Macon, IL (November 16, 2022) – The STARS National Series has named veteran racing official Joe Balash as Director of Race Operations for 2023. Track Enterprises President Bob Sargent officially made the announcement on Wednesday for the recently announced Super Late Model series.
“I am pleased to formally introduce Joe Balash as Director of Race Operations,” Sargent stated. “Joe’s been with Track Enterprises for some time now, and his experience with both ASA and NASCAR position him as the right person to lead our efforts regarding competition and technical inspection.”
Balash, a motorsports industry veteran who first sprang onto the national scene with ASA in the late 1990’s, served as the NASCAR Busch and Nationwide Series Director from 2004 – 2012. Following his stint as Series Director with the second tier NASCAR series, Balash served as International Competition Liaison, overseeing NASCAR’s interests in motorsports in Mexico, Canada and Europe.
“The opportunity to be a part of the launch of the STARS National Series is both exciting and humbling,” Balash commented. “I’m excited to help build a strong, sustainable rules package to help pavement super late model racing into the future.”
Balash will be responsible for all aspects of competition and operations as it pertains to Track Enterprises pavement Super Late Model racing business. In addition to the STARS National Tour, Balash will also oversee the rules packages, inspection process and race procedures for the ARCA / CRA Super Series, ARCA Midwest Tour and Southern Super Series. Balash will make his first appearance in this newly appointed role at the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway from December 1 – 4.
Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois has been making news throughout the 2022 calendar year, announcing the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January, and then announcing the purchase of the ARCA Midwest Tour in July. In October, Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series, which set the table for the STARS National Series to debut in 2023.
“I feel very fortunate to have a guy of Joe’s caliber as part of our team, leading the competition side of the business,” Sargent continued. “Joe has been working closely with the regional tours Series Directors and Technical Directors, and will be a huge asset for us as we embark on this national tour.”
Plans call for the STARS National Tour to publish and release the rule books for the four series’ (STARS National Series, ARCA Midwest Tour, ARCA / CRA Super Series and Southern Super Series) at the PRI Show in Indianapolis December 8-10.
STARS National Series
The highly-anticipated STARS National Series will debut in 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced in October, many of the best drivers in America are expected to compete in the 10-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund.
The national series is made up of three races from each of the regional Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ARCA / CRA Super Series, the ARCA Midwest Tour and the Southern Super Series. The championship event will be the All-American 400 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Tennessee.
For more information, please visit the series website at starsnationalseries.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
