DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Although Lakeville (Ohio) Speedway has just one weekend of racing in the books, so far track owner/promoter Bob Schippers is pleased with their new affiliation with the ASA Member Track program and a surprise alliance with an unlikely ally.

One of the newest classes this season are the Fastrak Modifieds which run a 602 Chevrolet crate motor. Though there are only six Modifieds registered so far, Schippers senses that this class will quickly grow in popularity and car count.

“Like anything that involves the crate engine these days there is a certain amount of trepidation in making a change from what the teams are used to, but these guys are spending terrible amounts of money on their cars. The move to the crate engine program was a way for us to help keep them from spending $10,000 to $15,000 just on the engine alone. We think that it is important to help contain the costs for the racers, which help us to contain our costs a little bit along the way also,” Schippers explained about the reason for implementing a crate engine program at Lakeville Speedway.

Also racing on the regular weekly Friday night program at the 3/8-mile clay oval are Late Models, Pure Stocks, 4-Cylinder Mini Stocks, Cruisers, Mini Trucks and Sprints. Over the years the track has seen a variety of top names “Come Play on the Clay,” as the track slogan suggests. These include the late Tim Richmond, Bobby Rahal, Steve Kinser, Donnie Moran, Jac Haudenschild and many more. For a list of the past champions, current news, as well as the schedule and class information, visit www.LakevilleSpeedway.com.

It was a surprise phone call during that Schippers, a former ASA driver himself, received which saw him forming an unlikely ally during the off-season.

“It kind of took me by surprise when I got a call from Eric Kauffman who runs Wayne County Speedway,” Schippers recalled. “He suggested that our two tracks team up this year to bring some fans back to the tracks and give them some things to look forward to and talk about.”

The result of this new partnership is the Big 8 Series for the Super Late Models and Sprint Cars, an eight-race schedule with four events at Lakeville Speedway and four at Wayne County Speedway. Each race has a $2000-to-win purse, but the real incentive is the $25,000 bonus if a driver is able to beat the field and win four of the eight races.

“This is the first year that we have ever even considered working with another racetrack. Normally they are the ‘enemy’ but the way that the industry is now, and with so many entertainment outlets available to people today we have to look at doing things differently. I believe that co-promotions like the Big 8 Series between us and Wayne County Speedway are the type of things that we need to do as a group in order to survive,” Schippers said, adding “Everything is going much better than I even thought so far.”

Dennis Huth, president of the ASA Member Track, Regional and Racing programs commends Schippers for taking such a step to ensure the future of Lakeville Speedway.

“I realize that for so many short track operators what Bob and Eric have done with their two tracks is counterintuitive to how they have operated their business for so many years. It is unnatural to ‘consort with the enemy,’ so to speak. But there are a lot more racetracks looking at partnerships such as this one and they will only help each other by doing co-promotions that generate enthusiasm for the events at each other’s facility. The ASA Member Track program is based on this type of cooperative effort where racetrack promoters are willing to help each other out for the long term survival of the sport and their facility and I commend Bob for taking this step. I want to urge other racetrack operators to watch and see how successful this Big 8 Series will be for their region and think about a partnership like this in the future.”

As a new Level II partner with the ASA Member Track program, Lakeville Speedway joins a network of racetracks across the country dedicated to working together to improve the state of weekly racing for both fans and competitors. And though they have only had one race as an ASA facility so far this season, Schippers is already talking about the future together.

“Last Friday (April 20) was our Opening Night and we started getting the word out to the drivers about the details of the ASA membership,” Schippers said. “I think that ASA is an outstanding deal and we are going to have more meetings with our teams during the year to talk with them further about what they receive as an ASA member, like the insurance. We are a Level II member now, but maybe next year I can have the support of the drivers to move up to a Level I status.”

During the 2007 season the Lakeville Speedway competitors will be covered by the renowned ASA participant accident insurance. The ASA insurance program, always noted for its excellence, has been further enhanced by the recently announced expanded ASA-exclusive $500,000 participant accident medical policy. ASA Member Track operators are able to purchase general and excess liability, automobile, , workers compensation and health insurance directly from TOPIC Motorsports Insurance (TMI). Details are available online at www.TOPICinsurance.com.

To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based ASA Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and regional tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.

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