Undercards Taking Center Stage During Easter Bunny Weekend at Hickory

The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models will once again kick off their National Championship campaign with the 21st annual Easter Bunny race slated for March 13 and 14. This year’s trip will feature a single 200-lap race paying $8,000 to win and $1,000 to start. Just as significantly, two local Northeast divisions are joining the card, getting a chance in the spotlight at one of North America’s oldest and most important short tracks.

For the first time, New England-style Street Stocks/Limited Sportsmen will participate in the season opener in Newton, North Carolina, with a 100-lap, $5,000-to-win contest. Joining them is another first as the very popular Thunder Stock Crown Vic class will compete in a 50-lap, $2,000-to-win tilt. For most drivers in each division, it will be their first time on the 0.363-mile oval, which opened in 1951 and is widely known as, “The Birthplace of NASCAR Stars.”

Street Stock/Limited-type classes are part of the backbone at almost every weekly short track in North America. While rules vary from track to track and series to series, the basic American-made stock production-type car is one of the most popular ways for drivers to race at a higher level without breaking the bank. As for the Thunder Stock Crown Vic class, it has quickly swept the nation as one of the most popular beginner low-buck racing classes around. Most Crown Vic rules limit the amount of performance engineering to keep costs down.

“We wanted to give some guys a chance to race at Hickory that have not been there before and may not get a chance to race there otherwise,” said PASS President Tom Mayberry. “Just about every track has a Street Stock/Limited type class that can fit under our simple rules umbrella. The Crown Vics have become really popular nationwide too, so we thought we would put on a couple big races for these guys and give them a chance to race with us at Hickory.”

Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway held a 100-lap Street Stock-Limited race at the 2025 PASS 400 Weekend with the same simple rules package they will use at Hickory. Combining three different divisions of cars (Street Stocks, Limiteds, and Super Streets) on the Hoosier 790 tire proved an even matchup as the top 10 finishers were split between the classes almost evenly. Winner Jordan Russell utilized one of his Street Stocks to grab the win over Kyle Treadwell, who used his Limited Sportsman as a part of the 44-car field.

“We think the rules package and purse will help generate interest from competitors all across the South and Midwest,” said Mayberry. “This package works well on almost any type of V8 stock production-based vehicle.”

The Street Stock-Limited Open rules flyer can be found at www.proallstarsseries.com, with the only addition to the 2025 PASS 400 Weekend rules being, “no excessive panning or ground effects.” Any questions can be directed to head technical official Jason Ricker.

“The rules package really did a good job of keeping us all pretty even,” said Russell. “We were fast two weeks previous with the same car and package and were just lucky enough to catch all the breaks that day. But if Kyle had gotten to the front before me, I think he would have won.”

Runner-up Kyle Treadwell echoed Russell. “We had a really good car that day, just not quite good enough to beat Jordan,” he said. “The tire seems to be the great equalizer between several different types of cars. I think any southern car that joins us in Hickory will find the competition to very fair and fun.”

The Thunder Stock Crown Vics are slated to run 50 laps in their portion of the 21st Annual Easter Bunny 200. With $2,000 on the line and another basic set of rules, the excitement is ramping up. Youngster Logan Spencer is one of many planning to make the trek with his car.

“What a great opportunity to race at such a historic place like Hickory Motor Speedway,” said Spencer. “I can’t wait to race at a place that has had so many great drivers over the years.”

Friday, March 13 will be an optional day of practice for any driver who wishes to turn some laps and acclimate to the North Carolina oval. Saturday March 14 at 2:30pm, the 2026 PASS season will kick off with heat races for all three divisions on the card followed by the main events. A full schedule will be released in the coming weeks. Entry forms for all three divisions are posted at www.proallstarsseries.com.

To become a partner for the weekend or to get information on other partnerships with the Pro All Stars Series, contact Kevin Varney at 207-577-1836, opsmarketing50@gmail.com, or inquire via social media.

For technical information concerning all Oxford and PASS divisions, please contact passracing@roadrunner.com or call Jason Ricker at 704-881-4429.

Don’t forget to follow Oxford Plains Speedway, the Pro All Stars Series, and its related series on Facebook:

facebook.com/ProAllStarsSeries
facebook.com/p/Official-Page-of-Oxford-Plains-Speedway
facebook.com/NESupers
facebook.com/p/PASS-MODS-Touring-Series

-Pro All Stars Series Release
-Photo credit: Will Bellamy