ASA - Savior of the Short Track

The help that Huth speaks of goes well beyond what a typical sanction provides. There is no set formula. "We're going to be open to any ideas. We will look at anything that is reasonable to help the track operators while working within their boundaries." Huth has created a buffet of sorts for the short track promoter-choose everything or choose one thing, or how about a custom-designed program just for your track?

One area in which he has made great strides is insurance. Most racetracks offer some type of participant accident medical insurance, usually ranging anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. To ensure that ASA racers are covered, Huth requires all ASA Member Tracks to carry a minimum of $50,000. But it doesn't stop there. Huth went a step further: "I secured a $450,000 participant accident policy. It's a catastrophe policy. If they go through the 50,000 [from the track] with a serious accident, there's some coverage out there that's available to them."

"I wanted to make sure that we had coverage that was second to none," continues Huth. He wasn't kidding. The program covers any ASA member competing in any ASA-sanctioned event in any of the seven series at a member track. Plus, there's a dental policy and an accidental death and dismemberment clause.

"As a promoter, the insurance program, point fund contribution, and sanction fee are three tremendous things that ASA provides that an average short track couldn't afford," says Randy Myers of Friendship Speedway in North Carolina. "I couldn't afford the insurance package that ASA provides as a stand-alone track."

Everybody preaches affordable racing for the racer. ASA's Member Track program is affordable racing for the track owner.

The insurance program is just one example of how ASA is making racing better for the competitors. But they are also focusing a tremendous amount of effort in building their Member Tracks program and offering those tracks something tangible.

"A good example is that I was asked repeatedly [by the member tracks], 'how can we get a good deal on these electronic scoring systems?'" explains Huth. Although the price of those systems is not beyond the reach of the average track, many of them don't take the extra step to get one. Since the systems add a good bit of entertainment value for the fans and streamline the scoring of all the races for the track, Huth and Company went to work.

"I dealt with AMB Scoring Systems for a number of years with the Craftsman Truck Series. So I called them up and said, 'I've got track owners who are interested in your systems.'" ASA and AMB cut a deal, and now most of the 17 member tracks are using the AMB system. Huth's philosophy is a simple one: "If we can save them [the track owners] money and put a deal together, why not do it?"

Southern Oregon Speedway owner John Skinner likes having an ASA Member Track for that very reason. "We get a break on insurance, and that's important," says Skinner. "Plus, the association with the [ASA] name lends credibility to our track. That's the biggest thing for us, the ASA affiliation."