Texas Speedzone - San Antonio Speedway to host ASALMS Challenge Division March 3rd

San Antonio Speedway awaits the ASALMS Challenge Division for the 2nd annual Alamo 200 on March 2-3, 2007

By: ASA Late Model Series

Lexington, Michigan (02/16/2007): The cars and stars of the ASALMS Challenge Division will draw open the curtain on the 2007 season at the fast half-mile, high-banked, paved oval of the San Antonio Speedway in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday and Saturday March 2-3, 2007 for the running of the 2nd annual Alamo 200.

The Fifth Anniversary 2007 Season in the ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts is fast approaching as the first race of the 2007 season is now less than two weeks away.

The crown jewel of the ASALMS, the Challenge Division, will kick off the 2007 season for the entire ASALMS for the Fifth Anniversary Campaign on Friday and Saturday March 2-3, 2007. The series “Where Champions Race” will begin the ASALMS Fifth Anniversary season with the running of the 2nd annual Alamo 200.

With 2006 ASALMS Challenge Division Champion and Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year, Kelly Bires now moved on with the Wood Brothers JTG Racing Team and competing for the Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series for the 2007 season, the quest for both the ASALMS Challenge Division Championship and Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year titles are wide open!

The first of 11 Points Races, 12 Overall on the 2007 ASALMS Challenge Division Schedule, will pay a larger than normal purse to kick off the ASALMS Fifth Anniversary Season. A whopping $10,000 is on the line with $1,000 just to start the 200-lap Feature.

Joining the ASALMS Challenge Division during the Alamo 200 race weekend in the Lone Star State will be the SAS Regular Weekly Divisions of Sportsmen and Road Runners along with the Traveling USRA Modifieds Series and the Texas Pro Sedans Series, who all will be running in their respective 2007 season openers as well.

Festivities for the Alamo 200 Weekend begins on Thursday March 1, 2007 at 6:00pm (CST) with the Welcome to the 2007 Season Bash, which will be hosted by SAS C.E.O. and Promoter, Terry Dickerson. Also of note, no Rig Parking and no practice will be allowed on Thursday March 1, 2007. Teams may park their rigs in the SAS parking lot and then walk into the facilities for the Welcome to the 2007 Season Bash.

Friday March 2, 2007 will begin with a full day of Safety and Tech Inspection as well as plenty of opportunity to get acclimated to the fast 0.500 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval with plenty of continuous Practice in preparation for the 2007 Season Opener. In addition, the SAS Weekly Divisions will christen their respective 2007 seasons with a day Practice also on Friday.

Then on Saturday March 3, 2007, the ASALMS Challenge Division will open the 2007 season with the Alamo 200 complete with Practice, Qualifying, the 25-Lap GM Performance Parts Shootout(s) and the evening will be highlighted by the 2nd annual Alamo 200. In addition, a full night of regular racing action for the SAS Weekly Divisions of Sportsmen and Grand Stocks as well as the season openers for the USRA Modifieds and Texas Pro Sedans will also be on tap.

The ASALMS has visited the fast 0.500 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval on two occasions. The first ever appearance was for the Hill Country Satellite DirecTV Alamo 200 Presented by Express Lube back on April 1, 2006 for the ASALMS Challenge Division. Farmington, Minnesota driver, Jake Ryan won the Fast Qualifier Award and then dominated the 200-lap Feature en route to his first career ASALMS Feature Win.

Ryan won the ASALMS Challenge Divisions’ second event of the 2006 season over Kris Stump, eventual 2006 ASALMS Challenge Division Champion and Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year Kelly Bires, Chad Wood, and Charlie Menard completed the Top Five. There were 38 teams that made the long haul to South Texas for the ASALMS inaugural appearance in the Lone Star State.

Then the ASALMS Southern Division held their 2006 Season Championships on October 21, 2006 at the San Antonio, Texas speed plant and it would be Fairfax, Iowa teenager, Landon Cassill, who was just recently signed to a contract with the established NASCAR stable, Hendrick Motorsports, sweep both ends of the AT&T Texas All-Star Shootout Twin 75s Presented by Mercedes Homes.

While Cassill won both ends of the Twin 75-lap Features after a thrilling dual in each Feature with Buda, Texas native, Colt James, another Texas based driver, 16-year-old James Buescher from Plano, Texas walked away with both the 2006 ASALMS Southern Division Championship and Rookie of the Year titles.

In the first 75-lap Feature, Cassill beat out Colt James, James Buescher, Brandon Bendele, and Dillon Oliver, the Top Five. In the nightcap, Cassill again outlasted Colt James by winning his second Feature of the evening. Colt James was again second with Bendele, Buescher, and John Wes Townley rounding out the Top Five.

San Antonio Speedway is a 0.500 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval with an impressive 18 Degrees of banking in the turns. The first race at SAS was held on August 22, 1977. SAS proudly claims former Two-Time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, Terry Labonte as its first Late Model Sportsman champion in 1977. Terry Dickerson took over the management of SAS in November 2004.

The San Antonio, Texas speed plant will run bi weekly during the 2007 season featuring Late Models, Sportsmen, Road Runners, and Grand Stocks. In addition, the Texas Pro Sedans will also make select appearances as well during the season as will the United States Racing Association (USRA) Modifieds and USRA Trucks Series’, and the Lone Star Legacy Series.

San Antonio Speedway is located at 14901 State Highway 16 South, in San Antonio, Texas, 78264. For more information about the 2007 season, please call the track offices during normal business hours at: 1 (210) 628-1499 or 1 (210) 827-4254. You can also log onto the tracks website at: HTTP://www.SanAntonioSpeedway.com.