2013-03-27

Stout Easter Bunny 150 Field Could Prove Tough For PASS Points Leaders

For Immediate Release

 

CHARLOTTE, NC (March 27) – As the weather warms and families get ready for a relaxing Easter holiday together, Pro All Stars Series (PASS) fans from around the country are preparing to make their annual trek to the base of North Carolina’s famed Blue Ridge Mountains this weekend.  Since 2006, they look forward to Easter weekend every year in the hopes of seeing the best Super Late Model racers in the country compete at Hickory Motor Speedway. 

 

This year’s Easter Bunny 150 looks to have all the ingredients of another instant classic.  Besides being a PASS South Super Late Model points race, the Easter Bunny 150 will also be a PASS National Championship event and the final PASS National race prior to the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains (ME) Speedway in July.  A good finish in the Easter Bunny will go a long way towards at least locking in a provisional at Oxford Plains for National Championship contenders like Jay and Tate Fogleman, two-time PASS National Champion Ben Rowe, Spencer Davis, Kyle Desousza and DJ Shaw.  PASS National Points Leader Joey Doiron is coming off an impressive early season win in the Winter Meltdown 200 at Auburndale (FL) Speedway and will be attempting to qualify for his first Easter Bunny 150 this weekend.

“Hickory has a ton of history and it’s a huge deal to head to Hickory as the [National] points leader,” said Doiron.  “I’ve personally never seen the track, but the last time we went to a track we had never seen before [Auburndale] we dominated the second half of the race and picked up the win.”

            PASS South Points Leader Austin Theriault and defending PASS South Champion Kyle Grissom come to Hickory Motor Speedway with different approaches, but a common goal.  Both hope to get maximum points and stake their claim to one of the biggest Super Late Model races in the country.

            Theriault will be racing Hickory for the first time in his career.  But that was also the case at PASS South’s first two races of the season at Dillon Motor Speedway and Myrtle Beach Speedway.  Theirault won at Dillon and finished second at Myrtle Beach. He and teammate Zak Hausler will be led by veteran crew chief Gary Crooks, who has had solid runs at Hickory in the past guiding the likes of Trey Mitchell and Landon Cling.  Needless to say, Theriault is optimistic about his chances.

            “We’ve been taking some really good cars to the track every week and I think we have a shot to come out with a win in the Easter Bunny,” said Theriault.  “I think Hickory suits my driving style coming from the North where you’re trying to conserve and be around at the end and I’m anxious to get to the track to see what I can learn and get better at.”

            Grissom, on the other hand, has probably driven more laps at Hickory Motor Speedway than any other track on the circuit.  In addition to racing Late Model Stocks there, Grissom made his first career PASS South start at Hickory in 2011 and scored his first series win in last year’s Easter Bunny.  But, unlike last year when he came to Hickory as an upstart, this year he comes as the driver to beat according to many observers.  And that’s a role he relishes.

            “We set the bar pretty high winning the first Easter Bunny race we ever ran, but Hickory’s such a crapshoot because the track changes so much and you never know what engine combination might take off and run well,” said Grissom.  “I’m looking forward to going back, it always a good field of cars, some of the toughest competition you’ll see all year.  It’s a neat race and a lot of fun to be in.”

As Grissom alluded, an all-star field of racers from all over North America have already sent in entries hoping to be a part of Saturday’s 8th Annual Easter Bunny 150.  Johanna Long returns to PASS for the first time since 2009 joining a host of drivers attempting to make their first Easter Bunny 150 including Bobby Measmer, Jr., Cole Timm, Karl Weber, Canadian driver Steve Laking, Chris Bohlman, Michigan’s Mark Beard and Joseph Mursuli.  Former Easter Bunny 150 winner Preston Peltier will also be back looking to win along with veteran drivers Clay Rogers, Trevor Sanborn, Brandon Ward, Jimmy Doyle, John Batten, Bill Catania and Clete Caywood.  Family racing traditions will continue for Justin Allison, Jared Irvan, and Harrison Burton, who will attempt to do the double by racing in the PASS Pro Late Model race and the Easter Bunny 150.  Local fans will have something to cheer about as Tyler Church returns driving a team car to Peltier, PASS South rookie Brandon Lynn, and Trey Gibson, piloting the Oscar Blues Brewery entry out of Colorado.

Action gets under way on Friday, March 29th with rotating practice from 3 – 6:30 PM for the PASS South Super Late Models, PASS Pro Late Models, and the brand new CCS Modified division.  On Saturday, March 30th, pit gates open at 10 AM, with rotating practice for all divisions from Noon – 2:50 PM, qualifying at 3:30 PM and feature racing at 6 PM.

PASS South Super Late Model entry forms for the Easter Bunny 150, Apple Blossom 200 at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval and TD Bank 250 as well as the 2013 PASS license forms for all divisions can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.

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 PASS Northwest Triple Crown at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval, PASS South’s Easter Bunny 150 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway, the Autobus La Qubecoise Triple Crown at Autodrome Chaudiere, and the legendary TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.  For technical information concerning all PASS divisions please contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230 or scottreedpass@yahoo.com.  For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or alandietzpass@live.com.  Please visit ProAllStarsSeries.com for more information and don’t forget to “Like” the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 27.3.13 0 comments

PASS South Series: Austin Theriault Hickory Motor Speedway Race Preview

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 3.27.13

For more information, visit AustinTheriault.com or
E-mail GWCNewEngland@gmail.com

THE STORY

FORT KENT, Maine – PASS South Series point leader Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, looks to put Brad Keselowski Racing back in Victory Lane when he heads to the PASS Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, N.C., on Saturday, March 30. Theriault, who hasn't finished worse than second in either of the first two PASS South races this season and is the only driver in the series to post Top-5 finishes in each of them, has never been to the famed .363-mile oval. He is coming off a win in the season opener at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway earlier this month, followed by a runner-up finish the following week at Myrtle Beach Speedway in the BKR No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion. BKR finished second in each of the two PASS South races contested at Hickory last season with driver Landon Cling, including this PASS National Series points race.

 

 

THE FACTS

WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine
TEAM: Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion
CREW CHIEF: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C.
BEST CAREER HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY: N/A
WHAT: PASS South Series Easter Bunny 150
WHERE: Hickory Motor Speedway, Hickory, N.C. (.363-mile oval)
WHEN: Friday, March 29 – 3 p.m., practice; Saturday, March 30 – 12 noon, practice; 3:30 p.m., qualifying; 8:15 p.m., race
PASS South Series

LAST RACE: March 16, Bash At The Beach 150, Myrtle Beach Speedway, Myrtle Beach, S.C. (2nd)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 1st

 

DID YOU KNOW?

·         Austin Theriault won the PASS South Series South Carolina Clash 150 at Dillon Motor Speedway on March 9 to become the first Brad Keselowski Racing development program driver to win a race since Landon Cling won at South Boston Speedway on June 9, 2012.

·         Austin Theriault hasn't finished worse than second in each of the last three PASS-sanctioned Super Late Model races he's entered. Prior to the South Carolina Clash 150 win, he was victorious in a family-owned car in the PASS North Series season finale at Oxford Plains Speedway in October of 2012.

·         Austin Theriault finished third in the prestigious Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in each of the last two seasons, becoming the youngest podium finisher in the 40-year history of the race in 2011.

·         Austin Theriault will compete in six PASS North Series races this season – three at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and three at Oxford Plains Speedway – in the same family-owned car where he won races at each of those tracks in 2012.

 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

AUSTIN THERIAULT, Driver of the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion, On his strong start to the PASS South Series season in 2013: “We've been pretty good this year everywhere we've been and unloaded. I'm looking forward to it this weekend. I think we'll have another shot at contending for a win. It's all about keeping momentum up and building on that each week, and I feel like we're doing that pretty well. If we keep this up, we will be a threat for winning anywhere we go.”

On the strong field of teams and drivers expected this weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway: “You definitely try to keep it in the back of your mind. If you think about it too much, though, there's also the chance of taking your eye off what's important – getting comfortable in the car, staying on top of the track, the basics. If you start focusing on who's around you and what's around you for competition, it's really easy to lose sight of the big picture.”

On Hickory being a notoriously flat track that's tough on equipment: “It seems like a lot of these PASS races are huge as far as tire management is concerned, and Hickory probably isn't going to be any different. A lot of times, if you don't race the race like you need to, you can have a good car for the first 100 laps and not win the race. It's important to run the whole race and run all 150 laps – you have be around at the end. You don't always have to have the best car to win these races. But if you do have the best car and save your stuff, you'll be in contention at the end.”

On improved qualifying efforts for the team in 2013: “That was one of the goals I set for the year, was to qualify better. We've been happy with it, but there's always room to get better. I'm going to keep working. The cars have been fast, everybody's doing the homework that has to be done at the shop, and we're improving on all fronts. It's not just in qualifying, either.”

 

UP NEXT

While the PASS South Series takes next weekend off, Austin Theriault and Brad Keselowski Racing are headed to the Southern Super Series season-opener with a 125-lap event at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on Saturday, April 6... The Southern Super Series begins its inaugural season of competition with the event at the Fairgrounds Speedway.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow Austin Theriault on Facebook: facebook.com/ATRacing
Follow Austin Theriault on Twitter: @austintheriault
Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Facebook: facebook.com/GWCMotorsports
Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Twitter: @GWCNewEngland

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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 27.3.13 0 comments

Bradley Babb Back Behind Wheel In 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 3.27.13

For more information, visit GWCMotorsports.com
or E-mail GWCNewEngland@gmail.com

 


3rd-Generation Beech Ridge Champion Sets Sights On Title Defense, PASS North Series

 

WINDHAM, Maine – Bradley Babb isn't one for hyperbole. Ask him about what it means to be a third-generation champion at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, joining his father and grandfather as a champion in the track's premier division, and he's already looking ahead.

 

 

“I don't really know what to say to it,” said Babb, 20, of Windham, Maine. “I mean, I still just want to go out and win races like they've always done.”

 

Babb's father, Bobby Babb Jr., is a five-time track champion at Beech Ridge and still competes in a car fielded by the family out of the same race shop, while grandfather Robert Babb Sr. is a two-time BRMS champion. Last season, though, the youngest Babb took his first step toward cementing his own legacy under the family name – winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track and state championships in a three-way battle that came down to the final night (and final laps) of the 2012 season.

 

After previously spending time away from the weekly wars by touring with the ACT Late Model Tour, Babb said it was the lessons he learned on the road that helped him when he finally returned to his roots at Beech Ridge.

 

“It's kind of odd going from long-distance (ACT) races back to short (weekly) races, but I learned patience last year,” Babb said. “When we were running the Tour, the only reason I had patience was because I knew I had to save my tires. Last year, I learned you need to keep the car in one piece and save something for the end there, too.”

 

Babb posted a win in the season opener and then locked up his title run with three consecutive Top-10 finishes to close out the year in the ultra-competitive Pro Series division for Super Late Model cars. Babb had just two finishes outside the Top-10 all season, the model of consistency he knows he needs to duplicate in 2013 if he wants to join his father and grandfather as a multi-time track champion.

 

“It's the only championship I've ever won, so I don't have anything to compare it to,” Babb said. “But one thing I know is that you have to have a consistent car every week and worry about yourself and not what everyone else is doing. It's a lot easier to run for a championship when you're only worrying about how your car is going instead of trying to pay attention to how fast everyone else is all the time.”

 

This offseason, he and his father had a new car built – though they are undecided as to whether Bradley or Bobby will race it. Whoever chooses not to will end up piloting Bradley's championship-winning car.

 

To start the season, Babb plans to enter the No. 4 Babb Wood Contractors Chevrolet in PASS North Series events at Oxford Plains Speedway (April 21) and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (May 5). He said he will evaluate where to focus his racing efforts after those two seasons, along with his crew chief and father, Bobby Babb Jr.

“I wish we never had to stop at the end of last year – but the snow kind of makes that happen, I guess,” Babb said. “Neither one of our cars is quite ready – so I'm glad we have a few more weeks, anyway. Take the new car to Oxford to see how it goes. I'm ready to get started.”

 

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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 27.3.13 0 comments

ACT Makes Key Staff Changes

Attached Photo: Lynch.jpg - ACT Racer and former Kawartha Speedway manager Derek Lynch will be taking over duties as Chief Steward on the Serie ACT Castrol in 2013.  He is among many key hires across the Castrol Series, ACT, and Thunder Road. (Photo Credit: Eric LaFleche)

 

Lynch Joins Série ACT Castrol as Chief Steward

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            ACT-032713-08

 

Waterbury, VT – American Canadian Tour officials have announced the hiring of several new officials across the Série ACT Castrol, Thunder Road, and the American Canadian Tour for the 2013 season.

 

The overhaul is headlined by the hiring of former Kawartha Speedway (ON) manager Derek Lynch as the Chief Steward of the Série ACT Castrol.  Lynch started racing with ACT at just 17 years old in the late 1980s, and had won the Oxford 250 before heading to the NASCAR Busch North Series.  His career eventually led him to Charlotte, NC, where he worked in fabrication for Darrell Waltrip racing.  In 2000, he married Cait Curley, daughter of long-time Thunder Road promoter Tom Curley, and took over management at Kawartha Speedway.  He left Kawartha at the end of last season.

 

“I think the Castrol series is much like Kawartha.  These teams are professional operations, and it’s going to be fun to work with guys doing this at such a high level,” said Lynch.  “There are a lot of guys leading the charge that I’ve had the pleasure of racing with over the last few years, but what really stands out for me is the young talent on this tour.  There is a great veteran presence, but there is also a talented group of young guys starting to make a name for themselves.  I think that’s critical.  I can’t wait to get started,” he finished.

 

Lynch will also be joined by fellow Ontarians Tom Kenyon and Dave Brown.  Kenyon, a long-time chassis builder, will serve as an official on the Série ACT Castrol, while Brown will become the Chief Tech Inspector after six years as the Head Tech Inspector at Kawartha Speedway.

 

On the ACT US side, John Hulburd has joined the staff for the 2013 season.  Hulburd got his start at Catamount Stadium flagging and eventually race directed for the NASCAR Busch North Series.  He has continued to flag for ACT part-time over the years, and will also be doing some race directing in 2013.  Former Oxford Plains Speedway official Randy Varney will also be joining the full-time staff, after assisting ACT part-time for a number of years.

 

At Thunder Road, Director of Competition Dean Gallison has bolstered the tech staff with the appointment of former Late Model and Tiger Champion Chuck Beede, who will take over as Steward and Chief Technical Inspector of the famous “Flying Tiger” division.  Beede is a well-known Tiger car builder, and the Beede family has been competing at Thunder Road for over three decades.  Chuck’s brother Danny served as the Chief Tech Inspector for the ACT ProStock series.

 

Gallison also appointed former Street Stock Champion Crew Chief Jamie MacAskill to join long-time official Sonny Barney and assist with the tech inspection for the Allen Lumber Street Stocks.  In addition, rejoining the Thunder Road staff will be Barre’s own Jamie Parker, who will take on control and inspection of tires for various divisions, along with former flagger Mike Renaud who will return in 2013.

 

Thunder Road Promoter and ACT President Tom Curley felt the changes were necessary, and has high hopes for the upcoming season.

 

“The time has come to bring in the best quality people to succeed over our foreseeable future,” said Curley.  “The addition of the Castrol officials and Dean’s (Gallison) appointees will certainly send the message to competitors that we are bringing in knowledgeable people to assist them in their racing and competitive needs,” he finished.

 

The 2013 season will kick off with the ACT season opening event at Lee Speedway on April 13/14.

 

For additional information head to www.acttour.com, call the ACT office at (802) 244-6963, or email us at media@acttour.com

 

Also, check out our social media at www.facebook.com/ACTTour or www.twitter.com/ACTTour

 

-30-

 

 


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