2007 USPRO Cup Series Presented by GM Performance Parts Year in Review.
By Matt Prieur-ASA Late Model Series
Lexington, Michigan (11/08/2007): The ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts brought back the days of yesteryear with the return of the USPRO Cup Series towards the end of the 2007 season.
From the days in 2003 as a regional touring series in the home state of Michigan as well as Indiana and Ohio, the ASALMS has since then expanded all over the United States and even into Canada as the Template Body/Crate Engine concept has swept the nation over the last five seasons.
Along the way however, something was lost in the translation from the days of the USPRO Cup Series in 2003 to what we know today. The three divisions within the ASALMS had taken a gigantic leap into the laurels of the racing world and somewhere along the way, a group of drivers were left behind as the ASALMS continued to prosper.
So with that in mind, the ASALMS announced the triumphant return of the USPRO Cup Series to full-time status beginning with the 2008 season! Three races were held in 2007 in a sneak preview of sorts as to what is in store for the revamped USPRO Cup Series.
Although the three events conducted in 2007 did not keep track of points, the Sneak Peek races held in 2007 offered a sneak preview of some very talented drivers looking to travel with a full-time series while at the same time, not break the bank to do so.
In unofficial points, Richmond, Michigan veteran, Bob Varney accumulated the most points earned based on the current ASALMS points system. The 38-year-old, one of the original members of that USPRO Cup Series Class of 2003, showed the potential of the returning series and the excitement that the series will surely bring in 2008.
The ASALMS is looking at reduced Features for the USPRO Cup Series in 2008 with a minimum of 50-lap events. The series will reinstate the Two (2) Tire rule throughout the 2008 campaign. Payouts and purses will also be determined in the near future.
Registration Forms and Number Assignments for the USPRO Cup Series for 2008 will be available in the very near future!
In addition, the USPRO Cup Series will always be a support division to the ASALMS Challenge and Northern Divisions in races conducted in the series home state of Michigan as well as the surrounding states of Ohio and parts of Indiana and Illinois.
Just like in all three divisions of the ASALMS, there will be a 2008 USPRO Cup Series Champion and Rookie of the Year at the conclusion of the season. In addition and for future seasons, drivers who make the transition from the USPRO Cup Series to one of the three ASALMS divisions will be eligible for the respective Rookie of the Year titles providing they fall under the guidelines set forth for Rookie Eligibility under the ASALMS.
Here is a look back at the three USPRO Cup Series races conducted including the rained out show at one of the founding tracks from that 2003 season, the Owosso (MI) Speedway as well as the two Sneak Preview races at the historic high-banks of the Winchester (IN) Speedway.
Race #1; Owosso / Sneak Peek 35-Saturday August 18, 2007; Owosso (MI) Speedway-Ovid, Michigan.
Mother Nature paid a visit to the historic 0.375 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval in Ovid, Michigan and would unfortunately take all of the racing action including the return of the USPRO Cup Series and its’ returning event!
Before the rains came, in USPRO Cup Series Qualifying, one of the original USPRO Cup Series members from the inaugural 2003 season, Saginaw, Michigan Driver, Shaun Whitney in his Teamtech Motorsports / Chevrolet Monte Carlo turned in the fastest lap of the day as he toured the Mid-Michigan speed plant at a 15.473 which equals out to 93.065 MPH.
13 teams signed in for the return of the series as 2007 Bollhoff Rivnut Super Pro Series Champion, Tommy Cook was second quick and was followed by Dave Gentile Jr., Dennis Rederstorf, and Josh Nelms, the Top Five.
Race #2; Winchester / Sneak Peek 35-Monday September 3, 2007; Winchester (IN) Speedway-Winchester, Indiana.
In the first official race for the USPRO Cup Series in their Sneak Preview 2007 season, Fort Wayne, Indiana veteran, Al Cook Jr., took the win in the USPRO Cup Series Winchester/Sneak Peek 35 Part One held over the Labor Day Holiday Weekend over a slim Seven-Car field.
After Fast Qualifier, Jason Dietsch scrapped the wall trying to pass Cook Jr., for the lead and fell out of the race, Cook Jr., would check out on the rest of the field and easily steer his Bollhoff Rivnut Incorporated / Pontiac Grand Prix into victory lane after winning the USPRO Cup Series Winchester/Sneak Peek 35 Part One.
Tommy Cook fought off a hard-charging Bob Varney to finish second while Varney settled for third. Bob Sibila Jr., came home fourth as 17-year-old Royce Mason II completed the Top Five. Jason Dietsch established the USPRO Cup Series Track Record with a 16.421, which measures out to a fast 109.616 MPH.
Race #3; Winchester / Sneak Peek 50-Saturday October 13, 2007; Winchester (IN) Speedway-Winchester, Indiana.
In the final Sneak Peek race of the 2007 season for the USPRO Cup Series, and in a caution free 50-lap affair at the historic high-banks in Eastern Indiana; Richmond, Michigan veteran, Bob Varney overtook Pole-Sitter and Fast Qualifier, Michael Gaier on the opening lap and pulled away from the rest of the pack to score the Feature win in his R.V. Performance / Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Varney led all 50 laps for the convincing win as Wes Griffith Jr., finished a season high second after a miserable 2007 season in ASALMS North competition while Labor Day USPRO Feature Winner, Al Cook Jr., recorded the final podium finish in third. Kevin Todd finished a solid fourth over 17-year-old Royce Mason II who rounded out the Top Five. 11 cars participated in the final 2007 Sneak Preview race for the USPRO Cup Series.
Gaier won the USPRO Cup Series Fast Qualifier Award with a lap time of a 16.170 which measures out to 111.317 MPH. The Coldwater, Michigan driver shattered the previous USPRO Cup Series track record by nearly .3 tenths of a second, which was held by Jason Dietsch back on Labor Day Weekend.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next official gathering of the entire ASA Late Model Series will be the 2007 ASA Late Model Series Awards Banquet and Weekend of Champions, which is set for Friday and Saturday January 18-19, 2008 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Banquet Ticket information and prices will be available very soon. For more information about the 2007 ASALMS Awards Banquet and Weekend of Champions and how to get involved with the 1st annual ASALMS “How to Clinics and Seminars”, please call the ASALMS Home Offices in Lexington, Michigan during normal business hours, which are Monday-Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm (EST). You can call toll free at: 1 (800) 385-2503.
The ASALMS is very proud to announce that over $150,000 in Awards, Cash, and Prizes will be awarded to the 2007 ASALMS teams that are eligible thanks to the great sponsors that have made the ASALMS possible throughout the Fifth Anniversary 2007 Racing Season in “America’s Premiere Short Track Series”.
The 2007 ASALMS Champions and Rookies of the Year within all three divisions will be honored as well as the Top 10 in all three divisions, and the GM Performance Parts Winner Circle Program eligible drivers will be honored amongst their peers during the Awards Ceremony.
Plus Special Team Awards, voted on by their peers, will be handed out as well as the 2007 ASALMS Most Popular Driver Award, voted on by the great fans of the ASALMS, will be announced as well. To download the 2007 ASA Late Model Series National Awards Ballot, click on the link provided: http://www.asalatemodels.com/story.asp?StoryID=7262
The Clarion Hotel and Conference Center is offering rooms for the ASALMS at a special discount from Thursday January 17, 2008 through Saturday January 20, 2008 for $69.95. These rooms must be booked by calling the Clarion at; 1 (502) 491-4830 and letting them know you are part of the ASALMS Awards Banquet and Weekend of Champions. Upgrades to Suites are available for $89.95.
For more information about the 2007 ASALMS Awards Banquet and Weekend of Champions as well as the fast approaching 2008 campaigns, you can call the ASALMS home offices during normal business hours Monday through Friday 9:00am-5:00pm (EST) at: 1 (800) 385-2503.
You can also log onto any of the three websites for more information. For the Challenge Division, go to: http://www.asalatemodels.com For the Northern Division, log in at: http://www.asalatemodelsnorth.com and finally for the Southern Division click on: http://www.asalatemodelssouth.com