FARMINGDALE — This season has not gone quite as planned for veteran driver Johnny Clark.

The six-time Pro All Star Series North champ, already well behind points leader Mike Rowe, elected to skip this past Sunday’s race at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, New York to reevaluate the remainder of his season.

“I spent some time with the family and regrouped,” Johnny Clark said. “We’ve been so off as of late and the only thing we can try to do is regroup and try to have a strong Oxford 250. That’s what we’re going to concentrate on from here on out.”

Even as early as a few weeks ago the Hallowell resident had fallen out of contention for this season’s points race, but sitting out Sunday’s race officially put him out of the chase. On the season he has just five top five finishes in nine races, which has left Clark with just as many questions as wins.

“If I knew, we wouldn’t be off. I don’t know. We’ve tried so many different things and there’s still one constant and we haven’t found it, whatever it is,” Clark said. “We’ll keep digging and try to fix us. That’s our goal, to work towards the 250 and I feel like that we should work towards one racetrack for now, instead of working at different tracks.”

Clark said his plan is to test at Oxford Plains Speedway as much as possible, and even plans to enter the 50-lap Super Late Model race at the track on Saturday with PASS North on an off week. The following weekend’s PASS race will be at Oxford Plains, giving Clark two straight weeks to prepare on the track in anticipation of the Oxford 250 on Sunday, Aug. 30.

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Johnny Clark was not the only regular PASS North driver to miss Sunday’s race, as the No. 77 Hight Chevrolet of 2013 series champ Cassius Clark, of Farmington, was also absent from the field.

According to published reports, Cassius Clark and Hight Motorsports agreed to part ways shortly after the Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on July 11.

“At this point Cassius and I are still very good friends and there aren’t any hard feelings between us,” team owner Corey Hight told the Kennebec Journal in an email.

Hight would not elaborate further on what led to the mutual split or the future of the No. 77. Cassius Clark could not be reached for comment.

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Zack Emerson has raced in just about every class with four wheels since he began at Oxford Plains nearly 20 years ago.

“I started racing full time in ’96,” Emerson said. “I’ve run Street Stock, Pro Stock, Late Model, Limited Sportsman (and) Outlaws.”

In that time, though, one thing has always eluded the Sabattus resident: a points championship. That is something Emerson is hoping to change this summer, as he is the current leader in the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock division with 573 points. Calvin Rose Jr., Josh Childs and Richard Spaulding Jr. all remain within striking distance with 565, 564 and 510 points, respectively.

“I try not to think about it right now because I don’t want to jinx it,” Emerson said of the chase for the title. “We finished second probably six times. A couple times we missed it by a few points. We’ve been close, just not quite good enough.”

Emerson will be looking to add to his lead Saturday night during a full slate of racing at Oxford Plains. In addition to the Street Stock race, the American Canadian Tour and North East Mini Stock Tour will also be swinging though for races.

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley


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