Johnny Clark: PASS North Series – Lee USA Speedway Race Report
Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine, finished second in the PASS North Series Bastille 200 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H., on Tuesday, July 13. The finish marked the fifth top-2 for Clark in as many starts this season, and allowed the series points leader to extend his lead over Ben Rowe unofficially to 10 points through six races. Clark led the Bastille 200 on two occasions for a race-high 113 laps but was passed by eventual race winner Mike Rowe on a restart with 12 laps remaining.
WHO: Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, Maine
TEAM: No. 54 Clark’s Car Crushing/Port City Chevrolet
WHAT: PASS North Series Bastille 200
WHERE: Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
STARTED: 11th
FINISHED: 2nd
LED: 2 times for 113 laps
NEXT RACE: Saturday, July 17th, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine
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JOHNNY, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR NIGHT?
The car was just phenomenal. It was on rails. We had a tire issue or something (early), a bleeder — I don’t know what happened. We dropped backto third after taking the lead, but we pitted and put those right sides on and the car was just phenomenal the whole second half.
I had over a straightaway lead (with 25 laps remaining), and I was so far ahead I couldn’t see second place. I knew it was going to come down to a last-minute restart, and that’s what happened. You just can’t win them all.
DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A CHANCE TO HOLD OFF MIKE ROWE ON THE FINAL RESTART?
If I could beat him into (turn) one and have the line on him… there would have been contact — just like there was contact when he went by after he got a fender on me. He knew that, too — that whoever got a fender on who was going to take the line away.
(Rowe) did exactly what he needed to do to win the race… It was just one of these deals. If I’d gotten just a little bit better restart on the tires, it might have been different.
A DISAPPOINTING FINISH, NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.
You just hate to lose them that way after such a dominating performance.
But the last five races, we have three wins and two seconds. That’s pretty good. We’re just going to keep plugging away.