Cassius Clark didn’t know where to go or what do.

The 30-year-old Farmington driver always had a car to ride and a race to run during the last decade — until last season.

“I was down in the dumps last season,” Clark said. “The first race, I didn’t have anything. It was the first time in 10 or 12 years I was sitting at home at the start of the season. It was frustrating.”

Things have changed for Clark, a second generation driver who’s teamed up with Hight Racing this season for a shot at Johnny Clark and the Pro All Stars Series North points championship.

Cassius Clark, whose father, Billy, competed on what was then the Busch North tour in the late 1980s and early 90s, returns to PASS North this season after a nearly two-year hiatus with just one goal in mind.

“We want to give it a shot,” he said. “We’ve been dominant before. We’ve been there before. But this is our best chance to do well again.”

Clark first began racing at 17, when he got behind the wheel of a NELCAR Legends car. He traveled throughout New England and beyond with his father by his side.

As his interest grew, so, too, did his skills behind the wheel.

“He showed a pretty good spark,” said Billy Clark, 64, who was also a successful Late Model Sportsman driver at Oxford Plains Speedway from the 1960s through the 1990s. “We had a lot of fun doing that, and as time went on he was doing really well.”

Cassius Clark transitioned to PASS North and the No. 8 car owned by Ed Chapman in 2002. The pair enjoyed some success, most notably in 2006 when Clark won a series-best five points races. However, he was seventh in points that season after he failed to finish a few races. Clark finished third in points in the 2005 season.

“2006 was a pretty good year,” Clark said. “We won a lot of races.”

But the winning soon slowed — Clark won just twice in the series over the next three years. It was during this stretch that the relationship ended with Chapman. The two twice split up during the 2007 season.

Clark eventually moved to North Carolina, where he hooked up with Dick Woodman. He then raced a limited PASS South schedule.

“I was just looking for rides,” Clark said. “I lived down there for a number of years and picked up what I could. I didn’t want to pick up some non-quality stuff. We had some good (races) with Woodman.”

It wasn’t until the end of last season when Clark — who runs his own business, Nichols Trailers — began calling around looking for another ride.

“I heard Hight was looking for a driver,” Clark said, “so I called to see if they had any plans for the next year. We went and tested and went to a couple races last year. We got to know each other real well over the winter. They want to go race for points.”

It was a perfect fit.

“We were looking for a driver and they contacted us,” car owner Corey Hight said. “So we went to Farmington and had a long talk. We decided to run a few races and see what we could do. We’ve been racing against him for years. We knew he was a good driver. We knew he could get the job done. He also knew we had top-notch equipment and were making a commitment. We decided we’d chase points this year and give Johnny (Clark) a run for his money.”

Hight brought in Brian Burgess as crew chief to round out the team. Burgess served as crew chief for four-time PASS North champ Ben Rowe for more than 10 years.

“I was out of work and they gave me a call,” said Burgess, 47, of Leeds. “The first part of November last year, we hooked up. I’m really anxious to get going. I think Cassius is just as capable as Ben and Johnny. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

So, too, is Billy Clark.

“(Hight) has given him everything,” he said. “He’s got all brand new stuff. There’s no reason he won’t do well. I’d be awfully surprised if he didn’t do well with everything he has to work with now, but I do have more confidence in him than most people do.”

Victories won’t come easy in PASS North this season, however.

Johnny Clark of Farmingdale has won four consecutive PASS North points championships and six overall. He is heavily favored to win again this year. But throw in capable drivers DJ Shaw and Travis Benjamin, and the series should provide Cassius Clark a formidable challenge.

“We’re ready to go after it,” Cassius Clark said. “Johnny has been winning a lot lately. He has left a big wake to follow in order to pass him.”

Johnny Clark — no relation — said the addition of Cassius running a full-time schedule will “raise the competition for everyone, not just me.

“They have the recipe for a great season. They hired a great crew chief, have the backing and have a great driver. It’s all there. They will be tough. Every year there are three or four (drivers) who you are always eying, and he is one them. We have had some tough battles. It’s going to be fun to run with him on a weekly basis again.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

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