HICKORY, NC :: Ben Rowe came to Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night in search of one thing; a victory in the Pro All Stars Series Easter Bunny 150 and the bonus of being locked into the 2016 Oxford 250 that went with it.
Rowe qualified in fourth and with the help of the top ten redraw he would start the 150 lap race from the pole. His father, 3-time Oxford 250 winner Mike Rowe would start alongside him as the field came to the green flag.
The elder Rowe would lead the first 22 laps before son Ben decided the pace was not what he wanted to run and made the move to the outside of his father to take the lead of the race.
The lone challenge to Ben Rowe’s dominance came after a caution on lap 56 as Virginia’s Trey Jarrell had worked his way from his sixth starting position up to the outside of Rowe for the restart. Jarrell was able to get the jump on Rowe, but was never able to clear him and after several side by side laps Rowe would retake command of the race at lap 61.
Behind the leader, LFR development driver Riley Herbst and Derek Ramstrom were on the move forward. Fast time qualifier Jody Measamer, who redrew 7th was also on the march towards the front.
On lap 90, Jarrell began to fade with a tight race car and also one that was on seven cylinders. Herbst and Ramstrom were able to clear Jarrell for second and third just before a caution on lap 101 for a spin by Tanner Gray.
The race’s first big accident happened on lap 116 as the three wide action ran out of room as the field exited turn 2. Greenville-Pickens winner last month Joey Doiron and Joey Padgett were eliminated in the incident, while top 5 point contender Matt Craig suffered heavy front end damage.
Over the final 30 laps nobody had anything for Ben Rowe up front. The battle would be between Herbst and Ramstrom for the runner-up spot down the stretch.
The final yellow flag waved 21 laps from the end after Preston Peltier got turned around in turn 3 and ended up with hard contact in the wall along with AJ Frank. Kodie Conner, who had worked his way up to sixth after a broken axle in his last chance race relegated him to a last place start, was also involved. Conner was able to continue with just cosmetic damage and finished in 12th place to hold the point lead after the event.
However, up front it was all Ben Rowe. Rowe drove away to a comfortable lead over the final laps and was in cruise mode as he collected his second career Easter Bunny 150, the other being in 2009. Riley Herbst, Derek Ramstom, Jody Measamer and Jeremy Davis rounded out the top five.
“The day started off and I was actually a little nervous. I just couldn’t keep the pace that some of these guys were turning in practice. The boys went to work and basically put me back to where we started with what we came down here with and they never faulted. I got a bunch of new guys and everybody from Rick and Josh that own this deal, to Crazy Horse Racing to turn this thing around,” said Rowe after the race.
“Dean Clattenburg built this race car and I can’t thank him enough. To come down here and dominate like that, this car was on a rail. Everything worked in our favor today. I’ll take the luck. We drew number 1 and started up front. We fell back behind my father and he got a little tight and I just wanted to run my own pace.”
When asked about Riley Herbst, Rowe had these comments, “The 19 with Jeff Fultz’s bunch and LFR they got good stuff. The kid was on my butt at the end and I just didn’t want him to get to me and turn me or anything like that. He didn’t and the kid did a great job and raced me super clean. It’s fun racing with kids like that, because you don’t get that everyday.”
“Being locked into the Oxford 250 is huge for me. I’ve won that race twice and it is the biggest race of my career. That is the Snowball Derby of the North and one of the top races that everybody in the country hears about. To get that automatic lock in that is out of our way and we can just go there and concentrate on winning that race. We have a lot of effort going into that race. My dad has won it three times, I’ve won it twice and I want to catch him,” said Rowe about the Oxford 250.
Easter Bunny 150 Results
- Ben Rowe – 150 Laps
- Riley Herbst – 150 Laps
- Derek Ramstrom – 150 Laps
- Jody Measamer – 150 Laps
- Jeremy Davis – 150 Laps
- Mike Hopkins – 150 Laps
- Tanner Gray – 150 Laps
- Trey Jarrell – 150 Laps
- Tate Fogleman – 150 Laps
- John Michael Shenette – 150 Laps
- Travis Stearns – 149 Laps
- Kodie Conner – 149 Laps
- JP Josiasse – 148 Laps
- Matt Craig – 148 Laps
- Josh Williams – 144 Laps
- Kyle Desouza – 137 Laps
- Roger Lee Newton – 136 Laps
- Shane Lee – 132 Laps
- AJ Frank – 128 Laps
- Preston Peltier – 128 Laps
- DJ Shaw – 128 Laps
- Mike Rowe – 126 Laps
- Travis Benjamin – 125 Laps
- Joey Doiron – 125 Laps
- Trevor Noles – 124 Laps
- Chris Dilbeck – 116 Laps
- Joey Padgett – 115 Laps
- Tracy Gordon – 111 Laps
- Jimmy Doyle – 100 Laps
- Brandon Setzer – 85 Laps
- Derek Scott, Jr. – 60 Laps
- Gus Dean – 38 Laps
- Jody Lavendar – 30 Laps
- Cale Gale – 27 Laps
