LUCAMA, N.C. - Defending PASS South Super Late Model champion Matt Craig captured the lead from Dawsonville, Georgia’s Spencer Davis on lap 16, and never looked back en route to his second career series win in the Dogwood 150 Saturday afternoon at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina.
“This was just an awesome car and I can’t thank my crew enough for all the hard work they put in to it,” said Craig.
In qualifying, Craig just missed out on the track record to claim his first career PASS quick qualifying time with a speed of 97.853 miles per hour. Following the top 10 qualifiers redraw, Craig would start third, while Davis and Tanner Thorson moved to the front row.
At the drop of the green flag, Davis jumped to the lead over Craig, while Thorson and Noles struggled in the outside groove. The car on the move in the early going was PASS South points leader Bradley McCaskill. After starting 10th, McCaskill moved by Jeff Batten for fifth just five laps into the race.
On lap 16, Craig was able to make the move on a faltering Davis for the lead. By lap 34, Davis would pull into the pits with distributor problems, losing many laps in the process.
The first caution of the race would not wave until lap 97, when Dave Farrington, Jr. appeared to drop fluid on the track, causing Batten and Preston Peltier to spin in turn one. Just five laps later, Batten’s day would come to an end after serious contact with J.P. Josiasse sent both cars hard into the outside wall in turn one.
On the restart, Noles would take the lead from Craig entering turn one, but before the lap was complete, Craig had retaken the lead down the back straightaway. Meanwhile a furious battle was taking place between McCaskill, Thorson, and Sarah Cornett-Ching for fifth. Cornett-Ching made an aggressive move around both drivers with 17 laps to go to take fifth, before McCaskill would spin from contention seven laps later.
Craig led the rest of the way to take the win over Peltier, Noles, Tate Fogleman, and Thorson.
Cornett-Ching finished in sixth, equaling Tayla Orleans and Kenzie Ruston as the highest finishing female driver in PASS history.
Kodie Conner, Tyler Church, Eddie Fatscher and McCaskill rounded out the top ten.
In other action, Lee Pulliam survived a furious race, taking the lead when Tommy Lemons, Jr was sidelined with a mechanical problem late in the going, to take the win in the 150 lapper for the NASCAR Late Model Stocks. Mason Diaz finished second, with Justin Johnson in third, Tyler Hughes in fourth and Rusty Daniels in fifth.
The PASS National Championship Super Late Models will be in action again, along with the Southern Modified Racing Series Tour Modifieds, as part of the 10th Running of the Orange Blossom Special on Saturday night, March 25 at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina.
For more information, visit ProAllStarsSeries.com.
PASS South Super Late Model Series
Southern National Motorsports Park – Lucama, NC
Dogwood 150 (Unofficial) – March 4, 2017
1. 54 – Matt Crag
2. 33 – Preston Peltier
3. 2 – Trevor Noles
4. 8 – Tate Fogleman
5. 55 – Tanner Thorson
6. 99 – Sarah Cornett-Ching
7. 45 – Kodie Conner
8. 7c – Tyler Church
9. 51 – Eddie Fatscher
10. 118 – Bradley McCaskill
11. 15 – Roy Hayes, Jr.
12. 48 – John Batten
13. 7 – Dave Farrington, Jr.
14. 24 – JP Josiasse
15. 29 – Spencer Davis
16. 49 – Jeff Batten
17. 10 – Kyle Desouza
DNS: 55 – Kevin Floars
