Back Home Again; The ASALMS Challenge Division and USPRO Cup Series to invade the Berlin Raceway for the Tradition Weekend.

Lexington, Michigan (02/14/2008): The ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division Presented by GM Performance Parts prides itself on establishing traditions within the series at the wide variety of facilities that the series goes to each and every season.

Each and every season, ASALMS drivers, fans, and teams can certainly count on certain race dates that have become popular stops over the years and one of those stops is in the series home state of Michigan.

A new tradition began within the ASALMS in 2007 and will continue in 2008 for "America's Premiere Short Track Series" as the ASALMS Challenge Division will take part in the 2nd Annual Tradition 200 on Friday and Saturday June 16-17, 2008 at the famed Berlin (MI) Raceway, located West of Grand Rapids in Marne, Michigan.

As part of the 2nd annual Tradition Weekend at the fast 0.437 Mile Progressively Banked Paved Oval, the USPRO Cup Series will also be in action with the running of the Tradition 50.

Plus one more division “To Be Announced” may be added as well. The 2nd Annual Tradition 200 Entry Form as well as the USPRO Cup Series Tradition 50 Entry Form will both be available beginning on Wednesday May 28, 2008.

“We will always come home to Michigan each and every season no matter what and with the Tradition Weekend at the Berlin Raceway, we’re firmly planting ourselves in our own backyard with a race that will become one of the biggest events overall of the season each and every year!” Stated ASALMS Co-Founder/President, Ron Varney.

“Berlin is one of the most immaculate facilities we go to, not just in Michigan, but throughout the country! Those fans there are unbelievable! We sincerely hope this firmly establishes a race that will always be a fixture on their calendars!” He added.

“Plus we wanted the USPRO Cup Series to experience the history and prestige that is Berlin too, so we’ve decided to add them to this great weekend as well.” Varney ended.

“We are very excited to have the ASA Late Model Series back at the Berlin Raceway again in 2008.” Added Mike Strevel, Director of Race Operation for Berlin Raceway. “Plus the addition of the USPRO Cup Series 50-lap Feature to kick things off will surely make the entire weekend even more entertaining for our fans than it already is!” Strevel ended.

The ASALMS has made four overall appearances at the Berlin Fairgrounds speed plant. Three of those events have been ASALMS Challenge Division races and one was an ASALMS Northern Division event. This will be the inaugural appearance for the USPRO Cup Series.

The last ASALMS race at Berlin was on June 16, 2007 as Robbie Pyle, who earlier in the evening won the Fast Qualifier Award, retook the lead from 10-time Berlin Track Champion and Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer, Fred Campbell on Lap 150.

From there, the Columbus, Ohio veteran would hold off the advances of the crowd favorite to win the 1st annual Tradition 200. Pyle made the pass for the lead on Lap 82 as he dove to the inside of Keeton Hanks coming down the front stretch and completed the pass coming out of Turn Two.

The Buckeye State veteran would lead the field into the Lap 100 halfway break. But then on Lap 136 and to the roar of the partisan home track crowd, Fred Campbell drove around the outside of Pyle to take the lead only to be passed back by Pyle on Lap 150.

Campbell immediately went up to the second groove to begin building his momentum back up for one final chance but ran out of time as Pyle worked the inside groove just enough to hold back the perennial crowd favorite to win the 1st annual Tradition 200!

Campbell settled for second as Michael Annett finished third. Eddie Hoffman finished a solid fourth over Terry VanHaitsma, who completed the Top Five. Pyle won the Fast Qualifier Award over the 22-car field at the 0.437 Mile Progressively Banked Paved Oval as he turned a 16.286.

In 2006, both the ASALMS Challenge and Northern Divisions ran on the unique 0.437 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval and it was Grand Rapids’ own, Brian Campbell sweeping both events!

In the first of two ASALMS events at Berlin in 2006, the ASALMS Challenge Division was on hand on a special Wednesday night June 14, 2006, NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver, David Stremme, joined Michigan Legends Mike Eddy, Butch Miller, and Berlin Part-Owner, Johnny Benson Jr., as special guests for the Safety Kleen 200.

Eddy, the Seven-Time National Champion in the now defunct American Speed Association National Tour, led the first 114 laps before losing the lead to Stremme. 20 laps later, Campbell got around Stremme and would fend off a hard charging Landon Cassill to pick up his first career ASALMS Feature victory!

Campbell won the Feature over Cassill, Stremme, Matt Hawkins, and Kris Stump the Top Five. Cassill set what is the current track record for the ASALMS at Berlin with a 16.077 which measures out to 98.078 MPH. 30 Teams were on hand and all started the 200-lap Feature.

The second and final appearance of the 2006 season was part of the Mid-Michigan Doubles Weekend and it would again be Campbell, the 2005 Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year in the ASALMS Challenge Division, making the hometown fans happy once again with a dominating performance in the U.A.W./United Auto Workers 100.

Campbell would win the Fast Qualifier Award and then in the 100-lap Feature, the Grand Rapids, Michigan pilot would take the lead from Jason Setser on lap 31 and go on to sweep both Berlin ASALMS events for the 2006 season.

Robbie Pyle would come home second over Chris Anthony, Butch Miller from the rear of the field, and Setser would complete the Top Five. 26 cars made the trip to Marne, Michigan after getting rained out the night before at the Kalamazoo (MI) Speedway.

The first ever appearance by the ASALMS occurred on June 11, 2004 in the running of the Berlin 100 in what is now the ASALMS Challenge Division. 2004 ASALMS Challenge Division Champion and Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year, Bobby Stremme survived a dog fight with Brian Campbell to go on to win what would be the first career ASALMS Feature win.

The South Bend, Indiana pilot finished ahead of Campbell, Doug True, Michael Rush, and Doug Mahlik rounded out the Top Five. Campbelll was the Fast Qualifier for this event as an ASALMS high car count for Berlin of 36 machines were on hand.

Regular Weekly Racing action is on Saturday nights at the Marne, Michigan speed plant beginning on Saturday April 12, 2008 with a full program of Coors Light Late Models, Engine Pro Super Stocks, De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stocks, Instant Cash Advance Sportsman, and the new Four-Cylinders division.

In 1950 the late Chester Mysliwiec and family started a racing tradition; Berlin Raceway, as he named it, has seen it all through the years. From its humble dirt track beginnings, Berlin Raceway, now a 0.437 Mile Oval, has grown into one of the premier short tracks in the United States of America.

Berlin Raceway has one of the strongest fan bases for grass roots racing in the nation. Berlin has packed in thousands of race fans a year for over 50 years. Over 5,000,000 race fans have spent their Saturday nights at this legendary track.

Not only have race fans of all ages enjoyed the track, but drivers like Tim Steele, Jack Sprague and Bob Senneker have honed their driving skills on what Johnny Benson Jr. claims as "one of the most difficult tracks in the country."

In 2001, the West Michigan Whitecaps purchased the track and invested funds in the infrastructure, building new restrooms, a new sound system, new private party areas, new catch fence and other amenities to make Berlin Raceway not only the premier facility in the Midwest, but also the most fan-friendly.

Over the years, the Berlin Raceway has kept the racing extremely competitive. The goal of Berlin Raceway is to continue to provide exciting racing and an affordable experience in a clean, safe environment.

For more information about the 2008 season at the Berlin Raceway, call the track offices during normal business hours at: 1 (616) 677-5000 or you can go to the tracks website at; http://www.berlinraceway.com