ASA RACING CONGRATULATES “THE SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN” AS THE 2011 JOE GIBBS DRIVEN RACING OIL ASA MEMBER TRACK NATIONAL CHAMPION
Barry Beggarly wins National title; Chrissy Wallace wins West Region Championship
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Thursday, September 29, 2011) – In 16 events this season, he had five wins, four seconds, two thirds, four fourths, and one fifth place finish at an ASA Member Track that had many talented drivers and fantastic on-track battles every weekend. It was no surprise when earlier today, ASA President Dennis Huth contacted Barry Beggarly, the 2011 Late Model track champion at Ace Speedway, an ASA Member Track in Altamahaw, NC, to congratulate him as the 2011 Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil ASA Member Track National Champion.
“Well that is a super accomplishment,” Beggarly said when Dennis Huth called him. “It is a great honor, especially at my age to be the National Champion.”
Beggarly becomes the first driver to win two national weekly series national championships. “I am jubilated right now, it is a great honor being the only one to win an ASA Member Track National Championship and a NASCAR Weekly Series National Championship,” Beggarly exclaimed.
Beggarly not only had the best average among the 2011 ASA Member Track champions but had the best among close to 400 drivers contesting for the National title. The Pelham, NC resident finishes the 2011 season with a national average of 4.9416. His consistent finishes, with his worst being a fifth place finish, gave him an average finish of 2.5000.
Ace Speedway helped Beggarly with his National Championship by having an average of 15.75 cars per event.
As the ASA National Champion, he will receive a tryout with Joe Gibbs Racing. His tryout will be announced at a later date. He will also get a one-on-one meeting with JD Gibbs, President of Joe Gibbs Racing and possibly Coach Joe Gibbs himself. He will also get an up close tour of Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Congratulations to Barry Beggarly on his outstanding season at Ace Speedway,” JD Gibbs said. “Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing is looking forward to meeting and spending some time with this great champion. It will be an exciting experience for everyone.”
Beggarly was in a tough point battle with Jason York all season long. In fact, only two points separated them going into the final event on Saturday, September 24. Beggarly finished second that night to Jeb Burton while York finished fourth, allowing Beggarly to secure the track championship. Winning the trackchampionship and being an ASA Member in good standing were two of the requirements needed to be eligible for the National title.
This is the fourth Ace Speedway track title for Beggarly. His previous track championships came in 1990, 1993 and 1996. This is also his second National Title as he won the NASCAR Winston Racing Series title in 1993. He won that title with a tiebreaker over Dennis Setzer. He also won track titles at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC and South Boston Speedway in South Boston, VA. He was also named one of the All-Time Top 25 drivers as part of the NASCAR Weekly Series 25th Anniversary in 2006.
Chrissy Wallace had an exciting season at Lebanon I-44Speedway. She became the first female to not only win a feature event but also win a track championship. Her National average of 4.5541 makes her the 2011 West Region ASA Member Track Champion.
As the West Region champion, Wallace will receive a unique one-of-a-kind jacket from SpeedNetDirect.com, the official tabulator of the Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil ASA Member Track National Championship.
“To win the track championship at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and be the West Region Champion is a huge accomplishment for this year,” Wallace said earlier today. “Considering I sat out of the late models for three years and going to a new track, I had a blast doing it. I told my dad if I don’t have anything set up, I would like to go to Ace Speedway next year and run against Beggarly and go for the National title.”
In 19 events, Wallace had six wins, 12 top-five and 16top-ten finishes with an average finish of 4.4737. Lebanon I-44 Speedway had an average car count of 15.4211.
“Congratulations to Barry Beggarly as our fourth Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil ASA Member Track National Champion, Zack Franks for finishing second overall, and Chrissy Wallace as the West Region Champion and finishing third overall, and everyone else that finished in the top-ten,” Dennis Huth, ASA President said. “Beggarly had a very impressive season when you look at his statistics. He joins Cary Stapp, Tommy Cloce and Bryan Wordelman as an ASA Member Track National Champion. It is also a personal pleasure to, once again, present Beggarly with a National title like I did in 1993.
“A special thank you goes out to all of the ASA Member Tracks and competitors for their participation this season and we look forward to doing this again in 2012,” Huth continued to say. “A big thank you goes to Joe Gibbs Racing for presenting their unique prize of a tryout with our National Champion for the fourth year in a row.”
Fans can look at their favorite driver statistics by visiting SpeedNetDirect.com’s Championship Insider at www.championshipinsider.com. It is a free membership site, sign up today!
Drivers from participating ASA Member Tracks across the United States have chosen one of their divisions as their premiere divisions. Those drivers in the premiere division, who are ASA members in good standing, will compete at their ASA Member Track to first win their track championship. Once they accomplish that goal, they will then be matched up against the other premiere division champions to determine the National Champion.
ASA has once again teamed up with speednetdirect.com to create a proprietary point system that is much like a batting average in baseball. Some of the factors used to create an average are wins, number of cars passed, finishes, car count, and number of events. No one knows what has more of a factor over another.
Race fans and competitors can follow the standings on http://www.speednetdirect.com. The opening page shows the current track point leaders that would be eligible for the National Championship if it ended today. The East and West Region standings give a complete listing of all of the drivers participating this season.
Past National Champions are Cary Stapp, Thunderhill Raceway (2008), Tommy Cloce, Adirondack Speedway (2009), and Bryan Wordelman, Rocky Mountain Raceways (2010).
Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, sponsor of the American Speed Association NationalShort Track National Championship, is the same oil developed and used by Joe Gibbs Racing. The team sells the oil so racers across the country can have access to the latest technology in racing lubricants.
Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, two NASCAR Nationwide Series teams and a driver development program. Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time Super Bowl champion as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships and more than 80 NASCAR races,including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.
The ASA Member Track program sanctions dirt and asphalt short tracks along with road courses around the United States, as well as a variety of regional and national touring series. For more information call (386) 258-2221, or send an email to info@asa-racing.com. The latest news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the ASA can be found by visiting www.ASA-Racing.com.
JOE GIBBS DRIVEN RACING OIL
ASA MEMBER TRACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Barry Beggarly (Ace Speedway) – 4.9416
2. Zack Franks (Newport Motor Speedway) – 4.7075
3. Chrissy Wallace (Lebanon I-44 Speedway) – 4.5541
4. Shelby Stroebel (Meridian Speedway) – 4.2425
5. Mike Reichenberger (Norway Speedway) – 4.2121
6. Michael Hale (Rocky Mountain Raceways) – 3.9751
7. Ronnie Rihn (Marshfield Motor Speedway) – 3.4958
8. Mark Mackesy (State Park Speedway) – 3.3718
9. Ryan Stiltner (Lonesome Pine Raceway) – 2.5051
10. Mark Shackleford (Orange Show Speedway) – 2.2495
