CHARLOTTE, NC (May 27) – In recent days, citizens of the United States have observed one of our Nation’s most somber holidays, Memorial Day. Each year at this time we recognize the brave men and women who have fought for our freedom and those who paid the ultimate price with their life. This weekend the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) will conclude the Memorial Day week with the inaugural running of the Salute Our Heroes 150 at the Coastal Plains Raceway near Jacksonville, NC. All military personnel from any branch of the United States Armed Forces attending Saturday night’s race will only pay $10 for a ticket to see some of the best short track racing in North America. For those not familiar with the area you might ask why PASS chose Coastal Plains Raceway to host the Salute Our Heroes 150.
Well, the track is less than 20 minutes from the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejuene and Marine Corps Air Station New River. Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station is located just up the coast from Jacksonville and less than two hours away one can find the Army’s Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, NC. And, that’s why the race is called the Salute Our Heroes 150. That way PASS can salute heroes from all branches of the military, active or retired.
“We felt like this was a great way for us to honor those who have done so much for our country,” said PASS President Tom Mayberry. “Coastal Plains Raceway is in a great location to put on this type of event and our brand of racing with double-file restarts and lots of action is our small way of giving something back to our heroes.”
The Salute Our Heroes 150 has all the makings of a classic. This weekend’s race will not only mark the first trip for the PASS South Super Late Models to Coastal Plains Raceway, but will also mark the first time a Super Late Model car of any type has ever been on the track since it opened in 1999. And, Coastal Plains should present a unique challenge to the talented drivers of PASS. The track is a wide, 4/10 mile oval that will present plenty of opportunities for passing and side-by-side racing. The most unique aspect of Coastal Plains is the double-dog leg on the front straightaway. Looking at an aerial view of the track, Coastal Plains looks like a shorter version of Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
PASS South points leader Ben Rowe will lead the charge to Coastal Plains fresh off a PASS North win this past weekend at White Mountain Motorsports Park in New Hampshire. However, young Ryan Blaney and veterans Heath Hindman and Preston Peltier look to slow Rowe down and tighten the gap in the PASS South standings. Justin Wakefield, Jay Fogleman, and Mark Gibson were all championship favorites coming into the season and with strong runs of late they hope to use the Salute Our Heroes 150 as a springboard to the second half of the 2009 season. Rookies Tayla Orleans and Devin Jones have shown a tremendous amount of talent in their first season of PASS South racing and with a little luck both could find themselves with a chance of winning as early as this weekend.
The Salute Our Heroes 150 will also see its fair share of new and returning drivers to the PASS South Series “Big” Jim Kelley and Shelton McNair, Jr. have nearly 50 years of experience between them and call the coast of North Carolina home. Kelley and McNair have turned countless laps racing Super Late Models throughout the Southeast from the legendary Big 10 Series at Concord Speedway to winter racing in Florida during Speedweeks. However, they’ve never competed against one another at Coastal Plains. Kelley has raced and won at Coastal Plains in a Limited Late Model, but McNair has never raced at the track just south of his home in Plymouth, NC. Another former Big 10 standout Hal Goodson returns to PASS South after work commitments kept his team away from the most recent PASS South race at Wake County Speedway. Goodson will definitely be a contender at Coastal Plains after scoring two top ten finishes in the first three races of the season.
Last year, John Stancill shocked the short track racing world charging from 26th to finish 3rd in his first PASS South Super Late Model start at Hickory Motor Speedway’s Easter Bunny 150. Stancill would go on to just miss out on the PASS National Championship finishing second in the standings to Cassius Clark. In 2009, Stancill has ventured out looking for other racing opportunities, but returns to PASS South this weekend at Coastal Plains with more PASS races scheduled for the second half of the season.
“I'm really excited to be racing, especially at Jacksonville,” said Stancill. “It seems like I've had a lot of bad luck this year, I've had problems getting my motors ready and we just didn't want to rush things so we opted out of the first few races. I took the car to Hickory a few weeks ago to shake it down and it seemed pretty good so I'm really anxious to race it.”
Corey Williams and Ryan Moore will make their first starts with PASS South since competing in the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory. Both drivers cut their teeth racing in Maine and have since relocated to North Carolina. Williams is the all time PASS South wins leader with four victories and finished second in the 2008 PASS South point standings. Moore is a former winner in the NASCAR Camping World East Series and is the son of Kelly Moore.
Also returning to PASS South this weekend will be veteran competitor Tim Pinion and newcomer Joey Coulter. Pinion has a new car and a new attitude and is looking forward to making his first start of the season. Coulter has been dabbling in everything from Late Model Stock cars to ARCA and tried to make the Easter Bunny 150, but was sidelined with engine problems during practice.
The Salute Our Heroes 150 will have a stout under card in addition to the PASS South Super Late Models filled out by the PASS Late Model Trucks, Limited Late Models, Street Stocks, and Pure Stocks. Through four PASS Late Model Truck races, Grant Davidson is on a three race win streak. Those finishes have given Davidson a slight edge in points over Ben Ebeling and Clint King, who has finished second in the last two races. Michael Cooper led several laps at Orange County until tire problems dropped him to a third place finish. This weekend, veterans Joe Heigl, Marty Griggs, and rookie Justin Crider look to end Davidson’s winning ways. The PASS Late Model Truck count should increase this weekend following the announcement from PASS that competitors new to the series had the option to purchase four new tires or could race on two new tires and two scuffed tires. The PASS Late Model Trucks have had a total of 21 drivers compete with the new series and will take a break following the race at Coastal Plains. The next PASS Late Model Truck race will be on Sunday, July 5th at the Hickory Motor Speedway.
Action gets under way this weekend on Friday, May 29th at Coastal Plains Raceway with pit gates opening at 2:30 PM and rotating practice for all divisions from 4 PM to 7 PM. On Saturday, May 30th, pit gates open at 11:30 AM, with rotating practice for all divisions from 2:30 PM to 4:45 PM, qualifying will be at 5 PM, and racing will start at 6:45 PM. Coastal Plains Raceway is located just off NC Highway 24 between Richlands and Jacksonville. For more information go to coastalplainsraceway.com or racewithpass.com. For marketing or media questions contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or for technical information contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230