It’s been quite a start to the season for Petit Motorsports.
For years, car owner Peter Petit has fielded a car in PASS North Series competition, adding depth to the field while not necessarily being viewed as a team that could contend for wins on a week-to-week basis, let alone any championship hardware.
But with a new driver for 2015, things have taken a giant leap in the right direction for the No. 7 team.
Ageless wonder Mike Rowe held off a pair of series champions Sunday afternoon at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine, to win the Hight Chevrolet 150. It was the third win of the season for Rowe, who also won the season opener at Oxford Plains Speedway and again at Star Speedway.
Rowe entered the race — the sixth on the 14-race schedule — already owning a 20-point advantage over Joey Doiron. Doiron finished eighth Sunday.
The race came down to late restarts, in which the 64-year-old Rowe, of Turner, Maine, was able to keep both Cassius Clark and DJ Shaw at bay. Clark won the 2013 PASS North championship, while Shaw is the reigning series champion.
Prior to this season, Petit Motorsports had not won a PASS race in nine seasons of competition on tour.
PASS heads to Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jonction, Que., this Saturday night for its second trip of the season to the quarter-mile track. Rowe finished 11th there last month — his only finish outside the Top 10 in 2015.
In fact, Rowe has a series-high average finishing position of 4.0 on the season.
GRIFFITH GRANITE
Derek Griffith’s home track advantage paid off in dominating fashion Sunday afternoon.
Griffith led all but one lap of the Gate City Classic 100 at Hudson Speedway, giving the 18-year-old driver his second win in four Granite State Pro Stock Series races this season.
“I’m shocked. I’m out of words,” said Griffith, of Hudson, N.H. “It’s awesome to finally come here and win a Pro Stock race. I’ve gotten a couple wins here in smaller cars, and finally to show them I’m a driver that can win some bigger races, I’m more than happy to do it here in front of my fans.”
Driving a car owned by Louie Mechalides, Griffith extended his series point lead with his first Hudson in in seven career starts there.
Larry Gelinas of Buxton, Maine, finished second, while Barry Gray of Belchertown, Mass., was third.
DONAHUE PROVIDES THUNDER
John Donahue of Graniteville, Vt., started deep in the field last Thursday night at Thunder Road International Speedbowl, but it didn’t slow the veteran down at all.
Donahue charged to the front to win the track’s 50-lap Late Model feature — his 15th career win, moving him up to fourth on the all-time Late Model win list — after taking the lead with just nine laps remaining.
“I might be old. I’ve been doing this for a little while. (But) I can still get it done,” Donahue told Vermont Motorsports Magazine. “All I need is half a car. I can wheel it. I’m comfortable… especially here. This is where I started racing. I’ve got a lot of laps here.
“Don’t ever count me out. If I have car owner that wants to do what (Kendall Roberts) does, I’m good. As long as we have some luck to go with it.”
Donahue finished fifth in the season-opening Memorial Day Classic 100 after needing to qualify through the consolation round for that event.
Scott Dragon of Milton, Vt., finished second for his second consecutive runner-up finish to begin the season.
SANBORN, FARRINGTON RALLY
In a strange coincidence, both Trevor Sanborn and Scott Farrington went from worst-to-first Saturday night in their respective Super Late Model races.
Sanborn, of Parsonsfield, Maine, became the fourth different winner this season in as many NASCAR Whelen All-American Series events at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway by winning the 50-lap Pro Series feature there.
Just a little further north, Farrington, of Minot, Maine, won the 50-lap Super Late Model feature at Oxford Plains Speedway. Farrington was the sixth different winner in weekly competition at the track.
Both Sanborn and Farrington finished last in their feature events one week earlier.
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