Halpin Hops To Hickory, To Run Easter Bunny 150 with Woodman Racing

Steve Halpin is once again heading stateside this April to get a leg up on the racing season.

Halpin, of Saint John, New Brunswick, has teamed up once again with Woodman Racing for an appearance on the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Tour. This time, Halpin will be tackling one of the biggest events on the PASS South Series schedule, the 10th Annual Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 4th. The race is the second in the PASS National schedule and the third race on the PASS South slate.

The 2012 Parts for Trucks Maritime Pro Stock Tour Rookie of the Year made his PASS South debut at Orange County Speedway last April in the Orange Blossom Special, qualifying 12th in the 28 car field and coming home with an eighth place finish. The Easter Bunny 150 will be Halpin’s second career PASS Super Late Model start.

Experience with the Woodman Racing team is something that Halpin says will help him at Hickory, a track he will be seeing for the first time. “Dick and Becky make you feel right at home when you race with them,” said Halpin. “I know that I will be getting into a well prepared car at a track Dick has a lot of knowledge of. It’s my first time at Hickory, and I know there is going to be a lot of tough competition, especially in a big event like the Easter Bunny 150. I have to focus on hitting my marks and laying down a good lap in qualifying and hope that translates into a good run in the feature.”

As for this Summer, Halpin still plans on running at home, like last year, on a part-time basis around New Brunswick. “We’re going to pick and choose a few select races to run. We’d love to get back and run the (Parts for Trucks) Tour, but that’s just not in the cards for this year.”

Events like the Easter Bunny 150 cannot be done on one’s own, and he points to two names Maritimers will be familiar with for helping with his Hickory effort. “If it wasn’t for Dick, Geoff Armstrong and Dean Clattenburg, this wouldn’t have came together. It has come together quick in the last couple nights and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to get into such a good race car.”

Halpin will look to keep the Northern streak alive after last year, when eventual PASS Aim Recycling Super Late Model presented by Kenny U-Pull champion DJ Shaw made a last lap pass on Tyler Church to capture the victory. The early entry list includes Maine’s Mike and Ben Rowe, along with Berwick’s Joey Doiron, who is also entered in a Woodman Racing car.

Fans can follow along with the 10th Annual Easter Bunny 150 on Speed51.com or by ordering their Pay-Per-View video coverage of their race, streamed live on 51TV on Saturday, April 4th. For more information on the Pro All Stars Series, please visit www.proallstarsseries.com.

Halpin made his PASS South debut last year at Orange County Speedway aboard a Woodman Racing car. He hopes to continue success the team had in 2014 into the Easter Bunny 150 on April 4th. (LW Pictures Photo)