Green Flag Flies on the 2009 ASA National Championship

[debwill]

GREEN FLAG FLIES ON THE 2009 AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION JOE GIBBS DRIVEN RACING OIL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

 

By: Kevin Ramsell

 

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Wednesday, April 8, 2009) - All across the United States the American Speed Association Member Tracks have either started or gearing up for their 2009 racing season. It is also a clean slate as the drivers at each of these tracks will start competing for an opportunity of a lifetime.

 

Those drivers will be competing to become the second American Speed Association Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Member Track National Champion. One driver, either from an asphalt quarter-mile track to a dirt half-mile track will emerge as the best in the nation.

 

Last year, Cary Stapp of Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, TX won the championship and got an opportunity to show his talents to Joe Gibbs Racing in a special tryout. That opportunity is again available for the 2009 champion.

 

“Last year was just incredible, we had a championship battle that literally came down to the last lap of racing,” Dennis Huth, American Speed Association President stated. “We had Cary Stapp in Texas holding off Linny White from California for the championship. It was awesome to have two drivers from different parts of the United States battling for it.”

 

As the 2008 ASA Member Track National Champion, Stapp took full advantage of his tryout with Joe Gibbs Racing. The experience itself was one that Stapp will always remember, “Oh man, it was more than what I expected,” Stapp stated. “Joe & JD Gibbs and their entire staff treated us so well; this is something I will never forget.”

 

The San Marcos, TX driver got to tour the Joe Gibbs Racing shop and had a test session at South Boston Speedway where he logged over 100 laps in testing two Toyota Camry’s for Gibbs.

 

Speednetdirect.com will again keep track of the unique point standings through out the season until the September 27, 2009, deadline. The point calculations are “weighted” and will consist of: number of cars competing in a feature event, invert of the main event, average finishing position, number of races competed in, and wins. These will create an average that resembles a batting average in baseball.

 

The key to getting an accurate point average is that a competitor will need at least 14 races that are competed at an ASA Member Track. Some tracks may run double feature events in one night to reach the minimum of 14 events. All sanctioned races will count towards the championship.

 

The biggest item to remember is that to have an opportunity at the National Championship, the driver must also be a Feature Division 2009 track champion at the Level 1 ASA Member Track.

 

“We have a few new tracks joining us this year and I expect the competition that we will see for the National Championship will be as close to the competition that fans and other competitors will see each week at an ASA Member Track,” Huth stated. “The ASA Member Tracks will have some exciting races this summer and the fans will be on the edge of their seats every week, guaranteed. And in the end, we will take their best driver and put them up against the best from the other tracks and have our National Champion.”

 

“Last year was an awesome opportunity that the American Speed Association gave us by bringing their National Champion to our shop and trying out with Joe Gibbs Racing,” JD Gibbs stated. “The American Speed Association Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil National Championship has a unique formula to find the best driver from their member tracks across the United States. I had a privilege to meet and get to know Cary Stapp and he is a great representative of the drivers who race every week at the various ASA Member Tracks. We at Joe Gibbs Racing cannot wait to meet and test this year’s champion.”

 

Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, sponsor of the American Speed Association National Short Track National Championship, is the same oil developed and used by Joe Gibbs Racing. The team sells the oil so racers across the country can have access to the latest technology in racing lubricants.

 

Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, two NASCAR Nationwide Series teams and a driver development program. Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs - a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame - JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships and more than 80 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

 

The American Speed Association Short Track National Championship is another step by the industry leader in creating new and innovative programs. This follows the recent announcement about extending the insurance coverage for ASA members traveling to, from, and during an ASA-sanctioned event. For updated ASA National Points, just click on the "Points" link at www.asa-racing.com.

 

ASA members in good standing are eligible for a $500,000 Excess Medical Benefit as well as a $20,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefit. Coverage for the member begins while traveling to a location promoting an ASA-sanctioned event and continues until arrival home again. The American Speed Association, in conjunction with WSIB Motorports Insurance, is the only sanctioning body to offer insurance coverage which extends beyond the boundary of the racetrack itself (complete details are available online at www.ASA-Racing.com).

 

The ASA Member Track program is comprised of more than 35 short tracks around the United States, as well as a variety of regional and national touring series. For more information, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.

 

ASA™, ASA Racing™ and American Speed Association® are trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. Racing Speed Associates, LLC is not related to or affiliated with ASA Late Model Series, LLC.