NAPLES, ME (September 4) – The eyes of the short track racing world will be on Quebec’s Autodrome Chaudiere as the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models travel there this weekend for the final leg of the Autobus La Quebecoise Triple Crown. The Thunder Valley 200 will feature North America’s top short trackers competing for $10,000 to win, with an additional $20,000 in guaranteed lap leader money. But in addition to the winner’s large payday, there will be three separate points battles going on at the same time that will also peak fan’s interest.
First, PASS North points leader Joey Doiron looks to build on his slight advantage in the standings over Cassius Clark and Travis Benjamin. Doiron just completed a dream weekend in New Hampshire that saw him sweep the White Mountain Twin 150’s and will be looking to make it three PASS North wins in-a-row at Autodrome Chaudiere. Second, this is the final leg of the Autobus La Quebecoise Triple Crown, a separate championship comprised of the races at Chaudiere with a bonus point fund totaling over $30,000. After struggling through a dismal 2013 season, 6-time PASS North Champion Johnny Clark comes to this weekend’s Thunder Valley 200 seeking his first win of the season and clinging to a slim lead with only 20 points separating the top eight drivers. And finally, Saturday night’s race will be the fourth of five races that comprise the PASS National Series. PASS South Super Late Model points leader Jay Fogleman leads a strong contingent of drivers from the Southeast, including his son Tate, all of whom will be competing at Autdrome Chaudiere for the first time.
“Looking forward to the Canada trip, the fan base up there is always huge,” said Fogleman, who currently leads the PASS National points. “Everything up there is different. It’s just a whole different mindset and type of racetrack that you go to. We finally think we’ve got some things figured out for those little flat, slick racetracks and really looking forward to going.”
There a few short track drivers that have logged the number of hours traveling that Georgia’s Spencer Davis has this season. Competing primarily in the PASS South Series in 2013, Davis has raced everywhere from Florida to the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine. Davis currently sits fourth in PASS National points, just 38 markers behind Fogleman. After impressive top 10 finishes in the PASS National events at Hickory Motor Speedway and Oxford Plains, Davis feels he and his team are primed for another strong showing this weekend at Chaudiere.
“I like to race with new people, but it’s going to be cool to have more Southerners coming up there and hopefully the PASS South guys can clean out the top five spots,” said Davis. “I’ll watch some videos to see what the line is like and we’re going to go in there hoping to gain some more points on the leaders. It would be cool to get a win up in Canada, but I’ll take a top five any day.”
Despite not being in the national championship picture, Ross Kenseth comes to the Thunder Valley 200 looking to claim another major event victory. After a solid season in 2012 saw him finish in the top 10 in PASS South points, Kenseth has elected to compete in a partial schedule this year. In three PASS South starts in 2013, Kenseth has a second at Southern National Motorsports Park and won both races at South Boston Speedway, including last weekend’s SoBo 100.
“Running the PASS South Series last year, I had not seen a lot of the tracks we raced on, so this is kind of the same,” said Kenseth. “I love going to new racetracks, meeting new people, and racing with a new crop of drivers. I’ve heard a lot about the fans up there and that will be a new experience, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
In addition to the drivers already mentioned, a strong group of challengers from the States has already entered led by 4-time PASS North Champion Ben Rowe, Austin Theriault, Chad Dow, Brent Dragon, and Michael Landry. As one would also expect, Quebec will have a standout contingent looking to defend their home turf including Patrick Laperle, who won the first race of the Triple Crown, Karl Allard, Marc Andre Cliché, Steve Cote, Jean-Francois Dery, Alexandre Gingras, Dany Poulin, Kevin Roberge, and Dany Trepanier.
Action will get under way on Saturday, September 7th at Autodrome Chaudiere for the Thunder Valley 200 with rotating practice for the PASS North Super Late Models and support divisions starting at 12:30 PM, PASS heat races will start at 6:30 PM followed by main event action and a fireworks show to conclude the evening.
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’s 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.