November 14, 2024
AUTO RACING

Unique weekend scheduled at ’95’ Two PASS races set Sept. 10-11

Racing fans in the Bangor area will get a rare opportunity to watch a pair of Pro All-Stars Series races on the same weekend.

The tour’s Community Pharmacies 150, which had been rained out twice, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10 at Hermon’s Speedway 95. It has been changed to a 100-lap race. Racing will begin at 6.

The following day, the PASS tour will hold its regularly scheduled E.J. Prescott Co. 150 at Speedway 95 beginning at 2 p.m.

It will be the first time PASS races will be held at the same track on consecutive days in the five years of the tour.

“We’re trying to save everybody a little bit of money on travel,” PASS President Tom Mayberry said. “We’ve always received real good support from those fans up there. That’s another reason we’re doing them both.”

Mayberry also said he decided to reduce the first race back from 150 to 100 laps “so they can get out of there at a decent hour since they have to come back the next afternoon.”

“It will be good for the Bangor area, the merchants, the hotels and the restaurants,” said Unity’s Ralph Nason. “And for the people coming up from southern Maine, they’ll be able to see two races for the expense of going to one site.”

“It’s neat. It’s brave of them to try,” said Speedway 95 co-owner Del Merritt.

Mayberry has also reduced the ticket prices. An adult ticket will cost $12 for Saturday’s race card and Sunday’s card will cost $15 thanks to a $5 coupon that will be available at Speedway 95 and Community Pharmacies.

“You get 250 laps of racing, a 100-lapper and a 150-lapper, for $27. That’s a super price,” said Merritt.

Mayberry said there may also be a two-day ticket.

The PASS Modifieds will also run each day and the Allison Legacy cars will run on Sunday. In addition, there will be four Speedway 95 features each day.

“The more I think about it, the more I like it,” said PASS racer Gary Smith of Bangor. “There are a lot of motor home guys and it’s a good deal for them as it is for the fans. It’ll be good for the area.

“It couldn’t be better for me,” added Smith. “I live 15 minutes away. I’m going to open my garage up at Bud and Ray’s for any guys who need help [repairing their cars between races]. Everyone helps each other on the tour. Those guys would do it for me.”

Turner’s Ben Rowe had mixed emotions.

“I’m not happy racing once a weekend at Bangor, let alone two,” chuckled Rowe. “It’s hard to run back to back, especially at Bangor. But it’s good in a way. Everyone’s going to be right there[for both days]. I can see Tom’s [Mayberry’s] point. We’re running out of race dates and he didn’t want to cancel it [Community Pharmacies 150] altogether. So he had to do something like this.”

Rowe added that he hoped all the drivers “use their heads” on Saturday night so cars aren’t damaged for Sunday’s race.

“Most of the time at Speedway 95, people race clean,” said Smith. “There aren’t a bunch of wrecks usually. I don’t think we’ll be as aggressive on Saturday. Everybody wants to get their best finish possible [without wrecking the car]. The gloves will come off on Sunday because we’ll have a week to work on our cars [after the race].”

PASS planning a new class

Mayberry will introduce a new class at the PASS Pullen 400 weekend at Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Sept. 23-25.

It will be a low-budget pro stock class for racers who don’t have the financial resources or crew members necessary to run regularly on the PASS tour.

There will be strict guidelines.

“Ninety percent of the PASS cars wouldn’t be eligible,” said Mayberry. “We want to eliminate the real high-dollar teams.

“There’s an awful lot of talent out there but they don’t have the manpower to keep up with the other [PASS] teams. So this will give them a place to come and race and have a good time,” said Mayberry.

He noted that several good drivers can’t afford to travel on the PASS tour.

Among the rule changes, the new division will require the cars to have a two-barrel carburetor instead of a four-barrel used by most of the PASS drivers and they will have a strict shocks package.

PASS regulars will be able to run in the division if they have cars that meet the criteria.


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