CHARLOTTE, NC (December 24) – There are many things that need to fall into place in order for a series to grow. In addition to garnering fan support, you have to have places to race and drivers that want to race. In each of the first two seasons of the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model division, the schedule was comprised of eight races each season. Through a process of trial-and-error, some tracks have proved to be better venues than others for the 600 horsepower “monsters” that compete in PASS South. The 2008 season will go down as a time when it was time to grow and expand. The PASS South schedule was expanded to 12 races. Of those 12 races, six were contested at tracks that PASS South had never competed on. Expanding on the theme of growth, numerous drivers came to PASS South either on a part-time or full-time basis that had never raced with the nation’s top short track series.
PASS South’s new and expanded era began, ironically enough, at the venue that has hosted more events than any other, the Hickory Motor Speedway. Drivers like John Fleming and Shaun Turple made the long tow from Canada. Bill Elliott development driver Mitch Cobb made his first start. And, short track legend Butch Miller made his first foray in to PASS South racing. The biggest surprise, though, came from a very unlikely source. John Stancill was a familiar name to fans of Legends car racing in the Carolinas. After a successful stint in Legends, Stancill moved up to the Pro Challenge division where more success followed. Coming into Hickory, the 15-year-old driver had never made a start in any type of full-bodied stock car, let alone a PASS South Super Late Model. Stancill started a very unassuming 26^th after advancing to the Easter Bunny 150 through the consolation race. That’s where Stancill’s anonymity ended. Once the green flag dropped, Stancill made a steady charge to the front racing with the likes of Ben Rowe, Ryan Lawler, and Corey Williams for the lead. Stancill eventually finished third and was now on everybody’s racing radar. At the end of the 2008 season, Stancill managed to score two more top five finishes and just missed out on winning the first ever PASS National Championship to Cassius Clark.
The second race of the season saw PASS making its deepest trek South by racing at the Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA. Florida’s Perry Brown began racing with PASS at the end of the 2007 season and had made the decision during the off season to race for the 2008 championship. At Watermelon Capital, Brown dominated to score his first career PASS South win over Georgia veterans Bubba Pollard and Ryan Seig, as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan. Brown continued to be one of the most consistent drivers on the circuit and would finish third in the final point standings.
Race number three was at yet another new venue and would see another first time winner. Motor Mile Speedway is a beautiful facility nestled in the hills of southern Virginia and was primed for some PASS South Super Late Model racing. When the green flag dropped, a great field of drivers looked to bring the Mom 150 trophy back home as a Mother’s Day present. Alex Haase and Trevor Sanborn waged a war early on for the lead, but an incident between the two took them out of contention for the win. Enter Zach Stroupe, who took advantage of their misfortune, to become the youngest winner in PASS racing at 15 years of age.
Along with the Hickory Motor Speedway, Orange County Speedway has been a mainstay on the PASS South schedule. But, it was a new winner that Orange County will be remembered for in 2008. Trevor Sanborn has long been considered a talent on the rise since he first started competing in the PASS North Series. However, with plenty of second and third place finishes to show for himself, the wins seemed to elude Sanborn. In 2008, Sanborn teamed with the Richard Moody Racing team on a part-time basis as a teammate to four-time PASS North champion Ben Rowe. In the Orange Blossom Special at Orange County in June, Sanborn electrified the crowd by holding off Jason Hogan in a back and forth battle to the checkered flag. In July, Sanborn was back at Orange County for the Southern Sizzler, the second of four PASS National races. Sanborn dominated this time to win the 200 lapper and take the $10,000 winner’s share back to Maine.
Next up, was PASS South’s first visit to the Wake County Speedway in Raleigh, NC. This would also mark the first time that many of the PASS South competitors had ever raced a Super Late Model on a quarter-mile speedway. That combination did not worry PASS South points leader Corey Williams who was used to racing this type of track in his native Maine. Somebody forgot to tell Alex Haase, though, that Williams was the favorite. Haase battled from the back of the pack to pass Williams late in the Capital City Clash for his first win of the 2008 season. The win also marked the first for Kyle Busch Motorsports and for Toyota in PASS. Haase came back in the Firecracker 125 at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway to win his second straight race and signal his competitors that he would be a contender for the 2008 championship.
As the months of August and September rolled around, three new venues in three different states were on the slate for PASS South. First up, was the South Carolina Clash at the Dillon Motor Speedway. Justin Wakefield held off all his competitors to take his first PASS South win on a Sunday afternoon that saw temperatures soar to upwards of 100 degrees. Next, it was off the Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, NC, for the Piedmont Pride Classic. Despite the race being dominated by Mark Gibson, Wakefield pounced after Gibson and Haase had problems to take his second straight PASS South win. In September, PASS South headed to the Volunteer State of Tennessee for the first time. The Daniel Boone Classic would be contested on the ultra high banked Newport Speedway. In qualifying, Tennessee native Heath Hindman blistered the track with a lap of just over 12-seconds. Hindman looked to have the car to beat, but was eliminated in a crash with Williams. The race would come down to an unlikely battle between USAR Hooters Pro Cup veteran Jay Fogleman and Bobby East, subbing for PASS South regular Brandon Johnson. Fogleman barely held off East to win in just his second PASS South start in what he called “the most fun racing I’ve done in years.”
The 2008 PASS South championship would be decided at the Mason Dixon Meltdown at South Boston Speedway in Virginia between Haase, Williams, and Brown. While those drivers raced for the championship, 2008 PASS North champion Johnny Clark would go on to dominate for his first PASS South triumph. The win at South Boston capped off a phenomenal season for Clark that saw him win three of Pass’s four “big money” races. Despite a wreck that took him out of contention for the win, Haase held on to win the PASS South Super Late Model title. Haase’s championship wrapped up a season that will be remembered as a season of growth for the PASS South Super Late Models. And that growth will continue in 2009 with new tracks and many new faces expected to try and make their own share of history next year.
Although the 2008 season is over, it won’t be long before the 2009 season begins. The 2009 PASS South season will begin on Saturday, March 14, 2009, with the Fourth Annual South Carolina Clash at the Dillon Motor Speedway in Dillon, SC. The 2009 PASS North Super Late Model schedule is nearing completion and will be released in the coming weeks.
For information on any PASS division go to racewithpass.com. For additional information contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or for technical information contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230