The ASA National Tour is considered one of the cornerstones of American Motorsports. Yet, in its rich history of more than 500 races, no event has ever been contested in the New England region.
Despite that fact, the ASA lore is still strong in the land known for its Modified racing and the famed Oxford 250 for stock cars through the years.
Now, one of New England’s best, Derek Griffith, out of New Hampshire, is set to make his ASA STARS National Tour debut during Tuesday’s (May 16) ECMD 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina.
“I’ve got friends who have been in racing for a super long time that talk about how ASA used to be,” stated Griffith, who competed in six NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2022. “It’s really cool to see the time and effort being put into bringing a national series like this back to life. It’s cool to see the names on the list and the whole deal. North Wilkesboro is going to be an awesome show for the fans and it’s going to be cool to be a part of.”
With two PASS National championships, a Granite State Pro Stock Series title and multiple big wins in the Northeast, the driver known affectionately as “D-Griff” has established himself as one of the region’s top stars. His success has followed him away from home as well. Griffith is a two-time World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model champion at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida.
This year has already been a success for the Granite State racer. He was strong during Florida Speedweeks and has other promising outings in the Northeast before breaking back into victory lane in the PASS Super Late Model race at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Vermont on May 6.
With that win now out of the way, he feels like a new leaf has been turned.
“I think we’re on the right track now,” added Griffith who did have one Super Late Model and one Supermodified win in 2022. “The car we’ve been running at home was wrecked at Berlin, but we got it put back together and it’s been getting better and better. We’re back feeling good and getting on the right path of making our race cars fast and being consistently competitive.”
His debut with the ASA STARS National Tour comes at the ECMD 150 at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway, an event with an entry list that rivals any other big race in the country. With 55 drivers entered, including multiple NASCAR Cup Series drivers, Griffith is excited, yet admittedly a little nervous for Tuesday’s race.
“The names are huge on that list. Timing-wise it works out so well for all these big-name guys that are running in the top-three series to be able to come and run during the week of the All-Star Race. It’s both exciting and a little bit frightening because we know we’re going to have to race against the best in the country. It’s going to be an amazing deal for sure.”
Single-day general admission tickets for the May 16 ASA Stars ECMD 150 are $30 and available at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. Children six and under are admitted free. Advance parking is also available for purchase online. Fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding NASCAR All-Star week and North Wilkesboro Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.
The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on March 11. Georgia racer Casey Roderick won the Sunshine State 200. Ty Majeski is the most recent winner with the series, taking the win at Madison International Speedway on May 7.
The ECMD 150 will be co-sanctioned with the ASA Southern Super Series, which will be the third race of the ASA SSS season. William Byron and Casey Roderick won the first two races at New Smyrna Speedway and Five Flags Speedway.
For more information regarding the Southern Super Series, visit the series website at www.southernsuperseries.com. Follow us on Facebook at Southern Super Series, on Twitter at @SoSuperSeries, and on Instagram at @officialsouthernsuperseries.
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.
