CHARLOTTE, NC :: Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model teams are currently enjoying a much needed summer break, but they are also busily preparing for the final third of the 2014 season. And one word more than any other can be used to describe the action seen so far this year…parity.
As the PASS South Super Late Models look towards their upcoming event on August 16 at South Boston Speedway in Virginia, fans and racers alike are excited to see what will happen next. Only Daniel Hemric has been able to win more than one PASS South Super Late Model race this year, and of those wins, Hemric took the lead with 12 or fewer laps to go in each of them. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Preston Peltier’s recent win at Southern National Motorsports Park and Hemric’s win in the season opener at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, there has been at least one lead change in the final five laps of every race so far this year.
Championship contenders Tyler Church and Cole Timm each have one win in 2014, with Church just 28 points ahead of Timm in the battle for the title. And, South Boston could play well into Timm’s championship hopes since he edged out Peltier there for his first career win back in June. Other winners this year include PASS North Super Late Model front runner DJ Shaw’s exciting win over Church in the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway and Concord, NC’s Roger Lee Newton taking the checkered flag at Orange County Speedway back in April.
But, when looking even harder at the numbers, you will realize that the parity in PASS South this year goes even deeper. Of the 75 drivers who have raced in at least one PASS South event in 2014, 14 have led laps. In three of those races, Garrett Campbell at Greenville-Pickens, Gus Dean at Dillon Motor Speedway, and Brandon Ward at Southern National, each led the most laps in their respective events, but failed to take home the victory.
Add to that, several other drivers have been knocking on the door to victory, but just have not quite gotten there. Championship contenders Jared Irvan, Tyler Dippel and Trevor Noles have all led laps this year and raced in the top five. Brandon Setzer has been one of the hottest drivers in the series as of late finishing in the top 5 in four of the last five events, while fellow rookie Harrison Burton has also shown strength during the summer, leading the most laps at South Boston in June and recording a career best second place finish at Greenville-Pickens in July. Add to the mix, third generation racer Tate Fogleman who has finished in the top 10 in two of the last three races, including a strong third place finish at Southern National.
When you put all of these factors together, it is very likely that we will see even more different winners this year and, possibly, several first time winners. And, you can’t ask for much more than that when you go to see a great short track race.
Action gets under way on Friday, August 15th at South Boston Speedway with rotating practice for all divisions. On Saturday, August 16th, practice goes from 2 to 4 PM, followed by qualifying at 4:45 PM. The PASS South Super Late Models will race for 150 laps, along with Twin 75’s for the NASCAR Late Model Stocks slated to start at 7 PM.
PASS South Super Late Model entry forms for South Boston Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.
