ISCARS DASH TOURING SERIES PARTNERS WITH AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION

ISCARS DASH TOURING SERIES PARTNERS WITH AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION

ISCARS DASH TOURING SERIES PARTNERS WITH AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION

ISCARS/ASA Public Relations
April 7, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The ISCARS DASH Touring Series, the only sport compact stock car series, has always defied conventional thinking. And now, they have once again stepped into a new era with the announcement of a partnership with the American Speed Association.

The ISCARS DASH Touring Series, formerly known as the NASCAR Goody’s DASH Series, will be sanctioned by the American Speed Association this season. This is a unique touring series as they are a blend of “normal” stock car racing with “The Fast & Furious” in a blend of racing and entertainment for the sport compact crowd.

“Our series began in 1975, and back in the early days people were buying compact cars because of the high gas prices,” said Claypoole, president/CEO of the ISCARS DASH Touring Series. “There is no doubt that we are there again today. And thanks to the tuners, drifting, and even things like NOPI, the sport compacts are all the rage. What we are looking to do is identify with that fan base as well as the more traditional stock car fan base.”

The ISCARS DASH Touring Series originally began with 4-cylinder engines, and then migrated to the V-6 engines that NASCAR used in the Busch Grand National Series. Today, they are experimenting with adding a crate V-8 engine into the mix to help lower the cost of racing for the competitors.

“We have been using the old Busch Series V-6 engine and that costs around $30,000. It is very expensive,” Claypoole explained. “We are looking at a small block V-8 that should lower the cost to five to eight thousand dollars which will make a huge difference in a team’s budget. Not to mention that , once we have all the teams switched to the V8, we’ll be able to increase the horsepower from the current 375 average to about 500. Now that’s hot for a sport compact.”

Claypoole said that his competition group, led by Robert Black, is “continually tweaking and massaging” the rules and cars to “get away from the cookie cutter stock car image.” He cited the thoughts of adding flared sides, wings and even neon as examples. Black, the vice-president of competition/tour director, is in his second year with the ISCARS DASH Touring Series where he came after a long tenure as tour director of the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series.

The 2008 schedule includes a dozen races, starting on May 10 at Caraway Speedway in Ashboro, N.C. Most events are 150 laps in duration and are held at tracks in the Southeastern United States. Complete details can be found online at www.ISCARSSonline.com, along with news, updated point standings and more.

Fans can also keep up with the action on the cable television program “ISCARSS Wide Open” which runs on more than 200 stations across nine cable networks from May through November. Joe Moore of MRN Radio fame is host of the 30-minute program which reaches upwards of 52 million people each week.

Although they are not currently on the schedule, superspeedways are an area that Claypoole is taking a close look at to help bring more cars back onto the racetrack.

“There are a lot of superspeedway cars out there. We used to do so much on the speedways in the past that a lot of guys would have cars just for the bigger racetracks and those are still around. We want to go back to the superspeedways and have these cars come back and have fun racing with us,” Claypoole said.

“Rockingham (Speedway, formerly known as Rockingham Motor Speedway) may be our best bet to get back on the larger racetracks. We have been talking with Andy Hillenberg (track owner) but just haven’t been able to come up with a date yet. Hopefully, we can at least do a test session or two at Rockingham to get our drivers a little experience this year and then get on their 2009 calendar,” he added.

Claypoole stressed that even though the ISCARS DASH Touring Series is now sanctioned by the American Speed Association they are still an independent group and managed by his team, just like the past several years.

“It is important that our competitors know and understand that while I still own ISCARS we are now associated with the ASA and they understand the benefits that this will bring to them,” Claypoole said. “It will be beneficial to be part of a larger network (of other ASA Member Tracks and ASA Regional Racing series) and be part of the bigger things that can come from being part of a group.”

Owner of the ISCARS DASH Touring Series since 2005, one specific area that Claypoole mentioned was the improved insurance package offered by the American Speed Association over what he was able to obtain himself.

“Obviously, the insurance program is substantially better than what we have had in the past. I think of it a little along the lines of being self-employed. As an individual, you pay a higher rate and typically don’t get all the benefits of being part of a group. The ASA insurance is just one benefit of being part of a larger network.”

ASA members in good standing are eligible for a $500,000 Excess Medical Benefit as well as a $20,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Benefit. Coverage for the member begins while traveling to a location promoting an ASA-sanctioned event and continues until arrival home again. The American Speed Association is the only sanctioning body to offer insurance coverage which extends beyond the boundary of the racetrack itself (complete details are available online at www.ASA-Racing.com).

“The ISCARS DASH Series has such a long and glorified history since their beginning in 1975 that it is extremely exciting to think of them as a partner of the American Speed Association,” said Dennis Huth, president of Racing Speed Associates which owns the American Speed Association. “So many people remember the Goody’s Dash Series and I think that they are still trying to educate people that this is the same series. I hope that the ASA partnership can help them to achieve some additional exposure. I also admire how Randy and his team are not afraid to try some different things to stand out from the other stock car series. The hallmark of the ASA has always been to be different and try to approach racing differently. I think that the ISCARS DASH Touring Series will fit well with the ASA, and I look forward to a long partnership.”

Claypoole agreed, saying, “I admire Dennis and what he is doing with the ASA. We are both entrepreneurs and trying to stand out from the crowd. What he is doing by pulling together the sanctioning body is very needed and I think that all the pieces of the American Speed Association are finally coming back together. It will be great to be part of that future.”

To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based ASA Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and regional tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com.

Also note the feature article written by Godwin Kelly in the Daytona Beach News Journal for Sunday, April 6th. (Link below)

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Columnists/Motorsport/racMOTO040608.htm