Rowes hit the road

For 1 weekend, anyway, the father-son tandem of Mike and Ben Rowe will act like Nextel Cup drivers, complete with airtight schedules and flight plans.

On Friday morning, the 2 drivers will fly from Maine to Nova Scotia, where they will practice for Saturday's IWK 250 for the PASS North Series at Riverside Speedway. The plane will stay there and wait for them, and they'll fly back after the race to be home in time for Sunday's TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

If it rains, well, they'll re-evaluate. The forecasts in the middle of the week aren't promising.

"It's supposed to rain until Monday up there," Ben Rowe said. "That would keep me there."

Rowe is leading the PASS standings, and the IWK 250 is arguably the biggest race of the season for PASS. Mike Rowe is second, and neither wants to give up their spot in the series standings.

Jeff Taylor is standing by to race Ben's No. 4 car at Oxford should he be trapped north of the border; Tracy Gordon will stand-in for Mike in the No. 24 if need be. Taylor and Gordon each have OPS titles in their resumes, but neither has won the Oxford 250.

"Hopefully, if it rains Saturday, it will rain Sunday," Ben said. "If I get up Sunday morning and it's raining, I'll get back (to Oxford) somehow. If I can get on a plane or helicopter, something, there's enough stuff to get me and my father back."