming, D.J.
Shaw and Adam Bates all earned heat race wins.
In addition, Johnny and the Team had a long day dealing with a blown
motor.
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Season Opener
"THE CABIN FEVER 150" - 13th Place
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The PASS North Super Late Model 2008 season opened on a fine day
at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in the afternoon of Saturday,
April 19th.
Practice had gone well for Johnny and the #54 was at the top of
all the session timing sheets. A good draw for the heat placed
Johnny in 3rd.
Scott Mulkern and Scott Chubbuck were flying in the heat and
finished 1-2 with Johnny in 3rd.
At
the start of the Cabin Fever 150, Johnny ran with the lead group
but tire programs soon developed. Checking out the American
Racers after the event found that the right front was 6 points
harder on the durometer than similar tires. As the handing went
away Johnny pitted and had the JCM crew swap the right front
with the right rear (since no changes to new tires are allowed
in PASS races of 150 laps).
However that just made the #54 bad loose, so another pit stop
swapped the right side tires back again. With the handling still
shot, Johnny struggled from the back to pick up as many spots as
possible. 13th place was the best that could be salvaged. |
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Johnny is headed
down to Florida for Speedweeks
at New Smyrna Speedway to serve as Crew Chief
for Louis Mechalides of Tyngsboro, MA who will be
piloting the #47 Super Late Model.
>>
5th in Points for Louie at Speedweeks
Breaking News!
Johnny brought along his helmet and
suit and is now behind the
wheel of the #119x Limited Late Model
that is the team car to
JR McMichael.
On Thursday, Feb. 14th Johnny ran to a third place finish
in a
wreck-shortened 30 lapper.
Speed 51 Photo |
nmarx-dtp@comcast.net
Copyright 2003-2009 Johnny Clark Motorsports
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