CHARLOTTE, NC :: Since the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models first began turning laps on the short tracks of New England and Canada in 2001, Ben Rowe has been there virtually from the beginning. Rowe, a 4-time PASS North Super Late Model Champion and 2-time winner of the prestigious Oxford 250, has become a modern day short track racing legend thanks to his exploits in PASS over the last 15 years. But, PASS Super Late Model racing’s all-time winningest driver, with nearly 40 checkered flags to his credit, has struggled in recent seasons. Last year, Rowe came South to Caraway Speedway for the North-South Shootout hoping to end the year on a strong note. And, following a late-race caution that eliminated several contenders for the win, Rowe did just that, taking his first win of the season and first in the North-South Shootout.
“It was kind of our strategy to back off, but the leaders got out front and we couldn’t run with them,” said Rowe, following last year’s come from behind win at Caraway. “I knew all hell was going to break loose with 10 or 15 laps to go and we just wanted to be in the right position. I’d rather be lucky than good any day and low and behold we got through the wreck and were leading with just a few laps to go.”
Rowe comes to Saturday afternoon’s 12th Annual John Blewitt III Memorial North-South Shootout Presented In Memory Of Charles Kepley in a similar position as last year. The Turner, Maine veteran struggled through another PASS North Super Late Model season in 2014, going winless and without scoring a single top five finish. Despite all that, Rowe still finished sixth in the final standings and appeared to be getting the program turned around on the famed Richard Moody & Sons Construction #4. Now, with two North-South Shootouts at Caraway Speedway under his belt, including the win last year, Rowe hopes to end the season on a high note by contending for another win.
“Last year was kinda strange really,” says Rowe. “It seemed pretty clean until the end then everyone went nuts. Getting another win in the North-South Shootout would be a huge lift for all of us, especially after the season we’ve head.”
And, despite his New England roots, PASS South has been good to Ben Rowe. In fact, he won the PASS South Super Late Model Championship in 2009 on the way to his first PASS National Championship. Of his 8 career PASS South wins, two have come in the Mason-Dixon Meltdown, at Concord Speedway in 2007 and at South Boston Speedway in 2009. As he did last year, Rowe will stay in North Carolina following the North-South Shootout for the 9th Annual Mason-Dixon Meltdown which will be held at Southern National Motorsport Park on Satuday, November 15. Rowe leads the PASS National Championship standings heading to the final race of the season hoping to hold off rookie Tyler Dippel for his third National title.
But before they do that, Rowe and Dippel will have to attend to this weekend’s business at Caraway Speedway. This year’s North-South Shootout has all the earmarks of another classic as Tyler Church, Cole Timm, and Jared Irvan look to bounce back after lackluster performances at Orange County Speedway as they compete for the PASS South Super Late Model championship. Tate Fogleman, Trevor Noles, and Brandon Setzer will each be seeking their first career PASS South wins. Other drivers who have pre-entered for Saturday afternoon’s race include veterans Jimmy Doyle, Randy Gentry, Brandon Lynn, Jody Measamer, Ted Mickelson, Kevin Powell, and Brandon Ward. Massachusetts driver Derek Ramstrom is planning on double-duty in the North-South Shootout competing in both the PASS South Super Late Model race and Tour-type Modified feature.
Action at Caraway Speedway gets started early for the 12th Annual North-South Shootout with an optional practice for all divisions on Thursday, October 30th from Noon – 6 PM. On Friday, October 31 practice will go from 11 AM – 4:10 PM, with grandstand gates opening at 4 PM, and qualifying set to start at 5 PM for the PASS South Super Late Models, Tour-type Modifieds, USAC Eastern Midgets, and Limited Late Models, followed by the PASS last chance race, Tour-type Modified heat races and support division features at 7 PM. On Saturday, November 1, practice will start at 9:30 AM, with grandstand gates opening at 11 AM, the pit party at 12:30 PM and racing slated to start at 2 PM. The PASS South Super Late Models will race for 150 laps, along with 125 laps for the Tour-type Modifieds, and 100 laps for the Limited Late Models.
PASS South Super Late Model entry forms as well as the complete weekend schedule for the 12th Annual North-South Shootout at Caraway Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.
