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ASA Creates New “Short Track National Championship”

DRIVERS COAST TO COAST ELIGIBLE FOR CASH PRIZE, JOE GIBBS RACING TEST

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 26, 2008) – The American Speed Association (ASA) is breaking new ground once again, by unveiling plans today for an innovative Short Track National Championship. The new plan allows competitors in any ASA Member Track’s premier division to compete against each other, regardless of geographical location. The winner will receive a prize even bigger than the bragging rights – the Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Champion’s Award and a chance to test behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil is the same oil developed and used by Joe Gibbs Racing. Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil allows racers across the country access to the latest technology in racing lubricants.

“It’s always a tremendous accomplishment for a driver to claim a track championship, and we don’t intend to overlook or diminish that in any way,” said Dennis Huth, president of Racing Speed Associates, owner and operator of the American Speed Association. “But with the thousands of ASA members racing each weekend, they wanted a way to find out how they measured up against other drivers at all the ASA Member Tracks across the country without having to spend the money and time involved in traveling from event to event.

“The goal of the ASA Short Track National Championship is to activate a measuring system which takes into account many variables, such as field size and number of races in a season, and create a level playing field to determine who is the ‘best-of-the-best’ of the ASA Member Track champions.”

Although the formula is naturally quite complex, the system creates a standardized point structure for competitors in a Level 1 track’s feature division, along with a handicap to create equality between the variety of track sizes and equipment standards to determine a performance index. This index will be used to calculate competitor points for each race and will be factored by the number of races run to create an average (similar to a baseball batting average).

Racetracks which invert their field have all so been taken into consideration mathematically. Competitors must be their track champion at the conclusion of the season, race in a minimum of 14 events, and only races run at the driver’s “home track” will be credited toward the new ASA Short Track National Championship.

Credit goes to Kevin Spiddle at SpeedNet Direct who is the mastermind behind the formula used by the American Speed Association to calculate the ASA Short Track National Champion. He is setting up the system to automatically calculate the events run on any given weekend of the season, and post up-to-date standings which can be viewed online at www.ASA-Racing.com. Results of competitions run up to midnight on Sept. 28 can be utilized for the calculations.

ASA will create East and West divisions, with an ASA Short Track Divisional Champion crowned in each. The one driver who accumulates the most points will be named the ASA Short Track National Champion. With the title comes a cash reward, and the ultimate dream – a test session with Joe Gibbs Racing.

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. Its driver lineup consists of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch in the Sprint Cup Series; Stewart, Hamlin, and Busch in the Nationwide Series; and Joey Logano and Marc Davis in the NASCAR Camping World Series East. 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.

“Dennis Huth and his staff at ASA have been proactive in seeking new opportunities to assist their ASA Short Track National Championship winning driver with a newly created award that will allow them a test with Joe Gibbs Racing. We look forward to joining ASA as the sponsor of the Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Champion’s Award,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Driven. “This is an exciting program as it will allow us to continue to reach out to qualified driver candidates for our development program while gaining additional exposure for our expanding line of Joe Gibbs Driven lubricants and other products, which are fast becoming the number one choice among racers.”

“What better incentive for a driver than not only winning a track championship, but to become the ASA Short Track National Champion with a chance to show your driving skills to those involved in the highest levels of the Cup Series at Joe Gibbs Racing. The ASA has a long history of developing championship drivers and having them move on through the ranks to the pinnacles of professional racing. This could be a way for one talented driver to shorten the curve and impress those who can make things happen,” Huth said.

“One of my goals since becoming involved in the American Speed Association is to help bring the often-overlooked weekly racing programs a greater level of recognition at a nationwide level, and the ASA Short Track National Championship is a big step in the right direction,” Huth said. “Weekly racing is so critical in developing the star drivers of the future and is still a vital part of the motorsports landscape, but it seems to have gotten a little stagnant lately. Through the American Speed Association we are continually striving to bring new life to the racetracks and regional touring series in a variety of ways that will assist the competitors, tracks, and promoters and, hopefully, people are starting to take notice of what we are doing.”

The ASA Short Track National Championship is another step by the industry leader in creating new and innovative programs. The new ASA National Championship follows closely ASA’S recent move to extend additional insurance coverage for ASA Racing members traveling to, from, and during an ASA-sanctioned event.

The ASA Member Track program is comprised of a network of 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 .

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