The growth in short-track racing, both in asphalt and dirt, has led to the creation of a number of series nationwide. In the scope of pavement late models, the field is literally wide-open.
Circle Track thought this would be an opportune time to give an overview of what's out there and how some series stack up. Although it's impossible to cover every single series, we have highlighted some of the basics of what this kind of racing has to offer.
Big SecretThe cars are stock-appearing, with about 20 established sanctioning bodies (4 in which NASCAR is involved), with some national TV coverage, and several of the sanctioning groups have national sponsorships. It's short-track pavement late model racing, a class that many consider to be Stock car racing's best-kept secret.
This racing style stretches across the country-north to south, east to west, and all across Southern Canada. Significant similarities exist in the cars throughout the different groups, allowing teams from some series to compete with certain other groups without significant changes.
The class does not include the heavier cars of ARCA, Winston Cup, or any of the NASCAR Busch organizations. The average weight of the cars, depending on the specific organization, is only about 2,850 pounds.
ASAThe American Speed Association (ASA) of Indiana is probably the most-recognized organization in this class, with a history that has sent the likes of Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Dick Trickle, and Alan Kulwicki to Winston Cup. The group is also unique in that it is the only current pavement Late Model organization using V-6 powerplants. For the 2000 season, though, it will be moving back to V-8 power.
But it won't be the same V-8 of the other series when the organization introduces the most significant change to pavement short-track racing in decades. Working with General Motors, ASA will field cars using a required sealed, LS1, factory-style V-8 engine that is built mostly of stock parts. No tuning will be allowed-a major change. The organization feels that the new powerplant will save a lot of money in the long run. Racing aficionados are watching this new innovation closely.
NASCARNASCAR is a major player in the pavement Late Model venue. Several of the four major groups sanctioned include the Slim Jim All-Pro, the Raybestos Northwest Tour, and the Featherlite Southwest Tour.
The former ARTGO organization was recently acquired by NASCAR and renamed the Re-Max Challenge Series. The acquisition enabled the premier Stock car group to assume a significant presence in the Midwest, where ARTGO had been a dominant series. Common rules prevail in this quartet-at least one driver uses the same car to compete in all four series.
Many OthersThe McLeod USA Gold Star Series and the Astro Super Late Model Series run in three states: Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois; and Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, respectively.
Other examples: Florida Pro Series (Florida), Florida Sunbelt Late Model Series (Florida), Kendall Indiana Late Model Series (Indiana), Romco Super Late Series (Texas), SARA Late Model Series (Florida), and the Hialeah Coca-Cola Six Pack Series (Florida). Based on the number of series, you'd have to say that the Sunshine State has pavement Late Models coming out of its ears.
The class is also popular across America's northern boundaries with the Castrol CASCAR Super Series' East, West, and National Series all running on Canadian tracks. The ACT Late Model Sportsman Series actually sanctions races in both the United States and Canada.
It should also be noted that the "short-track" connotation for this series might be a bit misleading, since several of these groups have recently run on tracks as long as a mile.