Cassius Clark and Matt Hirschman are Inaugural Mason-Dixon Meltdown Champions

11-29-2006 | TruckSeries.com Report

Cassius Clark drove over 15 hours to make it from Farmington, Maine to South Boston, Virginia on his Thanksgiving weekend. When the weekend ends and Clark and the team of his number-eight Super Late Model head back to their hometown, they will be doing so with a lot more money than they left town with. The young PASS North regular scored a hard-fought victory in Saturday night's Mason-Dixon Meltdown 250-lap Super Late Model feature event, earning him a $12,500 payday and the satisfaction of besting some of the best Super Late Model drivers from around the country. Clark worked his way by fellow Maine native Johnny Clark with just two laps remaining and contact ensued down the length of the frontstretch, but Cassius was able to hold strong for the victory.

The third-place finish of Turner, Maine's Mike Rowe earned him the 2006 PASS South championship. Rowe came into the event 12 points ahead of Ryan Lawler, but Lawler was a victim of an early crash during Saturday's Meltdown event and finished 28th, dashing his hopes of a title. Canadian Patrick Leperle and Massachusetts native Rick Martin rounded out the top-five, while Ben Rowe completed a Northern sweep of the top finishing positions. Travis Kittleson was the highest-finishing Southern competitor in seventh.

Late in the Tour-Type Modified portion of Meltdown weekend, the $12,500 winner's purse seemed to be heading to someone who lives on the street in Northampton, Pennsylvania - the only question was to whom it would go to. Neighbors Matt Hirschman and Eric Beers battled over the final laps, but the young Hirschman was able to get the best of the veteran Beers to become the first-ever Mason-Dixon Meltdown Tour-Type Modified champion. James Civali crossed beneath the checkered flag third, while Burt Myers and Rusty Smith rounded out the top-five.

The evening's feature events kicked off with Trevor Farbo taking the unofficial victory in a thrilling Pro Challenge Series feature, collecting a $1,500 payday with a wild move off turn-four past Zach Stroupe on the final lap. Stroupe looked to have the win locked up, but Farbo stuck a nose beneath Stroupe off the final turn. The two made contact down the frontstretch with Farbo taking the advantage at the start-finish line. Stroupe hung on to finish second, while Corey LaJoie, Dennis Thomson and Scott Hitchens rounded out the top-five.