MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The American Speed Ass’n has been a big part of my broadcasting career since the early 1990s when the series aired live for the first time on TNN.
I was the pit reporter on that hot afternoon at the old Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
It ended up being arguably the greatest stock car race I have ever witnessed as Darrell Waltrip, Bob Senneker and Mike Eddy threw every trick in the book at each other. When it was over, a worn-out Waltrip was leaning against his car in victory lane.
During the interview, he told me it was by far the toughest stock car race he had ever run and the hardest he’d ever had to work for a victory. That was high praise of Senneker and Eddy from the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
ASA had arrived on the national scene under the leadership of legendary promoter Rex Robbins and his equally impactful wife, Becky. Shortly after that event in Nashville, a multi-race live television package was announced on TNN, which led to ACDelco jumping on board as the series’ title sponsor.
ASA boasted a grid full of fast, young racers such as Johnny Benson, Tony Raines and Tony Roper, along with wily veterans such as Senneker, Eddy and Scott Hansen. The short-track specialists put on spectacular door-banging action every week to packed grandstands and a rapidly growing television audience.
When the series hosted a very successful stand-alone event at Michigan Int’l Speedway in front of a large crowd, it quickly got the attention of the folks in Daytona Beach. Suddenly, the once regional short-track series was playing successfully on NASCAR’s turf in the grandstands and on TV.
NASCAR team owners were tuning in as well, scouting for talent. USAC had already been harvested for drivers the likes of Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart.
Now, owners were focused on Benson, Raines, Roper, Johnny Sauter and others. The pipeline was open and Benson was the first to jump after winning the ASA title.
J.B. quickly adjusted to the NASCAR Xfinity Series car, winning rookie-of-the-year honors in 1994 and the series title the following year. Benson graduated to the NASCAR Cup Series in 1996 and earned the rookie-of-the-year title. He added a Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2008.
The pipeline was turned wide open as drivers, crew chiefs, mechanics and a large contingent of television people, including producers, directors and cameramen moved on to NASCAR.
I went from working pit road in ASA to calling the races from the booth and to pit road for NASCAR coverage on TNN, CBS and TNT.
Eventually, Rex and Becky Robbins were ready to retire and they sold the series. After a variety of different owners, ASA’s engines shut down for the final time following the 2004 season. Or so we thought.
Along came another highly successful promoter in Bob Sargent, who has resurrected the brand through the ASA STARS National Tour.
Sargent found a way to unite a few of the hotly contested super late model series around the country under the ASA banner. Ironically, he acquired the rights to the ASA brand from NASCAR, which had owned it in recent years.
The cars look different and the names have changed, but the concept is the same. Fast, young drivers such as Ty Majeski and Cole Butcher race wheel to wheel with crafty veterans the likes of Bubba Pollard.
That was the scenario when ASA recently returned to the familiar confines of Anderson (Ind.) Speedway for the 57th running of the Redbud 400.
Four-hundred laps around the high-banked, quarter-mile track took only 2 hours and 10 minutes from green to checkers. The highly skilled wheelmen raced hard and aggressively but showed each other a lot of respect. There were only a few caution flags, all of which were for debris. There were no crashes.
While Butcher was busy helping usher in a new era for ASA with his Redbud 400 victory that was live-streamed on SPEEDSPORT.TV, the legends of ASA were also there celebrating the glory days of the series and telling tales of battles waged years ago.
It was all part of the 50th anniversary ASA Racers Reunion. Senneker and Eddy were there. So were Gary St. Amant, Mike Miller, Scott Hansen, Butch Miller, Joe Nott, Dave Sensiba, Mike Garvey, Tom Jones and David Stremme.
It was fantastic to see so many friends and racing heroes. They even brought out Senneker’s original 1979 “Blue Bird” Camaro for the festivities that were organized by Mark and Kay Gundrum.
It was a tremendous weekend reliving the glory days of ASA, while also witnessing the newest iteration of the series at one of the tour’s longtime venues. The American Speed Ass’n is back, strong and well worth checking out in person or on television.
■ Bumped into longtime friend, crew chief and car owner Tommy Baldwin at the neighborhood gas station recently. When I congratulated him on the victories by his sons Jack and Luke in their racing endeavors, Tommy just shook his head and said, “Unfortunately.”
All kidding aside, Tommy is extremely proud of his boys. But he knows how expensive racing can be and he is fully committed to giving them all the tools to be successful.
Jack, 19, has claimed four wins this year, while younger brother, Luke, who is 17, has two wins. Both boys are racing crate-engine modifieds. Good luck Tommy!
This story appeared in the August 9, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
