2014-12-02

Tentative 2015 PASS North Super Late Model Schedule Released

Tentative 2015 PASS North Super Late Model Schedule Released

 

-       Oxford Plains Speedway To Host 3 Events Including The 42nd Annual Oxford 250 Paying $25,000 To Win OnSunday, August 30

 

-       Thunder Road Speedway To Host PASS North Super Late Models For First Time Ever On Sunday, May 24

 

-      PASS Expands Into New York State For First Time With Major Event At Airborne Speedway July 18-19

 

-       For Immediate Release

 

NAPLES, ME (December 1) – Pro All Stars Series (PASS) officials announced today the release of the 2015 schedule for the PASS North Super Late Models.  The Northeast's top short trackers will once again compete at some of the top short tracks in New England and Quebec, highlighted by the 42nd Annual Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.  PASS will further expand into Vermont and New York in 2015 staging events in conjunction with the American-Canadian Tour (ACT). The PASS North Super Late Models will compete on at least 9 different speedways in 4 states and the Canadian province of Quebec in 2015.

            "We're very happy with the slate of tracks that we have assembled for our racers to compete on next year," said PASS President Tom Mayberry.  "There has already been a lot of excitement surrounding our new partnership with ACT and our fans seem to be excited for what's in store for 2015.  The Oxford 250 continues to be one of short track racing's biggest events and we believe it will be even bigger and better than ever come next August."

The 42nd Annual Oxford 250 moves to a new weekend in 2015 with racers from all across North America expected to compete for $25,000 to win, plus guaranteed lap leader money on August 28-30.  In addition, Oxford Plains Speedway will host the PASS North Super Late Model season opener on Saturday, April 18, along with the ACT Late Models, and will crown the PASS North champion with the season finale on Saturday, October 3.

Maine's Beech Ridge Motor Speedway will host the PASS North Super Late Models three times in 2015 on Saturday, May 2Saturday, July 11, and the PASS 400 Weekend on September 19-20.  Speedway 95 in Hermon, ME returns to the PASS North schedule for a second straight year with a 150 lap event slated for Sunday, June 14.

PASS will make its first of two trips in 2015 to the state of New Hampshire on Saturday, May 9 at Star Speedway. The series will return to the Granite State on Friday, June 26 for an event at Lee USA Speedway.

The Super Late Models of PASS will join the ACT Late Models at Thunder Road International Speedbowl for the first time ever in a Memorial Day weekend twin bill on Sunday, May 24. The PASS North Super Late Models will race 150 laps, and the Thunder Road Late Models will race for the Mekkelsen Memorial Day Classic 100 honors.

Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY will also play host to the two most popular traveling series in the US andQuebec as two 200-lap features will take place for both PASS and ACT teams July 18-19. Qualifying will take placeSaturday evening and feature races will be run on Sunday.

PASS will make the trip North of the border four times in 2015 as the series makes the trek up to Quebec. Autodrome Chaudiere will host the PASS North Super Late Models three times in 2015 beginning on Saturday, May 16 and then again on Saturday, June 20.  The ACT Late Models will race in conjunction with the PASS North Super Late Models in a twin bill at Autodrome Chaudiere on Saturday, September 12.  PASS will also return to Autodrome Montmagny in 2015 on Saturday, August 8.

An additional date is tentatively scheduled for August and will be announced at a later date.

Look for the PASS Modified schedule to be released in the near future.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America's premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway and PASS South's Easter Bunny 150 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway.  For technical information concerning all PASS divisions please send questions to passracing@roadrunner.com.  For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039or alandietzpass@live.com.  Please visit ProAllStarsSeries.com for more information.  And, don't forget to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.



2015 PASS North Super Late Model Schedule

April 18                      Oxford Plains Speedway                                     Oxford, ME

April 19                      Oxford Plains Speedway Rain Date or April 26 for rain or if ground are too wet

May 2                         Beech Ridge Motor Speedway                           Scarborough, ME

May 9                         Star Speedway                                                       Epping, NH

May 16                       Autdrome Chaudiere                                             Valley Junction, QE

May 24                       Thunder Road International Speedbowl                 Barre, VT

June 14                      Speedway 95                                                            Hermon, ME

June 20                      Autodrome Chaudiere                                              Valley Junction, QE

June 26                      Lee USA Speedway                                                 Lee, NH

July 11                        Beech Ridge Motor Speedway                               Scarborough, ME

July 19                        Airborne Park Speedway                                        Plattsburgh, NY

August                        To Be Announced

August 8                     Autodrome Montmagny                                            Montmagny, QE

August 30                   42nd Annual Oxford 250                                            Oxford, ME

September 12           Autodrome Chaudiere                                              Valley Junction, QE

September 20           Beech Ridge Motor Speedway                               Scarborough, ME

October 3                   Oxford Plains Speedway                                         Oxford, ME

 

-       Dates Subject To Change

-       Additional Dates Could Be Added


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Dumoulin Reaches Pinnacle Of NASCAR Racing In Canada



For Immediate Release

 

Dumoulin Reaches Pinnacle Of NASCAR Racing In Canada

Completes Transition From Sports Car Racing With Canadian Tire Series Title

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 1, 2014) – L.P. Dumoulin's racing career came to a crossroads. If he wanted it to continue, he had a choice to make. Six years after he decided on a new direction, he's reached the pinnacle of stock car racing in his native Canada.

 

On Sept. 20, 2014 at Ontario's Kawartha Speedway, Dumoulin hoisted the massive trophy emblazoned with "National Champion" that is annually bestowed to the titlist of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.

 

Dumoulin grew up in a racing family. His father was a racer. His brother is a racer. It's what they do. But when it became more and more of a challenge to sustain his career in sports car road racing due to a challenging environment for sponsorships, he decided to make the move to NASCAR and the Canadian Tire Series.

 

"We've always been involved in racing," Dumoulin said. "We have the love and the passion for it, but we had to find sponsorship (to continue competing). I knew that NASCAR was a big family. They take care of their drivers and their teams, they have a good marketing plan and good TV coverage.

 

"I knew that if I wanted to make a living out of racing, I needed to go towards the type of racing that will give you a good support base to get some sponsorship. That's why I went toward NASCAR."

 

The Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, native made the decision to go to NASCAR in 2008. Dumoulin and his brother, J.F. Dumoulin, attained equipment and started a team they dubbed Dumoulin Competition.

 

Dumoulin knew right away that he had made the right decision with the new endeavor.

 

"Coming from Formula cars and road course racing, as I got into NASCAR I realized how much fun it was and how much involvement you needed to get with these cars," Dumoulin said.

 

Dumoulin stuck to what he knew – road course racing – in his first Canadian Tire Series appearances in 2009 and 2010 before running two-thirds of the schedule in 2011. He finished sixth in points in his first full season of 2012.

 

"We've worked really hard to bring the cars up front," Dumoulin said. "The competition is very high-level in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, the drivers are awesome, the teams are very professional, and that's why we thought it was the right way to go."

 

The effort really started to pay dividends in 2013 when he won both Canadian Tire Series events at Ontario's famed Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, his first checkered flags in the series.

 

"The main reason I kept going in racing was to win races and win championships," Dumoulin said. "That's why we do it. I love racing, but I otherwise could do some low level racing if winning didn't matter. I've always wanted to be up front with top teams, top cars and top drivers."

 

Dumoulin then made another career decision. In the offseason prior to 2014, he moved his team's affiliation from the Ontario-based 22 Racing – a nine hour drive from his Trois-Rivieres home – to nearby King Autosport in Quebec.

 

"The team is based much closer to my place, so I was able to go there more often," Dumoulin said. "I've always been very hands-on with my cars my whole career. To be close to the team this year – with my boys and with my cars – everything moving the same way this year helped out a lot."

 

Yet another choice that proved to be successful. Dumoulin registered a pair of wins – including his first oval track triumph – and finished outside the top five just twice en route to the 2014 championship.

 

With a background of road racing success, Dumoulin needed to enhance his ability and skills in the discipline of oval racing to become a championship contender. In 2014 he won at Saskatoon's Auto Clearing Motor Speedway and finished in the top five in five of seven circle track events. The two oval races in which he didn't finish top-five included a pre-race engine change at Nova Scotia's Riverside International Speedway where he rallied from the rear at the start to finish sixth, and the finale at Kawartha where he admits to being overly cautious with the championship in the balance.

 

"To win on the oval was one thing, but to get multiple podiums on the ovals really got me thinking that I had a chance at the championship," Dumoulin said. "Staying up front on the ovals as well as the road courses really made it possible.

 

"The last race I just got really careful and cautious about not making any mistakes, but being top five all year on the ovals in addition to the road courses brought the confidence level really high."

 

With race wins and a championship in hand in the Canadian Tire Series, Dumoulin is very interested in branching out in NASCAR, specifically in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

 

"I would really like to do some XFINITY Series races on road courses, and even ovals, but I want to do it the right way with a good team," Dumoulin said.

 

Despite his rise in the Canadian Tire Series, Dumoulin has not completely walked away from sports car racing. The 35-year-old continues to serve as a private Porsche and Ferrari driving coach. He also winters in Florida with his wife, where he is active in the offseason at the Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway circuits.

 

But as far as his No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge efforts in the Canadian Tire Series are concerned, Dumoulin is all-in to repeat as champion in 2015.

 

"We've worked really hard to make this happen, and we're not ready to give it up," Dumoulin said. "We're ready to keep it going and get more championships."

 

Dumoulin's accomplishments will be recognized at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards on Dec. 13 in the Charlotte (North Carolina) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

 

CHAMPION CAR OWNER:  Marc-Andre Bergeron

Pucks in the winter and race cars in the summer. This is the life of Marc-Andre Bergeron.

 

An 11-year veteran of the National Hockey League, Bergeron now plays in the Swiss-A League for the Zurich Lions in Switzerland, where he won his first professional hockey championship during the 2013-14 season. He's also the 2014 championship car owner for L.P. Dumoulin in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.

 

One might ask how those two worlds intersected. The answer is: the city of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.

 

Bergeron is a native of the riverside city in central Quebec, as is Dumoulin. They did not grow up knowing each other, but a series of connections and encounters brought them together.

 

Bergeron's hockey agent, Paul Corbeil, is acquainted with Dumoulin and his brother, J.F. Dumoulin, also a racer. Bergeron met the Dumoulins on various occasions around Trois-Rivieres for karting events and Ferrari driving experiences. Bergeron quickly caught the racing bug.

 

"It really hooked me," Bergeron said. "Instead of just watching, I decided I wanted to drive myself as well, so that's how I got involved with the Dumoulins."

 

In addition to getting behind the wheel himself, Bergeron joined the Dumoulin's racing organization, Dumoulin Competition, as a co-owner. He also added a personal touch to the team, bestowing his longtime hockey jersey No. 47 to Dumoulin's stock cars.

 

Although Bergeron says his connection to auto racing is first and foremost as a competitor and team owner – he also races part-time in the Canadian Touring Car Championship – he has a great interest and appreciation for NASCAR competition, from the Canadian Tire Series in which he's involved, to the U.S.-based national series.

 

"I'm a pretty big fan, I've been to a few races (in the United States)," Bergeron said. "My first experience going to Daytona [International Speedway], I was actually at the 2012 Daytona 500 when the jet dryer exploded, so that was memorable."

 

"I watch a lot of the races. I'm a NASCAR fan all the way around."

 

Although he is officially the owner of the No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge that Dumoulin drove to the title, Bergeron gives credit for the championship season to Dumoulin's King Autosport team and its primary owner, Martin Roy.

 

Bergeron was able to take in a handful of Canadian Tire Series race in 2014 and support Dumoulin en route to the championship.

 

"I'm very happy for L.P., he worked hard," Bergeron said.

 

CHAMPION CREW CHIEF: Mario Gosselin
A championship driver in his own right, Mario Gosselin has joined an elite group of stock car racers that have become title-winning crew chiefs.

 

In 2014 Gosselin led L.P. Dumoulin and the No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge team to the championship of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.

 

Gosselin, originally from Sainte-Marie, Quebec, moved to Florida nearly three decades ago and launched his career as a driver in various late model, super late model and stock car touring series. He won multiple championships under the Hooters banner in late models and pro cup.

 

Gosselin's career behind the wheel took him to the top levels of NASCAR. He made 47 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts between 2008-12 and even has three NASCAR Nationwide Series and a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts to his credit.

 

Outside the occasional spot starts, Gosselin has transitioned to a primary role of crew chief in recent seasons to continue his career in racing. After building cars for Canadian Tire Series driver Martin Roy in 2011, Gosselin joined as the full-time crew chief in 2012.

 

When Dumoulin brought his No. 47 team to Roy's King Autosport team for 2014, Gosselin joined forces with Dumoulin for the first time as professionals after many years as friends.

 

"I had talked with him a lot before, and we knew at one point we would work together," Dumoulin said. "He's a friend as well as a partner. Mario is a big key in why things work well. He's been there and done that. He's a very good driver, but he's also a very good crew chief as well."

 

Expectations were elevated for the team right from the start.

 

"The mindset going in was top fives every week," Gosselin said. "That would put us in a position to contend for a championship. We ended up real close to that."

 

Gosselin counts the team's dominant winning performance in front of Dumoulin's hometown crowd in the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres as the moment he felt that the championship was within their grasp. There were trials along the way, however, and Gosselin credits his driver and crew members with staying the course and accomplishing the goal.

 

"With any championship, all of the elements have to come together," Gosselin said. "Every season you're going to have some days that are tough and you have to stay focused and make good days out of those bad days. L.P. was able to do that.

 

"We were fortunate. We had a good crew, good spotters, and we were able to keep our heads down and keep working to meet our goal of a championship."

 

Contact:

Jason Cunningham

NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications


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