American Speed Association Returns to Short Track Racing

The American Speed Association (ASA) is making a grand comeback in the short track racing world this year with the introduction of the ASA STARS Late Model Series. ASA served as the national late model tour for more than thirty years, and its return is causing a stir of anticipation in the industry. Racing America has teamed up with The Third Turn to present a weekly column titled “American Speed Reborn” in honor of ASA’s revival. Every week, we will delve into a year of ASA’s past, recounting the races and highlighting the legends and tales that have emerged.

As the American Speed Association entered its second decade in 1980, it had already discovered a rising star. Mark Martin, a budding driver hailing from the Ozarks of Arkansas, had made a name for himself by winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1977 – his first full season on asphalt. Martin then went on to secure the championship titles in both 1978 and 1979, cementing his status as a meteoric force in the racing world. Despite his remarkable achievements, Martin remained a blue collar racer, with limited resources to advance to NASCAR. As he strategized his next career move, he opted to participate in another ASA season.

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As the 1980 season drew to a close, Mark Martin’s competitors were likely willing to finance his next career move. Although Martin had displayed more consistent performances in 1979, his 1980 season showcased an added level of speed that he had discovered. To cut to the chase in our retrospective of ASA seasons, Martin dominated the season by securing the most wins, poles, and ultimately, the championship. By the time the seventh race had concluded, Martin had already achieved first or second place finishes in six of them, with a fifth-place finish in the other. For any other contenders vying for the title, the season was essentially over by that point.

The convergence of three of the most prominent names in ASA’s history was a remarkable occurrence, involving a Ray Dillon engineered car, Baker Engineered Engines, and a promising young talent like Martin behind the wheel. Together, they formed a “superteam” comparable to those in the NBA, capable of taking any effort to new heights. In fact, their combination proved to be nearly unbeatable.

Their dominance was best exemplified during qualifying rounds, where they consistently outperformed the competition. In 1980, the ASA Circuit of Champions hosted 15 events, and Martin secured the fastest qualifying time in 10 of them – an unparalleled level of speed that has yet to be surpassed in any other major late model series on asphalt.

One of the defining moments of Martin’s exceptional season was his impressive win at the Milwaukee Mile in early May. During the weekend, Martin set a new track record of 30.476 around the mile-long track, surpassing the previous record of 31.217 by three-quarters of a second.

In the first half of the race, Martin bided his time, allowing drivers like Mike Miller and Dave Watson to lead the way while he hung around the back half of the top-five. His plan was to make a tire change at the halfway point, but his pit crew executed the change so quickly that they neglected to fill the car with fuel. As a result, Martin was forced to make an additional stop for gas around lap 90 of the 150-lap race. By the time he rejoined the race, he found himself trailing the new leader, Alan Kulwicki, by around two dozen cars.

Despite the setback, Martin refused to let it hinder his determination. When the time came to make a move, he charged through the field, even with several caution laps in between. By lap 137, he had overtaken the lead and went on to win the race with a commanding lead of over two seconds, securing a $6,000 check in the process.

In addition to his earlier triumph at Milwaukee, Martin secured victories at Queen City Speedway, Winchester Speedway, and Salem Speedway, completing a total of four checkereds in 1980. His incredible performance was evidenced by his first or second-place finishes in 10 of the 15 races throughout the season, leading a total of 481 laps – which accounted for 13% of all competitors.

Meanwhile, Bob Senneker’s impressive record of 29 wins in ASA competition was second only to Martin’s, and he won five races in 1980 after a lackluster season the year before. Senneker, who also had the backing of Baker but ran his own chassis, proved to be Martin’s most challenging competitor until a string of poor finishes towards the end of the season cost him any chance of winning the title. Dick Trickle, in his first full ASA season, finished between Martin and Senneker in the points, winning twice and leading an impressive 613 laps – more than Martin – thanks to his two victories coming in extra-distance races.

Several promising young drivers caught attention during the 1980 ASA season. Bob Strait, who later dominated ARCA competitions, finished fifth in the points standings. Ryl Magoon, a journeyman with a memorable name, had his best season and placed sixth.

Wins were also claimed by Don Gregory at Salem, Junior Hanley at Cayuga, Canada, and Terry Senneker at Winchester. The latter’s victory came during an intense Winchester 400 that saw a total of 15 caution flags and 122 laps under yellow. In the final laps, leaders Eddy and Martin collided, taking themselves out of contention. Senneker then emerged from the smoke to cruise to victory, while closest competitor Ray Young finished seven laps behind due to the high attrition rate. Eddy and Martin still managed to finish third and fourth respectively, despite having crashed out seven laps earlier. Notably, Martin set a new track record during the event, establishing a world record for a late model on a half-mile track at 15.741 seconds.

1980 American Speed Association Race Results