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March 30, 1999

                               Showtime

Desoto Speedway was taken over by ASA (Amercan Speed Association) this past weekend, and gave the fans a show they won’t forget. Even the  people I have talked to who were only able to catch the race on TV were thrilled. The Jani-King 300 was televised live to a national audience, and the 28 drivers and teams put on a whale of a show.

The ASA leased the facility from the ownership for the second year in a row to open their season. Last year the race was won by Scott Hansen slid under Gary St Amant in turn four to take the win on the final lap.  St Amant went on to win the Series title.

After the way this year’s opener went we can only hope that ASA will continue the tradition. After 299 grueling laps around the 3/8 mile banked speedway, the race was decided by a flat tire by the leader, Rick Beebe on the front straight, giving the victory to Tim Sauter.

But the show was a spectacle from the beginning. High School bands, free access to the drivers, and a smartly run schedule, topped off with the showmanship of ASA Media Director Mike Miller.

access to the drivers and teams out on the track, and the infield an hour before race time had 500 people or more taking pictures, getting autographs, and enjoying the beautiful Florida day at the races.

It was the kind of day where Monday’s worries were far away, the excitement growing and the upcoming race taking on a life of it’s own. You just knew this was going to be good, as a whole new reality took over. The skies were high, blue, a day the Gods made for race fans. There is truly something special about a Sunday afternoon race, when you can smell the cars, the hot-dogs, and touch the emotions running through the teams.

And when the 300 laps had been run, the joy of Tim Sauter, winning his first ASA event after 53 starts, was only matched by  the special elation written on Eddie Hoffman’s  features, coming in third in his rookie debut ASA race. Tim said “it seemed like it took forever”, and that’s the way the race was. It was one those events in sports where time is suspended and afterwards it seemed too short. It actually lasted 1 hour and 58  minutes and 23 seconds.

The infield was once again filled with fans eager to get out and feel the track, touch the cars, and get more autographs from 28 stars of short track racing.  And they didn’t want to leave. Over an hour after the checkered flag waved, there were still an infield of admirers. No one wanted to leave. A hundred race fans were inspecting every inch of the infamous pavement between turns 3 and 4 that had had such an impact on the race. it was reminiscent of beachcombers looking for that special treasure on a Sunday afternoon on the nearby beaches of Anna Maria Island.

Tim Sauter waited first in line for nearly an hour at ASA’s outpost in the back pits for the sheets of paper with his name of the top proclaiming him as the winner.

As the teams from far away places with names like Nedecah, Muskegon, El Cajon, Mooresville, Edison, Four Oaks, and Windsor packed up their tools, loaded beat up wrecks of race cars on to their haulers, and friendly socializing took the place of the grit of the race, the song “Stay” by Jackson Browne came to mind. Tomorrow they would be in another town, another track, different fans, and different winners.

And once again it would be Showtime for the American Speed Association.

Much more on ASA racing is available on Short Track