Alan Dietz Sees Bright Future for PASS Series

If not for the Pro All Stars Series, Super Late Model racing would not have as large of a following in the Carolinas and Virginias as it currently does. At least, that’s the narrative according to PASS official Alan Dietz.

And it’s hard to argue with him.

Prior to Tom Mayberry introducing his touring division into the region, the Piedmont was the playground for NASCAR Late Model Stocks and Hooters Pro Cup beyond a few independent and loosely organized start-ups.

In PASS, Mayberry provided a sense of legitimacy and structure not previously seen in the area. A decade later, PASS is still around, still growing and still facing many of the same obstacles that complicate the entirety of Super Late Model racing in the region.

The NASCAR machine is still around, and Pro Cup has morphed into a more disruptive entity (according to PASS) in the CARS Tour that features Super Late Models. But despite the challenges of co-existing in a very crowded marketplace and dealing with the ever-changing Super Late landscape, Dietz says he is excited for what the future holds for PASS in the Southeast.

“No one thought Super Late Model racing would work down here when PASS first arrived in the Carolinas,” Dietz said. “Concord had the Big 10 Series and there were a few Pro Late Model deals out there but that also provided a degree of opportunity. These cars are cheaper to build and maintain and that caught on with the drivers.

“Looking ahead, we face some challenges in gaining more exposure and we want some kind of television deal. We think that’s a good platform for us to explore in the future, and I feel good about a lot of the things we have in the works.”

It’s a complicated topic but PASS does face a degree of competition from both NASCAR and the CARS Tour. While Dietz doesn’t see NASCAR as a detriment to his operation, he does believe working around and sometimes inadvertently against the CARS Tour has damaged the discipline in the Piedmont.

“The NASCAR stuff doesn’t affect us, just because it’s a completely different car and we’ve worked with many of those tracks over the years anyway,” Dietz said. “I’ll go even further in saying that I think Super Late Model racing is the way to go for younger drivers looking to advance to NASCAR.

“This is where Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones launched their careers. Daniel Hemric. But with that said, I don’t think having multiple tours in one region is beneficial to anyone. It’s splitting the cars.”

And yet, PASS has no intent whatsoever of abandoning the region.

Dietz and Mayberry have worked harder — and more importantly smarter — in trying to make their events an attractive alternative. Those efforts appeared to pay early dividends last weekend at Greenville Pickens Speedway as the tour drew 32 cars for its season-opening Winter Meltdown 150 — won by Joey Doiron.

As successful as the race was, Dietz found himself pleased knowing that they could have pushed for nearly 40 under slightly different circumstances.

“We really could have had 36 or 37 show up,” Dietz said. “There were three our guys that usually show up but couldn’t make it out this early in the year. I’m pleased with that.

“The race had 12 lead changes between eight different drivers and that happened in front of a full grandstand of fans. It wasn’t ideal weather. It was chilly and yet, it was still one of our biggest crowds at Greenville in a long time. I feel like we ended last year with a lot of momentum and picked up where we left off.”

As a result, Dietz says the goal for PASS moving forward is to maintain that impressive car count in the south and strengthen their relationships with tracks across both the northern and southern divisions. If they are able to accomplish that, he really wants to explore some form of TV or streaming deal, especially for their showcase event – the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine.

“I think TV is the natural next step for us,” Dietz said. “In fact, no  matter what we do for the entire series, TV works for the Oxford 250. It just makes sense financially. I think you’re going to see us announce a multi-year sponsor for that race and combined with lap leader bonuses, the winner’s pay is as good as it gets in Super Late Model racing.

“The trick part about TV elsewhere, is you don’t want to put race tracks out of business. You’ve seen that elsewhere, where a track spent a lot of money to get TV and now they’re closed down. We want to be careful there.”

The most common criticism against PASS has been that the series doesn’t work well with others, and that it must work on improving dialogue with the rest of the industry to continue growing in south. Dietz doesn’t feel that is fair, citing numerous improved relationships PASS has forged with its former rivals in the Northeast.

“No other Super Late Model series works with others, like us,” Dietz said. “USAC, Valenti Modifieds, Southeastern Limited Late Models — no one works with other series quite like us and that’s something I don’t think we get enough credit for.

“We work hard to have a good relationship with others. We’ve worked with the SPEARS Series in the Southwest. So I feel like that’s a bit of a misconception.”

So all told, Dietz understands there are challenges in growing PASS, both in the north and south. He knows there is always room for improvement, both towards those who are currently in his system and those outside of it. But he has a lot of pride in what he and Mayberry have built, and feels as though this is only the start of something special.

“I think it’s really amazing that we have guys like the Foglemans and Preston Peltier or Ben Rowe running in our series,” Dietz said. “My favorite thing is announcing these races because they are so entertaining, and this is what I grew up wanting to do.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve built. It certainly hasn’t been easy, and it’s still not easy. I’ve learned a lot from Tom and I think his vision for racing in the southeast is something that still works.”