Barfield Praises Phakisa ASA Release
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESS RELEASE December 30, 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For Immediate Release Contact: Kevin Ramsell,ASA Public Relations Director (kramsell@asa-racing.com [mailto:racingpr@me.com]) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BARFIELD PRAISES PHAKISA AND CANNOT WAIT FOR THE FREE STATE 500 EVENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AMERICAN SPEED ASSOCIATION PR DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Wednesday, December 30, 2009) - Ron Barfield may still be recovering from the jet lag, but he was excited to talk about his recent trip to South Africa to do some advance promotion for the upcoming ASA Transcontinental Series Free State 500k event on January 31, 2010 at the Phakisa Freeway Circuit in Welkom, Free State, South Africa. Barfield, along with 1986 Daytona 500 champion and current ISCARS Dash Series sanctioned by ASA competitor Geoff Bodine, recently visited the 1.5-mile oval and took some members of the South African media in two-seat rides around Phakisa. "It's a big racetrack and its a lot like Las Vegas. The banking is about the same as what the original Vegas layout was," Barfield said about Phakisa oval. "They facility has an oval track and it also has a road course. The road course starts off in the infield, uses the same garages, and it goes out the back straightaway and then comes back in to the oval. The racetrack is really smooth down the front straightaway, turns one and two along with turns three and four are really smooth. It's a little bit bumpy down the back straight where the road course goes across which we nicknamed them, the Daytona bumps. When you race at Daytona you have a bump over turn four, it's the same feeling but the rest is smooth as glass. The bumps won't phase our drivers at all." Both Barfield and Bodine met with fans, media, and different dignitaries while on their short visit as they drove around the track on Friday, December 18. One of the dignitaries included Ace Magashule, Free State Premier. "Geoff and I did a lot of side-by-side racing and passing so we could show how close the action will be," Barfield said. "They were amazed and are looking forward to the race over there." While at the track, Barfield had a chance to check out the garage area that the teams will be using at Phakisa, "The garage area is really nice. One thing I was doing when I was there was checking on their power, compressors and stuff like that, making sure it's user friendly for the teams. Their power is completely different then ours which is one of the reasons the teams have taken a lot of generators over there," Barfield explained. "I think Lumpy (Mike Lemke, ASATS Tech Director) will be happy with his tech inspection area over there. Pit road is secluded from the fans. We are going to let the fans get close to the action in the infield and ASA is going to have their own paddock where the teams and their families will be able to go over and sit down and get out of the heat in the garage area." Another thing Barfield shared was how excited the fans are that American stock car racing is competing in South Africa for the first time ever. The Phakisa oval was built in 1998 and has never hosted a race until the upcoming Free State 500 on January 31, 2010. He expects a high attendance for the race. He also had the opportunity to meet with many fans and learned a few things about their culture, "Most people speak English over there and pretty much everyone knows english. I had one guy come and say that this a "lecker" car and someone told me that it means that he said its a really nice car," Barfield said. "Another thing is that in the United States we call the hood of the car, the hood and over there they call it a bonnet. A driveshaft is called a propshaft. They have a little bit of different lingo that you will experience but its nothing you can't get through. Everyone has the same goal and that is for this event to be successful." He and Bodine also got to experience The Savannah Africa wildlife reserve that will host the ASA drivers when they arrive in South Africa, "The Savannah was amazing and the animals we saw there was incredible," Barfield exclaimed. "They have cheetahs, buffalos, monkeys and more. Just imagine all of the animals they have over there and they are just a drive away. They have over 3,500 acres and you can see whatever you wanted. These are not tame animals, they are living off the land and they are actually in the wild. It's just amazing that the place that ASA is going to take us to and show the team just gives you the sense that you are in South Africa. I think everyone is thoroughly going to enjoy this part of the trip." Overall, he cannot wait to return next month for the event, "The short time I was over there, I have friends that I will be touching base with for the rest of my life. They are some really, really good people and everybody wants this to get off the ground and be an annual event. They couldn't have treated us better." For more information about the Free State 500, please visit www.phakisa.com or www.freestate500.com. To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based American Speed Association call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and regional tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com. ASA®, ASA Racing®, American Speed Association® are registered trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. ASA International, LLC or Racing Speed Associates, LLC are not related to or affiliated with ASA Late Model Series, LLC. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1102037575529&ea=submit@theautochannel.com&a=1102913292924 This email was sent to submit@theautochannel.com by kramsell@asa-racing.com. 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