Michigan Short Track Racing Club > 2007 ASA Late Model Series Southern Division Preview

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Wood

Mar 13 2007, 01:57 PM

2007 ASA Late Model Series Southern Division Season Preview.
By ASA Late Model Series

Lexington, Michigan (03/13/2007): The 2007 ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts Southern Division opener is upcoming this weekend as the cars and stars of the crown jewel of the ASALMS are in the midst of final preparations before making the trip South to the Sunshine State and to Bronson, Florida.

Another highly regarded season opener for any traveling series in recent memory is the 2007 ASALMS Southern Division Season gets underway this Friday and Saturday March 16-17, 2007 at the fast 0.333 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval of the Bronson (FL) Motor Speedway, located West of Gainesville in Bronson, Florida for the running of the Camp Boggy Creek 100 Presented by Pennzoil, Dalton Zehr Racing, and FLF Racecars.

Based on registrations and pre-entries received for the ASALMS Southern Division Season Opener, a record car count for the Southern Division is expected as an ASALMS Southern Division record 40 teams have pre entered for the 2007 Door Opener in Bronson, Florida. Amongst those drivers, a plethora of rookie pilots, in addition to the returning stars have been touted as ones to watch for the upcoming season.

Here is a capsule look at some the top contenders as decided on once again by an expert panel of media, newspaper and trade paper outlets as well as astute observers of the ASALMS located throughout the United States;

Bo Miller: The Bowling Green, Kentucky driver was the 2006 ASALMS Southern Division Points Leader until his season came to an end on August 19, 2006 with a hard crash at the Orange County (NC) Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina. The crash was heartbreaking because Miller had a comfortable points lead in both the overall and rookie title chases. Miller will be looking for redemption in 2007 and is widely considered the overwhelming favorite for the 2007 ASALMS Southern Division Championship.

Dalton Zehr: The runner-up in both the ASALMS Southern Division’s Overall and Rookie title chases. The 16-year-old Daytona Beach, Florida teenager has one goal on his mind in 2007 and that is the ASALMS Southern Division Championship. His 2006 campaign was a banner rookie season that was trumped only by 2006 ASALMS Southern Division Champion and Rookie of the Year, James Buescher. Zehr is highliy regarded as one of the drivers to beat in 2007 in the ASALMS Southern Division.

Colt James: The Buda, Texas driver, who now calls Troutman, North Carolina home, started the 2007 season off the best way possible by sweeping the ASALMS Challenge Division Season Opener at his home track of the San Antonio (TX) Speedway. Now James concentrates on his intended goal in 2007, the ASALMS Southern Division Championship and is expected to contend all season long, providing he stays in the ASALMS Southern Division all season!

John Wes Townley: The 17-year-old Wood Brothers JTG Racing development driver will run the full schedule in both the ASALMS Southern Division as well as the crown jewel of the ASALMS, the Challenge Division in 2007. As previously mentioned in the Challenge Division preview, the Watkinsville, Georgia sophomore is en excellent qualifier and expects to only get better. If he can match his feature finishes with his qualifying efforts, Townley could surprise everyone in 2007.

Travis Wilson: After starting the 2006 season in his own equipment, the 23-year-old Sunshine State pilot joined forces with Akron, Ohio based Greg’s Motorsports for the remainder of the year and results were immediate. The Bartow, Florida driver, the son of former NASCAR Winston Cup veteran, Rick Wilson, is widely considered one of the sleeper picks in 2007 in the ASALMS Southern Division.

Dillon Oliver: Oliver finished third in both the Overall and the Rookie of the Year battles in the ASALMS Southern Division during the 2006 season. The 17-year-old from Bowling Green, Kentucky was one of only four drivers to compete in every ASALMS Southern Division event in 2006, and finished 103 points back of runner-up, Dalton Zehr. Oliver is expected to have a stellar Sophomore season in the ASALMS Southern Division.

Jason Miller: The 19-year-old had intentions on running the full schedule of events in the ASALMS Southern Division for 2006, but that was cut short due to monetary issues. Look for a recharged Berryville, Virginia sophomore to make some noise in 2007 with a full schedule in the ASALMS Southern Division.

Eric Wallace: Despite what he considered a horrible 2006 season, the Jasper, Georgia driver has high hopes entering the 2007 season. The 20-year-old, despite running on a limited budget, managed to stay in the final Top 20 in the ASALMS Southern Division Points Standings despite missing select shows due to a string of bad luck throughout the 2006 season. There’s nowhere to go but up for the Peach State Sophomore.

There is an overflow of contenders and wildcards who will play a significant role in the outcome of the 2007 ASALMS Southern Division Championship title chase all season long. They include a wide variety of drivers with a wide variety of backgrounds. Those other noteworthy contenders and wildcards include; Keeton Hanks, Matt Hawkins, Ryan Lawler, David Pollen Jr. and Beau Slocumb. Various talented teams have registered for the Southern Division for this season, but some may not run the entire 2007 schedule!

As for the 2007 Southern Division Rookie of the Year title contenders, a very talented group of Freshman will be plentiful as well. Over three quarters of the entire field who are pre registered for the ASALMS Southern Division Season Opener in Bronson, Florida are Freshmen! As was the case in 2006, the majority of the rookie pilots will also be vying for the overall 2007 Championship title chase as well. They include;

Jeff Choquette The 2006 All-American Challenge Series Champion at the DeSoto (FL) Super Speedway as well as a top runner all over the state of Florida in Super Late Models competition will make a big jump to the ASALMS Southern Division for the 2007 season. The Loxahathcee, Florida freshman is expected to immediately contend not only for the Rookie of the Year title, but the Overall ASALMS Southern Division Championship as well. Look for the 20-year-old rookie to make a lot of noise in ASALMS South events in 2007!

Sean Murphy: A strong start to his 2007 season in the crown jewel of the ASALMS, the Challenge Division has the S.S. Racing Team riding a wave of confidence heading to Bronson, Florida. The current Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year Points Leader in the Challenge Division is expected to also compete for the freshman crown in the ASALMS Southern Division as well and will also challenge for the Overall crown.

Wes Burton: The 26-year-old had a strong showing at the end of the season in the ASALMS portion of the 24th annual All-American 400 weekend in Nashville, Tennessee last November. The Chiefland, Florida driver hopes to carry some momentum from his impressive showing in Music City and looks to contend for the ASALMS Southern Division Rookie of the Year title in 2007.

Chris Fontaine: One of a handful of drivers competing for both the ASALMS Challenge and Southern Division Rookie of the Year titles. The Lakeland, Florida driver got off to a slow start in the ASALMS Challenge Division opener in San Antonio, Texas. But with some home cooking in the Sunshine State, look for Fontaine to rebound in the ASALMS Southern Division season opener in Bronson, Florida.

Devan Hall: The Leesburg, Georgia teenager is loaded and ready for a full run at the ASALMS Southern Division Rookie of the Year title. In limited appearances in 2006, Hall never finished out of the Top 10 in his two showings. A fourth place in his debut at the Watermelon Capital (GA) Speedway in October and then an impressive 10th place finish in the ASALMS portion of the All-American 400 Weekend in Nashville, Tennessee gives Hall a lot of confidence heading into Bronson, Florida.

The rest of the talented crop of rookie pilots vying for the 2007 Southern Division Rookie of the Year Championship includes; Sean Bass, Josh Byrns, Dustin Dunn, Kyle Eastham, Keaton Feller, Jerrod Foley, Jimmy Lang, Rob Partelo, Cody Pitts, Michael Seeright, Fain Skinner, Cody Smith, Dakota Stroup, Tyler Townsend, D.J. Vanderlay, Chad Willis, and David Wilson.

For more information about the 2007 seasons within all three divisions of the ASALMS, You can call the ASALMS home offices during normal business hours Monday through Friday (9:00am-5:00pm) (EST) at: 1 (800) 385-2503.

Also of note, the ASALMS home offices will be closed beginning on Wednesday March 14, 2007 at 5:00pm (EST) in order to travel to and from Bronson, Florida. The ASALMS Offices will reopen on Tuesday March 20, 2007 at 9:00am (EST). If needed, please call Ron and Sandy Varney at: 1 (810) 650-6617 or Administrative Director, Jodi Galbraith at: 1 (810) 334-5438

You can also log onto any of the three websites for more information concerning the 2007 season. For the Challenge Division, go to: <a href="http://www.asalatemodels.com"> ASALMS Challenge Division</a> For the Northern Division, log in at: <a href="http://www.asalatemodelsnorth.com"> ASALMS Northern Division</a> and finally for the Southern Division click on: <a href="http://www.asalatemodelssouth.com"> ASALMS Southern Division</a>

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