Winterfest 150 Podium (left to right): Sam Watts (3rd), Brad Leighton (winner), Johnny Clark (2nd)

Leighton Wins PASS Winterfest 150 at New Smyrna; Sommerville Fifth
Posted February 1, 2010; Source - PASS Online; Photos - Norm Marx

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL - The 2010 PASS National season started Sunday with the Winterfest 150 at New Smyrna Speedway. Former NASCAR Busch East Series champion Brad Leighton of New Hampshire was the winner, followed by Maine's Johnny Clark and North Carolina's Sam Watts was third.

Jeff Choquette, also from North Carolina, was fourth and Saint John New Brunswick's Lonnie Sommerville was fifth.

The race was Leighton’s’ first with Richard Moody Racing, the team that earned the 2009 PASS National title with Ben Rowe at the wheel.

Johnny Clark set fast time with a lap of 17.505 seconds, followed by Sam Watts (17.534), Jeff Choquette (17.535), Brad Leighton ((17.601) and Preston Peltier (17.629).

Eight cars completed all 150 green flag laps in a race slowed by twelve caution periods. Leighton, Clark, Peltier, Choquette, Watts and Ben Rowe each took one or more turns at the front of the field. Rowe’s day ended in a turn one wreck, relegating the defending PASS South and National Champion to a 14th place finish.

CTW.com EDITOR'S NOTE: Totally unofficially we hear Lonnie Sommerville started the race 16th, was heading to the front when his and another car got together. They restarted at the back of the field and Sommerville raced to a strong fifth-place finish.

UNOFFICAL RACE RESULTS
Showing finish position, car number and driver name

1 - 55 - Brad Leighton
2 - 54 - Johnny Clark
3 - 73 - Sam Watts
4 - 33 - Jeff Choquette
5 - 23 - Lonnie Sommerville
6 - 20 - Steve Legendre
7 - 26 - Preston Peltier
8 - 4s - Jay Fogleman
9 - 04 - Jared Foley
10 - 127 - Kyle Maynard
11 - 5 - Kevin Ingram
12 - 6- Dale Brackett
13 - 88 - Justin Larson
14 - 48 - Ben Rowe
15 - 36 - Tim Russell
16 - 35 - Devin Jones
17 - 08 - Joey Gase
18 - 51 - Steve Nasse
19 - 62 - Brandon Ward
20 - 8 - Eddie Gainey
21 - 61 - Mario Gosselin
22 - 15 - Clay Jones