HAS THE ASA SPEED TRUCK CHALLENGE SERIES BECOME A NASCAR DRIVER DEVELOPMENT TRAINING GROUND?

Source: Dave Grayson
Date: 04/04/2008

More and more driver development programs have become a major factor with modern day racing teams. This is especially true with the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams who employs this program to cultivate young talented drivers who will hopefully become the next crop of driving superstars. Traditionally the Sprint Cup team owners has sent these young drivers to the Camping World West and East Series to enhance their natural talent. From that point they are moved into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and/or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It has become the natural order for moving up the NASCAR ladder.

However a new approach to the driver development program was highly noticeable, during the first half of the month of March,when some of these young hopefuls made their debut in the ASA-TVT 24-7, Speed Truck Challenge Series, ASA-STC. There were three drivers entered in the first two races and all of them were professionally connected to high profile names from NASCAR.

This regional touring series, for mid sized trucks, recently began its 12th season. It has an illustrious competitive history as well as an extremely bright future. There are a lot of reasons why someone from NASCAR might consider placing a development driver in this series. First there's the age limit. The ASA-STC official creed states "we build champions" and they back that up by allowing drivers to compete at the age of 14. The series also introduces these young drivers to the rigors often associated with touring. The ASA-STC races on a variety of tracks in three different states. Yet another advantage lies in the fact that the ASA-STC is a perfect transition to NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series.

The series kicked off the new season on March 8th with a 100 lap feature at the Havasu 95 Speedway located in Lake Havasu City-Arizona. Among the entries was 21 year old Billy Wease who has been a development driver for Roger Penske since 2005. Wease drove a Chevrolet Truck owned by United Nissan Racing, of Las Vegas, that night and finished a very credible sixth. It was a perfect racing blend for Wease. United Nissan Racing has won multiple ASA-STC championships over the years including two titles from their current senior driver Darren Young. After the race Wease admitted that driving a Speed Truck was a real learning curve for him and noted that he was used to lighter race vehicles with more horsepower.But despite having to get used to how a Speed Truck turns he was delighted with the seat time he received from United Nissan Racing.

From Noblesville-Indiana, Wease is a 15 year racing veteran who won his first race at the age of five. His expertise and experience is largely in the sprint car field. He was a big winner in the 2007 Turkey Night Grand Prix at the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale. In 2006 Penske put him in an ARCA car for a race at Michigan International Raceway. Wease started eighth in the field and finished second. He currently spends a lot of time testing Penske Sprint Cup Dodges driven by Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman. The Penske organization plans to enter Wease in selected NASCAR Camping World West Series races later this year to get him additional seat time. There are also plans for additional ARCA appearances as well as the possibility of driving in some Nationwide Series events.

When the ASA-STC rolled into Tucson-Arizona March 22nd, for its second race of the season at Tucson Raceway Park, United Nissan Racing presented another fresh face with NASCAR connections. This time it was 16 year old Chris Buescher from Prosper-Texas who was recently signed to a driver development deal with David Ragan Racing. Ragan is the driver of the Triple A Ford fielded by Roush Fenway Racing in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. In a relatively short amount of time it has become apparent that Ragan has picked a winner.

So did United Nissan Racing that night in Tucson. Despite the fact that Buescher had never seen a Speed Truck in his young life before, he went out on the track that night and set the fast time in qualifying. He followed that up by winning the six lap trophy dash and pulled a hat trick by winning the 100 lap feature with a daring low line pass in the final 50 feet of the final lap.

Like so many drivers these days, Buescher started his racing career at a very young age. He won the Bandolero National Championship in 2004 and then moved up to Legend cars. In 2005, while driving in the Legends Semi Pro class, he won feature races at 15 different tracks including two wins at the Summer Shoot Out at the Lowes Motor Speedway in North Carolina which is considered the Super Bowl of Legend car racing. The 2006 season found Buescher visiting 19 different track while compiling feature wins at 18 of them. Last year he won the Legend Pro Division championship at the Texas Motor Speedway. By this point he came to the attention of Ragan who signed him as a development driver and provided the team with a late model stock car. He plans on spending 2008 driving both Legends and Late Models.

Also making his presence known in the ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series is Donny St Ours who recently signed a development deal with Greg Biffle Inc who, of course, drives in NASCAR's Sprint Cup for Roush Fenway Racing. St Ours will be campaigning a Chevrolet Speed Truck full time this season and will be campaigning for the series' Rookie Of The Year title.

The 14 year old Upland-California native began his racing career in 2004 and spent three years racing karts where he collected six championships in four different kart racing divisions. He also spent the 2005-2006 season racing Bandolero cars and won 12 feature races. Last year he moved up to Legend Cars and quickly scored a main event win at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

This year he will be spending his weekends driving his Speed Truck, the Legend Car and his kart when time allows. . He will also be spending some time back east under Greg Biffle's watchful eye. The schedule calls for an appearance in the Legend Car Summer Shoot Out in North Carolina. While there he will also be testing in an ARCA Remax Series stock car owned by Biffle.

It was a little surprising that three NASCAR development drivers were entered in the first two races in the ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series. But when you think it over it makes a lot of sense. After all the ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series does build champions.

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