5700 engine program remains through 2005

Pendleton, Ind. (May 7, 2003) -- ASA President and CEO Steve Dale announced today that the current American Speed Association engine package, which utilizes sealed, fuel-injected, computer-controlled production engines from General Motors, will remain in place through the 2005 racing season.

"We are excited to announce that the current ASA 5700 V-8 engine program, which has been in place since the landmark 2000 racing season, will remain in effect through the 2005 ASA Racing Series season," Dale said. "This program, which revolutionized stock car racing upon its announcement, has been an unqualified success in terms of affordability and value to the racers, and it has produced unparalleled competitive balance among the professional racing teams in our series. By extending the program through the 2005 season, it gives our teams the stability to plan accordingly without worrying about a new engine formula."

>From the time the original 300 ASA 5700 engines rolled off the assembly line at GM's manufacturing plant in Romulus, Mich., the units have proven to be quite durable. The vast majority of those 300 engines are still in use, and ASA star Bryan Reffner is currently using the first engine off the line, serial number 001. Some 40 engines were packaged and sent to England for use in the ASCAR series at England's Rockingham Speedway, the only superspeedway oval currently operating there.

"We've had a solid engine program that has worked--and worked very well--for the past three seasons, and it is still very successful entering its fourth," said Joe Balash, ASA's director of operations. "It only makes sense to continue the program on the solid foundation we have built over that time.

When the program was announced in 1999, there was such a cost savings associated with the ASA 5700 V-8 that teams traditionally did not employ the same kind of freshening program for their engines that they did with the V-6 engines in use previously. At $14,000, an ASA team can buy two engines for what it cost for one of the V-6s and have half the cost of a third left over. Teams would imply use an engine until it required maintenance, then bolt in a new bullet and go racing.

As an added benefit to the teams, Dale announced a program earlier this season which allows teams to send their engines to Lingenfelter Performance Engineering for freshening at a negotiated price of as little as $3,650--some $10,350 less than purchasing a new ASA 5700 V-8 engine. Combined with the engine rebuild program announced at Houston Motor Speedway in April, teams are now able to freshen and recycle engines to better utilize resources aimed at on-track performance.

When a team sends an engine to Lingenfelter Performance, they will disassemble the engine, clean all parts, de-glaze cylinders, install new cylinder head springs and seals, polish the crankshaft, replace the main and rod bearings, gaskets, seals, head bolts and crank bolt and test the engine on the dynamometer. Should other work be necessary, menu pricing is available.

"In 2000, the roll-out season of this engine program, we launched a program called Project 2000, and one of the facets of it was to address the economics of racing," said Balash, who was the technical director during the majority of that roll-out season and up until this year. "What this program does is reinforce our views in continuing to look at ASA's cost-saving efforts for our teams."

The next ASA Racing Series event is scheduled for May 17-18 at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway. The Glass City 300 is slated for a 3 p.m. (Eastern) start on May 18, and tickets are available by calling ASA at (888) ASA-1020 or by logging on to www.asaracing.com. Tickets are $25 on the day of the race, but race fans can save $5 by buying in advance. The race can also be seen live on SPEED Channel at 3 p.m. on May 18.

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