Mike Rowe Wins PASS South Championship
Naples, ME (December 5, 2006) — In April, 2006, PASS North Super Late Model Series regulars Mike Rowe, Scott Mulkern, Cassius Clark, Travis Benjamin, and Corey Williams made the long trip from Maine to legendary Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, NC for the Easter Bunny 150, the first race in the newly formed PASS South Super Late Model Series. All of them wanted to participate in the new series to test themselves against the best in the south at one of the legendary short tracks in the country.
At the end of the day, Mike Rowe of Turner, ME became the first winner in the new series and beat some of the best drivers in the south. In Victory Lane Mike said how honored he was to win at Hickory and see his name along side those of Junior Johnson, Ralph Earnhardt, Ned Jarrett, Harry Gant, Jack Ingram, Tommy, Andy, and Marty Houston, Dennis Setzer, and many more.
But that was only the beginning for Mike and the #24 team. But what do you do now that you’re leading the points in the South Series and you’re about to start the North Season? The races are from 700 to 1546 miles apart. The schedule gods smiled on Mike and the #24 team, and they were able to got to Southern National Speedway in Kenly, NC for the Southern Sizzler on May 21st. Mike finished third behind Freddie Query and was still in the points lead. You can’t walk away when you are leading the points, so it was off to Florence, SC on June 10th for the South Carolina Clash. Mike didn’t help the dilemma much because he finished third again behind Freddie Query and the winner Charlie Bradberry.
You get the drift. Mike was running between the North and the South Series, but not in a frequent flyer program but more often than not behind the wheel pulling the 53’ race car hauler. And to his credit and the credit of the entire #24 team they made all the races in both series. He won again at Tri-County in Hudson, NC on July 4th, finished third at Lanier National in Braselton, GA on Aug 5th, and was second at Hickory on August 27th. With seven races in the books, Mike was never out of the top five, but young Ryan Lawler of Colleyville, TX was right on his tail.
With only the Mason-Dixon Meltdown on Thanksgiving weekend at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, VA left to run and a slim 12 point lead over second-place runner Lawler, the entire PASS South season and the championship came down to the 250 lapper at South Boston on Saturday November 25th. Mike finished first in the Dash with Lawler lurking one row back, and that’s how they started the 250 lap feature.
A great rookie season came to an end for Lawler when he got caught up in a big wreck on the frontstretch ending his chances for the top prize. Mike, however, was not home free as he had brake problems in the late stages of the race, but the veteran was able to nurse the #24 home in third behind the Meltdown winner Cassius Clark of Farmington, ME and Johnny Clark of Hallowell, ME to claim the first PASS South Super Late Model Series championship.
Mike, being the racer’s racer, didn’t forget his roots and slack off in the 12-race PASS North Super Late Model Series. Mike parlayed four thirds and nine top tens into a second-place finish only 31 points behind the 2006 PASS North Champion Johnny Clark of Hallowell, ME.
A championship in the PASS South Super Late Models and a second place in PASS North Super Late Models is not a bad season for one of a group of teams that went south on an April weekend to race at a historic track and test themselves against some of the best teams in the south and have some fun before the season started in the north.