new eastern asphalt series nasra
Amsnow
A group of NHRA/IHRA asphalt snowmobile racers from Eastern NY have formed a new club. NASRA (National Asphalt Sled Racers Association) was formed to promote the future growth of "Heads Up Racing Competition" for snowmobiles competing at NHRA and IHRA affiliated racetracks. Veteran asphalt racers John Oliver and Mark Giammattei formed the new group. The two have achieved numerous accomplishments on the tar, including a national record racing with the now defunct NSSR association. NSSR previously sanctioned "Heads Up" sled racing classes on a national level.
The goal in forming NASRA was to attempt to save what little heads up competition went on in the world of asphalt sled racing and grow the sport. Giammattei stated that NSSR did a fine job laying the groundwork but with the loss of NSSR, we were extremely concerned with regard to future "Heads Up" racing classes and events for sleds.
NASRA has been able to provide sled racers with opportunities to race in six different heads up classes. They have essentially taken the ISR/NSSR sled class format, which includes some 30 classes and reduced them to six. NASRA has cleverly compressed the number of classes and has been able to include 99% of the sleds that would be legal to compete in the ISR/NSSR format. All of those sleds will fit somewhere into the remaining six prospective classes.
Giammattei stated that the purses in each class should be huge because so many different models will compete with each other. He stated that it should be common to see races with over $1000.00 to win in stock classes. The format will be fair for prospective brand models that compete.
From a technical prospective, Giammattei stated that sled weight has a huge affect on sled performance. They intend to use weight to equalize various larger displacement sled performance to allow a 500cc stocker to run with a 600cc stocker and still be competitive. The 500cc stocker will be allowed a 100lb minimum weight break to be competitive with the 600cc sled. NASRA will be running 1/8 mile passes only. The decision to run 1/8 mile was made by racer consensus. Giammattei again stated that the average sled racer is more used to racing 660-feet and this has enticed some long time grass and ice racers to consider racing the blacktop.
For this year NASRA has finalized a deal with Lebanon Valley Dragway in eastern NY to have four events which will include all of the "heads up classes" and a bracket race. NASRA will also run four events at Lancaster Motorsports Park in Buffalo. That's a total of eight races for the 2001 season, the first beginning April-14th. Two of those events will be "Sled Only" Nationals. NASRA calls them the east/west challenge, since one will be at Lebanon Valley in July and the other will be at Lancaster in September. Lebanon is on the Massachusetts border and Lancaster in Buffalo.
Seven of the eight races for the season will be points races.
For more information, a copy of the rules and a membership form, you may E-mail them on ojustracing@aol.com or call them at 518-464-7664. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have.