Drivers approve of changes adopted for Pro All-Stars Series

Pro All-Stars Series regulars Ben Rowe of Turner and Gary Smith of Bangor applauded the rule changes announced by PASS founder and president Tom Mayberry at a meeting in Portland Monday night.

Mayberry had implemented new rules at the outset of the auto racing season designed to help drivers with low-budget two-barrel engines compete with the more expensive four-barrel engines.

Farmington’s Cassius Clark changed to a two-barrel engine program from a four-barrel program and dominated the first two races.

Some of the drivers with the four-barrel engines complained that the two-barrel cars had too much of an advantage.

The provision allowing cars with two-barrel engines to contain up to 58 percent of its weight on the left side, as compared with the 56 percent allowed on the four-barrel cars, was moved back to 57 percent Monday night. The two-barrel cars had been allowed to be 67 inches wide from tread to tread but that has been adjusted back to 66 to match the requirements for the four-barrel cars.

And two-barrel cars had been allowed to be up to 150 pounds lighter than the four-barrel cars at the outset of the season. But now a Chevy can only be 100 pounds lighter and a Ford 75 pounds lighter.

“It isn’t perfect, but I gave the two-barrel cars too much of an advantage [at the beginning]. I made a mistake. So I’m trying to adjust it now,” said Mayberry. “If we have to make other small adjustments later this season, we will.”

Smith said, “This is a step in the right direction.”

Rowe concurred.

“He’s getting there. He’s doing what he has to do,” said Rowe. “Everybody wants him to put it back so the left side weight is the same for everybody. But if he does that, the two-barrels won’t be competitive again. I think it’s going to be pretty close [this way].”

Smith and Rowe both drive four-barrel cars.

Mayberry explained that it is important to attract new racers to fill up the field and he also wanted them to be competitive even if they don’t have large budgets.

“We had 11 drivers who weren’t regulars racing with us at Speedway 95 [on May 7],” said Mayberry. “If they hadn’t shown up, we only would have had 11 cars.

“We need to have at least 20 cars at each race or [the tour] is going to fall apart.”

He also stressed the importance of having fast cars that can pass and race side-by-side.

Smith agreed, saying, “If you don’t have fast cars and side-by-side racing, you won’t have anybody in the grandstands.”

Smith also said if they are going to keep their car counts up, it is important to allow low-budget teams the opportunity to be competitive.

“If they aren’t competitive at least once in a while, they aren’t going to keep racing with us. It takes the fun away,” said Smith.

“We need the weekly guys [from the local tracks] to come and race with us at least a half-dozen times a year,” agreed Rowe, who added that having local drivers helps attendance.

Rowe attended the Monday night meeting and said it was productive as everyone was given the opportunity to express their opinions.

“Tom was sincere. He said if anybody has an idea, tell him and he’d listen,” said Rowe.

Rowe and Smith said Mayberry is highly respected by the drivers and they are confident the tour will continue to flourish.

The PASS tour returns to action on May 27 at Canaan, N.H.