A look at prominent Pro/Super Late Model Racing Regions Part 2 (Northeast USA)

[Author note: Due to the potential length of each region, I’ve decided not strictly pre-plan a format & amount of parts, and will just see how things unfold]

January 14th, 2023,

Northeast USA

Similar to some other regions, the Northeast USA could have it’s own comprehensive article, and a lot of them, at that. This is by no means complete - this region really stands out for it’s community. The amount of drivers, fans, tracks, and races packed into a tight confine is very impressive. There is an element here of major races, but also a chance for a small team to have a chance to win. The quantity of annual races and racers is only exceeded by the depth of it’s history. For this article, I will be referring to the NE USA as: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Presently, the primary touring series for this discipline umbrella are: American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model Series, the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS), and the most prestigious Pro All Star Series (PASS) North Division. Note that ACT does have a couple of races in Quebec, but otherwise, it is within this region.

Some notables races include:

- The Milk Bowl, Thunder Road Speedbowl, Vermont - $12,000 to win, $10,000 if all 3 ‘segments’ are won, and up to $25,000 with all bonuses. The Milk Bowl deserves it’s own article to explain the format.

- The Oxford 250, Oxford Plains Speedway, Maine - $25,000 to win, up to $50,000 to win with lap leader bonuses. If the Crown Jewels are: Winchester 400, All American 400, and The Snowball Derby, the argument can be made that the Oxford 250 belongs on that list.

- The Oxford 300, Oxford Plains Speedway, Maine, $40,000 to win, first time race edition.

Some notable drivers include: Mike Rowe, who has won the Oxford 250 3 times, each in a different decade. He's scored 153 wins at Oxford Plains Speedway, and 11 top-5 finishes in the Oxford 250. He has experience in both (currently known as) the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and ARCA East, a top-5 in 1 of his 2 ASA Starts in the 1980s, over 200 PASS North races and over 20 wins, and among many more accolades, he has won the Scotia Speedworld 250 (Nova Scotia) lap feature twice and the IWK 250 (Riverside International Raceway, Nova Scotia).

Derek Griffith, back-to-back winner of the Super Late Model portion of New Smyrna Speedweeks World Series of Asphalt Series in Florida (2020 & 2021), a runner-up in the 2019 PASS North Championship winning 5 features along the way, a 3-time PASS National Championship winner, a GSPSS Championship winner, and plenty of races and wins in many other series, including races in both ARCA and NASCAR Trucks + Xfinity series.

Eddie MacDonald has done a lot over the years, including starts in all 3 NASCAR National Series, and lots of starts between ARCA, PASS, ACT, and elsewhere. He won the New Smyrna World Series of Asphalt in 2015 for the ACT division, and he’s a back-to-back and 2 time total Oxford 250 winner (2009, 2010) along with 5 top-5 finishes across his 13 starts, among many other achievements.

Travis Benjamin: Refer to my article/interview that I did with him for a good recap - Click here.

DJ Shaw, winner of back-to-back ACT Tour championships (2022, 2023), and winner of 5 PASS North Championships, including 3 in a row (2018, 2019, 2020) among his many successes.

Ralph Nason, the only driver to ever win 3 straight Oxford 250’s (1998, 1999, and 2000) and even finished on the podium again in 2001. After that achievement, he also has ACT wins under his belt, and a Northeast Pro Stock Assocation (NEPSA) championship under his belt, a now defunct series. Nason was 60 years old when he won the coveted 250 in year 2000.

Dave Dion, another 3-time Oxford 250 winner across 3 different generations (including one in which the led 1 lap only, the final lap with a clutch victory), the 1996 ARCA East Championship winner, a Milk Bowl winner, and much more over a lengthy and prolific career.

Ricky Craven had an extensive racing career in the NASCAR Cup Series, with more than 250 starts, along with wins in all 3 of the National Series (Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks), along with an Oxford 250 win, and amongst other things, a massive victory margin gap in the 1991 ARCA East Series, where he scored 10 wins in 21 races that he ran out of the 24 race schedule, including over 1,300 laps led.

Austin Theriault, the youngest driver on this Northeast list, has raced in many marquee late model races around the USA, he’s raced in all 3 National NASCAR Series, and won the 2017 ARCA Championship with an impressive 7 wins. Of note outside of racing, and relevant to the region, he is the representative of the 1st district of the Maine House of Representatives, serving since 2022. He is also running in the 2024 Republican Primary in Maine’s 2nd congressional district.

Johnny Clarke, the PASS Championship title leader with 6, including 4 in a row (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011), 46 PASS North Victories over 300+ races with a top-5 in over half of those races. He’s won the Speedway 660 (New Brunswick) 250, the Scotia Speedworld 250 twice, and the Oxford 250.

Ben Rowe, a driver with many infamous battles against Nova Scotia’s Scott Fraser (RIP) on the track has won the Scotia Speedworld 250 3 times, the Oxford 250 twice, the PASS National Championship 4 times, the IWK 250 and the PASS North Championship 4 times, en route to 40+ wins and 300+ PASS North Races, amongst many others.

Cassius Clark, 2013 PASS North Championship winner, Oxford 250 winner, and perhaps most impressively has been his incredible rate of success in Maritime Canada, where he has won the New Brunswick 250 3 times in 8 starts, the Scotia Speedworld 250 5 times in 14 starts, and both the CENTRE For Speed (New Brunswick) Atlantic Championships Pro Stock Race + the IWK 250.