LMS: Ryan Lawler season preview

Ryan Lawler Returns Home To Start ASA Challenge Series Rookie Season
19-year-old Ready to Leave His Mark in a New Series

MOORESVILLE, NC (February 22, 2007) -- As if one rookie season isn't enough, now Ryan Lawler is ready for his next rookie 'Challenge'. In 2006 he made a very impressive debut in the Super Late Model and the ASA Late Model South world, winning races in both styles of cars. Now, he is hoping to take the ASA Late Model Challenge Series by storm, on a full-time basis.

"We were planning originally on just running the ASA South races," said Lawler. "But we decided that it didn't get enough exposure, compared to the Challenge Series. We also plan on facing a high level of competition in the Challenge Series, and we want to race with the best teams out there. That is why we decided to go with the Challenge Series."

2006 was a year of firsts for Lawler. Every track that he ran on was a new one. That included a single ASA Late Model Challenge Series start that he made in the All American 200 event at Music City Motorplex. His hard-earned success came from his own driving skills and his ability to adapt to each different style of track that he raced on. Lawler will be presented with that same challenge in 2007, as the ASA Late Model Challenge Series will take him to tracks all across the country, from the half-mile, high-banked corners of Bristol to the flat, sweeping institution in the Midwest with The Milwaukee Mile.

"I really like all the tracks that the ASA Late Model Challenge Series goes to. I am really looking forward to going to Bristol and having the chance to race there. Bristol, Iowa and Milwaukee are probably the three that I am the most pumped about going to. They will all be new tracks, but that didn't really affect us last year, and I think that it should be the same way for this year."

The first track of the season that is on his schedule will be one that he hasn't run on, but one that he is very familiar with. For the first event of 2007 with the ASA Late Model Series, Lawler will be returning to his home state of Texas to compete in the Alamo 200 at San Antonio Speedway.

"I haven't raced at San Antonio, but I have been there a number of times watching my dad race (Lawler's father is former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Patrick Lawler). I feel like I may be a step ahead there over most people. My dad will be there at the track with the team, and hopefully he can give me some good advice that will help us out.

"It's a two-day race, and there are a bunch of practices scheduled for the weekend. We should be able to get going on the track pretty good on Friday and be ready for the race on Saturday."

2007 is definitely not a challenge that Lawler is afraid of. Not only does he think that the team will be good at San Antonio, he thinks that they will be good all year long.

"I honestly think that we should be a contender for the ASA Late Model Challenge Championship," added Lawler. "That is what our plan is, to be up front and running for it. We have had success in the ASA races that we have ran down in the South Series; we won two out of the three that we ran. It'd be nice to be able to pull that same ratio in the Challenge series. I don't know if we could do that, but I definitely think that we should be strong enough to be up front each week."

The Alamo 200 event at San Antonio Speedway will get underway Friday, March 2nd, and last through Saturday, March 3rd, with the feature 200-lap event running at 8:30 pm.

-credit: www.ryanlawler.net.