ASA LATE MODELS

[KC11]

ASA Late Models

 

There is a current interest with ASA to branch it's late model divison into TEXAS. This would be ran as a southern division sanctioned by the ASA and operated under their guidelines.

ASA took over the rapid growing US PRO racing series in Michgan.

US Pro racing series started in 2003 with 10 cars grew to 25 and now with ASA taking over the series there are over 80 registered drivers. ASA plans to run the late models as a support race for their main show.

 

Info can be found on the ASA page at ASARACING.COM go to ASA Late Models

 

I have been working with Steve Dale of ASA and they are very interested in a Texas divison.

 

About the Cars: Sealed Chevy/Dodge/Ford 410 HP Motors

Proposed BFG radial tire

2700 lbs car 58% any chassis

Template Bodies all ABC bodies in 2005

They really did their Homework and came up with the best race car package I have ever seen.

Rules and specs are posted on asaracing.com

We are currenly seeking interested teams for a 12+ race schedule in 2004. We are planning to run a touring series SAS, Kyle, Houston, OK., ect. We have already started talking with tracks and have had good success. Any questions call Kirby Caldwell of KC Motorsports at 409-781-4653.

[ups88john]

just what we need, another touring series, good luck with it, but most people are up in arms already over tsrs.

 

big john

[NickHolt]

KC11,

 

I did what you suggested and checked out the ASA website and read everything I could click on regarding the ASA Late Models, but I couldn't find a word about them wanting to expand into Texas.

 

Texas is already trying to support the ROMCO SLM series, the TSRS LM series and LM classes at three asphalt tracks. While ASA is a well-respected organization, it seems a that adding yet another LM touring series might be counter-productive. JMO.

 

Nick Holt

[Jason]

Nick,

 

I think it is a great idea. Why not have ROMCO and then a series like this. I think racing in Texas will do really well this year and for years to come.

 

Why not just buy the ROMCO series or TSRS series though?

[97car]

Hey Nick I looked at the site also and didn't see a statement,but I did see something of interest that you local NASCAR people might remember.Dennis Huth is the director of the ASA series that is being talked about here,wasn't he over the NASCAR weekly series back when SAS first went NASCAR?It sounds interesting,at least it is not a all Chevy engine series,all 3 of thebig makes has crate engines that are eligable.

[racerjim2]

yes Dennis Huth used to be a NASCAR big wig.Maybe this is an alignment that will prove to be the triple A league in stock car racing.NASCAR has been pushing for a development series the last year or so.

[rebelracewriter]

#@*& )&^$#&^%% *&%$#@ **&%%^ @$^&* #^%&^%@$**( !!!!!!!

I want a touring series TOO!!!

Why don't we just KILL asphalt racing in Texas altogether!!!

[racerjim2]

they are doing a good job.

[txtom]

Rebel took the cuss words right out of my mouth.

We already have more asphalt touring series than we have asphalt tracks.

This ASA deal might be interesting to some, but at whose expense? Local late-models? ROMCO and TSRS?

Every time someone introduces a new series, another series or local class is diluted.

And we already have too damn many different types of late models out there for the number of available tracks and racers. I'd bet there are better than 200 asphalt late-models in the state of Texas, but half of them are under tarps in the garage because the owners are tired of keeping up with the various rules, classes, and changes that are happening. Off-set/perimeter, 9-1/concept/2 barrel, fabricated/stock front clip. Now we want to add template bodies and crate motors to the mix. Where does it all end?

We do not live in a region where we have 25 or 30 tracks within 4 hours. We have 6 tracks within 8 hours. Of those, Altus runs a different late model touring class already, and another, Wichita Falls, is not fit to race on.

So that leaves Houston, Kyle, S.A., and Corpus. (yeah and one race at TMS, but only ROMCO). These tracks are already saturated with touring series.

Let's try to do a better job of supporting the series AND local classes we have now, instead of jumping on every new bandwagon that comes along.

[AUGBIT]

The ASA late model series is a great series with national attenion!

we are going to start converting our car tomarrow, If it dosent take off here we will race up north. they have a great engine program, whitch makes it a very good series.

[rebelracewriter]

Don't misunderstand me here, ASA is certainly one of the premier Late Model series in the Midwest and East. I grew up on ASA racing watching guys like Kulwicki, Martin, Trickle, Musgrave, Wallace, Eddy, Senneker, etc.

I just think this is the wrong place at the wrong time! I'll ask the same question I asked the TracGroup rep, "WHERE WILL THE CAR COME FROM?!"

 

txtom, You think there are that many? I would have guessed 150, with only about 100 teams racing regularly in the two series and three local classes.

 

augbit, Converting a car before any races, tracks have even been scheduled??? Why not support an already established series?

[KC11]

RebelRacer, I had the same question you had at the TracGoup press release in Austin earlier this year. Where will the teams come from? I assume that the TracGroup expect teams to show up based on the large purses. My hat is off to them if they can make it work. If they do, I will probably be involved to some degree.

To answer your question “Where will the racers come from?” The most interested people are racers from the smaller car divisions like the Legends, Allison Legacy, Pro Challenge, etc. A select few of these drivers already have late models and are looking at what to do next year.

The concept to start this series did not come from me, but rather from the racers looking for an aggressive sealed motor series to race in. The Allison Legacy Series has proven in Texas that the “Sealed Motor” concept works. The ASA has proven it on a national level. With as many people after me to start this series we are pressing forward. The first car should be up and running by early January.

We support the other series and are not trying to steal drivers or dilute them.

I agree with Jason and think that racing in Texas is going to take off this year and years to come.

There are a lot of people who love the idea of late model racing but are intimidated by the high cost of trying to compete. This scares off most people who want to race; keeping them on the side lines.

The statement made by txtom about why so many cars are parked is another one of the reasons for this ASA racing series concept. By keeping the high dollar components out of racing, it makes racing more affordable to the masses instead of the select few.

I encourage all to go to the asaracing.com web page and look at the ASA LAte Model rules.

Having an alliance with the ASA would be a very valuable tool giving the rules and organization stability and validity.

[NickHolt]

Kirby,

We have already started talking with tracks and have had good success

 

Would you mind telling us which tracks you have contracts with for 2004?

 

Nick Holt

[rebelracewriter]

Mr Caldwell, I appreciate the response and I didn't mean to come off as a stinker, but we(on TSZ) have had this, at times heated, conversation before regarding touring series in Texas.

My point, and those who agree with me, is that right now Texas pavement racing on a weekly level is hurting. Low car counts, low fan counts, varying rules, etc. are a few of the main stumbling blocks. If we continue to diminish the amount of weekly racers, the tracks may be forced to close, without tracks there can be no touring series, unless racing in K-Mart parking lots is of interest. This, in turn, chases away the fans. Then if cars are drawn from other touring series, they suffer as well, and who gets hurt by that? The fans again, the ones that pay there hard earned dollars each and, sometimes, every week.

If we had over 200 Late Models in this area, I wouldn't think twice about the idea. But we don't, so adding yet another touring series concerns me. I lived in NW Indiana, with a dozen pavement tracks running Late Models within four hours. We just don't have those options here in Texas.

I wish you the best of luck, and I am certainly open-mided enough to give the series a chance, and depending on scheduling/location I may even be there to cover some.

[txtom]

The Allison Legacy Series has proven in Texas that the “Sealed Motor” concept works. The ASA has proven it on a national level.

The ASA has also proven that "sealed motors" doesn't stop anything. In a previous post awhile back, I talked about the ASA finding out that racers can bypass the wire seal trick to change Cams, Pistons, etc. They found all this stuff in this series. So seals don't mean squat without correct tech. 2 years ago, show up and you can run ASA. Why? Uncompetitive teams parked because either they did not want to, or hadn't figured out how to bypass the wire.

It's simple--snip the wire away from the seal. When you've done whatever you want, stick the two ends back in the hole and pin them in place with another piece of wire or a bit of toothpick. Ya'll seen those new "Sharpie" brand markers that are silver? Great for dabbing the toothpick with to make it look the same as the wire. When you tug on it, it will act like it hasn't been tampered with.

Now that it's been found, certain teams don't just walk away from everyone else like they did a couple years ago.

I noticed that Mike Cope, owner of Bronson Speedway in Florida, joined the ASA member track deal. The same Mike Cope who got suspended from ASA a couple years ago for having illegal pistons in a "sealed motor." What kind of credibility issues is he going to face at his track?

As far as the number of parked late-models, some of the cars I know about are probably obsolete to run anything now, they've been sitting so long. And what about that guy who scraped pennies together, anything to be able to run, only to hear that next year his stuff is being replaced,and he needs to spend money he doesn't have, or park it? What says he is going to be able to do it now just because ASA's name is on it?

Like REBEL said, ASA is a great organization with impressive backing and credentials. BUT, I think our racers are tired of changing equipment every few years to meet the latest craze or "cost saving measure."

I have seen several other proposals for new series or classes, and initial interest was always high. It remains to be seen how much interest there will be when the checks have to be written.

As for Tracgroup, that joke needs to go ahead and be buried for good.

Kirby, I'm not knocking you or what you're trying to do here. If you can get it off the ground without hurting the series already in existance, great. But I personally think we already are saturated with touring cars, whatever the type.

Something not mentioned here is the shape of the few tracks we have. We keep bleeding racers from the local ranks, which in turn reduces the fan base. Look at the stands on a weekly show. We are going to have about 10-12 classes of touring cars without a place to run. I don't see any of our tracks surving as "special events only tracks", and I don't see the fun in running around orange cones in a parking lot.

More like my nickel or so.

[Mel]

Kirby,

 

If you and a few of the guys in H-town decide to start this new series, what will happen to the LM sealed engine class that is currently a weekly show in Houston? How does Graham feel about the ASA LM vs. the weekly show?

 

Thanks,

Mel

[gasman]

KC11, assuming you race to win, There is a late model series here already that pays $3600 to win and ASA LM pays $2000. Scratch that for drawing cars, now what?

[97car]

Question,who is going to be able to freshen these engines up without having to send them out to some monopolized engine builder,or having to buy a new engine? Is this a attempt to break out from a track in Texas that has made it known that it will not pay a purse and the drivers are tired of paying so much to buy this type of car and paying to race and only get a trophy? I do like the idea of only spending $4K for a engine versus 15k plus,if the purses are decent,but this is diluting a already known situation in Texas. How many tracks are signed up in Tx. for a race? I don't agree with the ABC body issue either,however I don't like street look alikes either.

[tqj3]

97car-

You've missed the point about a track not paying a purse. It's not that they won't, it's that they can't. For them to pay a purse to any group, that group has to bring in at least 20 percent more money to the track (entry fees, pit passes, spectators) than the track is paying in purse.

Most tracks in Texas probably can't afford to pay a purse; that's why they are struggling: because they are trying to pay a purse, anyway.

[97car]

Tq3,I did't mean that post to sound like it did,but it has been proven that if you put up a good purse and advertise the cars will show up.I may have been off on that post by saying that,due to it being discussed earlier this year.My main point was like others stated is where are they going to get the cars from and what are the datesss for the races if any. In asphalt this has been a problem,dirt can get a mess of cars for 1,000 or 1,200 to win,hmm maybe the next resurface for a asphalt track should be a good layer of clay?

[fishracer]

Believe it or not I do agree with everyone that states we need to support the existing series. We need to support the weekly tracks as well as the current touring series. But for the sake of growth of all of these, those that are the rules writers need to open their minds to the concept of helping to reduce costs, not just the idea of reducing costs and talking about it but dig in and see where these costs really come from "the rules"" ea. Their job is to write the rules for the future not just for the moment. To write a set of rules that will encompass the most cars and equipment from their draw area.

 

Just think about it, just look at what Casey Smith did this week, do you not believe his driving skills would be any less if the same chassis were 200lbs lighter and with a 450hp(not sealed) motor. Just think if you could have 40-60 cars(out of the so called 150 available) show up every couple of weeks for 20-25 starting positions and everyone ran this basic package,the quailfying would be real close and the racing even closer. And you know what the qualifying times and race times would be close to or within .25 of the current ROMCO times. What would it hurt to write this into the rules. Maybe some guy who has a 550hp might not make the race and it was not because he did not have enough motor. The biggest thing keeping those cars mentioned under covers is the motor, chances are they have all the rest. The great thing about it is you could take this same chassis put a open show (SAS,Snowball,Patriot etc)motor in it and fly and your experience racing in your local region would give you the same skills to be able to win. Stop worrying about comparing yourself to the other guys, for the sake of survival use what you have already.

[tqj3]

97car-

"it has been proven that if you put up a good purse and advertise the cars will show up."

Not around here, it hasn't been. Besides, getting the cars to show up is only half the battle. If you can't get spectators, the only source of money is the drivers, and you can't grow a sport off the "back gate;" that's just another way of saying the sport rides on the drivers backs (and wallets).

[WildRacer5]

I'm sure if ASA wanted to they would just buy the ROMCO series. I mean they did it to USPRO!?!?

There is not enough money for the majority of the SLM teams to run both the ASA and ROMCO SLM in the same season. This idea does have merit as well as a proven model with ASA's years of racing, but unlike every where else Texas does not have the tracks to race on. Maybe if we had the 2 tracks in ALtus and the proposed track in LA and maybe one or two in New Mexico it might work. Although the travel cost would be high.

Everyone knows the Texas Track Group is a dead horse but at least ASA has a vision. WIth Nick as the new comp Director at THR maybe he would like to see THr become an ASA member track. Just my two cents.

[WildRacer5]

by the way:

 

If you pay more they will come! That theory does not work. Every ROMCO race pays more than Southern All stars but all the ROMCO teams are going to SAS to compete not the other way arround.

[Bandit]

The concept of paying more for a bigger car count does work. Look at TIDA vs. ROMCO. The only things I have against the ASA Latemodel are 1) I don't like the idea fo sending my motors to someone else to get freshened, that knocks me out of the picture right there 2) ROMCO is a great home based organization, we need to support them first. and 3) can you really police these sealed motor?