Leighton, North Tame PASS in Florida

St. Johnsbury teen Legendre sixth

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Brad Leighton led a strong contingent of northern drivers to win the inaugural PASS Winterfest 150 at New Smyrna Speedway on Sunday afternoon in his debut performance with Maine-based Richard Moody Racing. For Leighton, of Center Harbor, N.H., it was his first PASS victory and his first win in a Super Late Model car since 1995. The Winterfest 150 was the opening round of the five-race 2010 PASS National Championship.

The race was hotly contested, with Leighton, Johnny Clark, Ben Rowe, Preston Peltier, Sam Watts, and Jeff Choquette each leading laps. Rowe was eliminated from contention following two wrecks just past lap 100, and Leighton recovered from a flat tire with just 25 laps remaining to take the lead from Clark and speed to the win.

Following Leighton across the finish line were Clark, of Hallowell, Me., Floridians Watts and Choquette, and Canadian Lonnie Sommerville of New Brunswick. Seventeen year-old Steven Legendre of St. Johnsbury finished sixth after starting 20th in the 22-car field. The top-10 was completed by North Carolina racers Peltier and Jay Fogleman, Jared Foley of Kentucky, and Florida's Kyle Maynard.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- PASS Winterfest 150
PASS National Championship -- New Smyrna Speedway, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Sunday, January 31, 2010

Pos.-Driver-Hometown

1. Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H.
2. Johnny Clark, Hallowell, Me.
3. Sam Watts, Winter Springs, Fla.
4. Jeff Choquette, Loxahatchee, Fla.
5. Lonnie Sommerville, St. John, N.B.
6. Steven Legendre, St. Johnsbury
7. Preston Peltier, Harrisburg, N.C.
8. Jay Fogleman, Durham, N.C.
9. Jared Foley, Williamsburg, Ky.
10. Kyle Maynard, Weirsdale, Fla.
11. Kevin Ingram, Auburndale, Fla.
12. Dale Brackett, Strong, Me.
13. Justin Larson, Clearwater, Fla.
14. Ben Rowe, Turner, Me.
15. Tim Russell, Apopka, Fla.
16. Devin Jones, Mooresville, N.C.
17. Joey Gase, Cedar Rapids, Ia.
18. Steve Nasse, Pinellas Park, Fla.
19. Brandon Ward, Winston-Salem, N.C.
20. Eddie Gainey, Fort White, Fla.
21. Mario Gosselin, Lake Wales, Fla.
22. Clay Jones, Goldsboro, N.C.

(PHOTOS: 1. (L-R) 3rd-place Sam Watts, winner Brad Leighton, runner-up Johnny Clark; 2. A mid-race restart with Clark (#54), Preston Peltier (#26), Jeff Choquette (#33), and Leighton (#55) up front. Photo 1 by Norm Marx/PASS, Photo 2 by Dave Parker for VMM)