Mulkern Racing: PASS North Series
Stafford Motor Speedway Race Preview
Mulkern Racing will bring a two-car effort back to the Nutmeg State when the PASS North Series holds the inaugural PASS 125 at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford, Conn., on Sunday, August 26. Full-time driver Lonnie Sommerville of Saint John, New Brunswick, will pilot the No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet, while multi-time Stafford champion Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn., will make his second start of the season in the No. 18 Southern Maine Motors/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet. Christopher previously joined the team at Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut back in July, while Sommerville heads into the series’ first-ever race at the half-mile in the heart of Modified country off a second-place finish last time out at White Mountain Motorsports Park.
THE FACTS
WHO: Lonnie Sommerville, Saint John, New Brunswick
TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C.
BEST CAREER STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series 125
WHERE: Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn. (.500-mile oval)
WHEN: Sunday, August 26 – Practice, 1:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 4 p.m.; Race, 6:30 p.m.
WHO: Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn.
TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 18 Southern Maine Motors/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Seth Holbrook, Turner, Maine
BEST CAREER STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (multiple times – NASCAR Modifieds)
WHAT: PASS North Series 125
WHERE: Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn. (.500-mile oval)
WHEN: Sunday, August 26 – Practice, 1:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 4 p.m.; Race, 6:30 p.m.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ted Christopher is the most accomplished driver in Stafford Motor Speedway history, with seven career NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified championships and 118 career feature victories at the track, including 98 SK Modified wins. Both are track records.
Lonnie Sommerville jumped to fifth in the PASS North Series standings with his runner-up finish at White Mountain Motorsports Park on August 12.
Ted Christopher finished 11 in the Mulkern Racing No. 18 at Thompson International Speedway on July 12, after qualifying third and running inside the Top-2 throughout the first half of the event.
Crew chief Seth Holbrook has won three NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races at Stafford in his career, two with Kelly Moore and one with Dale Shaw.
Lonnie Sommerville has four Top-5s and seven Top-10s in 11 races this season.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
LONNIE SOMMERVILLE, Driver of the Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Southern Maine Motors Chevrolet, On how he approaches racing at a new track on the series: “For us, it’s about trying to do our job and make sure we don’t try and reinvent the wheel. You go and do what you know, and as a driver you don’t overdrive the turns while you get it figured out. I’ll ask around a little bit as far as what other guys know, and I’ll watch YouTube a little bit to get an idea of where they’re running, where they pass there. It looks like it’s a place that’s pretty hard to pass, but I try and familiarize myself with it that way and go in with a clean slate.
“Sometimes it’s easier to go somewhere you’ve never been, because you don’t have any bad habits.”
On having Ted Christopher as a teammate: “I don’t think it gives us any setup information or anything like that, because he hasn’t run these cars there. But it will be up to him as to whether he wants to give us some driving tips. To be honest, I’m not really sure how he is with that kind of stuff, because I haven’t worked with him a lot. Certainly, if I’m struggling in practice, it will be good to have him there so I can ask him about how I can improve.”
On finishing second at White Mountain Motorsports Park: “My confidence in what Gary can do and what I can do has never changed. I feel like a win has been right around the corner since April or May. It goes to show how difficult this business is. If you look at Cassius (Clark), he’s had a great year with three wins. If you compare our season to last year, we might have 100-point lead.
“It’s unpredictable, it’s difficult. Look at Oxford – it’s a perfect example. There was a situation that was a fluke kind of thing. I never would have imagined after last year we’d be at this point and still be talking about getting our first win. It’s frustrating, but it makes you dig a little harder.”
SETH HOLBROOK, Crew Chief on the Mulkern Racing No. 18 Southern Maine Motors/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet, On working with Ted Christopher: “We should be good He’s got a lot of races there. He’s won everything there is to win there. If we have any racer’s luck, and everything holds together for a 125-lap race, we should be really good.
“It’s easy to work with him. He doesn’t drive (Super Late Models) enough to be looking for a certain feel out there. If the car’s fast, he doesn’t care. He drives everything known to man, and he’s somewhat adaptable. You can’t beat that experience. Experience is huge.”
On what it takes to win at Stafford Motor Speedway: “The place has such long corners, you have to be able to turn in the center and then have forward drive off. You’ve got to be able to turn in the center to get a good run off, because the straightaways are so long.”
UP NEXT
The PASS North Series returns to White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., for the second time in three races for the PASS 150 on Saturday, September 8… Lonnie Sommerville finished second at White Mountain last time out.