CONTACT: Stan Narrison, (678) 910-7726
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Partners With RC Cola and MoonPie
First Taste of RC Cola/MoonPie
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Coming March 22nd at
Mobile
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 14, 2008) – Generations of Southerners have grown up enjoying MoonPie treats washed down with RC Cola. Whether a treat or even as a meal, folks from the Southeastern part of the country have enjoyed their RC and MoonPies on warm summer evenings. The combination is a true southern tradition.
Just like RC and MoonPies, generations of Southerners have grown up feeling the adrenaline of stock car racing. That’s why the founding members of the
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, a Late Model series set to have its inaugural event on March 22nd at Mobile International Speedway, eagerly pursued the formation of the only Southern-based touring Late Model series in recent months.
Now, these things that Southerners love more than anything are combined into one entity with the announcement today of RC Cola and MoonPie as the title sponsors of the RC Cola/MoonPie
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour. \
“I’ve always heard the story about the way MoonPie got its name; miners in the South needed something to eat in their lunch pails that was hearty and would fill them and was good anytime. One of the miners put his hands in the air and put his hands around the moon and said ‘it should be about this big,” said Dennis Huth, President of the American Speed Association (ASA). “That spawned a Southern tradition of MoonPie and RC Cola was the perfect fit with it. The tradition started there, just like a lot of people thought we were reaching for the moon when the
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour was created. Well, we’re hoping to continue Southern traditions like RC and MoonPie while starting some of our own with this Tour. This isn’t just a fit, it’s a perfect fit.”
“Continuing Southern traditions like racing and enjoying RC Cola with a tasty MoonPie is what is most exciting for not just us, but also for the racing fans in the Southeast,” said John Kee, founder of the
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour. “RC and MoonPie are two brands that most Southerners grew up with. Both have been enjoyed by generations of Southerners, so we’re excited to combine their Southern traditions with our exciting brand of short track racing to make for an incredible partnership for our racers and for the fans that come out to an RC Cola/MoonPie
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour event.”
“I’ve got to tell you, we are thrilled,” said Tory Johnston, Vice President of Marketing for MoonPie. “Truly, there is nothing more iconic in the South than MoonPies and stock car racing. The demographic match is perfect and the geographic match is perfect. We know that the racing fan is a MoonPie fan and the MoonPie fan is a racing fan. It’s a great match. We are proud and excited to be a part of this.”
“Then you have the RC Cola component of it. Doing this together really takes it over the top. Since the 1950’s we have been an iconic combination in the South. Everybody has a MoonPie and RC Cola story. We haven’t co-promoted anything in a long time, but we are resurrecting that and using it as a platform to get back into racing.”
On a Saturday in June every year, thousands of folks from all around the world take part in a Southern tradition by attending the annual RC Cola and MoonPie Festival in the quaint Southern town of Bell Buckle,
Tennessee. Games, events and entertainment all centered around Southerners’ favorite treats are enjoyed by fans of all ages. With the alliance with the
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, the same festive atmosphere that RC Cola and MoonPie enthusiasts enjoy every year will be extended to every one of the Tour’s events.
“We’re going to be offering combination RC/MoonPie merchandise at the tracks,” added
Johnston. “We are going to do some special promotions where we’ll have special rollback prices on an RC and a MoonPies at the tracks. Back in the 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s, we were the biggest snack that you could buy in the store and RC was the drink that everyone got in the store. You could get one for a nickel and both for a dime. We became known as the ‘Working Man’s Lunch.’ I’m not saying that we’ll have those prices again, but we’re going to definitely have some promotions. There will be cool stuff to win or win at the tracks.”
Fans will be able to get their first taste of the RC Cola/MoonPie
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour on March 22nd at another historic staple of the South, Mobile International Speedway in
Irvington, Alabama. Just like RC and MoonPie have always stood for, the inaugural RC Cola/MoonPie
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour event will be affordable and enjoyable for the entire family. Tickets for the inaugural ASA SAT event at
Mobile are $15.00 for general admission and kids 12 and under are free. Hospitality and Group discount tickets are available by contacting Stan Narrison stan@asasoutheastasphalttour.com or by calling (678) 910-7726. Gates open for a pre-race concert at 3:30pm with racing beginning at 7:30.
For more media inquiries, sponsorship and promotional information regarding the
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, contact Stan Narrison at (678)910-7726 and be sure to visit www.asasoutheastasphalttour.com for all
ASA Southeast Tour news. For technical and rule information, call Micky Cain at (678) 373-9851.
To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association, visit www.asaracing.com.
RC COLA Moon Pie Southeast Asphalt Tour
It's A Southern Thing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Stan Narrison, (678) 910-7726
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Partners Awarding Its Drivers
Bassett Wheels, Penske Racing Shocks & VDL Fuel Systems Giving Back to Racers
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 17, 2008) – Behind every good series are several good supporters. That’s why ASA Southeast Tour officials are proud to announce today a variety of companies who will be part of the inaugural series in 2008, Bassett Wheels, Penske Racing Shocks and VDL Fuel Systems. Those who will benefit from these new partnerships with ASA SAT are the racers themselves.
Bassett Wheels have been a leading provider in quality racing wheels in the Late Model world for more than a decade. Now Bassett Wheels has put their faith in the new ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour with a program that will award the sixth- and seventh-place finishers with a $30 gift certificate toward the purchase of two wheels in each of the 15 races on the schedule. At the end of the season, the series champion will receive a set of four Bassett Wheels. The series runner-up will not be forgotten either, as a $100 gift certificate will be awarded toward the purchase of a set of four wheels.
The name Penske Racing Shocks is legendary in the motorsports realm, and that’s no different in the short track racing world.The shock manufacturer will hand out two $100 product certificates at each of the 15 points-paying events on the ASA SAT schedule this year. The fourth- and eleventh-place finishers in those races will receive the product from Penske Racing Shocks. A season-long contingency will also be announced in the coming weeks.
VDL Fuel Systems has graced victory lane in some of the most prestigious short track races in America. Now they plan to do the same with the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour. And to give back to its competitors, VDL will award the 12th- and 15th-place finishers at each points-paying race a $100 certificate toward the purchase of a VDL Fuel System. A VDL 650-carb will be given away by ASA SAT during a random drawing at the end of the season.
“We are so excited to get the season started, and I know our contingency partners feel the same way,” said Stan Narrison, Promotions Manager of the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour. “Racers love these awards, because it puts money back in their pockets so to speak. And we have spread the awards out to all finishers so everyone can get something at some point in the season.”
The first race for the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour will kick off on Saturday, March 22nd, at Mobile International Speedway in Alabama. The event will run over a two-day period, with Friday being an optional practice day. Pit gates will open on Friday at 5pm with a two-hour practice session beginning at 6:30pm. On Saturday, gates will open at 11am, with practice starting at 1:45.
Qualifying begins at 6:15. The ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour event is slated to begin approximately 8:45pm.
For more information, please visit the Tour’s official website at www.asasoutheastasphalttour.com. For technical and rules and information on the entire series, call Micky Cain at (678) 373-9851. For sponsorship and promotional information, please contact Stan Narrison at (678) 910-7726.
To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association, visit www.asaracing.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Stan Narrison, (678) 910-7726
Star Drivers Helping Kick Off ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour at Mobile
2007’s Best Southeastern Late Model Drivers Excited About New Series
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 11, 2008) – Drivers and teams from across the Southeast have spent the winter getting their cars ready for the kickoff of the inaugural ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour season. Series officials announced today a star-studded list of names have committed to the Tour’s first event on Saturday, March 22nd, at the historic Mobile International Speedway.
Some of the most successful Late Model racers in the South during the past few years will be tackling the tough Alabama racetrack. Among those who will do battle are Russell Fleeman, the two-time champion of the Georgia Asphalt Series Pro Late Models, and Preston Peltier, a consistent threat for victories and a second-place points finisher in the PASS South during 2007. Both have aspirations of kicking off the new Tour in grand style at Mobile.
“We’ve been concentrating on getting the cars ready all winter, but now we’re ready to go racing,” said Fleeman, a Dacula, Georgia, native. “Everything’s just about 100 percent, so it’s time to go to Mobile and get the season started.”
“Last year was definitely a breakthrough year for me, so I’m excited for 2008,” said Peltier of Concord, North Carolina. “Everything just seemed to go right, most of the time, at least. We had some bad luck a couple times, but last year was just an awesome year for me, so I’m excited to get the new year going.”
Both Fleeman and Peltier are household names around the Southeastern short track circles thanks in large part to their past successes. With the start of a new Tour and a new season, both drivers are looking to continue progressing toward even more success in the first year of the ASA SAT.
“I feel like the bad luck is gone and that I’ve got the monkey off my back,” said Peltier. “The way we capped off the year at Concord last year, finishing well with the car all beat up, was a sign of that. I’m getting some product support from Chevrolet this year and that’s awesome, so that will help a lot running well in the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour. I’ve been paying for this stuff for the last five or six years out of my own pocket and that’s still happening now. I’m hoping the TV deal will open a few doors on the sponsorship side, but we’ll be ready to go every time we go to the track.”
“The series looks like it’s going to be pretty big,” added Fleeman. “I keep hearing a bunch of names of some guys that are coming that are big-name guys. Having big names at the race really makes you step up your game. There are good, quality Late Model drivers in the Southeast and I think I’m one of them, too. The ASA tour will really be a top-notch series, and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”
Mobile International Speedway is one of the most historic half-mile ovals in the Southeast. A popular track with the fans and the racers alike, Mobile has a longstanding tradition of Super Late Model racing. While neither driver has much experience at Mobile in the past – both have plenty of knowledge of the one main thrill that Mobile offers – speed.
“I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s fast,” said Peltier. “I live for speed, so I’m excited about it. That’s why I love Concord so much. It’s small, but it’s incredibly fast and everything happens so quickly. I love Nashville because of the same thing, only it’s a little bigger. I am definitely looking forward to Mobile because I love high-speed tracks.”
“That place is fast,” said Fleeman. “I went to watch at Mobile once a few years back and then I went there to race once last year with the Super Late Model, but I blew the head gasket that night. It’s a nice place to race because it’s so fast. For somebody wanting to get started and to visit a variety of tracks, the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour is the way to go. It’s going to be a good thing for someone to make a career out of racing. A lot of the young guys are going to do well in this series because it’s going to be good exposure and good experience for them.”
Mobile International Speedway and the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour provide family entertainment at a very reasonable price. Tickets for the inaugural ASA SAT event at Mobile are $15.00 for general admission and kids 12 and under are free. Hospitality and Group discount tickets are available by contacting Stan Narrison stan@asasoutheastasphalttour.com or by calling (678) 910-7726. Gates open for a pre-race concert at 3:30pm with racing beginning at 7:30.
For more media inquiries, sponsorship and promotional information regarding the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, contact Stan Narrison at (678) 373-9851 and be sure to visit www.asasoutheastasphalttour.com for all ASA Southeast Tour news. For technical and rule information, call Micky Cain at (678) 373-9851.
To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association, visit www.asaracing.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Mike Twist, 51 Sports, LLC
Veteran Broadcaster Rick Benjamin to Lead ASA Southeast TV
First Broadcast to Air April 20th in Nearly 50-million Homes in Southeast and Mid-Atlantic
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 4, 2008) – ASA Southeast Tour officials are proud to announce today that veteran motorsports broadcaster Rick Benjamin is set to lead an all-star cast of production and on-air talent which will cover at least ten events in the new ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour beginning this season.
The inaugural event of the ASA Southeast Tour is set to take the green flag on Saturday, March 22nd, at Mobile International Speedway in Alabama. That event will serve as a tune-up for the first televised race, which will take place at Watermelon Capitol Speedway in Cordele, GA, on Saturday, April 5th. The one-hour telecast is scheduled to debut two weekends later on a variety of regional and national cable television networks. More announcements regarding the broadcast schedule are forthcoming.
“We’ve had a busy off-season preparing our crew and our production elements for the challenge of covering this exciting new series,” commented Benjamin. “Now, with more than 100 drivers and teams registering to run the new Southeast Asphalt Tour and with unprecedented commercial support, we know fans will love being up close and in the middle of the action all season long.”
Veteran driver and crew chief Scott Sutherland will partner with Benjamin as the analyst on the 2008 telecasts, with well-known motorsports broadcaster Mark Allen providing pit road coverage. Network veteran Joe Ligon will produce the ASA Tour broadcasts. The behind-the-scenes staff is an award winning collaboration of camera operators and production personnel.
The ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, working with the Carolinas Production Group, has been able to put together an unprecedented network of cable channels which will carry the racing action starting in April. ASA SAT will be able to be seen in nearly 50,000,000 cable households, primarily in the Southeast and Middle Atlantic states, and will also have national cable and satellite distribution on a range of channels. The ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour’s network will enjoy primary coverage on one of the Southeast’s dominant cable sports networks, which boasts a coverage area ranging from Virginia to Tennessee, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Several additional regional networks and more than 15 affiliates covering every state in the Southeast will also be part of the Tour’s TV Network.
Exact air dates and times for the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour events in 2008 will be available soon at the series’ official website, www.asasoutheastasphalttour.com.
For more information contact:
Rick Benjamin
Visioncast, Inc.
704-281-5599
# # #
2008 ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour
Order Of events
Bayou 100
Mobile International Speedway
Friday :March 21, 2008
1:00-4:00 pm Tour Ride Along Program
5:00 pm Pit Gate opens for all ASA cars.
Open practice for all ASA cars: 6:00- 8:30 pm
Saturday: March 22, 2008
Pit Passes sale starts: 10:30am
Pit Open 11:00pm
Tech Opens (Mandatory) 11:15pm
Pre Practice Drivers Meeting 1:30pm
Practice for ASA Cars Only 1:45-3:45pm Break every Half hour to clear Gate.
Local & support Practice 4:00-5.30pm
Pre Qualifying Tech ASA 4:00-5:30 pm
Chapel Service 5:30pm
Drivers Meeting (MANDATORY) 5:45pm
Qualifying ASA 6:15pm
Opening Ceremonies 7:30pm
Feature Events 7:40pm
Last Chance ASA (If Necessary) 2nd Event
Driver intros 4th Event Approx. 8:30pm
100 Lap ASA SAT Main Event 8:45pm
Remainder of events
***ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Tech Bulletin ***
Date: March 4, 2008
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Tech Officials Announced after extensive Dyno testing the following changes have been made to the ASA SAT 2008 rule book
Section 2. Crate Engines
b. Ford (Blue Oval) crate engine Part # m 06007-D347-SR will be permitted to compete using rocker arm configuration as supplied by manufacturer. (Revised 2/08)
ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour reserves the right to change, Modify, update or delete any rules as deem necessary to insure fairness, equality and provide a competitive environment.
