When the ASA STARS National Tour heads to Hickory Motor Speedway for the Tar Heel 250 on Thursday, May 25, it will be just the second time the ASA brand has ever graced the “Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars.”
The ASA AcDelco Challenge Series made the trip to Hickory, NC for the Jani-King 300, the third race of the 2000 season. Brandon Sperling took his second and final pole award, leading a field of 34 to the green for the 300-lap event. Defending ASA national champion Tim Sauter led the most laps that night, but was relegated to a 16th place finish.
Making his only ASA National Tour start that night was 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. He finished last after a suspension issue knocked him out of the race just past the 100-lap mark.
Scott Wimmer held off two-time series champion Gary St.Amant and Rick Beebe over the final 16-lap run to take the win.
That win in the Jani-King 300 was his second-straight win in the series, following his victory at what was then called Lanier National Raceway on April 8. Those were also his only two career wins in ASA competition, as he was hired by Bill Davis at the end of the 2000 season to drive in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The 2000 season saw Gary St.Amant win his second ASA title, with wins at USA International Speedway, Madison International Speedway, and the Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway. However, what carried him to the title was his consistency – he finished in the top-five in 16 of the 20 races and finished outside the top-ten just twice.
The ASA STARS National Tour heads to Hickory Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 25 for the Tar Heel 250, co-sanctioned with the ASA Southern Super Series. Tickets can be purchased here.
The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on Saturday, March 11. Bubba Pollard is the most recent winner with the series, besting a field of 52 drivers at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
For more information regarding the Southern Super Series, visit the series website at www.southernsuperseries.com
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS PR