PASS South Championship to be Decided at Mason-Dixon Meltdown

Mike Rowe has accomplished plenty during his racing career. The 56-year-old has won numerous races, championships and other titles throughout the years in the Northeast. Ryan Lawler is a 19-year-old upstart that has emerged as one of the breakout short track stars during the 2006 season, racing Super Late Models around the country as well as select starts in the NASCAR Elite Division.

This year, both drivers on different ends of the experience spectrum set their sights on the PASS South Series. The new division that resurrected the deep history of southern Super Late Model racing in the Southeast was a perfect home for both drivers. Rowe traveled each week from his Maine home, while the native Texan Lawler relocated to North Carolina to be closer to the sport’s hub to compete all season long in the PASS South Series.

Fittingly, the inaugural PASS South Championship should come down to two drivers who could not be any more different when it comes to experience. Rowe enters this weekend’s Mason-Dixon Meltdown, the 250-lap PASS South Super Late Model series finale just 12 points over Lawler. The two will have 250-laps to settle the score and see which one will be crowned the first-ever PASS South champion and both drivers are optimistic about their chances.

“We’re going there to win,” said Rowe. “That is what we’ve done all year long and it’s worked. We aren’t going to change a thing. Everything will fall where it falls. We had a good test down there last week, so things ought to be pretty good for us.”

Rowe’s two wins (the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway (NC) and the Firecracker 150 at Tri-County Motor Speedway (NC)) have put him on top by 12 markers over Lawler. Lawler’s victory at Hickory in the Over the Mountain 150, the most recent PASS South race, brings him to South Boston with a bit of an uphill climb. Because he has yet to finish outside the top-10 in any PASS South event, Lawler knows that the title is still within reach.

“After our first race at Hickory, I felt that we might have a chance at the championship because we ran so well,” said Lawler. “But before Hickory I had no idea what to expect. That was my first race in a Super Late Model.

“Now it is a kind of cool deal to be heading into South Boston fighting for a championship. It’s going to be such a big race.”

With such a big discrepancy between age and experience levels, Rowe and Lawler would seemingly not have that much in common. The one thing that they do have is a mutual respect for one another thanks to some hard racing between the two drivers all season long.

“He’s a good kid and he’s been doing a great job all year long,” said Rowe. “I just want to be able to beat him down at South Boston.”

“I learned more racing Mike during the win at Hickory than I have all year,” said Lawler. “I really enjoy racing with Mike. He is a hell of a race car driver. “

The PASS South Super Late Model portion of the “Mason-Dixon Meltdown” features a 250-lap main event on Saturday, November 25th. The Tour-Type Modifieds also have a 250-lap event that day, and both premier divisions will be racing for a $12,500 paycheck for the winner, plus lap money and other bonuses. Also competing during the “Mason-Dixon Meltdown” weekend are the Legends Cars (Friday only) and the Pro Challenge Series (Saturday only).