With days to spare in advance of opening weekend, ASA STARS closed out on a preliminary Winner’s Circle program to reward full-time teams for their continued participation.
The program, which will effectively reward $700 per race to the top-10 in points for the final seven races of the season, and $200 per race to the top-20 in points for the final seven races of the season, was made possible due to a partnership with Team Construction.
Donnie Mingus, president and CEO of the company, is a long-time short track devotee and car owner who stepped up to make the loyalty program possible.
“In my teen years I followed Gardner Racing out of Louisville, Kentucky when they raced in the ASA series,” Mingus said in an ASA press release. “I am a true fan of the sport and I am pleased to be on board this year helping the racers race.”
The precise details for the Winner’s Circle program can be found below:
Eligibility for both the “A” Plan and the “B” Plan per-event bonus is contingent upon the following:
- Car owner must be fully licensed with the ASA STARS National Tour and maintain membership in good standing.
- Car owner must be the legally registered entity on each event entry blank as the designated car owner and “payee”.
- Car owner must present the same car number at all ASA STARS National Tour events.
- Car owner MUST compete in 100% of the ASA STARS National Tour events. (with a maximum of one excused absence). More than one absence will result in loss of program benefits.
- The top ten in car owner points who have run the first three (3) ASA STARS National Tour events will receive the $700 per-race bonus. Should a top ten points team in the program miss a race, the next highest car owner in points will move into the Winners Circle “A” Program.
- Teams 11th through 20th in car owner points who have run the first three (3) ASA STARS National Tour events will receive the $200 per-race bonus. Should a team in the program miss a race, the next highest car owner in points will move into the Winners Circle “B” Program.
- The per event monetary figures are the minimum for the “A” and “B” Programs. Should ASA STARS National Tour secure commercial sponsorship support, this figure will increase.
- Team running at least 100% of the events (with a maximum of one absence)in 2023 will be seeded according to final owner points into the 2024 Winners Circle Program.
READ MORE: How to stream ASA STARS races
Last week, Track Enterprises president Bob Sargent said he anticipated this program to be announced before the season, but it was less than what they original targeted. With that said, he also said that what they would eventually announce would be a good starting point to grow it into the future and that ASA has had conversations with multiple would-be sponsors for an expanded Winner’s Circle.
In short, it’s important to have this program in play for the start of the season.
As it stands, this is effectively tow money for each team that is inside the top-10 in points to get to the next race while also providing incentive for teams just outside of the top-10 to continue chasing each race too, especially with the travel required to run the full-season.
2023 ASA STARS NATIONAL TOUR SCHEDULE
- March 11 Pensacola
- May 7 Madison
- May 16 North Wilkesboro
- May 25 Hickory
- July 11 Slinger
- July 15 Anderson
- August 1 Kaukauna
- September 16 Toledo
- October 15 Winchester
- November 5 Nashville
READ MORE: Entry list for the Pensacola opener
In addition to the loyalty program, the national Super Late Model tour features a $100,000 championship fund that pays $25,000 to its champion in November with $12,500 going to the championship runner-up with third place earning an additional $10,000 with each subsequent result inside the top-10 paying $9,000, $8,5000, $8,000, $7,5000, $7,000, $6,5000 and $6,000 respectively.
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