Back Home Again in Michigan! ASALMS Challenge Division and USPRO Cup Series will invade Berlin Raceway for the Tradition Weekend.
By Matt Prieur-ASA Late Model Series
Lexington, Michigan (Friday, May 23, 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.
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 13-14, 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 Presented by Drive Train Specialists will also be in action with the running of the Tradition 50. For the USPRO Cup Series, this will be the fourth event of six total in their 2008 season.
Joining the ASALMS Challenge Division and USPRO Cup Series will be a Berlin Raceway support divisions special event on Friday, June 13, 2008 featuring the De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stocks, Instant Cash Advance Sportsmen, Burnips Equipment Four-Cylinders, and a School Bus Race to highlight the Friday evening card!
On Saturday the ASALMS Challenge Division and USPRO Cup Series share the spotlight at the historic Marne, Michigan Fairgrounds speed plant! 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.
Advance Tickets for Saturday are now on sale for $18.00 while children 12 and under are free. Saturday Tickets are available at the ASALMS Home Offices in Lexington, Michigan. In addition, they’re also available at the Berlin Raceway Box Office.
Plus you can get print off a coupon good for $2.00 off your Grandstand Admission by clicking on the Berlin Promotional Flier at the link provided: http://www.asalatemodelsnorth.com/gfx/fliers/08BERLIN_01.jpg
Tickets for Friday, which were originally free before the addition of the three divisions, are now $10.00 for adult general admission, $5.00 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under. Pit passes for those 14 and over are $25 for Friday!
Gates for the fans will open at 12:15p.m. while gates for the local drivers will open at 3:00p.m. with the first race beginning at 7:20 p.m. you can purchase those tickets at the Berlin Raceway Box Office.
“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.
“In addition 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’re 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. “Also, 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.
Regular Weekly Racing action is on Saturday nights at the Marne, Michigan speed plant 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
About the ASA Late Model Series:
The development of the ASA Late Model Series was formed in 2003, with the joining of the USPRO Series in Michigan and the ASA Touring Late Models, originally created by short track promotional legend Rex Robbins.
Over the past five seasons, the ASALMS sanctioning body has developed into the cornerstone program for Crate-type/template bodied Late Model racing throughout the United States, exuding a passion for short track racing that has elevated the program to be tagged as “America’s Premier Short Track Series.”
The ASALMS will continue to move forward, bringing that passion to fans, competitors and tracks nationwide as it continues to provide a platform for exciting and affordable asphalt late model racing, while including a plethora of racers, from the veteran weekend competitors all the way to the stars of tomorrow’s national series.
About the USPRO Cup Series
The USPRO Cup Series is a cost cutting traveling series under the sanctioning of the ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts. Shorter races with a 2-tire rule and shorter travel for the teams will allow the USPRO Cup Series to give drivers wanting to eventually move up into the ASALMS, a taste of what a Premiere Traveling Series is like.
For More Information, Contact: ASALMS Office – 1 (800) 385-2503 or 1 (810) 359-5635. E-Mail: mprieur@asalatemodels.com
You can also log onto any of the three websites; For the Challenge Division, go to: http://www.asalatemodels.com For the Northern Division and USPRO Cup Series, log in at: http://www.asalatemodelsnorth.com and finally for the Southern Division click on: http://www.asalatemodelssouth.com