9/29/05

MID-ATLANTIC ASPHALT RACING ALLIANCE FORMED

Jennerstown, PA - Sept. 28, 2005: Five premier asphalt motor sports facilities in Western New York and Western Pennsylvania have banded together to form the Mid-Atlantic Asphalt Racing Alliance (MAARA) for the 2006 season.

Holland Speedway (Holland, NY), Jennerstown Speedway (Jennerstown, PA), Lake Erie Speedway (North East, PA), Lancaster Speedway (Lancaster, NY) and Motordrome Speedway (Smithton, PA) have agreed to work together to standardize Late Model car specifications and establish a five-race championship series of races for next season.

“It took some doing, but we were able to get all five tracks to agree on a common set of car specifications,” said Joe Lewandoski, General Manager of Lake Erie Speedway. “For the first time Late Model drivers will be able to compete at all five speedways using the same rule book.”

The keystone of the new MAARA rule package is the adoption of the low cost Chrysler, Ford and General Motors produced 400 horsepower ‘crate’ engines into the rules of the participating tracks.

“The biggest stumbling block in the past has always been that the tracks all have different engine formulas,” said Jennerstown Speedway General Manager Larry Mattingly. “By agreeing to use the ‘crate’ engines, which retail for as little as $5,000, as the baseline, tracks will now be able to scale back the more expensive custom-built racing engines now in use to match the performance of the less expensive motors.

“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” he said. “Lower engine costs will help to attract new racers into the sport, while existing teams can still use current engines without having to throw them on the junk pile. Things should be equal across the board.”

The new MAARA group will also institute a mandated ‘spec’ shock absorber for the upcoming season. “Late Model suspension technology and its rising cost have gone through the roof over the past several seasons,” commented Jim Reid, President of Lancaster Speedway. “By capping the cost and technology on racing shocks, hopefully we can slow the insanity and get more people back into the sport without needing a degree in rocket science to be successful.”

The new Alliance will kick off the new program by co-operating to promote a five-race series, encouraging its drivers to participate at other member tracks throughout the year. “No one can afford to be an island today,” said Tim Bennett, General Manager of Holland Speedway. “We’re excited about the Alliance and having outside competitors compete at Holland.”

The new Alliance also will concentrate on increasing the promotional power and marketing value of the five member speedways. “There is strength in numbers, concluded Motordrome Speedway Promoter James ‘Red’ Miley. “Five tracks have more clout in the market place than a single operation.”

Source: Matt Fletcher/Lake Erie PR
Posted: October 3, 2005