DJ Shaw put his Precision JLM Toyota out front on lap 104 of Saturday night’s Pro All Stars Series (PASS) 150 to earn his first super late model feature win of 2012. Travis Benjamin raced home in second and Ben Rowe was third.
The victory was Shaw’s first PASS feature victory since September of 2011 when he checkered at White Mountain Motorsports Park. The Center Conway New Hampshire racer, who builds the race cars he drives for Julio and Rita Miglioli, now has four PASS North career wins. He joins Cassius Clark, Travis Benjamin,Johnny Clark, Derek Ramstrom, Joey Doiron and Scott Dragon on the 2012 PASS North winner’s list.
Seekonk Speedway is the birthplace of Pro Stock (now Super Late Model) racing and the tracks’ weekly competitors have proven that they can compete with the best PASS has to offer. Until tonight Johnny Clark was the only PASS regular to defeat the home town racers and when qualifying was over the top ten was peppered with local boys including Ryan Vanasse on the pole and Fred Astle in the third spot. Vanasse and Ben Rowe brought the 27 car field to the initial green and Vanasse led the first 32 stanzas until multi time Seekonk champ Fred Astle took over briefly. Derek Ramstrom took it to Astle on a lap 35 restart and he looked strong, maintaining his lead through the half way mark with Travis Benjamin, Austin Theriault, Vanasse and DJ Shaw the top five at the crossed flags.
Benjamin and Ramstrom swapped the lead on two restarts, but the pair got together on the next one and Ramstrom went for a ride, spinning from the lead. The incident put Benjamin out front but Shaw was now second with Lonnie Sommerville, Rowe and Vanasse all chasing the top two. Shaw made the winning move when the green flew, and Benjamin barely survived Ben Rowe’s three wide move on the final lap to keep the runner up spot.
Shaw’s margin of victory was .419 seconds; fourteen drivers completed all 150 laps. Seven cautions slowed the pace. Heat race winners were Vanasse, Rowe and Astle.
PASS heads to the White Mountains of New Hampshire this Sunday August 12th when The PASS North Super Late Models, PASS Mods and Sportsman will all be in action at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock. Race time is 2:00 PM.