Sunshine State 200 set for Five Flags Speedway Saturday, March 11
Pensacola, FL (March 8, 2023) – Highly decorated short track racer Mike Garvey has been named a “Guest of Honor” for the inaugural ASA STARS National Tour event at Five Flags Speedway.
Garvey, who has made 72 combined starts in all three of NASCAR’s top tours, was perhaps most successful in the original American Speed Association during the 1990s and early 2000s. The Georgia racer won 21 times in the ASA National Series, including his first career ASA win on May 4, 1997 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. The “Florida 300” was ASA’s first visit to the Florida Panhandle.
“It’s great to see the ASA brand back in short track racing,” stated Garvey, who has 21 career ASA National Tour victories. “Racing in ASA was one of the best periods of my life, and of my racing career. I am excited to see ASA return in Pensacola with what we believe to be the start of a new era.”
Garvey’s win at Pensacola was just his second race in Gerry Gunderman’s number-8 Pontiac ASA car. Matt Kenseth drove the number-8 in the first three races of the 1997 season before being hired by Robbie Reiser to wheel the number-17 in what was then called the NASCAR Busch Series. Garvey finished 15th in his first race with Gunderman at the now defunct “Peach State Speedway” the week before the Five Flags Speedway ASA National Series debut in ’97.
The ASA STARS National Tour will open the 10-race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Advance tickets are available for purchase online at https://bit.ly/ASA5FlagsTixs.
The Sunshine State 200 will be live-streamed on both Racing America and TRACKTV.com. More details will be announced soon. MAVTV will air the event on Monday, March 20 at 8pm ET.
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 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 championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.
The national series 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.
A Winner’s Circle program will also be part of the ASA National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program details will be announced at a later date, but it will be in the same vein as ASA utilized in its heyday.
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.
