This past Sunday, the Pro All Star Series and American-Canadian Tour returned to Lee USA Speedway for twin 150-lap features. The day’s events also featured a 50-lap PASS Modified event. Coming into Sunday, Tyler King had been the sole winner of PASS Modified events in 2021. A full field of 23 competitors showed up to Lee on Sunday, hoping to knock the king off of his throne.
The Modified events kicked off with three 10-lap qualifying heats. Max Cookson took off with the lead in the first heat and never looked back, capturing the heat victory. Brandon Varney and Kevin Durgin rounded out the top 3.
Jade Madore powered into the early lead in the second qualifying heat. Rookie, Zach Nicholson, who is no stranger to Lee, powered his way through the field early, advancing to third over Bill Dixon on lap 2. He was at Shawn Knight’s door the following lap, challenging for the runner-up spot. Nicholson won the battle with Knight and continued his pursuit the following lap, overtaking the lead from Jake Madore.
Dan Morris had a right front tire go down on lap 7, resulting in the driver taking a spin in turn 2. The incident led to a late-race caution.
Shawn Knight pulled ahead with the lead on the restart but Zach Nicholson was on his toes. Nicholson pulled to Knight’s inside on the final lap, finally completing the pass in turn 3. Nicholson continued to fend Knight off to the finish, capturing his first career PASS Modified heat victory. Jake Madore rounded out the top 3.
Chasing the Checkered driver, Spencer Morse, took the early lead over Chandler Harrison in the third and final qualifying heat. Zach Bowie was also on the move early, advancing into the runner-up spot over Harrison on lap 2. Bowie was all over Morse for the lead the following lap before getting out of the groove on lap 4 in turn 1, causing the #00 to lose some ground.
Another Chasing the Checkered driver, rookie Garrett Lamb, was making moves mid-race. Lamb pulled to Chandler Harrison’s door on lap 5, challenging Harrison for fourth before overtaking the position the following lap. Tyler King was all over Garrett Lamb for fourth on the final lap, but Lamb was able to fend him off to the finish. Spencer Morse secured the heat victory, making him a heat race hero for the second time in 2021. Zach Bowie and Ajay Cates rounded out the top 3.
24 drivers took to the track for the 50-lap feature race. Brandon Varney’s troubles began before the race started as he was black flagged due to his #1 machine dumping fuel onto the track. Varney returned to the track before the start of the race, but he was plagued with the same problem, causing him to pull to the pits once again.
Once the field got rolling, Max Cookson powered into the lead as Spencer Morse quickly advanced into the runner-up spot over Zach Nicholson. Bill Dixon took the dreaded right-hand turn to the pits on lap 3, retiring from the race early. Ashley Beyea was also plagued with early race troubles on lap 7 as she also headed down to the pit area.
Gary Dwinal nearly went off-track while battling for position on lap 10. He was able to spare the #55 machine of any damage, but ultimately lost a handful of spots.
Garrett Lamb was on the move once again mid-race, advancing to fifth over Shawn Knight on lap 20. The leaders began approaching heavy lap-traffic on lap 25, but Max Cookson was still holding strong at the top of the leaderboard. Spencer Vaughn took a spin on the backstretch on lap 30, resulting in a caution.
Max Cookson powered into the lead once again on the restart. Garrett Lamb was all over Zach Bowie for fourth on lap 32, but Tyler King was hot on their heels. King overtook Lamb for fifth on lap 35 and immediately began battling it out with Zach Bowie for fourth. King quickly took over the spot, then setting his sights on the leaders in front of him.
Alex Ricker took a spin on the backstretch on lap 37, but the field remained green. Ajay Cates, Jake Madore and Mike Nichols all tangled in lap 39 in turn 4, resulting in a late-race caution.
Max Cookson continued to maintain his edge over Spencer Morse on the restart as Tyler King Powered to third behind them. Garrett Lamb and Zach Bowie went head to head once again on lap 42, with both drivers hungry for a top five. Lamb pulled away with just 5 laps to go. Tyler King was still on the hunt in the closing laps of the feature, all over Spencer Morse for the runner-up spot with just 3 laps to go.
Morse was able to fend Tyler King off to the finish, but Max Cookson was the real superstar of the day as he rolled into Victory Lane to celebrate his first career PASS Modified win. After performing his well-earned Victory lap, Cookson was greeted with a liquid bath (a mini celebration) from his runner-up competitor.
Zach Nicholson and Garrett Lamb, both young rookies in the division, rounded out the top five.
The PASS Modified division continues to be highly competitive week-in and week-out. Drivers like Tyler King, Max Cookson and Spencer Morse continue to display strong finishes while drivers like Garrett Lamb and Zach Nicholson continue to grow and prove that they can race hard, earning respect from seasoned veterans in their division.
Catch the next PASS Modified race next Sunday, May 23rd, at White Mountain Motorsports Park. The racing action kicks off at 1:30pm.
Continue chasing the checkered and support your local short tracks and touring divisions. I hope to see you soon!
