SANTEE, California — "On the road again”…as the ASA Truck Series travels to its fourth different track in four races. After racing in the desert in Lake Havasu City, Arizona to Blythe, California and onto TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale in the greater Los Angeles area, the ASA Truck drivers and teams are excited to be headed to Las Vegas for the upcoming June 5th race at the Bullring. There is a lot to be gained by touring in a series. In a joint interview with #9 Jason Black and his dad, Bill Black (owner and crew chief), a few common ideas emerged regarding traveling and racing. Bill explained that “the teams just raced a week and a half ago (Jason finished 7th) and had regular maintenance to do on the truck (changing the gear, changing the oil, nut-and-bolting truck, etc.) in addition to repairing a damaged body part so there are a lot of logistics involved to coordinate getting the parts, the time of the crew and allowing for travel time to the next event”. The crew comes to the shop to help out after their ‘regular’ jobs and all donate their time. Jason added, “The key to running a whole season in a touring series like the ASA Truck Series is the support of the team and financial backing of sponsors like our newest addition, Jesco.net.” Jason, who has raced in the series for a few seasons, explained that racing at different tracks “brings out different talents of each driver from maneuvering the tight turns of the Bullring, to the fast, long track at Irwindale, and road course challenges at Firebird.” Bill added, “Touring makes an all-around better driver when he has to adapt to different conditions at various tracks”.
As the ASA Truck Series teams gear up to travel to Las Vegas (which we all enjoy as a vacation destination), their thoughts are on the truck set-up, strategy and luck at the race track. The fast 3/8 mile at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will welcome home many locals in the series like #3 Dylan Kwasniewski (who is tied for the points lead with his teammate Joey Licata), #28 Branden Underwood, #18 Mike Herda, #77 Jeremiah Wagner and the United Nissan Teams. The core group remains with #71 Joey Licata, #20 Taylor Miinch, #10 Eric Sloan, #1 Jeff Catlin, #9 Jason Black and #16 Donny St. Ours who will join the “Vegas boys” for a 75-lap shoot out at the Bullring. The familiar #12 ASA truck will also be in Vegas with crew chief Scott Franchimone behind the wheel. A few new drivers are hoping to be ready to debut in Vegas and many others are repairing trucks and prepping for a big turn-out in Irwindale at the end of the month. The ASA Trucks are currently being put on trailers, haulers are getting fueled up and the teams are ready to make the trip into Nevada to race in Las Vegas. As Bill Black also explained, “the purse isn’t able cover all the costs of traveling so the support of a sponsor like Jesco.net helps us get from race to race and gives us the ability to put a first class effort forward at the track.” JESCo - Jamison Electric Service Company (JESCO.net) was established in 1986 in Southern California and has grown over the last 24 years into a national company based in Phoenix, Arizona. JESCo specializes in service and repair of existing electrical apparatus and alternative energies.
One thing that really drew Jesco.net to Jason Black and his Chevy Colorado was that “we are a single truck team and race as a family” stated Bill Black (Jason’s dad and crew chief). Brian Black is his brother and spotter and their mom, Beverly, takes care of scoring, lap times and feeding the team. Their crew member Jeff Wigglesworth is a close friend and helps the family go racing as well. Joe Jamieson, the owner of Jesco.net, runs his business like a race team with a goal of winning – just like Jason Black and his family.
By traveling to numerous tracks across the Southwest, the drivers of the ASA Truck Series gain experience on a variety of tracks and must learn to acclimate to the difference in track lengths, styles and characteristics. This can present a challenge to both the veteran driver and the ‘rookie’ in the ASA Truck Series. Even though we are still pulling out of difficult economic times, the ASA Truck Series provides a place for drivers of all ages, backgrounds and financial situations to run in a touring series and learn the range of talents they posses. There are affordable trucks for rent and for sale and many more tracks to conquer this season.
We look forward to seeing you at the Bullring at Vegas with the scheduled events as: Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:00pm-11:00pm: ASA Truck Series, NASCAR MetroPCS Super Late Models, NASCAR Chargers, INEX Legends, INEX Roadsters, INEX Bandoleros, Bombers will be included in their line-up. Ticket Pricing: Adults -$10, Kids -$5 with Children, Senior/Military and Family 4-Packs are available by calling 1.800.644.4444 or visiting a Ticketmaster outlet. Visit www.lvms.com/bullring for more information.
Remember to support our series sponsors by using products and services from the following vendors: Jim Van Gordon Racing Engines, Mike Naake Suspension Specialist, VP Racing Fuels, Hoosier Tires, DJ Safety, Frank's Radios, Starter Guard, Advertising Edge, Mechanix Wear, Mallory/ACCEL/Mr. Gasket, TOYOTA, POLYDyn TX7, Top Notch Flooring, Kollasol Ink, Naake Suspension Specialist, STR, and Luke’s Transmission.
The ASA Trucks are 2,450 pounds, full tube chassis, 108 inch wheelbase, 375 horsepower Van Gordon Racing V-8’s, fired by Mr. Gasket’s - Mallory / ACCEL ignition systems and VP Race Fuel, with 2-speed direct drive transmissions and Speedway Engineering aluminum quick change rear ends on 8-inch Hoosier Racing Tires and Allied Racing Wheels and can reach speeds of 105 MPH at the ½ mile TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale oval and 150 MPH on the 2.1-mile road course at Firebird International Raceway. The ASA Trucks sport exact replica Norris Racing fiberglass bodies in Chevy S-10, Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota and Toyota Tacoma.
If you would like to find out more about the ASA Truck Series and how your company could be part of the growing excitement across the nation about this dynamic series, contact Todd McLauchlan at 619-596-6816 / mcracers@prodigy.net or go to www.asatruckseries.com. Attractive marketing partnership packages are available for your involvement regionally or nationally, contact Jay Rutherford at Motorsports Marketing LLC, at 760-249-1149 or jay@speedtruck.com.
The ASA Racing program is comprised of more than 35 short tracks around the United States, as well as road racing divisions and regional/national touring race series. For more information, call ASA Racing at 386-258-2221 or send an email to info@ASA-Racing.com. For news and information from all the race tracks, road racing divisions and tours involved in the ASA, visit www.asa-racing.com. ASA™, ASA Racing™ and American Speed Association® are trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. Racing Speed Associates, LLC is not related to nor affiliated with ASA LATE MODEL SERIES, LLC.
