Lonnie Sommerville: PASS North Series
Canaan Fair Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
Lonnie Sommerville of Saint John, New Brunswick, looks to turn his bad luck around when the PASS North Series heads to the Firecracker 150 at Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H., on Saturday, July 2. Sommerville, who is coming off back-to-back finishes outside of the Top-10 thanks to mechanical woes, has never competed at the facility – but his Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet team is the defending champion of this event. The event kicks off a busy stretch for the PASS North Series, with the race serving as the first of three events in an 11-day stretch.
THE FACTS
WHO: Lonnie Sommerville, Saint John, New Brunswick
TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Seth Holbrook, Turner, Maine
TEAM MANAGER: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C.
BEST CAREER CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT CANAAN FAIR SPEEDWAY: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series Firecracker 150
WHERE: Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 5 p.m., Saturday, July 2
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: June 25, Habitations Dany Lagace 150, Autodrome Chaudiere, Vallee Jonction, Que. (19th)
NEXT RACE: July 9, Southern Maine Motors 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 6th
DID YOU KNOW?
Lonnie Sommerville will race for the second straight week on a track he has never competed at. He has also never tested at Canaan Fair Speedway.
Mulkern Racing won the Firecracker 150 last season with driver Ben Rowe.
Lonnie Sommerville has set the fast practice time in two of the four PASS events this season.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
LONNIE SOMMERVILLE, Driver of the No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet, On what he knows about Canaan Fair Speedway: “Nothing. We’re going to run lots of horsepower – I know that – and the guys on the team said it might be kind of similar to the track in Quebec (Chaudiere). They said it was like that, as far as the setup they used last year.
“To be honest, I haven’t even looked at it. I usually go on YouTube or the internet and try and look at places before we go there, but I haven’t even done that yet. I’ll probably go on YouTube in the next couple of days just to get some idea of what to expect. I’m looking forward to it. They won there with Ben (Rowe), and I think our cars are better this year than they were last year.”
On whether or not there’s a silver lining in the team’s recent struggles: “Oh yeah. Right now, I think to be honest – even though I know it doesn’t mean anything – I think we’ve been better than Johnny (Clark) every week. Practice doesn’t mean anything or pay anything, but we’ve been better. I know it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t back it up – but I’m confident we have the best race team in the PASS series.
“It’s just a little bit of a rough stretch.”
On how the team plans to approach the next several races: “From here on out, we’re going to race for wins and if at the end of the year it works, it works. But we’re going to see how many wins we can get. Now, to win the championship, it’s a long shot.
“There’s no lack of funding or effort on (team owners) Vickie and Scott (Mulkern’s) part. Our guys communicate well. Seth (Holbrook) and Gary (Crooks) are working great together. We’re having fun, and it’s a hard game to have fun at the race track and be fast – but we’ve got that right now. Every time we unload, I’m guessing we’re damn near the Top-5 in every practice this year.
“It’s a helluva race team Scott and Vickie have put together… Now it’s up to us.”
UP NEXT
The PASS North Series races next weekend in the Southern Maine Motors 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 9… The track was where the 2011 season started, and where Lonnie Sommerville finished fourth back in April.
Read more on the PASS forum – http://www.neracingforum.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17