Houston 12th new track added to ASA schedule

[rebelracewriter]

Houston Marks 12th New Racetrack ASA Has Visited Since 2000

 

 

Pendleton, IN (March 25, 2003) – For the first time in the 36-year history of the ASA Racing Series, the state of Texas will witness America’s premier short track stock car racing series, marking the 12th new racetrack ASA has visited since 2000. ASA makes its debut at the state-of-the-art Houston Motor Speedway and its .375-mile oval on Saturday, April 12.

 

Since the ASA Racing Series upgraded to the current package of fuel-injected engines and BFGoodrich Radial Tires, seven drivers have won inaugural events. 2002 ASA National Champion Joey Clanton won three initial events with multiple winners including two-time National Champion Gary St. Amant and 2000 rookie Scott Wimmer. 2001 National Champion Johnny Sauter, three-time National Champion Butch Miller, Mike Garvey and Mike Miller are single-event winners at first-time ASA facilities.

 

At ASA’s most recent initial track visit, St. Amant rolled into the winner’s circle at Illiana Motor Speedway near Chicago. St. Amant bypassed Robbie Pyle on the 269th circuit and then finished .612-second ahead of 2002 Rookie of the Year David Stremme. 1997 National Champion Kevin Cywinski placed third with Butch Miller and seven-time National Champion Mike Eddy rounding out the top-five finishers.

 

Joey Clanton made a dramatic pass at Elko (MN) Speedway in June of 2002, finishing ahead of Stremme and series veteran Mike Garvey. Wisconsin racer Kevin Cywinski crossed the stripe in fourth with St. Amant claiming fifth-place honors.

 

In May of 2001, ASA made its debut at the .50-tri-oval of Concord (NC) Motorsport Park with eventual National Champion and Rookie of the Year Johnny Sauter dominating the BFGoodrich Tires 300. Sauter made the race-winning pass on lap 205 and then finished .397-second ahead of Butch Miller.

 

At the inaugural event at South Boston (VA) Speedway, Joey Clanton put together an awesome performance, leading all 300 laps of the event. Clanton finished .341-second ahead of Cywinski with Mike Garvey and St. Amant rounding out the front-runners.

 

Bypassing Cywinski on the 256th circuit of the tires.com 300, St. Amant pulled away the finish to capture a payday of $23,580 in the initial event at Irwindale Speedway near Los Angeles. Three-time National Champion Butch Miller finished in third position.

 

After out dueling Johnny Sauter, Georgia veteran Joey Clanton won for a second time in his ASA career. Clanton’s victory at St. Augustine (FL) Speedway was worth $16,830 of the $186,810 in posted awards. Scott Hansen finished second with Gary, Sauter and Cywinski filling out the top-five finishers.

 

 

Steering his number 52 car around rookie competitor Scott Wimmer on the 182nd circuit, Butch Miller won the BFGoodrich Tires 200 at Gateway International Speedway near St. Louis. Wimmer held on for second with St. Amant finishing third.

 

ASA made its Illinois debut in July of 2000 with the inaugural event at the 1.029 Chicago Motor Speedway. Garvey muscled his way to first around 1999 National Champion Tim Sauter and then cruised to a 1.705 seconds victory over Wimmer. Robbie Pyle placed third with Tim Sauter and St. Amant comprising the top five.

 

Driving his Jani-King Pontiac by St. Amant with 21 laps remaining in the 300-lap event at Montgomery Motor Speedway, Mike Miller then proceeded to score the first victory at the Alabama short track. St. Amant finished second with Tim Sauter taking third-place honors.

 

Winning his second consecutive event, Wimmer won the 300-lap event at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway in April of 2000. Wimmer passed Tim Sauter on the 235th lap and then finished .986-second ahead of St. Amant.

 

Scoring his first ASA victory, Wimmer dominated the closing stages of the Discount Auto Parts 300 at Lanier National Speedway in Georgia. Series veteran Mike Miller grabbed runner-up honors with Butch Miller placing third.

 

The Texas 250 kicks off on Friday, April 11 with a three-hour optional practice session beginning at 1 p.m. On Saturday, practice resumes at 12:30 p.m. with qualifying scheduled for 5. The Texas 250 goes green at 9 p.m. (Eastern). That's 8 PM Central--our time!

 

Tickets are available in advance through the ASA office at a cost of $25 for general admission seats. Discounts are available when purchasing in advance. For additional information, contact the ASA ticket line at 1-888-ASA-1020.

 

For additional information on the ASA Racing Series visit asaracing.com.