Is it just me, or does PASS hold "the biggest race" in either New England, New Hampsire or New Brunswick once a month?This week's edition of the "biggest" (is really just the size that matters???) takes place at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, where the PASS North Series will run the D.J. Equipment 300 -- the longest race of the year for the series, one which pays $10,000 to the winner. Not only that, but the Sportsmen, Outlaw Late Models and Modifieds are also on the 4-day card.
The 300, now in its 3rd year of existence, may turn out to be a race with some tradition and history right now. But any claim by PASS that it's "the biggest" or "one of the biggest" races of the year in New England is ludicrous.
Maybe you've heard of some of these other staples -- the Oxford 250, the World Series at Thompson International Speedway, Thunder Road's Milk Bowl, the summer Nextel Cup weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, the Fall Final at Stafford Motor Speedway...
The advertised entry list for the event is solid -- though, with all due respect, the names of guys like Alan Wilson, Gary Smith, Bub Bilodeau, Dan McKeage, Alan Tardif, Curtis Gerry, Billy Rodgers, Donnie Whitten, Kevin Kimball or Mike Fowler aren't enough to get me up off my couch to lay down 50 smackeroos to watch hack up the back half of the field.
And advertising 300 race teams over 4 days suggests something Knoxville Nationals-esque, which this clearly is not. I'm interested to see what the breakout is on the 300 race teams -- though I'm reasonably sure fewer than a quarter of those 300 are actual Super Late Model/Outlaw Late Model teams.
Maybe it's just me.
The point is, for now, the D.J. Equipment 300 is another race on the schedule -- albeit an interesting one for people who like longer races and pit strategy. But to suggest it's the biggest race of the season in New England, northern New England or just little ol' Maine is way off the mark.
I'll be shoulder-deep in the northern Maine woods for 3/4 of the weekend, sparing myself the build-up to the 300. Maybe I'll make it back in time for that, maybe I won't.
12 comments:
OUCH. Not exactley a sterling review.....or should I say preview.....
SLAP is probably more like it. I can say I am shocked that you have stated some of those names. Some have more championships at Certain unnamed tracks (do not want to insult them) that racers now can only dream of. For you to state that they are not worth even watching is a HUGE insult. Maybe you ought to start writing these comments for again some "unnamed tracks" who find nothing better to do except slam other series.
POOR COLUMN ITS A GOOD THING THIS GUY ISN'T A JOURNALIST!! IF A REAL JOURNALIST WAS TO WRITE SOMETHING LIKE THIS THEY WOULD BE EMBARASSED. I AM NOT AN OVERBEARING PASS FAN, ACT HATER, OR MIFFED OXFORD FAN. I FOLLOW ALL OF THE STOCK CAR RACING IN THE REGION AND AM SURPRISED AT THE AMATURE WORDING AND TONES OF THIS!!
Travis you hit the nail right on the head. It's about time others recognise the Obserd press releases made by PASS and there Biggest, Bestist most Ginormous race of the year in all of the world claims. PASS will crash and Burn in 2 years time. Even Doug White is seeing the downslide of the SLM already and he has only owned a track for a few months.
Travis you tell it like it is.
Yes, anonymous, you're right. I'm so embarrassed for putting down an opinion in a form that people can understand...
More to the point, PASS racing in and of itself doesn't bother me. I just don't think the 300 is yet the event PASS claims it is.
TB
I understand your frustrations and I sort of agree.... after listening to over a year of the elitist attitudes of those who think only PASS or other SLM events are the only shows worth watching, how can any unbiased racefan see this issue any different?.... I'm tired of the family feud that exists here in Maine, and its time this elitest attitude subsides... there are other shows and other series that are well worth watching... JMO
It really bothers me that any race fans even follow pass, as this tour was created by a few guys initially and they went track to track and gathered drivers nd took them away from thier "home" tracks
to join the tour see sometihing PASS dont understand without the tracks there is no pass anyone can run a defunked tour but not anyone can run a track.
I find Travis truthful and as the old saying goes, the truth hurts
Travis i think it is pretty funny that you (or any others) put down in words somthing negitive about the PASS Series and get jumped all over by the PASS fans.
But PASS releases there idiodic press releases from Naples Maine with alot less than the truth and now your picking on them if you call them out on it.
You cannot win Travis the Biggest event weekend at the Ridge needs all the help they can get hence the reason it costs $40.00 to park your camper and the reason why the heat races are on a different day from the feature so they can get you for more money.
The thing is, I enjoy the racing in the PASS division — it's something PASS fans don't understand about me.
I like a lot of the drivers, owners and team members that race with PASS on a weekly basis. What I can't stand, however, is the way the series is run.
I think if you were to go back and look at all of the things I've written about the series, in the papers or on the blog, you'd see that.
The issue here, of course, is that I can't believe they'd try selling us a bill of goods saying that -- after only 3 years -- this 300 is one of New England's biggest events.
Uh-uh.
TB
Well, even if the marketing is....at least the starting lineup won't be "junior varsity," right TB?
I've also been criticized for my lack of interest in the PASS 400 weekend because I simply don't want to sit through 500-plus laps of racing late in the season.
Considering the various talent levels in the series, a 300-lap race could be a gem or a demolition derby. I'm not willing to make a 200-mile round trip to find out.
On the other hand, I'm delighted that they're going back to WMMP next month for the final show of the season. It's a great track and 150-laps on a quarter-mile bullring is great SLM racing.
As far as PASS' press releases go, it depends on who writes them. If Mike Twist sends them out, they're almost always accurate and timely. I can't say the same about other writers, however.
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