Backstretch Motorsports

By Lorz Motorsports / M.P.H. Promotions

Midlothian, Illinois (Wednesday, June 11, 2008): As Lorz Motorsports drivers, Troy Hintzsche and Josh Lane take a few weeks off to recover from a three-week stretch of events, including one rain-out, within the ASA Late Model Series Northern Division, Lorz Motorsports themselves aren’t slowing down!

The third driver within the Midlothian, Illinois-based Lorz Motorsports stable will make his 2008 debut not only for the team, but in “America’s Premiere Short Track Series” the ASALMS Challenge Division!

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By Matt Prieur-ASA Late Model Series

Lexington, Michigan — The ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division Presented by GM Performance Parts cars and stars are back in the spotlight this weekend with a return trip to the home state of the series!

Fort Lauderdale, Florida driver, Sean Murphy, the 2007 Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year has won the first three Challenge Division races of the season including the non-points affair in Lakeland, Florida in January.

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15 Points Races and Television Package Will Highlight New Late Model Tour In ’08

CONCORD, NC (December 10, 2007) – For years, short track racers wanted to make it to one particular level.  That was the now defunct ASA National Tour, which helped launch many careers in the world of NASCAR, including Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Dick Trickle, Jimmie Johnson and Reed Sorenson, and made stars of short track legends such as Butch Miller, Mike Eddy, Bob Senneker and Gary St. Amant.  Now, those who never had a chance to get to run in the old ASA National Tour will get a second shot at it of sorts, thanks to the introduction of the new ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour. 

The new ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour will debut for Super Late Models and Pro Late Models in 2008 with a 15-race schedule and three additional non-points events.  The series will also have an extensive television package, with 11 televised events on major networks east of the Mississippi and throughout the Southeast, which will reach at least 32-million households.

“What we would really like is to get back to what the old ASA had; it was a good developmental series for any driver,” said John Kee, Marketing Manager for the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour.  “They can come race with us and run a number of different tracks.  We want this to be a good place for the crews too.  One thing we’d like to see happen is put more emphasis on finding good crew members who can set up a racecar for these types of tracks.  The old ASA tour produced a lot of successful crewmembers as well as drivers.  This can be a developmental series for them as well.”

The schedule includes 15 points-paying races, beginning with Mobile International Speedway Saturday, March 22nd.  The track, which is based in the heart of the Deep South racing community, draws some of the best drivers from around the Southeast.  From there, the series will move to two Georgia tracks, Watermelon Capital Speedway and South Georgia Motorsports Park. 

The series will also visit several prominent short tracks, including former ASA competitor Mike Cope’s Bronson Motor Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway, Senoia Speedway, Dillon Motor Speedway, Music City Motorplex, Concord Motorsport Park and Anderson Motor Speedway.  The series will also host one road course event, coming at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC.   Watermelon Capital, Hickory and Concord will host two events each, with Concord holding the final point-paying event of the season.

“The biggest thing about this schedule is that we’ve tried to put together a variety of tracks when it comes to size, speed and challenge,” added Kee.  “That is evident in having places like Hickory, with the history of the place; Concord, with the high speeds and three different turns (more details forthcoming); and the road course in South Carolina.   We’ve got plenty of traditional tracks as well.  We’ve got fast tracks and we’ve got tracks that are finesse tracks. 

“The road course sticks out of course.  I think it will create a lot of excitement.  We are going to have guys do a lot of breaking and shifting.  The track is being repaved as well, and they are widening the turns, so that will make for some good racing.  It is being done at the suggestion of the Cup teams that use that track as a testing facility.”

There will also be three non-points events, including one at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, which will be a conjunction event with the ASA Midwest Tour, plus two other major events to be announced in the weeks to come.

“I love that some of the tracks are so historic, like Hickory and Concord.  We know that we’ve had a lot of big names in racing go through there and race.  I want to get to the point that people really realize the heritage of this sport.  Guys like Darrel Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki and so many others raced many of these same tracks.  People need to realize the heritage of this tour.”

The series will also see some new found life in the introduction of a television package, spearheaded by veteran television broadcaster Rick Benjamin and his Carolina Productions company.  The exact specifics of the television package and the networks included will be announced soon.

“From the outset, I’ve wanted to get ASA back on television,” said Kee.  “A lot of people remember watching ASA and watching some of these guys come up through the ranks.  When we first started talking about this, one of the biggest things we wanted to do is get back on TV.   Television serves many purposes.  It helps build fan favorites and it helps them get used to following these guys and their careers, and to also help some of our guys get sponsorships.   The TV aspect of this is very important to help people realize that this is great racing.  If you go to an ASA Southeast Tour race, or a PASS race, or the Snowball Derby, you see some great racing.  This is some of the best racing out there.  That is another important reason to getting it on TV.”

More announcements about the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour will be released in the coming weeks.  The series rules are already available for downloading at the series official website, www.asasoutheastasphalttour.com.  The website is currently being redesigned and will be re-launched in the near future.

The series is not a Crate Late Model tour only.  In fact, one thing the series’ officials want to make sure competitors know is that the ASA Southeast Tour will be open to a number of different engine/weight combinations, including crate, spec and built engines that utilize both two-barrel and four-barrel carburetors. 

“I’ve heard people say you are a Crate Late Model tour, but that isn’t true.  There are a number of variations that can run with us, mostly based off of weight.  I don’t want people missing out thinking this is just a crate engine tour. 

“We are not trying to gather our own little group that only runs with us.  We want this series to be open for everyone.  When we go to regional tracks, we want local guys to be able to run with us, even if they don’t tour full-time with us.”

For more information on the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, contact Jeremy Troiano at (704) 788-2134 and be sure to visit www.asasoutheastasphalttour.com for all ASA Southeast Tour news.  For technical and rules and information on the entire series, call Micky Cain at (678) 373-9851.

2008 ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Schedule

Date                 Track                                                    City                              TV RaceMarch 22           Mobile Int’l Speedway (Under Neg.)        Mobile, ALApril 5               Watermelon Capital Speedway               Cordele, GA                  TelevisionApril 26             South Georgia Motorsports Park                        Valdosta, GA                TelevisionMay 10             Bronson Motor Speedway                     Bronson, FL      May 17             Hickory Motor Speedway                       Hickory, NC                   TelevisionMay 31             Senoia Speedway                                 Senoia, GAJune 14             Dillon Motor Speedway                         Dillon, SC                     TelevisionJuly 5               Music City Motorplex                             Nashville, TN                 TelevisionJuly 19              Iowa Speedway (non-pts)                       Newton, IA                    TelevisionJuly 26              Concord Motorsport Park                      Concord, NC                 TelevisionAugust 16         Anderson Motor Speedway                    Anderson, SCAugust 30         South Carolina Motorsports Park (RC)    Kershaw, SC                 TelevisionSeptember 13   Watermelon Capital Speedway               Cordele, GASeptember 20   Hickory Motor Speedway                       Hickory, NC                   October 4         Concord Motorsport Park                      Concord, NC                 Television            October 18        Under Negotiation                                 TBAOctober 24        Under Negotiation                                 TBA November 8      TBA (SEAT & ASAMWS Combined)       TBA                              Television

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20-Year-Old Locks Down Challenge Title at Five Flags Event

 MILWAUKEE, WI (October 1, 2007) – Since he made his ASA National Tour debut in 2003 and then joined the ASA Late Model Series in 2005, Travis Dassow has made many steps in his racing career.  The young Wisconsin driver has crossed goals off his to-do list along the way.

Series regular, pole sitter, track record-holder, race winner, championship contender – those were all titles that Dassow earned.  After this weekend’s ASA Late Model Challenge Series event at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, Dassow has checked the ultimate ASA accomplishment off his list though.  Travis Dassow is now a champion of the series.

That leaves the 20-year-old nearly speechless.

 “It’s just awesome, just everything this team’s done for me and everything else, it’s just…Wow!” said Dassow.  “The first time I started an ASA race four years ago, it was just the ultimate dream to win this ASA championship.  It’s just an awesome feeling.  It’s indescribable right now, just really unbelievable.”

Dassow’s TD Racing Development team evolved from the WalTom Racing Development team that won ASA LM titles in 2005 and 2006 with current NASCAR Busch Series drivers Stephen Leicht and Kelly Bires respectively.  But the team had undergone several changes before the 2007 season and the competition bar in ASA LM racing had gotten higher, so Dassow was far from a lock when it came to handicapping the 2007 championship race.  That helped take the pressure off for him.

“When I jumped in, there was pressure there, but there wasn’t.  My parents and a couple of investors that put into it didn’t put any pressure on me.  We knew that the last two years the team won the championship, but we’re still pretty much a startup team.  We have nowhere near the budget as what WalTom used to have and everything else.  We knew it was going to be a tough road and it started off good and just kept on rolling.”

 Almost lost in the fact of Dassow winning the championship on Saturday night was the fact that he did so by earning a third-place podium finish in the race at Five Flags Speedway.  Just by starting the race, Dassow clinched the title, so he knew that he could stop counting points and concentrate on racing his #89 machine instead. 

“It was definitely relaxing knowing that we clinched.  When we took the green flag, my spotter congratulated me and said ‘alright, now let’s go get them’.  I think we needed a caution in that second half to catch us back up to those guys, and I think we would have had something for them.  We didn’t get that chance, but we’ll take the top-three finish and go on. 

Winning the championship might put an exclamation point on Dassow’s season, but it doesn’t put a period on it though.  He still has a few more races planned for the fall.

“We’re going to Lacrosse (WI) next week, and then I’m going to try the Truck race on October 20th at Martinsville, so I’m really looking forward to that, and hopefully continue having some success down South.”

 For more information on the TD Racing Development team, be sure to check out the TD Racing Development website at www.TDRace.net.

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Red Bull Driver's Search World Finalist, Casey Neal is trading in, at least temporarily, his "open-wheels" for the closed fenders of stock car racing.  Neal, 18 years old, who competed in Champ Car Atlantic and Star Mazda series, is scheduled to compete for Allen-Hock Motorsports ASA Late Model team.  The fast-growing ASA Late Model Series features cost effective and extremely competitive short-track oval racing on asphalt with races held throughout the Midwest, Southeast and Eastern sections of the country.

"Like many open-wheel drivers, I have been wanting to explore stock car racing for a while," said Neal.  "Mr. Allen has provided me an ideal opportunity to experience this kind of racing.  For the foreseeable future, my focus is going to be on ASA Late Model Racing.  I'm really looking forward to the change and am optimistic that we will be successful.  It will be fun, challenging and exciting."

Casey Neal is best known for his dominating performance at the final U.S. selection process at Sebring International Raceway in the Red Bull Driver's Search.  Competing against what might be considered the best new driving talent in the country, Neal overwhelmed his competition by winning every event in which he competed.  Neal won all eleven of eleven races.   It was a result that led Red Bull officials to select Neal as one of two American drivers to compete in the World Finals in Estoril, Spain.

"Casey is plenty fast already in early testing," added Glenn Allen, Jr., co-owner of Allen-Hock Motorsports.  "We anticipate a short learning curve but I think he will be very competitive from the outset."

Neal's first ASA race is scheduled for September 14th at the "South Georgia 125 presented by McDonald's" at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Cecil, GA, part of the ASA's Southern series.  Longtime sponsor, ELF Lubricants and new sponsor, Oriental Detox will sponsor Casey Neal.  For more information on Casey Neal visit www.caseynealracing.com.

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Rougemont, North Carolina (08/11/2007): The fifth race of the 2007 Season in the ASA Late Model Series Southern Division Presented by GM Performance Parts is now complete. The Orange County (NC) Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina was the site for the running of the Orange County 125 Presented by FLF Racecars.

The fast 0.375 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval in the Tar Heel State saw a very exciting extended distance 125-lap Feature on a very hot and humid evening and after all was said and done, Boothbay, Maine driver, Corey Williams made a lasting first impression as he started on the pole in his David Stremme Racing/Chevrolet Monte Carlo and withstood several challenges from a variety of drivers to lead all 125 laps to score his first career ASALMS Feature win.

Williams, who was making his ASALMS debut held off a determined, Sean Murphy, who was looking for some redemption after losing the win at the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway in an ASALMS Challenge Division race after breaking a right front wheel. Murphy settled for second after Williams pulled away from him and rest of the field.

New ASALMS Southern Division Overall and Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Jeff Choquette picked up his third straight Top Five finish with a solid third place showing and now takes over the points leads heading into the Georgia Doubleheader weekend on September 14-15, 2007. Beau Slocumb and Tommy King from 21st, rounded out the Top Five.

Dillon Oliver earned the Hard-Charger of the Race Award with his 23rd to Sixth place run while Wes Burton, Jeremy Gerstner, Zach Taylor, and Jimmy Lang completed the Top 10 in a caution filled event that saw three of the top five in the South points heading into the weekend, all knocked out of the event in various accidents.

Earlier in the afternoon in ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Qualifying, Choquette won his first career ARP Bodies Fast Qualifier Award as the Loxahatchee, Florida driver in his C-C Loader Service/Ford Fusion turned a 14.234 which measures out to 94.843 MPH. The ASALMS Southern Division Track Record was set back on August 19, 2006 when Josh Hamner went a 14.009 around the 0.375 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval.

A complete recap as well as photos and summary will be available in the morning hours of Monday August 13, 2007.

Orange County 125 Presented by FLF Racecars UNOFFICIAL ResultsPos.,Start,,Car #/Driver,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Laps,,Status1,,,,,,,1,,,,,,,,40 Corey Williams-R,,,,,,,125,,,,Running2,,,,,,,3,,,,,,,,32 Sean Murphy-R,,,,,,,,,125,,,,Running3,,,,,,,7,,,,,,,,170 Jeff Choquette-R,,,,,125,,,,Running4,,,,,,,14,,,,,,08 Beau Slocumb,,,,,,,,,,,125,,,,Running5,,,,,,,21,,,,,,16 Tommy King-R,,,,,,,,,,125,,,,Running6,,,,,,,23,,,,,,33 Dillon Oliver,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,124,,,,Running7,,,,,,,9,,,,,,,,5 Wes Burton-R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,124,,,,Running8,,,,,,,19,,,,,,70 Jeremy Gerstner-R,,,,124,,,,Running9,,,,,,,18,,,,,,98 Zach Taylor-R,,,,,,,,,,,,124,,,,Running10,,,,,24,,,,,,86 Jimmy Lang-R,,,,,,,,,,,,123,,,,Running11,,,,,17,,,,,,8 Michael Seeright-R,,,,,,,123,,,,Running12,,,,,22,,,,,,127 Kyle Maynard-R,,,,,,,123,,,,Running13,,,,,25,,,,,,93 Rob Partelo-R,,,,,,,,,,,,,123,,,,Running14,,,,,15,,,,,,12 Tyler Townsend-R,,,,,,120,,,,Running15,,,,,2,,,,,,,,140 Taylor Satterfield-R,,,108,,,,Mechanical16,,,,,20,,,,,,3 Brian Blum-R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,95,,,,,,Mechanical17,,,,,6,,,,,,,,41 Brandon Johnson-R,,,,83,,,,,,Running18,,,,,5,,,,,,,,83 David Wilson-R,,,,,,,,,,,,74,,,,,,Accident19,,,,,13,,,,,,62 Travis Wilson,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,55,,,,,,Handling20,,,,,16,,,,,,75 David Odell-R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,51,,,,,,Mechanical21,,,,,8,,,,,,,,47 Chris Fontaine-R,,,,,,,,,,36,,,,,,Accident22,,,,,11,,,,,,26 Travis Cope-R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,36,,,,,,Accident23,,,,,4,,,,,,,,09 John Wes Townley,,,,,,,26,,,,,,Accident24,,,,,26,,,,,,30 Preston Walker-R,,,,,,,,,35,,,,,,Mechanical25,,,,,10,,,,,,28 Sean Bass-R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,22,,,,,,Accident26,,,,,12,,,,,,133 Greg Stewart-R,,,,,,,,,,,21,,,,,,Accident

Lap Leaders: 40 Corey Williams-R Pole-125.Cautions: 9 for 0 Laps.Time of Race: 1 Hour, 17 Minutes, 45.669 Seconds.

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Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway and the Benson International/Crate American Race 200 awaits the cars and stars of the ASALMS Challenge Division.

Lexington, Michigan (08/02/2007): The biggest event in the Five-Year History of the ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division Presented by GM Performance Parts is here! The moment that ASALMS Co-Founders/Presidents, Ron and Sandy Varney have worked towards since the days of the USPRO Cup Series in 2003, has become a reality!

The cars and stars of "America's Premiere Short Track Series", and the family of crews, drivers, fans, officials, and teams are now on the road and making the historic journey to the biggest event in the ASALMS five-year history in Bristol, Tennessee.

The ASALMS Challenge Division is making the trek to one of the most famous race tracks in the entire world! The ultra-fast 0.533 Mile Concrete Progressively Banked Paved Oval, of the famous Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway, located just South of the Tennessee/Virginia state line in Bristol, Tennessee on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday August 2-3-4, 2007 for the Ninth Race of the Fifth Anniversary 2007 season; The Benson International/Crate American Race 200!

Join Dennis Michelsen the host of "ASALMS Radio" and Matt Prieur the "Voice of the ASALMS" for exclusive live race coverage of the Benson International/Crate American Race 200. If you can't make the trip to Bristol, Tennessee, listen live on RaceTalkRadio.com starting at 4:00pm (EST) on Saturday August 4, 2007.

The ASALMS Challenge Division contingent is currently on the road and heading out to Bristol, Tennessee for the Ninth Race of the Fifth Anniversary 2007 Season. Keep up to date all race weekend long from the Bristol Motor Speedway beginning on Friday Morning during the All-Day Test and Tune.

ASALMS Challenge Division Points Leader, Travis Dassow grabs his third Track Record in a row in ASALMS competition! Now heads to Bristol for the biggest race of his career!

West Bend, Wisconsin (08/01/2007): Current ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division Presented by GM Performance Parts Points Leader, Travis Dassow has accomplished quite a bit in what has been deemed a career season for the West Bend, Wisconsin driver.

The next race on the ASALMS Challenge Division Schedule will undoubtably separate the contenders from the pretenders and Dassow hopes to make them all pretenders with a solid finish, and perhaps even a Feature Victory at the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway in the Benson International/Crate American Race 200 on Friday and Saturday August 3-4, 2007.

For the remainder of the 2007 season, Dassow and crew are making a run for the 2007 ASALMS Challenge Division Championship as well as make select appearances in the ASALMS Northern Division sporting the #89 that has won the last two ASALMS Challenge Division Championships with Stephen Leicht (2005) and Kelly Bires (2006).

The T.D. Racing Development Team inherited almost the entire former WalTom Racing Crew before the start of the season led by famed Crew Chief, Howie Lettow. So far during the 2007 campaign, the #89 is in a very familiar position; On top of the ASALMS Challenge Division Points Standings.

The last event in the ASALMS Challenge Division saw Dassow and his T.D. Racing Development Team make the long trip to the Motor Mile (VA) Speedway in Radford, Virginia for the Radfest/Race Against Drugs 200 Presented by FLF Racecars on July 21, 2007. Dassow went into the event as the primary spokesperson for the Race Against Drugs organization and didn’t disappoint the “Rad” contingent on hand with his driving ability.

Indianapolis, Indiana (08/01/2007): To say that the last few weeks of 37-year-old Peter Cozzolino’s Racing Career have been busy would be the understatement of the season! Taking a look at the last couple of races on the Cozzolino Motorsports schedule, one would think a vacation would be in the works!

After a dramatic finish at the Motor Mile (VA) Speedway in Radford, Virginia that saw the Hoosier State veteran record his first career ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division Feature Win after a severe crash at the end of the race, Cozzolino took that very same car to the next ASALMS Northern Division show, the very next weekend, to the Rockford (IL) Speedway in Loves Park, Illinois and came home with a Top Five finish!

Now the Indianapolis, Indiana veteran will head out to the biggest race in the ASALMS’ Five-Year history this Friday and Saturday August 3-4, 2007 for the Benson International/Crate American Race 200 at the world famous Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The Bristol event is also the Ninth Race of the Fifth Anniversary 2007 Season in the ASALMS Challenge Division.

“Man I need a vacation.” Laughed Cozzolino as he looked back on the hectic last two weekends of the 2007 season. “After our wreck at Motor Mile, we took that same car, bolted on new parts, and came out to Rockford and raced! The rear end was and still is way out of shape on the car, but we figured, well it’s Rockford, let’s fix it up and see what happens!” He stated.

“We worked around the clock putting that car back together. It needed a rear end, front clip and 3/4s of a body.” Explained the Indianapolis, Indiana veteran. “Plus I’ve finally sold my house and have a closing next week when we get back from Bristol, so we've had some things to take care of there also, plus we’re getting ready for Bristol!”

As for Rockford, and after qualifying 12th in the 33-car field on the fast and tight 0.292 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval in Loves Park, Illinois; Cozzolino quietly picked his way through the pack and soon found himself in Fifth spot with 20 laps to go.

After contact with Anthony Danta sent Cozzolino around in Turn Two, ASALMS Officials deemed Danta the cause of the caution and placed Cozzolino back into Fifth, which is where he stayed the rest of the event, which was won by Wheaton, Illinois veteran, Eddie Hoffman.

Now the Cozzolino Motorsports Team is getting ready for the famed Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway. “Bristol is one of the few tracks I have always wanted to race. After cutting my teeth on tracks like Winchester and Salem, Bristol always seemed like the grand daddy of the high banks! This will be a monumental event for the series as well as myself and my team.” Remarked Cozzolino.

As for the dramatic checkered flag finish at Motor Mile with Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Derek Thorn, The 37-year-old Hoosier State veteran reflected on the question for awhile before answering;

“At the Lap 100 halfway break, we decided to leave the car alone and make no changes as the new rights would loosen it up enough. By the middle of the second hundred the car was balanced perfectly but a little tight for a lap or two after cautions. When we got two cautions with three to go it cooled our tires off and I knew I was going to have to work for it.” Cozzolino explained.

As for the Lap 197 restart and the dramatic ending; “We got a good restart, but the car was a little tight and we weren't getting through the middle as well as the 5 car. On the last lap he got close enough to us to stick a nose under us off the apron at the last second entering the last corner. I knew it was a tough track to pass on and he was going to have to hit us to get by.” He said.

“I can’t fault him for trying as he wanted to win it as bad as I did. Unfortunately, he came up off the apron and in the end there were a few wrecked race cars.” Cozzolino continued. “We’ll take the win though, it’s not exactly how I wanted to win my first ASALMS race, but a win is a win. Now we’ll go to Bristol and hopefully we can back it up with another victory.” He ended.

In ASALMS Challenge Division competition to date, Cozzolino stands Eighth in the season long points chase in the ASALMS Challenge Division, just 34 points out of the Top Five with one Feature Win at Motor Mile, as well as Two Top Five’s, Five Top 10s, and an impressive Seven Top 15 finishes in Eight Challenge Division shows.

In the ASALMS Northern Division, Cozzolino now has Two Top Five showings with a season high of a second in the season opener at O’Reilly (IN) Raceway Park at Indianapolis; The A.S.I. Limited 100 Presented by Lucas Oil Products and Ed Martin Automotive Group back on April 28, 2007. He also has Three Top 10s and all Four events thus far have at least been a Top 15 finish. Cozzolino stands just 40 point back of Overall and Rookie points leader, Dave Gentile Jr.

In addition to his full schedule of events in the ASALMS Challenge and Northern Divisions, Cozzolino also owns and maintains his own Cozzolino Motorsports LLM E-Bay Store complete with Motorsports Chassis fabrication brackets and tabs for street rods, drag, and race frames plus New and used circle track, stock car and Late Model parts.

Cozzolino Motorsports LLP E-Bay Store also offers Steel, moly, aluminum tube and racing construction supplies. Dyno-Jet Chassis Dyno, Rhorig Shock Dyno, and Asnew Fuel Injector flow/cleaning service. To learn more about the Cozzolino Motorsports LLP E-Bay Store and to browse the latest line of products, log on to the store at: Cozzolino Motorsports LLP E-Bay Store

For the remainder of the 2007 season, Cozzolino will drive a Ford Fusion and will run in both the ASALMS Challenge and Northern Divisions carrying sponsorship from; McDonald’s Restaurants as well as Greystone Concrete, A&A Manufacturing, M.P.H. Promotions, and his own Cozzolino Motorsports LLP E-Bay Store and Cozzolino Motorsports.

To learn more about Peter Cozzolino and the Cozzolino Motorsports Team and their quest for both the 2007 ASALMS Challenge and Northern Division Championships, log onto the teams website at: Cozzolino Motorsports

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Loves Park, Illinois (07/29/2007): The Fourth Race of the 2007 Season in the ASA Late Model Series Northern Division Presented by GM Performance Parts is now in the record books! The famed 0.292 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval of the Rockford (IL) Speedway, located Northeast of Rockford in Loves Park, Illinois hosted the Rockford 100.

In a thrilling 100-lap Feature in the Prairie States, Eddie Hoffman got by race long leader, Mike Heiss after a thrilling door to door and bumper to bumper battle with some heavy paint swapping! On Lap 84 and from their, the Wheaton, Illinois veteran finally got by Heiss and held on to win his first ASALMS Northern Division Feature of the 2007 season!

The Top Two in the ASALMS Northern Division Rookie of the Year Points Standings, Dave Gentile Jr., and Mike Heiss led a strong 28-car field to Chief Starter and Loves Park, Illinois native, Tom Powell's green flag to begin the Rockford 100. As the field took the green flag, a car in the middle of the pack was slow to get going and the field behind him checked up causing a chain reaction incident involving 10 cars just 30 feet from the start/finish line!

Amongst the drivers involved included ASALMS Northern Division Points Leader, Trent Snyder as well as Defending ASALMS Northern Division Champion, 17-year-old Jesse Smith, and several others. Out of the 10 machines involved, only one was unable to continue. GM Performance Parts Shootout winner, Mike Osgar, while the rest of the field made repairs in the pits and all restarted at the rear of the field with some type of cosmetic damage.

On the restart, Heiss edged out Gentile Jr., to take the early lead and complete Lap One. More trouble ensued moments later when Jason Taghikhani slapped the Turn One wall and came down the embankment and in front of the field, sending cars scattering.

Snyder, who had just pitted to repair damage from the first incident, had no where to go and got into the side of Taghikhani, raising his machine up off the ground before coming to rest on Snyder's hood with Ryan Carlson, who also had nowhere to go, slammed into the back end of Snyder. Taghikhani and Carlson were done for the evening while Snyder was able to make it back out much later and several laps down, which would prove costly at the end of the night.

The field finally settled down on the next restart and would run the next 77 consecutive laps under green flag conditions. All the while, Heiss maintained his lead and tried to lose the rest of the field in lapped traffic. In the meantime, Gentile Jr., had his hands full with Wheaton, Illinois veteran, Eddie Hoffman, a three-time Champion at Rockford in the prestigious National Short Track Championships.

Hoffman worked on Gentile Jr., throughout the middle stages of the century grind and threw every truck in his arsenal at his fellow Prairie State competitor. Finally a caution on Lap 78 for a spinning Jesse Smith bunched the field back up and wiped out Heiss' huge lead! The green came back out and Hoffman nosed his machine underneath Gentile Jr., on Lap 80 to take over second spot and set his sights on Heiss.

The crafty veteran wasted no time letting Heiss know he was there as Hoffman pulled up along-side the Ottawa, Illinois freshman and the two drivers battled for several laps until Hoffman took over the lead on Lap 84 to the roar of the stellar crowd on hand. Both cheers and jeers could be heard and everyone in attendance was on their feet as Hoffman began to pull away from Heiss and the rest of the pack.

One last caution came two laps later when Anthony Danta and Peter Cozzolino, who were battling for fifth, came together in Turn One. ASALMS Officials sent Danta to the rear of the field while Cozzolino was awarded his position back in Fifth.

On what would be the final restart, Hoffman, one of the masters in short track racing at restarts caught Heiss napping and pulled away from him and the rest of the pack. Heiss regrouped and tried in vain to catch the 47-year-old, but Hoffman was too strong and the Wheaton, Illinois veteran would take the checkered flag to win his first ASALMS Northern Division Feature of the 2007 season.

With the win, Hoffman now moves into a tie with Jack Smith as the all-time leader in ASALMS Northern Division Feature Wins with Three apiece and overall in the entire ASALMS, Hoffman is now in a three-way tie for second all-time with Six career ASALMS Feature Wins with 2006 ASALMS Challenge Division Champion and Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year, Kelly Bires, and 2005 ASALMS Challenge Division Champion, Stephen Leicht!

Heiss held off Gentile Jr., to finish a career high second while Gentile Jr., the ASALMS Northern Division Rookie of the Year Points Leader, also took over the Overall Points Lead in the ASALMS Northern Division with his third straight Top Five finish and will head into the 3rd annual Mid-Michigan Doubles Weekend Presented by the Michigan Racing Scene and Turn One High Performance Steering as the Points Leader in both title chases for Lorz Motorsports.

Rockford Speedway regular, Josh Nelms, the 2006 Rookie of the Year in Rockford's weekly Late Models division, came home a career high fourth over Indianapolis, Indiana veteran, Peter Cozzolino, the last Feature winner in the ASALMS Challenge Division, who rounded out the Top Five.

Genoa City, Wisconsin driver, Josh Wallace, in his unsponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo, finished a career high Sixth while Nick Neville, Charlie Menard, Curt Van Der Wal, and Reigning ASALMS Northern Division Rookie of the Year, Derek Neville would complete the Top 10.

Earlier in the afternoon in ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Qualifying, 15-year-old Michael Bilderback shocked the ASALMS Northern Division contingent by shattering the track record! The South Beloit, Illinois teenager became the youngest driver in ASALMS history to win a Fast Qualifier Award by turning a 13.445 which measures out to 78.185 MPH.

The ASALMS Track Record was set by on Travis Dassow back on September 25, 2004 when he turned a 13.569 in what is now the ASALMS Challenge Division. A total of seven drivers broke the old ASALMS track record during Qualifying!

In the GM Performance Parts Shootout, Mike Osgar started on the pole and led all 25 laps to give the Mansfield, Ohio driver the win and the 27th starting spot in the Feature. Steven Brooks finished second to earn the 28th and final position in the 100-Lap Feature. Nick Beinlich was the first car on the outside looking in as he finished third ahead of Mike Tetzlaff and ASALMS Southern Division visitor, Jimmy Lang, who completed the Top Five.

Also of note, this was the final ASALMS Northern Division event and final ASALMS race overall before the Benson International/Crate American Race 200 at the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway next weekend.

The Top Two (2) in the ASALMS Northern Division Owners Points Standings after the Rockford 100 are guaranteed a spot in the Ninth Race of the Fifth Anniversary 2007 season in the ASALMS Challenge Division. Those top two in the Owners Points are: 6 Lorz Motorsports and 88 Trent Snyder Racing.

The next event for the ASALMS Northern Division will be the 3rd annual Mid-Michigan Doubles Weekend Presented by the Michigan Racing Scene and Turn One High Performance Steering in the ASALMS' home state of Michigan.

  Lexington, Michigan (07/18/2007): The ASA Late Model Series presented by GM Performance Parts prepares for an event of great importance; The Radfest/Race Against Drugs 200. The Radfest/Race Against Drugs 200 is a joint effort between the ASA Late Model Series and the Race Against Drugs organization to encourage our teams, fans, family and neighbors to find alternative ways to have fun and say no to drug use.

A big part of the series is today’s younger generation, as a series we focus on the driver development of tomorrow’s stars. We have a large market of youth based fans as well as many families that are a part of the series.

The Radfest (Race Against Drugs) will promote these efforts as well as work with the community of Radford, Virginia in their fight against drugs. ASALMS and the Radford Police Department have joined forces to engage the community in this significant event.

The Radford Police Department is in need of a new drug dog to help keep their community drug free. For the past five years the department was fortunate to have Dusty work in their K-9 Unit. Dusty is a nine year old Belgian Shepherd, imported to the United States from Germany.

Dusty and Master Police Officer, Chris Caldwell started the K9 unit for the Radford City Police in 2002. Since then they have made more than 100 drug arrests, located over 20 fugitives, and searched all the area schools in an effort to keep the community drug free!

On May 31, 2007 Dusty retired due to an on duty injury to his eye, a tumor on his leg, and development of arthritis. The Police Department does not have the funds in its budget to replace Dusty, and therefore the City Police is without a Police K9. To purchase and train a new dog will cost approximately $10,000.00.

The ASA Late Model Series will donate a percentage of our ticket proceeds to the Radford Police Department to help the community get a new K-9. We will also be conducting a Helmet Pass through the grandstands after the on-track Autograph Session in an effort to raise money for the Radford Police Department.

This event will showcase the commitment and dedication our teams have to this program and the fight against drugs with three of our top teams participating in a program that will encourage the youth to become more involved in racing.

Three RAD young people will get a chance to be an “Honorary Pit Person” during the day’s event. Travis Dassow, #89 from the TD Racing Development team, Michael Annett, #12 from TMC Racing, and Derek Thorn, #5 from 5K Motorsports.

During the Autograph session we will be drawing three names from the participating youth in the community and each one will get to be a part of the pit crew during the Radfest/Race Against Drugs 200. This is a great way for these kids to see first hand how much fun racing is and that there are plenty of ways to participate in racing.

Travis, Michael and Derek will give these kids hands on experience that will have a far greater impact than just words. These three teams have stepped over and above their call of duty and are all natural role models for this campaign.

Travis Dassow has stepped up a bit higher with his commitment and dedication; he has become a national spokesperson for the Race Against Drugs Organization. Travis, the current ASALMS Challenge Division Points Leader, will be speaking at the Pre-Race Ceremonies about his experiences and why this program is so important.

The event has also caught the attention of a number of local youth groups and youth ministries in the community and we are pleased to have their participation. The Series has provided a pledge form to many of the local churches, schools and businesses that will allow the kids in free by signing a pledge form with their commitment to ‘Say No!’ to drugs.

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