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The CASA Chronicles (No. 21) Keeping up with the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association By Glenn Hopper |
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San Jose, CA....The California Asphalt Sprintcar Association held its
annual preseason membership meeting Saturday February 10th at Jackson
Rancheria Hotel and Casino in Jackson, California prior to hosting its 2006
Champion Awards banquet later that evening.
CASA President and CEO, Scott Clough welcomed those assembled and laid out the 2007 CASA season and its continuing relationship with USAC and the "Best in the West" Sprint Car Series. USAC Vice President of Western States Operations, Tommy Hunt was in attendance as were all the officers and officials of CASA. Clough started off the meeting with some sobering but realistic news regarding the state of short track racing in the region and across the country as well. Recent track closures in CASA's sphere of influence over the last few years have caused all touring divisions to compete for limited track availability and race dates. Several touring divisions are finding race dates difficult to come by and as a result, many are forced to run fewer dates or travel further to compete. Neither scenario is particularly attractive to CASA but the possibility of losing still more tracks is even less palatable. Many of our tracks are still being encroached upon by development and or high property values. Track revenues are down. Promoters are less likely to assist touring clubs with track sponsorship, and open wheel insurance costs are up approximately $500 per event. "We have to continue to provide promoters with a quality show for the fans at a price that helps their bottom line," said Clough of the track promoters, "and we believe we still have a package to do that." Marathon sessions with track management have led to revisions to existing programs and common ground was achieved with three different tracks, Altamont Motorsports Park, Madera Raceway and Roseville Speedway. Altamont will host CASA for the fifth consecutive season, Madera returns for season number three, and the newly reconfigured Roseville Speedway will host sprint cars for the first time in decades. "Roseville is a real coop for our series," said Clough. "We have a great opportunity to race right in our collective backyard at a well established track. They draw large crowds and we have a real chance to develop a long-term relationship with a track in the heart of a metropolitan area, close to most of our teams." Clough then addressed rule changes for 2007 starting with new radio rules. One-way radios connected to race control are mandatory beginning with the opening race. "Having spent time working in the tower this past season has convinced me we need to add a layer of professionalism to our program and not risk appearing disorganized," said Clough. "Radios will make our show run safely and smoothly." Those teams wishing to continue with two-way communication may do so but their radios must be equipped with a Priority Override system. Race control broadcasts must be able to interrupt two-way communication with necessary, prudent information to drivers. The tower will only broadcast as needed; cautions, line ups, track conditions and such. Frank's Radios will service the series throughout the season and the cost to teams has been reduced based on bulk sales. The price is expected to be $170 per team. The next rule change was to confirm USAC's new spec muffler rule. Flowmaster Exhaust Systems will be the sole accepted muffler for USAC Western States competition. As CASA is required to meet the same strict sound reductions it is highly recommended that CASA teams use the same muffler. Said Clough, "The noise problems tracks encounter is bigger than most teams realize and we must comply in every sense." The decibel limit is to be 90 db at 100 feet. And there will be a zero tolerance rule from the opening event; too loud equals disqualification. In the interest of safety and the growing standards adopted across the industry, SFI 38.1 Head and Neck Restraint Systems are mandatory. There is no grandfather clause; no driver enters the track without the proper safety gear. Returning to the 2007 schedule, Clough pointed out that several touring series have fewer and farther race dates than CASA/USAC "Best in the West". "We have eight races, down two from last season and we'll have to hunt down some sponsorship money to augment the purses for four events. These are tough times but we still expect to grow given the foundation we've built over the years," said Clough. USAC and CASA have an aggressive marketing plan designed to weather the storm. The purse structure changes for 2007 reflecting the market. The minimum CASA/USAC "Best in the West" purse will be $6,350 and each race will pay a minimum of $1000 to win and $200 to take the main event green flag. Goals for 2007 and beyond include showing a stronger commitment to every race with an "every car counts" mentality; and a continuing effort to help tracks market our events including having cars on display in an effort to increase awareness of our brand of racing. The 2007 schedule is as follows and will be officially posted soon: April 14 – Madera; May 26 (Memorial Day weekend) – Roseville (100 laps); June 16 – Altamont; July 7 – Madera (3rd Annual Mike McCreary Memorial); July 14 – Altamont; August 18 – Altamont; September 8 – Altamont; and September 15 – Madera. Keep in touch with all CASA racing activity through the CASA website: www.casaracing.com |
