A championship will be decided for one ASA-branded regional tour and a penultimate race will be held for another in two different parts of the country.
Find out more below with our ASA Weekend Preview.
Champions To Be Crowned in SSS Doubleheader
The 2023 ASA Southern Super Series champion will be crowned this weekend at Five Flags Speedway with a Blizzard Series doubleheader. Friday night’s race will be a makeup from a rainout on July 22, while Saturday night will see champions for both the Southern Super Series and Blizzard Series crowned.
Gio Ruggiero leads Matt Craig by just 23 points going into the weekend doubleheader, with both drivers looking for their first championships with the series. Michael Hinde (-77) and Jett Noland (-87) both still have a mathematical chance at stealing the title for themselves.
Meanwhile, California’s Jeremy Doss holds the Blizzard Series points lead by 28 over Ruggiero and 32 over Matt Craig after his win in the second Blizzard race on July 21. Snowball Derby provisionals will be up for grabs for the top-two in both Southern Super Series and Blizzard Series points.
Racing starts at 8:00pm CT Friday night and 7:00pm Saturday night and both can be viewed live on Racing America.
Bruce Nuttleman
ASA MT Returns to Elko For Thunderstruck 93
The ASA Midwest Tour returns to Elko Speedway for the first time since 2017 for the Thunderstruck 93. Saturday night’s event will be the second-to-last race of the year for the Tour.
Gabe Sommers enters Saturday’s race with a 79 point lead over Justin Mondeik in the standings. With a maximum of 118 points up for grabs, the Plover, WI driver can clinch his first Midwest Tour championship on Saturday, though unlikely. With a strong run Saturday, Sommers could head to the famed Oktoberfest 200 finale at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway just needing to take the green flag to be crowned champion.
The 125-lap race will honor Elko Speedway Hall of Famer “Thunder” Dan Ryan Sr., who passed away in 2009 after a three-year battle with ALS. Dan was a former racer who became a leader amongst the competitors in the pit area and tutored many young drivers as they worked their way through the racing ranks. The name of the event is named after Ryan’s favorite song, “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. There will be a ten-minute break on lap 93 of the ASA Midwest Tour race to honor him. Additionally, the second twin weekly Late Model feature will be 39 laps to honor the late driver.
Jake Ryan, son of the late Dan Ryan, will be competing in the weekly Late Model division in honor of his father. The Thunderstruck 93 is also in benefit of A Race Worth Winning – ALS.
Qualifying is at 6:00pm CT with racing slated to begin afterwards. The Thunderstruck 93 will be live on MidwestTour.TV.
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, 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, thanks to Team Construction.
Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January 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.
