Family is Key to Success for This Three-Time PASS North Champion
NAPLES, ME (April 20, 2007) – On May 20, 2001, Ben Rowe was part of the first-ever Pro All Stars Series event. The race took place at Lee USA Speedway in Southern New Hampshire. Rowe won his heat race that day, but ran into trouble during the feature and finished 23rd.
Since than, the Maine driver has more than made up for that 23rd-place finish. He won the PASS North Super Late Model title in 2002, 2003 and 2005. He has also won numerous races during that timeframe. Most impressive, though, might be Rowe’s “Ironman” status with the tour. Rowe has been in the starting field for every PASS North race in the tour’s history.
Rowe will return to the PASS North series in 2007, driving the #4 Richard Moody Racing entry. In addition to his PASS North duties, Rowe plans a very busy year at the racetrack. He is even eyeing a run at the PASS South championship and is off to a good start there, finishing second in the season-opening Easter Bunny 150.
“We’ve got a bunch of different cars,” said Rowe. “Who knows? We might run both series – PASS North and PASS South. We’ve talked about it. It’s a neat deal to be able to have options. We really enjoy going to new tracks and towing around. Rick has really given us that opportunity. If he wants to go and the crew wants to go, so be it, we’ll be there.”
During the PASS North off-season, Rowe and his team visited a number of tracks down South to fill their time off. They raced everywhere from Virginia to Florida to Alabama and were contenders in each event.
“I really, really enjoy going down South and running with those guys,” said Rowe. “That’s what we’ve been doing since we stopped racing up here last year. I respect those guys that you see on TV. Those are the names that you hear week in and week out. For us to go to Florida or Alabama to race with them means quite a bit to me.”
Rowe is proud to represent New England in those races. He’s also proud of the growth that he has witnessed in PASS North.
“We’re going to some really good tracks up here and it’s continuing to grow. We get more and more cars. It should be a good year.”
Racing is a family affair for Ben Rowe. He grew up watching his father, 2006 PASS South champion Mike Rowe, at tracks around the Northeast. He also raced alongside his brother Tommy for many years. Now, he gets to head to the track with the support of his wife and his two young sons, who rarely miss a race.
“My wife is a big part of this,” said Rowe. “She drags the kids everywhere. If I didn’t have a wife like her, I couldn’t do this. That goes for the guys on the team and Rick’s wife, too. In order for us to do this week in and week out and spend four or five days a week at the shop, the families really have to put up with a lot. We have a good time going out of state. That makes it a fun deal to have everyone there.
“It’s all one big family. My Dad and I work together during the week [at Rowe and Sons Trucking] and race against each other on the weekends.”
The PASS North Super Late Model season will kick off with a doubleheader weekend in early May. On Saturday, the tour will open their year at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (ME) on May 5th before heading to Speedway 95 for a Sunday afternoon show on May 6th.
For more information on the PASS South Series, contact Jeremy Troiano at (704) 788–2134; for information on the PASS North Series, contact Mike Twist at (207) 499-2565, and for technical and rules information on all of the PASS tours, please contact Scott Reed at (207) 625-3230. To find out more about marketing and sponsorship opportunities with PASS, please contact Steve Perry at (207) 468-0561.
Also, be sure to visit the official PASS South website at www.racewithpass.com and the official website of PASS North, www.proallstarsseries.com.