Kevin Ramsell/ASA Racing PR – DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Wednesday, August 29, 2012) – The top six on the leaderboard for the ASA Member Track National Championship will be in action this Labor Day Weekend. The holiday weekend will set the tone for the final month of the 2012 battle.
Current National Championship leader Shelby Stroebel will be looking for his 13th and 14th feature wins in the ASA Modified division this Saturday night at Meridian Speedway in Meridian, ID. It was about this time one year ago that Stroebel started his win streak at the quarter-mile asphalt oval. He will be coming into this weekend with a 220-point lead over Rus Ward in the track standings and has a national average of 4.5261.
Lance Gatlin hopes to find his way back into victory lane this Saturday night at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, VA. He started off the 2012 season by winning the first nine features in the Limited Late Model division. His last three outings he has had a second, sixth, and fourth place finishes. He has an 80-point lead over Ryan Stiltner in the track standings and has a national average of 4.3944.
The High Banks 100 will be a true test for Mike Slone this Saturday night at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, MO. The current point leader, along with his competitors in the ASA late Model division, will battle it out in a 100-lap feature event. Slone currently has a 265-point lead over Matt Wallace in the track standings and is third overall in the national standings with an average of 4.0237.
Dennis Queen hopes to extend his 15-point lead over Taylor Coffman this Saturday night at Newport Motor Speedway in Newport, TN. Queen and his fellow Late Model Sportsman competitors will battle it out in a 50-lap feature event. Queen is fourth overall in the national standings with an average of 3.9873.
Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, UT will have their Maverik Modifieds compete this Monday night. Michael Hale holds an 188-point lead over Mark Ith Jr. in the track standings. Hale is looking to defend his 2011 championship and this weekend could help him get a firm hold on that goal. He is fifth in the national standings with an average of 3.6495.
Only 12 points separate Dustin Rumley and defending ASA Member Track National Champion Barry Beggarly going into their twin 50-lap feature event this Friday night at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, NC. Rumley and Beggarly have been going back and forth as the Late Model point leader over the last two months. Rodney Cook is only 24 points behind Rumley, creating an incredible three-driver battle for the championship. Rumley has a national average of 3.4772.
Mark Eswein took over the points lead from Mark Mackesy after their feature event last Thursday night at State Park Speedway in Wausau, WI. Eswein now holds a nine-point lead over Mackesy going into their season finale on Thursday, September 6. Eswein has a national average of 3.4388.
Kyle Borden picked up another feature win at Shasta Speedway in Anderson, CA last Saturday night. He has a commanding lead over Micah Parmer in the track standings. They will be back in action on Saturday, September 15. Borden has a national average of 1.3704.
“Labor Day Weekend is always an important weekend in short track racing, especially at our ASA Member Tracks,” Dennis Huth, ASA President said. “This weekend will be a great launch into our final month of the 2012 ASA Member Track National Championship. The racing will be close and very competitive. You want excitement, you will see it this weekend at an ASA Member Track or any short track.”
Throughout the season, drivers competing in the premiere divisions at eligible ASA Member Tracks are in the running for the 2012 ASA Member Track National Championship. In order to have a chance for the national title, a driver must first win their 2012 track championship.
Speednetdirect.com, for the fifth year in a row, will tabulate the National Championship standings. Using a proprietary formula that creates an average based on wins, finishing positions, number of cars passed, car counts and events. The driver who wins their track championship and has the highest average over the other ASA Member Track champions will win the 2012 ASA Member Track National Championship.
Full standings are available at www.speednetdirect.com. Click on the ASA Member Track logo at the top of the page.
To learn more about the ASA Member Tracks and Sanctioned Series in your area, please visit www.asa-racing.com. Follow ASA Racing on Facebook at www.facebook.com/american.speed.assoc and on Twitter at @ASARacing.
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