DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — He has won 17 track championships between two famous speedways, and now leads in the early running of the 2009 Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil ASA Member Track Championship. Bobby Wilberg, won last Friday night’s feature at Madison International Speedway in Oregon, WI to give him the highest point average, but is currently second in the track point standings.
Many who are familiar with Wilberg’s career realize that it won’t be long until the fans see him at the top of the standings. The reason being is that he is currently on a streak of championships at MIS that started in 2005 where he has at least won one championship. When he gets to the top of the track points standings, the other ASA Member Track competitors will have their work cut out.
Last Friday night, Wilberg beat 27 other competitors to pick up his first feature win of the year over John Baumeister Jr. This year, MIS went to a limited late model style rule for their top weekly division. For Wilberg, no matter if it’s a super late model or a limited late model, he knows that he will be facing tough competition at Wisconsin’s Fastest Half-Mile Oval, “It’s been a handful every year,” Wilberg stated. “You’ve got guys that have raced here for many years who are always tough plus some of the super late model guys who have come to race with us. There are a lot of good guys out there so you really have to earn it.”
One person that Wilberg will be chasing for the Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil ASA Member Track National Championship is Clint LaFont of Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, TX. LaFont currently holds a 35-point lead over Shawn Paul Lehman in the standings. LaFont is following in the same footsteps that led another Thunderhill competitor, Cary Stapp who won the ASA Member Track Championship last year.
Out in San Bernardino, CA at Orange Show Speedway, they are finding a trend where the best route to a championship may be by working on the railroad. The leaders in the Super Late Model and Late Model divisions both work on trains. Current Super Late Model leader Barry Karr of Redlands, CA is an engineer for Union Pacific while Kevin James of Yucaipa, CA, the Late Model leader is a conductor. Both enjoy a 12-point lead in their respective divisions. Orange Show has this weekend off and returns to racing action on June 13th.
This weekend will be another busy one for the ASA Member Tracks. Here are a few highlights of what is on tap.
Norway (MI) Speedway will host the Driveline 100 this Saturday night. This unique feature event is expecting some of the top Super Late Model competitors in the Midwest including several American Speed Association Midwest Tour competitors. It is a “pay for lap” event where most drivers will make the same amount of money for the 100 laps they run.
Illiana (IN) Speedway will be preparing for its sixth week of racing this Saturday night and will also see if they will have their sixth different feature winner this year. It is also their 7th Annual Race Against Hunger Food Drive where fans can bring non-perishable food items to the track for a chance to win prizes or free race credentials to an upcoming event.
Madison (WI) International Speedway is preparing for another Friday night of racing action but with a new twist for their late model division. Starting this Friday night, the top-16 in qualifying will automatically be in the feature event. The remaining cars will run the 15-lap last chance race with the top-six transferring to the 40-lap feature event. All cars will run heat races as well.
Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, sponsor of the American Speed Association National Short Track National Championship, is the same oil developed and used by Joe Gibbs Racing. The team sells the oil so racers across the country can have access to the latest technology in racing lubricants.
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. 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.
The American Speed Association Short Track National Championship is another step by the industry leader in creating new and innovative programs. This follows the recent announcement about extending the insurance coverage for ASA members traveling to, from, and during an ASA-sanctioned event. For updated ASA National Points, just click on the "Points" link at www.asa-racing.com.
ASA members in good standing are eligible for a $500,000 Excess Medical Benefit as well as a $20,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefit. Coverage for the member begins while traveling to a location promoting an ASA-sanctioned event and continues until arrival home again. The American Speed Association, in conjunction with WSIB Motorsports Insurance, is the only sanctioning body to offer insurance coverage which extends beyond the boundary of the racetrack itself (complete details are available online at www.ASA-Racing.com).
The ASA Member Track program is comprised of more than 35 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.
