Story by: Corey Latham ~ [email protected]

Anderson, SC(March 10, 2011) — The PASS South Series kicks off their 2011 campaign this weekend at the Anderson Motor Speedway in Anderson, SC. This season looks like the previous ones, ready to bring the Super Late Models up another notch as the entire PASS organization grows each year. The big names will be there with a few newcomers mixed in, and Race22 will be there to bring you all the details.

Preston Peltier goes in as the man to beat in the “Electric City 150”, coming off his stellar season which saw him take home the PASS South and National titles. Peltier and his Johnson Racing team look to be even tougher this season after a busy off-season, Richard Petty Driving Experience will be doing their engines this season adding more power under the hood so that is just more bad news for the competition.

The champ will have some of the usual suspects nipping at his heels to take home the win at Anderson this weekend as Jay Fogleman, Andy Loden, Ryan Blaney and Justin Wakefield look to take home the checkereds. Fogleman, the elder statesman of the PASS Series, looks to improve on his fourth place points finish of last season by leaving Anderson first in the points.

Former Late Model Stock star Loden had a break-out season last year winning three races and a pole, and Wakefield looks to bounce back to form after having an off season in 2010, he did win two races but finished outside of the top five in points after looking like he was ready to be the guy to challenge for the championship after the 2009 campaign. Of course you have Blaney, there is no wondering about him at all, he will contend for each win and the championship, that looks to be a given.

The question marks will be the newcomers to PASS. Gray Gaulding is only 13 years-old, but he walks the walk, talks the talk, and seems ready to back it up as he makes his way from Legend cars to the powerful Super Late Models. As a developmental driver for Kevin Harvick Inc. he will have all the resources he needs and Anderson will be a great test right out of the box as it is one of the toughest bullrings around. Josh Brock is another young driver that will competing at Anderson fresh off winning the K&N Filters $45,000 sponsor and scholarship program. He will mainly be racing on the West Coast in the Grand American Modifieds but looks to make select starts in the PASS series with this weekend being his first ever.

There has to be one dark horse that sticks out though, and while not really a dark horse after threatening each race and picking up his first PASS victory at South Boston last year, Jimmy Weller looks poised to make waves in 2011. Weller has the look of Wakefield in 2009, improving each event and coming into the new season as a title contender that needs to be looked at. The Ohio native has racing sparingly in the past from funding, but after making a full season run in PASS last year he looks to do it again with various CRA and other “big show” events scattered throughout his schedule.

Coming into the first event of the season for any series, It’s simply hard to make any predictions at all. But if history tells anything the PASS series looks as good as ever, Anderson will set the tone for an exciting 2011 season which is on track to be It’s biggest yet.