Lonnie Sommerville: PASS North Series

Star Speedway Race Preview

THE STORY

Lonnie Sommerville of Saint John, New Brunswick, looks for a second straight Top-5 finish to open the PASS North Series season in the Star 150 at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H., on Saturday, May 14. Sommerville, who has joined Mulkern Racing to compete full-time in the series for the first time, comes off a strong fourth-place effort in his debut at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Sommerville has never competed at Star Speedway, though his home track of Speedway 660 in Geary, N.B., is very similar in size and layout.

THE FACTS

WHO: Lonnie Sommerville, Saint John, New Brunswick

TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet

CREW CHIEF: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C

BEST CAREER STAR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A

LAST RACE AT STAR SPEEDWAY: N/A

WHAT: PASS North Series Star 150

WHERE: Star Speedway, Epping, N.H. (.25-mile oval)

WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday, May 14

PASS North Series

LAST RACE: April 30, PASS 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (4th)

NEXT RACE: May 21, PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park, N.Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval)

CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 4th

DID YOU KNOW?

· Lonnie Sommerville is a two-time champion of the Peterbilt 250 at Speedway 660 in Geary, New Brunswick – the only driver in history to win the lucrative Labor Day weekend race twice.

· Lonnie Sommerville and crew chief Gary Crooks have worked together almost exclusively over the last two seasons in Canada and for select Super Late Model races in the United States.

· Mulkern Racing finished second in the final 2010 PASS North Series standings with driver Ben Rowe.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

LONNIE SOMMERVILLE, Driver of the No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet, On heading to Star Speedway for the first time in his career: “Star is a little bit of an unknown because I haven't been there. But the first time I went to Hickory, it was a place obviously I'd never been, and I battled with Ben (Rowe) for the win. We went to Gresham (Motorsports Park) last year for the first time and finished third. I'm not scared of going to places I've never been to, it's just having the unknown of it.

“From what the guys have said, it's a lot like like (Speedway) 660 up here, which is my home track. I'm pretty anxious to go there. I'm glad we'll get to have some practice on Friday. I'm looking forward to it.”

On starting the season on the right foot at Beech Ridge: “We all know if we're going to try and win a championship, we've got to finish Top-5 every week. The alternative to not winning, obviously, is to get a Top-5. So from that standpoint, it was a good day, we had a good car, and I'm pretty sure everyone we raced with

knows we had a good car. I think people seriously see us as a contender.

“Not to sound arrogant, but everytime we've raced PASS we've run up front. If you put that ingredient with Mulkern Racing, it is a recipe for championships. I've raced with Johnny (Clark) and Ben (Rowe) a bunch of times, and they've beaten us and we've beaten them. I think they're all taking us seriously, but the only issue is going to tracks we've never been to now. Having guys on the team like Tony (Ricci) and Seth (Holbrook) who have been to these places and been good is big for us.”

GARY CROOKS, Crew Chief of the No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet, On the outlook for this weekend: “Obviously, it's a race track Lonnie and I haven't even seen before. Fortunately for us, (crew members Seth Holbrook and Tony Ricci) both had some success there. I don't really look at it like it's going to be a challenge, but more like this is a tremendous opportunity that Scott and Vickie Mulkern have given us.”

On what the team learned in the season opener at Beech Ridge: “I don't know if we really 'learned' anything, but we definitely confirmed some of our thoughts about the goals and expectations we set for ourselves this season. We confirmed our belief in what we have and what we're capable of as a team.”

On Lonnie Sommerville as a driver: “Lonnie doesn't get the credit he deserves as a race car driver. His commitment to win is amazing. I've seen him do things in race cars that some people in the same situation wouldn't do. I've just never seen him quit.”

UP NEXT

The PASS North Series visits its second straight quarter-mile in the Granite State with a stop at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., for the PASS 150... Lonnie Sommerville has never raced at White Mountain, though Mulkern Racing posted finishes of fifth in both of the series events held there in 2010.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow Lonnie Sommerville on the web: http://www.lonniesommerville.com

Follow Mulkern Racing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mulkern-Racing-LLC-Fan-Page/103887913023484