50th Anniversary ASA Racer Reunion part of Redbud 400
Anderson, IN (June 27, 2023) – Retired driver Mike Miller is excited about the chance to see many of his old friends for what he thinks may be the last time. Miller and many of the drivers from the original American Speed Association will be in attendance at Anderson Speedway on Saturday, July 15th for the 50th Anniversary ASA Racers Reunion.
“This could be the last time this many of us are ever in the same place at the same time,” Miller stated. I’m really looking forward to seeing many of the great friends we made while racing ASA.”
Anderson, IN is the birthplace of the American Speed Association, and for the first time in nearly 25 years, ASA will sanction the racing action at Anderson Speedway on July 15. The track will host the 50th Anniversary ASA Racers Reunion as part of the tracks annual Redbud 400 event weekend.
Former drivers, crew members, officials and staff will descend upon Anderson to reconnect and bench race some 50 years after Rex and Becky Robbins launched the American Speed Association in 1973.
“Rex Robbins was a visionary,” Miller continued. “ASA was a grassroots stock car series on a national platform, and Rex continuously took us to another level.”
For Miller, the Wisconsin native who raced with the likes of Dick Trickle, Tom Reffner and Alan Kulwicki beginning in the 1970’s, ASA was the series that allowed him to be a professional racer without all the pressure and travel required to compete in NASCAR.
“ASA was enjoyable,” Miller quipped. “We raced each other hard on the track, but off the track we were friends. Mike Eddy was one of the toughest SOB’s I’ve ever raced against. We’d rub fenders during the race, but after he’d invite me by for a fish fry or we’d invite him over for a shrimp boil. Whatever happened on the track usually stayed there.”
Miller competed at the short tracks of the Midwest in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s, running with ASA, ARTGO and barnstorming the big events in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the region. His first ASA win came at the Minnesota State Fair in 1980. He raced in the series sporadically for the next several years before taking a ten year hiatus. He returned in 1994 and would win a total of 16 times on the circuit, good for sixth on the all-time ASA Wins list. In 1999, Miller won the Redbud 400 and finished second in points to Tim Sauter.
The 57th Annual Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400 – one of the longest-running events in short track racing – is set for Saturday, July 14-15 at Anderson Speedway. The 2023 version will mark the return of the iconic ASA brand to the Redbud 400 for the first time since 1999, with the ASA STARS National Tour set to sanction the 400 lap race.
The Redbud 400 race event was sanctioned by ASA starting in 1969, long before ASA became a national tour in 1973. Over the years, the biggest names in ASA were victorious at Anderson, including future NASCAR stars Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace. But it was the career ASA drivers who found the most success at the Redbud 400. Guys like Bob Senneker, Mike Eddy and Scott Hansen helped make the Red Bud 400 famous, and in turn earned fame for themselves.
While many of the mainstay stars of ASA have submitted their RSVP’s to the 50th Anniversary ASA Racers Reunion, track and series officials would like to hear from former racers interested in attending. Please call the track for more information.
This year’s Red Bud 400 will be held in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary ASA Racer’s Reunion at the speedway. A host of former ASA drivers and officials will be in attendance to relive their past memories while celebrating the future as ASA returns home to Anderson Speedway. Tickets for the 50th Anniversary ASA Racers Reunion are available for a special price of $50. These tickets include access to the Racers Reunion luncheon, a Q&A session with ASA legends, an autograph session with these same legends, and a ticket to the 57th Annual Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400. Tickets for the ASA Racers Reunion can be purchased by calling Anderson Speedway at 765-642-0206 or by visiting the trackside ticket office located at 1311 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Anderson, IN 46016.
On-track activities for the 57th Annual Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400 will kick off on Friday, July 14th with inspection and practice for the ASA STARS National Tour. Go Fas Pole Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, July 15th, with the Redbud 400 set to go green at 7:30PM Eastern Time. Tickets for the event are currently being offered at a special price of $20 for an adult ticket until Friday, July 14th. Tickets for children aged 6-12 are $10 and children aged 5 and under are free. To purchase tickets, or for more information, contact or visit Anderson Speedway’s main ticket office.
The Redbud 400 will be co-sanctioned with the ASA CRA Super Series, which will be the third race of the CRA season. Gio Ruggiero won the opener at Salem Speedway, while race two will be contested on Sunday, July 2 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on March 11. Ty Majeski is the most recent winner, claiming the victory in the Father’s Day 100 at the Milwaukee Mile.
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.
The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ASA CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.
The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the Series, thanks to Team Construction.
Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President, Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.
-Bobby Jones Photo
