Home Track Favorite, Brian Campbell goes from "Crash" to "Fast" at Berlin Raceway too win the 2nd annual Tradition 200!
By Matt Prieur-ASA Late Model Series

Marne, Michigan (Saturday, June 14, 2008): Home track favorite and Wyoming, Michigan native, Brian Campbell was on a mission on Saturday night, June 14, 2008 at Berlin Raceway during the 2nd annual Tradition 200.

The 29-year-old was looking for redemption after last seasons race when he crashed out with four laps to go after tangling with another car while running up front! This year’s version of the Tradition 200 didn’t start off so well for Campbell either at the historic 7/16s mile progressively banked paved oval located West of Grand Rapids in Marne, Michigan.

Just 40 laps into the 200-lap Feature, race leader and ASALMS Challenge Division Points Leader coming into the night, Sean Murphy and the lapped car of Kyle Sirizzotti, the Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year Points Leader, collided coming out of turn four.

Campbell had nowhere to go and slid up into the Turn Four wall suffering cosmetic damage on the right side of his Boyne Machine Ford. After extensive work done by his Boyne Machine Racing Team, Campbell made it back on the track without losing a lap and started scratch on the field. He worked his way up to seventh at the halfway break.

“I have the hardest working team in the country!” An emotional Campbell relayed in victory lane as the partisan crowd roared its approval. “If it wasn’t for all these guys on this Boyne Machine Racing Team, I definitely wouldn’t be standing here! This is for my Dad (the Legendary Fred Campbell) for Father’s Day and this is for my wonderful Car Owner, Mike Blackmer.”

When the second half began, Campbell picked his way through the leading pack and after a thrilling battle with defending race winner, Robbie Pyle, Campbell took the lead once before a caution thwarted his efforts on Lap 183.

Campbell wouldn’t be denied though on the final restart on Lap 189 and took the lead on Lap 192 to score the popular feature win in front of his home track fans in a race that featured four lead changes! As Campbell pulled his Boyne Machine Ford into victory lane, a crew member pointed out that his Left Rear Tire was completely flat!

ASALMS Challenge Division Points Leader coming into the night and already a three-time Feature Winner in 2008, Sean Murphy and a regular on Saturday nights in the tracks Coors Light Late Models division, Terry VanHaitsma led a strong field to Chief Starter, Tom Powell’s green flag to begin the 200-lap Feature in front of a stellar Great Lakes State crowd!

Murphy beat VanHaitsma to the first corner to take the lead as VanHaitsma was slow on the start and was freight-trained by several drivers. Two quick cautions on Lap 13 and 20 slowed things down and on each restart, Murphy would try and pull away from the rest of the field.

Defending ASALMS Challenge Division Champion, Travis Dassow quickly worked his way up to the second spot and began reeling in Murphy as they negotiated the uniquely shaped 7/16s mile circular paved oval in Western Michigan.

The drama began to unfold on Lap 40 when Murphy tried to place Kyle Sirizzoitti a lap down when Sirizzoitti drifted up into Murphy’s line coming out of turn four causing both to spin! Murphy was given his spot back as the leader and Sirizzoitti was sent to the rear of the field.

As Murphy and Sirizzotti sent the field scattering, Brian Campbell, who was running fourth, had nowhere to go and slapped the Turn Four wall and also tagged Sirrizzotti in the process. Several other cars were also involved and all pitted for repairs.

With caution laps counting up to Lap 190, all teams involved had to make quick repairs as Campbell pitted several times to avoid going a lap down. As the one lap to go signal was given, Campbell came back out just in time to stay on the lead lap, but was nearly a half track behind the rest of the field on the restart!

Murphy’s car began going away on the restart due to the slight damage suffered in the Sirizzoitti incident and Dassow savored the opportunity and jumped all over Murphy for the lead. Dassow took the top spot on Lap 57 as several drivers followed dropping Murphy to as far back as eighth.

In the meantime, Campbell caught the rest of the pack and began picking his way through the pack and was in the Top 10 by Lap 90! In the meantime up front, Dassow fended off the charges of Peter Cozzolino and Robbie Pyle to lead the field into the Lap 101 ½ way break while back in the field, Campbell has charged his way up to seventh!

On the restart, Dassow led the field to the green but going into Turn Three, he drifted high up near the wall which allowed Cozzolino, Pyle, and several others to get by the defending Challenge Division Champion. Cozzolino took the lead but relinquished it two laps later when Pyle drove by on Lap 104.

On Lap 120, another home track favorite, 10-time Berlin Late Model Track Champion and Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame driver, Fred Campbell’s machine began leaving a trail of smoke from his ride. He was later black flagged to the disappointment of the partisan crowd as Campbell was forced to end his night early with a broken oil line.

By this time, his son, Brian Campbell had worked his way back into the Top Five and began picking off cars as the laps counted down. He was up to third on Lap 150 and 15 laps later, got by Cozzolino for second and began reeling in Pyle as the hometown crowd stood on their feet screaming for the track favorite.

A caution flew on Lap 170 bunching the field up and putting Campbell right on Pyle’s back bumper. Campbell wasted no time on the restart and immediately went to the second groove and began building momentum up top. On Lap 183, Campbell pulled up alongside of Pyle in order to take the lead when the final caution flew sending Campbell back behind Pyle!

As the partisan home track crowd stood on their feet for the final restart, Campbell again went to the high side to build the momentum up one more time! As the deafening crowd screamed for Campbell to take the lead, he obliged his fans by crossing the start/finish line up front on Lap 192 completing his last to first run after his Lap 40 incident.

A lap later, Cozzolino also drove around Pyle for second and made one final push to battle with Campbell, but the home track favorite wasn’t going to be denied in his backyard as the Wyoming, Michigan driver fought a slow leak in his left rear tire and the final charge by Cozzolino too win the 2nd annual Tradition 200!

“This is such a huge win for this whole team, "Robbie (Pyle) was giving me the outside so I knew I could get around." Campbell continued. “I thought we had him there before when the caution came out, but we were put back in second, so I just figured I could do it again!” He added.

“I knew I was better tonight than Robbie, but I was really worried about Peter (Cozzolino) more than anything. We drove the car for everything it was worth, but we're very fortunate. If that tire had gotten really flat any sooner, then Peter would have won.”

“ I’m just so happy too win in front of the home track fans, this is as good as it gets and I know there’s going to be a big party tonight!” He ended.

Cozzolino finished second and takes over the ASALMS Challenge Division Points Lead! “You never give up in a race like this." Cozzolino said. "Early on we went right to third and got up to second by the end of the first 100 laps. I think we needed the long runs, because with every caution it took us about six or seven laps to get back up too normal.”

“I’m so happy right now with the way this season has started, we’re finishing on the podium in every race so far and now we’ve got the points lead!” The Indianapolis, Indiana veteran continued. “We’re going to some tracks that have been good to me over the years in Mansfield and Salem, so hopefully we can keep running strong and the points will keep adding up!”

Defending Challenge Division Champion, Travis Dassow finished third after avoiding a last lap mishap between Pyle and Murphy and climbed up three spots from eighth to fifth in his quest to defending his title. “We needed this after the first two races this year!” Dassow remarked during his post-race interview on the front stretch.

“I’m very happy to get on the podium for the first time this season and I have to thank Kaat’s Culligan, Brann’s Steakhouse, and Best Western Grand Village Inn for coming on board this weekend. They’re local sponsors here in the area and I really appreciate them supporting us even thought we’re from across the lake in Wisconsin.”

“We tried a different set-up to start the second half and we ended up losing the lead, but the car came in later in the race, so we’ll take it and move onto Mansfield and see what we can do to get back in this title chase.” The West Bend, Wisconsin driver ended.

Pyle recovered to finish fourth while Rookie of the Race and Hard-Charger Award Winner, Chris Anthony finished a career high fifth. ARP Bodies / Aluminum Racing Products Fast Qualifier, Jacob Goede finished sixth as Kris Stump, 18-year-old Alec Carll, 17-year-old Jordan Dahlke, and 16-year-old Blake Brown finished off the Top 10.

Earlier in the afternoon, Goede won his second ARP Bodies Fast Qualifier Award of the season as the New Germany, Minnesota driver turned in a 16.218 which measures out to 97.225 MPH.

After a weekend off, the ASALMS Challenge Division is back in action with race number four, which will mark the halfway point of the 2008 Challenge Division season as the immaculate Mansfield (OH) Motorsports Park in Mansfield, Ohio on Friday and Saturday, June 27-28, 2008 for the Fourth Race of the 2008 season, the All-American Classic 200.

The ASALMS Challenge Division and USPRO Cup Series will highlight an action packed weekend that will also feature the Livonia, Michigan-based Short Track Trucks.com Challenge Series.

The All-American Classic 200 Entry Form is available and due at the ASALMS Home Offices in Lexington, Michigan by Monday, June 23, 2008 to avoid late fees.

You can download the All-American Classic 200 Entry Form by clicking on the link provided:
http://www.asalatemodelsnorth.com/pdfs/entries/mansfield.pdf

ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division Presented by GM Performance Parts Race #3 of 8
Berlin Raceway-Marne, Michigan
Saturday, June 14, 2008

2nd annual Tradition 200 RACE RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL)
FINISH START CAR # / DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM / CAR LAPS STATUS
1 7 77 Brian Campbell/Wyoming, MI Boyne Machine/Ford 200 Running
2 6 11 Peter Cozzolino/Avon, IN Fatheadz Sunglasses/Ford 200 Running
3 4 89 Travis Dassow/West Bend, WI Kaat’s Culligan/Ford 200 Running
4 5 021 Robbie Pyle/Columbus, OH Image F-X/Ford 200 Running
5 16 155 Chris Anthony ®/Grand Rapids, MI Kent Beverage Company/Chevrolet 200 Running
6 8 72 Jacob Goede/New Germany, MN Laketown Electric/Chevrolet 200 Running
7 10 5 Kris Stump/Tipp City, OH Stump and Associates/Chevrolet 200 Running
8 11 66 Alec Carll/Grand Rapids, MI G.R. Developments/Ford 200 Running
9 12 37 Jordan Dahlke ®/Middleville, MI Tires 2000/Chevrolet 200 Running
10 15 71 Blake Brown ®/Franksville, WI Terry’s Automotive Group/Ford 200 Running
11 13 123 Chris Koslek ®/Grand Rapids, MI Perfect Circle Race Cars/Chevrolet 200 Running
12 2 21 Terry VanHaitsma ®/Hudsonville, MI Carstar Quality Collision/Chevrolet 200 Running
13 9 8 Eddie Hoffman/Wheaton, IL Lisa Thomas Salon/Ford 200 Running
14 23 1 Darren Robertson ®/Commerce City, CO Radios USA/Ford 200 Running
15 20 09 John Wes Townley/Watkinsville, GA Zaxby’s Real Chicken/Ford 200 Running
16 17 99 Jordan Sims ®/Sault Ste. Marie, ON Sims Custom Countertops/Chevrolet 200 Running
17 1 32 Sean Murphy/Fort Lauderdale, FL ASI Limited/Chevrolet 200 Running
18 18 121 Greg Usher/Comstock Park, MI U.E.I. Incorporated/Ford 196 Running
19 14 86 Jimmy Lang/Bluffton, SC Performance Concepts/Chevrolet 192 Running
20 22 93 Kyle Sirizzotti ®/Helotes, TX Sirizzotti Excavating/Ford 165 Handling
21 3 47 Fred Campbell/Battle Creek, MI Boyne Machine/Chevrolet 120 Oil Line
22 21 23 Jimmy Weller ®/Liberty, OH Liberty Steel Products/Ford 108 Accident
23 19 25 Brent Downey/Avon, IN Commonwealth Engineers Inc./Ford 100 Mechanical
®) = 2008 Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year Title Contender

Lap Leaders: 32 Sean Murphy Pole-56, 89 Travis Dassow 57-101, 11 Peter Cozzolino 102-103, 021 Robbie Pyle 104-191, 77 Brian Campbell 192-200.
Cautions: 8 for 35 Laps.
Time of Race: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes, 27.130 Seconds.
Margin of Victory: 0.367 Seconds.
ARP Bodies / Aluminum Racing Products Fast Qualifier: 72 Jacob Goede 16.218 = 97.225 MPH.
GM Performance Parts Shootout Winner: NONE

This past weekend was the first of just two overall appearances in the series’ home state of Michigan. The second and final appearance will be on Saturday, August 16, 2008 as the Dixie Motor Speedway will host the ASALMS Northern Division in the running of the Mid-Michigan Dixie Challenge 100.

In addition, the 4/10s mile progressively banked paved oval located North of Flint and South of Saginaw in Birch Run, Michigan will also see the USPRO Cup Series crown their 2008 Champion and Rookie of the Year on that same night in the 2008 USPRO Cup Series Season Championships / Dixie 75!

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 in 2004.

Over the past five seasons, the ASALMS sanctioning body has developed into the cornerstone program for Crate Motor / Template Body 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 the ASALMS Home Offices at: 1 (800) 385-2503 or 1 (810) 359-5635. You can also e-mail the series at: 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