ASA: Rookies Esterline and Schwartz Get One-Race Sponsorship for Lakeland

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

March 21, 2001

New sponsorship will help promote competition among ASA teams and drivers

PENDLETON, Ind. – Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie of the Year candidates Tully Esterline with the Noah Yoder Racing Team and Brian Schwartz of Countryside, Ill. have secured a one-race sponsorship deal with TKE, Inc (The Kutting Edge Advanced Nutrition), for the Florida 200 on March 24 at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Fla. As a part of the sponsorship, Esterline’s GM Vortec ASA 5700 powered-Ford and Schwartz’s GM Vortec ASA 5700 powered-Chevrolet will carry decals promoting the NEXUS- Vortec Engines Power Drivetm competition.

The nutritional competition will run from the upcoming USA International Speedway event through the ninth race of the year, at I-70 Speedway. Those who compete will be grouped into teams of six, with five crewmembers and the driver being represented. The t eams will be awarded points for a decrease in body fat and an increase of lean muscle mass as a team. Results of the competition will be announced at the Toledo Speedway event, with the group accumulating the most points awarded a $10,000 check.

“When the Kutting Edge Advanced Nutrition heard about what the powerful and efficient Vortec engines have done for the ASA series, they decided that they wanted to do the same thing with the bodies of the drivers and crew,” said Al Alvarez, General Motors Vortec Brand Manager. “Their goal is to make the drivers and teammates more powerful and efficient, just like the Vortec engines. The teams spend a lot of time tweaking their cars, it will be interesting to see the effect that tweaking their bodies will h ave on the overall outcome of the races.”

This competition between the teams is only the first promotion being conducted as the NEXUS-Vortec Engines Power Drive, more competitions are planned as the season continues. These promotions will not only involve the teams, but will also be open to the f ans. The promotions are planned to allow the fans to participate, adding points to their favorite teams. Prizes will then be awarded to the winning team and to the winning fan.

“Imagine if a driver could lose 10 lbs of fat, and reposition that weight into a more competitive position in the race car,” said Trey King, president of TKE, Inc. “Besides the increase in strength and endurance of the driver, this change in the chassis s hould make the combined driver/vehicle more competitive. And imagine if the pit crew is also stronger and has more endurance, the team should be able to get through the pit stops much faster to get that car back out on the track more quickly.”

TKE, Inc. (The Kutting Edge Advanced Nutrition) is a sports nutrition research and developmental laboratory that specializes in building the perfect bodies through science. TKE is known for the research and development of many successful nutraceutical pro ducts that are currently available on the market today. NEXUStm is a fat burning whey protein product. This product is the main ingredient that will be used by the teams to help them achieve their more powerful and efficient bodies.

“We are really excited about getting The Kutting Edge on board with this team for the Lakeland (Fla.) event,” said the 23-year-old Esterline. “They are trying to promote better health among the teams and our team is one that is committed to that propositio n. Everybody wants to better themselves, and if getting in better shape, if that is myself or my crew, can help us shave seconds off of our pit stops, then we are all for it.”

Esterline has made two starts in his brief American Speed Association ACDelco Series career. A recently registered rookie, Esterline sits 22nd in the overall points standings and 10th (out of 20) in the pat Schauer Memorial Rookie of the Year points. Ester line, who has a background in go-karts and the full-bodied trucks, has two top-25 finishes on the season. He is also currently a student at the University of Toledo.

“I’m very excited about TKE’s involvement with Waltom Racing and the ASA ACDelco Series,” said Schwartz. “The products that TKE has to offer is going to help improve not only my strength and endurance inside the race car, but also my team’s strength and en durance in the pits. Using these products is one more step that Waltom Racing is taking towards winning races and ultimately winning ASA ACDelco Series championships.”

The Illinois-native Schwartz, 24, has had a tumultuous early season to his rookie year. The season-opening event saw Schwartz take a wild ride, wrecking on lap two and causing extensive damage to him Chevrolet. He took to the Irwindale Speedway a little be tter, finishing 23rd after starting 21st. Schwartz currently sits 11th in rookie points and 27th overall.

Practice for the Florida 200 begins noon on Friday, March 23 with qualifications taking place at 5 p.m. The 50-lap qualifier race is scheduled to begin at 7:30, which will conclude racing activity for the day. On Saturday, the on-track autograph session be gins at 7 p.m. with pre-race ceremonies starting at 8:15. The 200-lap event goes green at 9 p.m and will be telecast live on TNN Sports.

Text provided by Jeremy Troiano

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