CHARLOTTE, NC (January 26) – Prominent names from the North and South head the ever growing list of drivers for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model season opener at Dillon Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon, February 4. The “Original” Winter Meltdown will be headlined by the 200 green flag lap South Carolina Clash and will pit the best short track racers in North America against one another for the first race of the 2017 PASS National Championship series. The 12th Annual Clash at the Winter Meltdown will also double as the first race for the PASS South Super Late Models.
Ocean Isles, NC’s Chad McCumbee has done nearly everything you can think of when it comes to auto racing. From a successful career in Late Model Stocks at Myrtle Beach Speedway to nearly winning in the Camping World Truck Series, McCumbee even played Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in an ESPN production based on his father. In recent years, McCumbee has honed his road racing skills driving the ModSpace Mazda and will compete this weekend in the preliminary events at Daytona International Speedway leading up to the Rolex 24. But, with all that on his resume, the Winter Meltdown at Dillon will be his first start in a PASS Super Late Model.
“Super Late Models are somewhat of a step I skipped coming up through in the early 2000’s,” says McCumbee, who will pilot the Elliott Trucking #16 at Dillon. “Last year we decided to try something different and got a Fury Super. Dillon will be my second race in a Super Late Model and our test went pretty well a couple of weeks ago. I am in Florida now so I was very limited with my time leading up to the race. I don’t really have any expectations but feel confident we will be competitive.”
While McCumbee plans to continue his road racing pursuits in 2017, he says that Dillon will not be his only start behind the wheel of a PASS Super Late Model this year and that has him excited for the prospects.
“My schedule is packed for 2017 but we plan to run a handful of PASS events and do a bit of traveling,” says McCumbee. “Plans seem to change week to week for me but my hope is to race as much as I can.”
McCumbee will not be alone in what is quickly becoming a star studded field of short track talent. Turner, ME’s Ben Rowe will make the trip south to Dillon as he pursues his record fifth PASS National Championship. The all-time PASS wins leader returns to Dillon where he went to victory lane at in 2009 en route to his lone PASS South title. Joining McCumbee and Rowe, will be Late Model Stock standout, Josh Berry, who will be piloting the potent #74 out of the Robert Hamke shops. While this will be Berry’s first start at Dillon, it will be his second PASS start following a strong debut in the North-South Shootout at Concord last November.
Veterans Jimmy Doyle and JP Josiasse will also be returning when the season cranks up at Dillon next weekend. Doyle has finished in the top five in PASS South points each of the last two years, while Josiasse makes the long tow down from Ontario as he seeks to back up a top 10 performance in points a year ago.
Action gets underway at Dillon Motor Speedway Speedway on Friday, February 3 with gates opening at 1 PM and rotating practice for the PASS Super Late Models, Late Models, and Pro 4s from 2 – 5 PM. On Saturday, February 4, gates will open at 8 AM, with rotating practice from 10 AM – Noon, qualifying at 12:30 PM, and feature events set to go green at 2 PM.
Entry forms for the PASS Winter Meltdown at Dillon Motor Speedway, along with the 44th Annual Oxford 250, can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com. The 2017 license forms for the PASS Super Late Models are also available at ProAllStarsSeries.com. Drivers purchasing licenses for the 2017 season will receive bonus points for each race they are pre-registered for and will also save money towards any events that they enter early.
The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America’s premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the Easter Bunny 150 and the Mason-Dixon MegaMeltdown 300 at Hickory Motor Speedway and the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway. For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 oralandietzpass@live.com. Please visit ProAllStarsSeries.com for more information and don’t forget to “Like” the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.
