PASS Racers Prepare for Mason Dixon Meltdown

CHARLOTTE, NC :: As has been customary for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model division, the season will once again conclude with the running of the 9^th Annual Mason Dixon Meltdown on Saturday, November 15 at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, NC.

Some of the best short trackers from Canada to Florida are busily preparing their machines for what will be, for many of them, the final race of a long campaign.  One driver looking to cap off a pretty stellar 2014 season is Worcester, Massachusetts’s native Derek Ramstrom.  During the late summer and early fall, Ramstrom went to victory lane in two of New England’s most prestigious events, the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and the World Series of Stock Car Racing at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut.  Following a successful 5^th place outing with the Petit Motorsports team last weekend at Caraway Speedway’s North-South Shootout, Ramstrom is encouraged to return to his family owned team for another outing at Southern National.

“I love running the tracks down South,” said Ramstrom.  “There a lot different from the tracks in the Northeast.  They’ve got more banking, they’re a lot faster.  I definitely love to come down here.”

It would seem that the bigger events on the short track calendar have played in Ramstrom’s favor in recent years.  This year’s Mason Dixon Meltdown at Southern National Raceway Park is expected to have one of the biggest car counts of the season and to attract some of North America’s best racers.  And, at 200 green flag laps and with the option to change two tires at lap 125, Ramstrom is hoping his past experiences in big events will play out with a win in the Meltdown.

“We usually run strong at Southern National,” said Ramstrom.  “The last couple of years we’ve had some motor problems down there.  As long as the car runs good, I think we will definitely have a top five finish.”

In 2013, Ramstrom led laps and battled much of the race with eventual winner Tyler Church, before motor problems eventually sidelined him with less than 40 laps to go.  That performance has him excited to see what he and the Ramstrom’s Service Center team can do when they return to Southern National next weekend.

“You’ve just got to be consistent and try to stay in the top 10 in a long race like that,” says Ramstrom.  “Hopefully we can make the right adjustments when we pit, work together as a team, and hopefully be there at the end.”

While Ramstrom seeks a season ending win to cap off 2014, several drivers will be competing for championships.  Veteran Ben Rowe and rookie Tyler Dippel will be racing for the PASS National Chaampionship, while Tyler Church, Cole Timm, and Jared Irvan compete for the PASS South Super Late Model title.  In addition to Ramstrom and Rowe, fellow New Englanders Joey Doiron, Steve Legendre, and Wayne Helliwell, Jr. and Quebec’s Eric St. Gelais will be making the trip to Southern National.  Christopher Bell is hoping to continue his streak of finishing no worse than second in the last two events and will be joined by Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Karl Weber.   Tate Fogleman, Trevor Noles, Brandon Setzer, Tanner Rumburg, Jody Measamer, and Lucas Jones will each be seeking their first career PASS South wins.

Action at Southern National Motorsports Park for the 9^th Annual Mason Dixon Meltdown kicks off practice for all divisions on Friday, November 14 from 1 – 4:20 PM.  On Saturday, November 15, practice will start at 10 AM, with qualifying at 1:15 PM, and racing slated to start at 3 PM.  The PASS South Super Late Models will race for 200 laps, along with main events for the PASS Pro Late Models, Pee Dee/Coastal Supertrucks, and USAC Eastern Midgets.

PASS South Super Late Model entry forms as well as the complete weekend schedule for the 9^th Annual Mason Dixon Meltdown at Southern National Motorsports Park can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.