BFGoodrich(R) Brand of Tires to Partner With American Speed Association
1 November 1999
BFGoodrich(R) Brand of Tires to Partner With American Speed Association
BFGoodrich Tires 'Radialize' Short-Track Oval Racing with ASA
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 1 -- BFGoodrich(R) brand of tires today
announced a newly formed partnership with the American Speed Association (ASA)
beginning in the year 2000. As part of this announcement, BFGoodrich tires
will become the official tires of ASA and a major sponsor of the series.
The new partnership is a multi-year agreement that includes a
comprehensive marketing and sales promotion program designed to position
BFGoodrich tires solidly in the stock-car racing arena.
The announcement also signals a major shift in culture for both the
BFGoodrich brand of tires and for ASA. This is the brand's first entry into
oval-track racing, which will complement its strong off-road and road-racing
heritage. For ASA, it is the first use of the radial tire in competition, a
distinct step forward from the previously used bias-ply tires.
"For years, BFGoodrich tires have competed in professional off-road and
road racing and have been very successful in both arenas. But this is the
first time we've introduced the radial tire to oval-track racing," said Herb
Johnson, director of Motorsports for BFGoodrich Tires. "ASA provides a
welcome environment to continue to enhance our BFGoodrich brand racing
portfolio."
A new BFGoodrich tire has been developed specifically for the ASA series.
The racing version of this tire will be the springboard for a family of
passenger tires to be introduced some time in 2001.
Two years ago, the brand launched the BFGoodrich(R) g-Force T/A(R) racing
tire as the spec tire for the BFGoodrich(R) Tires Trans-Am Series. The
BFGoodrich g-Force T/A family now includes four members, including two ultra-
high-performance street tires offering unprecedented dry traction -- the g-
Force T/A(KD) -- and outstanding dry and wet traction -- the g-Force T/A(KDW).
"We have found racing to be a great place to develop and promote a new
consumer product line," said Rick Shafer, marketing manager for BFGoodrich
ultra-high-performance tires. "It has worked well in the past -- most
recently with the g-Force T/A family. We expect to launch the new tire for
ASA in similar fashion."
The shift to radial tires enhances ASA's position as the premier short-
track series in the United States. BFGoodrich brand of tires' involvement,
coupled with General Motors' announcement of a spec 5.7-liter fuel-injected
V-8 engine, elevates short-track stock-car racing to the next level.
"We are very excited to have BFGoodrich tires join the ASA family," said
Brian Robbins, executive vice president for the Indiana-based sanctioning
body. "ASA has long been recognized as an innovative leader in the world of
motorsports and today's announcement regarding the introduction of BFGoodrich
radial tires to short-track racing certainly adds to that reputation.
Combined with the General Motors LS1 V-8 engine program, we believe our
involvement with the BFGoodrich brand of tires positions ASA as the leader in
short-track racing heading into the year 2000 and beyond."
The American Speed Association will open the 2000 season at USA
International Speedway in Lakeland, Fla., in late March. The complete 20-race
ACDelco Challenge Series schedule will be announced in the near future along
with an enhanced television schedule.
"BFGoodrich was the first brand of tires ever to introduce radial tire
technology to racing," continued Johnson. "Back in the early 1970s, we
competed in the Trans-Am and IMSA racing series with the Lifesaver T/A(R) and
Radial T/A(R) and were successful right away. From there, we launched the
Comp T/A(R) line of ultra-high-performance tires that carried us through the
1980s and early 1990s. In both cases, the tires were street-legal passenger
tires first, and then successful racing tires. Given our heritage in
developing the radial tire for competition, it is only fitting that we
introduce it to one of the most popular forms of racing today."
BFGoodrich tires have won hundreds of racing victories and championships
in the three decades since the brand first entered racing, including the
prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona, IMSA GTP
competition, Camel Lights, IMSA GTO, the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, CORR off-road
competition and SCORE championships.
BFGoodrich tires are made for people looking to take control of the
driving experience. They have accumulated countless wins in racing venues
ranging from the extreme g-force environment of Trans-Am pavement racing to
the brutal demands of off-road racing in the SCORE series.