Lonnie Sommerville: PASS North Series 300
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Report
SCARBOROUGH, Maine– Lonnie Sommerville of Saint John, New Brunswick, continued his second-half surge in the PASS North Series with a fourth-place finish in the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Sunday, September 18. It marked Sommerville’s fourth-straight Top-5 finish and catapulted him into second in the overall PASS North standings with two races remaining. After starting 17th in the 33-car field, Sommerville took the lead for a brief stint on Lap 131. He fought a tight handling race car, however, over the final third of the event but was able to hold on and give Mulkern Racing two cars in the Top-4 at the checkered flag. Teammate and team owner Scott Mulkern finished second in just his fourth start of the season.
WHO: Lonnie Sommerville, Saint John, New Brunswick
TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet
TEAM MANAGER: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C.
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 300
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
STARTED: 17th
FINISHED: 4th
TIMES LED: 1
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: September 11, PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park, N. Woodstock, N.H. (5th)
NEXT RACE: September 24, PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park, N. Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile banked oval)
POINTS POSITION: 2nd
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LONNIE, HOW WAS YOUR DAY?
“I’m a little disappointed didn’t win this race today. At points, we had definitely the best car. But you’ve got to have the best car at the end on Lap 300. It is what it is, so we’ll go on to White Mountain next week.”
WHAT CAUSED YOUR HANDLING PROBLEMS?
“Just before we pitted we started hitting the cross-member on the race track, and we thought we had a right front going down. It kept hitting and hitting, but when we pitted it ended up that we had like 26 pounds (of air pressure) in the tire, so it was fine. When we put tires on and went back out, it was still hitting.
“We probably had a spring collapse. That’s what we’re figuring. When we put (new) tires on, it was a bit better – but only because they were newer tires. But it was still getting down into the turn, hitting the race track and I was chasing it up the track.”
YOU ENDED UP HAVING A GREAT POINTS DAY, THOUGH.
“It’s another fourth for us, so it’s a good points day. Ben (Rowe) had some troubles, and (Alexandre Gingras) had some troubles, too. So we probably gained a little bit from behind and we gained a little bit ahead.
“Obviously, Johnny (Clark’s) out of reach now, and rightfully so. They deserve it. They haven’t had any trouble all year. But I’m excited about this race team.”