LMS: Racing season news 2007-03-12

1. 16-year-old Dalton Zehr hopes to finish one position higher in the 2007 ASALMS Southern Division title chase.

Lexington, Michigan (03/12/2007): The 2007 Racing Season in the ASA Late Model Series Southern Division Presented by GM Performance Parts is expected to be the most highly anticipated in the entire United States as a record breaking car count for the Southern Division is expected at the 2007 Season Opener in Bronson, Florida.

The talented crop of future super stars in the ASALMS Southern Division are gearing up for their second season of ASALMS competition. The Top Seven in the final 2006 ASALMS Southern Division were all rookies in 2006 and one driver who can't wait for the 2007 season to get going is the ASALMS Southern Division Overall and Rookie of the Year Runner-Up, Dalton Zehr!

For the 2007 season, Zehr , widely considered one of the favorites for the 2007 ASALMS Southern Division Championship, will run the full season in the ASALMS Southern Division with hopes of gaining one more position in the final points tallies and winning the 2007 Championship! Zehr will also be doing some dirt modified and late model stock car racing for Circle Track Racing Magazine during the season as well.

The 2007 ASALMS Southern Division Season begins for Zehr and the Coleman Racing Team on Friday and Saturday March 16-17, 2007 at the Bronson (FL) Motor Speedway, located West of Gainesville in Bronson, Florida for the running of the Camp Boggy Creek 100 Presented by Pennzoil and Zehr's own Racing Team; Dalton Zehr Racing.

Zehr, who is a sophomore this year and is currently home schooled through an online program so that he has time to travel with his racing, has already ran some events during the season as he participated in the 41st annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing during 2007 Speedweeks at the New Smyrna (FL) Speedway.

2. Indianapolis, Indiana veteran, Peter Cozzolino grabs a podium finish in San Antonio, Texas to kick off his 2007 Racing Season in the ASALMS.

Indianapolis, Indiana (03/09/2007): The ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts is well known for establishing young, up and coming drivers who continue their driver development by running in one of the three traveling series' that make up the series "Where Champions Race" before moving on to the ranks of NASCAR or wherever their travels take them.

In addition to the teenagers that adorn the rosters in all three divisions within the ASALMS, the established veterans are making some noise to start out the Fifth Anniversary 2007 Racing Season and in turn, letting the youngsters know that they have to earn those hard fought finishes in the Top Five and even the Top 10 in the very competitive ASALMS Challenge Division.

Standing at the podium at the conclusion of the first race of the 2007 season; The 2nd annual Alamo 200 in San Antonio, Texas on March 3, 2007 was 23-year-old home state Winner, Colt James. He was flanked by two crafty veterans in 47-year-old Eddie Hoffman and 37-year-old Peter Cozzolino!

A strong start to the 2007 season has Cozzolino thinking long term as far as a chance for at least one championship as the Cozzolino Motorsports Team finished a strong third in the ASALMS Challenge Division Season Opener at the San Antonio (TX) Speedway. Now Cozzolino heads to the next event on the 2007 calender, the Music City Spring Clash 200 at the Music City (TN) Motorplex in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday and Saturday March 30-31, 2007 riding a strong wave of confidence.

"We feel pretty good about starting the season with a podium finish. Now we just need this to carry over the rest of the season." Stated Cozzolino as he talked about his fast start to the 2007 ASALMS Challenge Division campaign. "We need to string together some good finishes and this is a great start. I'm really looking forward to Nashville and we hope we can continue what we started in Texas." Cozzolino added.

3. Travis Wilson is heading back home for the ASA Late Model Series Southern Division Season Opener.

Mooresville, North Carolina (03/12/2007): Like a lot of young drivers in modern racing circles, Travis Wilson relocated from his boyhood home to the Charlotte area of North Carolina in order to help further his racing efforts. After all, Charlotte is considered the sport's birthplace and where most of the major teams are located.

Wilson made that move from Florida to North Carolina, in very much the same way that his father Rick did years ago when he was competing in the NASCAR Cup circuit. Now it's Travis' turn to chase the racing dream from his new home of Mooresville, North Carolina

But, as chance would have it, Travis Wilson has a chance to emerge as one of the bright young stars on the scene today back in his home state of Florida. He will open up his 2007 season on March 17th as the ASA Late Model Series Southern Division opens up at Bronson (FL) Motor Speedway in Bronson, Florida, a track just a few hours away from his hometown of Bartow, Florida, in the running of the Camp Boggy Creek 100 Presented by Pennzoil and Dalton Zehr Racing.

Even though he's now living and working in the birthplace of stock car racing, for this young driver, there may be no place better than close to home when it comes to getting the new season off on the right foot.

"Bronson is about two or three hours up the road from my hometown, but it's about as close as we will get," said Wilson. "I have a lot of family and friends who are coming to see me race there. So it's a pretty big deal for us. I live in Mooresville, North Carolina, now; been living up here for about two years now. The atmosphere and racing is really different from Florida. It is like a whole different world."

4. Part-Time ASALMS competitor, Matt Hawkins wins the USAR Hooter's Pro Cup Season Opener in Lakeland, Florida in his first ever start!

(Editor's Note: Speed 51 provided exclusive coverage of the USAR Hooter's Pro Cup Season Opener in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday March 10, 2007. On behalf of the ASA Late Model Series, we congratulate, Matt and Fred Hawkins as well as Crew Chief, Rich Luches on their Feature Win!)

Canton, Georgia (03/12/2007): In a race that featured what many people were calling one of the strongest single USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series Southern Division fields of all time, there was no way that a rookie was going to win. And even if a rookie did pull off the impossible, it was going to be someone who has made a few starts in the series over the last couple of years.

Surely, someone that has never even sat behind the wheel of a Pro Cup car was going to win this race. Right? Welcome to the new age of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. Matt Hawkins shocked the Pro Cup world and shocked the Short Track Racing community by winning Saturday night's opening event of the 2007 season, the Sears 250 at USA International Speedway.

And Hawkins did it in his first-career Pro Cup Series start. "I'm surprised for sure," said the 19-year-old Hawkins. "We came to qualify in the top-20 and finish in the top-15 and come home with all of the fenders on it. That was our goal for the weekend I never thought we'd do this good. "The fact that we won this race still hasn't sunk in yet. I don't know how long it will take to sink in. I just don't know what to say about it."

And it wasn't like Hawkins backed into the win. He didn't get the lead because of some crazy pit strategy. He didn't win the race because a bunch of guys wrecked in front of him. He didn't get the win because of attrition. He got the win because he earned it.

-credit: asa