FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Southern All Star Racing Series News and Notes; Buddy Rogers Memorial Info; Date Added at Smoky Mountain Speedway

By Michael Despain, SAS Public Relations

Fayetteville, TN- June 30, 2013- The Southern All Star Racing Series is set to begin a busy month of July that will lead up to the halfway point of the 2013 racing season as the tour has conducted nine events so far in 2013, with those races producing six different winners (Cherokee- Jared Landers; Cleveland- Randy Weaver; East Alabama- Jonathan Davenport; Smoky Mountain- Jonathan Davenport; Tazewell- Billy Ogle, Jr.; Cleveland- Steve Casebolt; Volunteer- Chris Madden; Smoky Mountain- Chris Madden; Talladega Short Track- Randy Weaver).  The tour has averaged 29 entries per event so far in 2013.

Busy Month of July:
The Southern All Star Racing Series will have a busy month of July as the tour will contest four events, with two of those in East Tennessee, with the other two in Mississippi and Alabama respectively.  The tour visits Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN on Wednesday evening July 3 for the Summer Sizzler, which will pay $4,000 to win for the 40 lap mad dash around the ultra-high banked 1/3 mile track known as the “Bad Fast Taz”.  Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland, TN will host the SAS tour for the third time in 2013 on Saturday July 13 for the Stars and Stripes 40 event, while the tour makes its only appearance in the state of Mississippi on Saturday July 20 at the Magnolia Motor Speedway for the 10th Annual Governor’s Cup, while Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL rounds out the month of July for the Southern All Star Racing Series with the 15th Annual Michael Head, Jr. Memorial event on Saturday July 27.  All SAS Racing Series events in the month of July are $4,000 to win/$300 to start events.

A Look at the Top Five in Series Points:
The points chase in the 2013 quest for the championship with the Southern All Star Racing Series tightened up after the East Tennessee doubleheader weekend at Volunteer Speedway on June 14 and Smoky Mountain Speedway on June 15.  Heading into the month of July, current points leader Riley Hickman holds only a slim 22 marker advantage over defending series Rookie of the Year winner Mike Weeks.

-Riley Hickman- Hickman, who makes his home in Chattanooga, TN, has been at all SAS tour events this season and is the current series points leader with 720 points.  Hickman has piloted his Hickman Manufacturing/American Billet sponsored MasterSbilt/Vic Hill powered mount to a total of six top ten series finishes, with a pair of those being top five finishes, two fifth place finishes at East Alabama Motor Speedway on March 16 and at Tazewell Speedway on April 6.  Hickman is a former tour champion with the Southern Regional Racing Series.

-Mike Weeks- Weeks, the 2012 series Rookie of the Year, who calls Friendsville, TN home, has totaled 698 points in SAS action so far in 2013 and currently holds down second in points, but really closed the points gap between himself and Riley Hickman in two of the last three series events.  Weeks has driven his J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment sponsored Rocket/Vic Hill powered entry to six top ten series finishes as well in 2013, with this best finish being a fourth place effort at Tazewell Speedway on April 6.

-Mark Rosner- A native of Rockford, TN, Rosner is competing with the Southern All Star Racing Series in his first full season of Super Late Model competition after several season of Limited Late Model action and Rosner sits third in tour points and currently leads the Cruise with the Champions/DirtonDirt.com Rookie of the Year points as well.  Rosner’s 644 points has been accumulated with one top ten series effort in the seat of the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment sponsored Stinger/Larry Wallace powered unit, with that being a ninth place performance at Tazewell Speedway on April 6.

-Bret Holmes- A sixteen year old second generation racer from Munford, AL, Holmes is following in his father Stacy’s footsteps in wheeling high powered Super Late Models around the tracks of the Southeast.  Holmes sits fourth in series points with 608 markers and is currently second in the Cruise with the Champions/DirtonDirt.com Rookie of the Year points.  Holmes drives his father’s Holmes II Excavation sponsored Barry Wright/Cornett powered mount and like fellow rookie competitor Rosner, Holmes is visiting many of the tracks on the tour for the first time in his career, but did score a series season best finish of ninth at Talladega Short Track on June 22, where he also holds the track record.

-Billy Ogle, Jr.- The Knoxville, TN resident has competed in just six of the nine series touring event so far in 2013, but has yet to finish outside the top five in an event and has one tour win to his credit in 2013 at Tazewell Speedway on April 6.  Ogle, Jr., who was the Southern All Star Racing Series champion in 2011, drives the Blount Excavating sponsored Rocket/Vic Hill powered machine for Blount Motorsports and tallied 562 points so far with the series in 2013.

Tazewell Speedway and the 5th Annual Buddy Rogers Memorial:
Tazewell Speedway will again host the 5th Annual Buddy Rogers Memorial and it will be contested on Sunday September 1 and the Southern All Star Racing Series will sanction the event.  The race is 44 laps in distance and pays $4,400 to win in honor of the former East Tennessee racer who always raced with the number 44 on his race car.  The event is also used a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society as Hoosier Tire South representative Jimmy “Pup” Thomas put together a lap sponsor drive, with anyone who wants, can sponsor a lap for $44 at this event and all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.  Thomas already has a lap sponsor board mounted on the door of his trailer so interested parties can go ahead and get signed up now as lap sponsor for this event.

Smoky Mountain Speedway Adds Additional SAS Tour Date:
Smoky Mountain Speedway track officials and Southern All Star Racing Series Race Director Chris Tilley announced at the most recent SAS event at Smoky Mountain Speedway on June 15 that the tour will visit Smoky Mountain Speedway on Saturday October 26 for the Trick or Treat 50, that will pay $10,000 to the winner of the event at the ultra-fast 4/10 mile Maryville, TN speedplant.  Super Late Models can come in for an open practice on Friday October 25, as local divisions will be racing that evening as well, and the SAS portion of the weekend will take place on Saturday October 26, along with the track’s other divisions in action as well.  This event replaces the Saturday October 26 at Toccoa Speedway in Toccoa, GA that was originally on the schedule.

Just Keeps Going Like the Energizer Bunny:
Founded in 1983 by the late B.J. Parker, the Southern All Star Racing Series is in its 31st season of sanctioning Super Late Model racing action, making it the longest current running Dirt Late Model sanctioning body in America.  There have been 631 previously contested Southern All Star Racing Series events that have produced 159 different series winners.  Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN is the all-time series leading winner with 62 victories and finished 11th in the tour’s most recent event at Talladega Short Track.  Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland, TN has hosted more Southern All Star Racing Series events than any other track, as the tour has made 105 previous visits to the track to date.

Further information on the Southern All Star Racing Series can be obtained by calling General Manager Lynn Acklin at (256) 924-4546 or Race Director Chris Tilley at (606) 219-1723 or you can log on to the official series website at www.sasdirt.com . Also, LIKE the Southern All Stars Dirt Racing Series on Facebook or be a FOLLOWER on Twitter @SASDIRT.

Current Southern All Star Racing Series Top Ten Point Standings (after 6/22/2013)
1. Riley Hickman (Chattanooga, TN)-720
2. Mike Weeks (Friendsville, TN)-698
3. Mark Rosner (Rockford, TN)-644
4. Bret Holmes (Munford, AL)- 608
5. Billy Ogle, Jr. (Knoxville, TN)- 562
6. Jason Hiett (Oxford, AL)-558
7. Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN)-432
8. Randy Weaver (Crossville, TN)- 406
9. Jonathan Davenport (Blairsville, GA)- 372
10. Mark Vineyard (Powell, TN)- 366

Current Cruise With The Champions/DirtonDirt.com Rookie of the Year Point Standings (after 6/22/2013)
1. Mark Rosner (Rockford, TN)-226
2. Bret Holmes (Munford, AL)-222
3. Jason Hiett (Oxford, AL)-179

Southern All Star Racing Series Event Winners:
#1-Jared Landers-Batesville, AR (Cherokee Speedway) March 3rd
#2-Randy Weaver-Crossville, TN (Cleveland Speedway) March 9th
#3-Jonathan Davenport-Blairsville, GA (East AL Motor Speedway) March 16th
#4-Jonathan Davenport-Blairsville, GA (Smoky Mountain Speedway) March 23rd
#5- Billy Ogle, Jr.-Knoxville, TN (Tazewell Speedway) April 6
#6- Steve Casebolt- Richmond, IN (Cleveland Speedway) May 18
#7- Chris Madden-Gray Court, SC (Volunteer Speedway) June 14
#8- Chris Madden-Gray Court, SC (Smoky Mountain Speedway) June 15
#9- Randy Weaver-Crossville, TN (Talladega Short Track) June 22

Upcoming Southern All Star Racing Series Events:
July 3 (Wednesday)- Tazewell Speedway/Tazewell, TN- $4,000 to win (Summer Sizzler)
July 13 (Saturday)- Cleveland Speedway/Cleveland, TN- $4,000 to win (Stars and Stripes 40)
July 20 (Saturday)- Magnolia Motor Speedway/Columbus, MS- $4,000 to win (10th Annual Governor’s Cup)
July 27 (Saturday)- Talladega Short Track/Talladega, AL- $4,000 to win (16th Annual Michael Head, Jr. Memorial)

2013 Southern All Star Racing Series Sponsors:
*Hoosier Racing Tire “The Official Race Tire” of the Southern All Star Racing Series
*Patriot Sports “The Official Merchandise Vendor” of the Southern All Star Racing Series
*Sunoco Race Fuels “The Official Race Fuel” of the Southern All Star Racing Series

2013 Southern All Star Racing Series Supporters/Marketing Partners Include: AR Bodies, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Cruise with the Champions, DirtonDirt.com, H3 Performance Graphics, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp Racing Systems, JT Kerr Racing Equipment, MSR Mafia Web Design and Service, PPM Racing Products, RockAuto.com, Schaeffer’s Racing Oil by Ed Lowe, The Joie of Seating, WhitePerformance.com