Over the course of the offseason, we will go back and recap each race of the 2023 ASA STARS National Tour season. The inaugural season featured seven different winners in ten races at ten different tracks, with a points battle that went down to the wire.
Race No.1 – Sunshine State 200 at Five Flags Speedway
The long awaited and much anticipated debut of the ASA STARS National Tour season opener finally came in early March 2023. The inaugural race for the ASA STARS National Tour was held at Pensacola, FL’s Five Flags Speedway on Saturday, March 11, and a total of 36 cars made the trip to the Florida Panhandle to kick off a new era of Super Late Model racing.
Two days of practice led to Go Fas Racing Pole Qualifying on Saturday afternoon. In his first start with Shafer Motorsports, reigning Snowball Derby champion Derek Thorn won the Go Fas Pole Award, while Bubba Pollard and Matt Craig started on the front row after the invert.
Stage racing would be introduced during the Sunshine State 200, as Craig shot out to an early lead, pacing the first 79 laps and winning stage one in the process. Stage two saw its share of attrition and leaders, with five different drivers leading laps during the second stage. Ultimately, it was Pollard beating Preston Peltier in a photo finish for the stage two win after starting the stage two laps down.
After a pit strategy call, Gio Ruggiero restarted the final stage as the leader, leading 15 laps before Pollard and Casey Roderick. The biggest moment of the race happened just five laps later. As the yellow was being waved for an incident involving Preston Peltier, Roderick got into Pollard and sent the No.26 around on the frontstretch, collecting several cars and ending Pollard’s night.
The final 30 laps went caution-free, with Casey Roderick becoming the first driver to win an ASA STARS National Tour race. Eventual Blizzard Series champion Jeremy Doss drove from 20th to finish second, while Ty Majeski finished third after starting 16th.
The stout field of cars led to many comers and goers, with stage racing strategy and numerous cautions shuffling the running order. There were 10 lead changes among seven drivers, and 20 different drivers earned bonus points via the stage racing format.
The final 30 laps went caution-free, with Casey Roderick becoming the first driver to win an ASA STARS National Tour race. Eventual Blizzard Series champion Jeremy Doss drove from 20th to finish second, while Ty Majeski finished third after starting 16th.
Sunshine State 200 – Five Flags Speedway
Entries: 36
Started: 35
Go Fas Racing Pole Award Winner: Derek Thorn
Stage Winners: Matt Craig/Bubba Pollard
Lead Changes: 10
Leaders: 7
Most Laps Led: Matt Craig (79)
Winner: Casey Roderick
Full Results
For more information on the ASA STARS National Tour, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: ASA STARS National Tour | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced in October 2022, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.
The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner – the ASA/CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.
The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the series.
Track Enterprises, a racing promotions company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of Champion Racing Association (CRA) in January 2022 and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series, which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.
