MACON, Ill. — The STARS National Series has named veteran racing official Joe Balash as Director of Race Operations for 2023.
Track Enterprises President Bob Sargent officially made the announcement on Wednesday for the recently announced Super Late Model series.
“I am pleased to formally introduce Joe Balash as Director of Race Operations,” Sargent stated. “Joe’s been with Track Enterprises for some time now, and his experience with both ASA and NASCAR position him as the right person to lead our efforts regarding competition and technical inspection.”
Balash, a motorsports industry veteran who first sprang onto the national scene with ASA in the late 1990’s, served as the NASCAR Busch and Nationwide Series Director from 2004 – 2012. Following his stint as Series Director with the second tier NASCAR series, Balash served as International Competition Liaison, overseeing NASCAR’s interests in motorsports in Mexico, Canada and Europe.
“The opportunity to be a part of the launch of the STARS National Series is both exciting and humbling,” Balash said. “I’m excited to help build a strong, sustainable rules package to help pavement super late model racing into the future.”
Balash will be responsible for all aspects of competition and operations as it pertains to Track Enterprises pavement Super Late Model racing business. In addition to the STARS National Tour, Balash will also oversee the rules packages, inspection process and race procedures for the ARCA / CRA Super Series, ARCA Midwest Tour, and Southern Super Series. Balash will make his first appearance in this newly appointed role at the Snowball Derby at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway from December 1 – 4.
Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois has been making news throughout the 2022 calendar year, announcing the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January, and then announcing the purchase of the ARCA Midwest Tour in July.
In October, Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series, which set the table for the STARS National Series to debut in 2023.
“I feel very fortunate to have a guy of Joe’s caliber as part of our team, leading the competition side of the business,” Sargent continued. “Joe has been working closely with the regional tours Series Directors and Technical Directors, and will be a huge asset for us as we embark on this national tour.”