CHARLOTTE, NC (October 21) – Rarely do you find a weekend of racing
that will provide as much as action as what is about to be unleashed
upon the South Boston (VA) Speedway. NASCAR and the Pro All Stars
Series (PASS), two of the nation's leading sanctioning bodies in short
track racing, are combining to bring racing fans the Mason Dixon 500.
This weekend America's top racers from the PASS North and South Super
Late Model divisions, along with the NASCAR Whelen All American Series
Late Model Stocks cars, will converge on South Boston Speedway to
compete in twin 250 lap races paying $10,000 each to the winners.
But, before we look at the headline events, how did the Mason Dixon
500 come to being?
Since the late 1980's, a majority of race tracks in the Southeastern
United States have utilized the Late Model Stock cars as their
featured NASCAR division. In that time, South Boston's annual season
finale has been one of the marquee events on the NASCAR Late Model
Stock calendar. As for PASS, the PASS North division began back in
2001, with the PASS South division coming on board in 2006. In 2006,
PASS South held the first Mason Dixon Meltdown at South Boston with
2008 PASS National Champion Cassius Clark taking the win in the
inaugural event. Last year's Mason Dixon Meltdown moved to the
Concord (NC) Motorsport Park with four-time PASS North champion Ben
Rowe edging out Corey Williams for the win. During the off season,
South Boston Speedway General Manager Cathy Rice and PASS President
Tom Mayberry discussed the possibility of bringing the Mason Dixon
back to South Boston and merging it with the big Late Model Stock
weekend in October. The idea seemed to make perfect sense and thus
the Mason Dixon 500 was born.
Heading to South Boston, the PASS South Super Late Models are readying
for what could be one of the biggest events in series history. And,
there aren't any shortages of story lines either. Following the
Howler 150 at Greenville-Pickens (SC) Speedway, the race for the PASS
South championship has been turned on its head. Former PASS South
points leader Corey Williams' string of bad luck continued after a
mechanical problem in the Howler. That has allowed Howler winner Alex
Haase to take the advantage in the PASS South standings and has put
Perry Brown back in contention for the championship. Two-time PASS
South winner Justin Wakefield, Heath Hindman, Mark Gibson, and Alex
Fleming are among the other PASS South regulars who continue to have a
shot at the title should circumstances work out in their favor.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle for the PASS South regulars to overcome at
this weekend's Mason Dixon 500 will be the huge number of drivers
coming in from PASS North and other Super Late Model series. The
Mason Dixon has been dominated thus far by PASS North competitors and
this year might not be any different with no less than a dozen New
Englanders and Canadians coming down to try and take the Southern
loot.
In the second half of the 2008 PASS North season, no driver was
stronger than the champion, Johnny Clark. Of Clark's four wins in
2008, three of them came in the second half of the season. Second
year driver Adam Bates won two PASS North races this year and proved
he could race in the South by finishing second in the Howler at
Greenville-Pickens. Among the other PASS North drivers heading South
are 2008 PASS North winner D.J. Shaw, former NASCAR Camping World East
Champion Kelly Moore, Trevor Sanborn, and Canadian drivers John
Fleming and Lonnie Summerville.
As if that were not enough, this weekend's field for the Mason Dixon
just gets stronger. Jay Fogleman has turned many laps at South Boston
over the years in NASCAR Late Model Stocks and USAR Hooter's Pro Cup
competition and comes to the Mason Dixon high on momentum. Fogleman
won in just his second PASS South start at the Newport (TN) Speedway
and just this past weekend won round three of the USAR Hooter's Pro
Cup Championship Series at Southern National Raceway Park. Former
NASCAR All Pro Series champions Jeff Fultz and Hal Goodson have filed
entries along with up and comers like Bubba Pollard, Ryan Blaney and
Bill Elliott development driver Casey Roderick.
The NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model Stock entry list is
just as impressive. Over 60 of the top Late Model Stock drivers in
the Southeast are expected to try and qualify for their portion of the
Mason Dixon 500. Phillip Morris, who won his second NASCAR Whelen All
American Series championship this year, should be among this weekend's
favorites. But, just like the PASS South division, he will have more
than his fair share of competition. South Boston Speedway will be
represented by a number of regulars including 2008 Late Model Stock
champion Wayne Ramsey and the top two drivers in Limited Sportsman
points, Lee Pulliam and Bruce Anderson. Peyton Sellers returns to the
track that made him a NASCAR Whelen All American Series Champion after
a very successful 2008 campaign in the NASCAR Camping World East
Series. Other top competitors already enetered include Davin Scites,
Greg Edwards, Brandon Butler, Stacy Puryear, Matt McCall, and Frank
Deiny, Jr.
This weekend's Mason Dixon 500 begins on Friday, October 24th with
rotating practice starting at 1 PM, qualifying for the NASCAR Late
Model Stocks and PASS South Super Late Models at 4 PM and qualifying
heat races at 7 PM. RC2 Race City Race Cars will present $200 to the
fastest qualifier in the PASS South Super Late Model division. On
Saturday, October 25th, grandstand gates will open at 11 AM, last
chance races will be at Noon, with the 250 lap main event for the
NASCAR Late Model Stocks starting at 3 PM to be followed by the 250
lap main event for the PASS South Super Late Models.
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