FARMINGTON — Defending Pro All Stars Series North champion Cassius Clark should be celebrating his first win of the year.

Instead, he may be mourning the loss of his season.

Clark, of Farmington, and D.J. Shaw were locked in a tight battle in the final 10 laps at Speedway 95 Sunday as the two jockeyed back and forth for the lead.

“When I was catching him I was happy he was on the bottom. I moved to the outside to try to make my move, but he kept running me off the back stretch,” Clark said. “I couldn’t pass him at all going around the outside. I had to settle back in behind him. He wasn’t going to let us go by.”

The two came to the finish line trading paint, where Clark managed to just edge out Shaw for the win. After the race, however, Shaw’s car contacted the back end of Clark’s and wrecked his No. 77 Hight Chevrolet.

“It’s totaled,” Clark said. “It’s pretty unfortunate.

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“The biggest thing is he didn’t even man up to say that he did it. It kind of shows what kind of class they got.”

Clark said he tried to confront Shaw after the race, but was not able to do so and has not spoken to him since. Shaw could not be reached for comment.

The wreck has put Clark’s season into question, as the car that was totaled Sunday was the only one he has for PASS North.

“I’m not really sure. It’s late in the year and the next races are coming right up,” Clark said. “The car is totaled and we only have one car. We haven’t gotten it all figured out yet and we’re really not sure.”

In addition to the damaged car, Clark is also recovering from injuries he suffered in the wreck.

“It was a pretty hard hit, probably the hardest one I’ve ever taken driver side door,” Clark said. “…My legs and my arms got beat up pretty good.”

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• • •

While one Clark is wondering whether his season is done, another is trying regain early season glory.

Farmingdale native Johnny Clark is in search of his seventh PASS North championship this season, and with just three races remaining he has been losing steam in recent weeks.

“It’s not that we haven’t been running good, we’re just not finishing really good,” Clark said. “We’re working hard, we’re just not getting the results that we need to see.”

After finishing fourth, sixth and fifth in the first three races of the season, respectively, Clark hit his stride. From there he went on to grab two seconds, one third and a win at Speedway 660 on June 7. Clark finished eighth at the Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway to take over the points lead after D.J. Shaw had an uncharacteristic 22nd place finish, but he has not been as sharp since.

Clark was buried in the back of the pack and finished 12th at the Oxford 250, and followed that up with a 10th at the Budweiser Pass 150 in Chaudiere, Quebec. Sunday Clark started off strong, but faded towards the finish and settled for eighth at Speedway 95.

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“We were really strong. We started 12th and charged to the front,” Clark said. “We rode around in second for awhile, and lap 90 we had a restart and I wasn’t able to hold up there any longer.”

While the result may not have been what Clark had wanted, it is certainly making for an interesting finish to the 2014 PASS North season. Heading into the next race — a 200-lapper at Chaudiere on Sept. 6 — Clark and Shaw will only be separated by a couple of points, while veteran driver Mike Rowe remains within striking distance.

“It’s been a tight race all year long,” Clark said. “The way things are going it definitely looks like it’s going to come down to that last race. We just have to start finishing these races strong.”

Following Chaudiere there will be just two race remaining to decide the title — Sept. 14 at Beech Ridge and Sept. 27 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

“I want to put ourselves in position to win the next three races and forget about the points,” Johnny Clark said. “I had said a week ago that it would take top five finishes and a couple wins to win the championship, and I still believe that. I really believe you have to go and win a couple of these races to finish this off.

“…You better believe one of us is going to start winning some races in the final three. Whoever starts doing that is probably going to be the champion.”

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• • •

Unity Raceway has announced its plans for four more races this season, the first of which will run in conjunction with Speedway 95’s Fourth Annual Ikey Dorr Memorial Race.

A Street Stock Twin 30’s at Unity on Sept. 7 will serve as a qualifier for the Ikey Dorr. The Sunday event also plans to feature Enduro Super Stock, Enduro Sport, Monsta Mini Stock and Golf Cart races as well.

“(Ikey Dorr organizer Chuck Hall) is a good friend of mine. I called him up and asked if he would partner up with me,” Unity race director and general manager Nick Huff said. “All of my races are only scheduled two or three weeks in advance, so I needed all the help I could get to promote it.

“…Chuck was very willing to help because I’ve known him for years and year, Even though we’re competing tracks, we’re partnering tracks at the same time.”

On Sept. 21, Unity will hold a NASCAR day that will serve as a precursor to the annual Long John 150, with a featured Late Model race that comes with an $800 purse and the pole position in the Long John for the winner.

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The Long John will highlight a weekend full of racing Oct. 10-12 at Unity, bringing the total number of events in 2014 held at Unity — if all goes according to plan — to five. Initially Huff said he had hoped to hold two to three this season.

“I had ultimate goals to (hold more races) but I just didn’t want to make any promises to people,” Huff said. “The first event was a pretty good success, especially with the rain that we had. This next race I feel is kind of like a redemption — a second opening day — because I feel like the rain really hurt us.”

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley


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