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NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Heading to The Glen
Watkins Glen full course to host 325+ racers
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (Aug. 27, 2016) - The third annual NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires will run at Watkins Glen International September 23-25. The historic circuit is proving to be a racer favorite.
Not only east coast NASA racers, but many from across the country are preparing for the big event at The Glen. The newly repaved 3.4-mile, 11-turn track located in upstate New York will test the more than 325+ NASA racers over three days in September.
Mark Drennan, one the most decorated Spec Miata drivers, is making the cross country trek to compete at Watkins Glen to go for his third NASA crown in the class.
"I've competed in the NASA Championships three times making appearances in 2008, 2014 and 2015 and have won three championships, all of them in 2015 (NASA Eastern Champs, Spec Miata; NASA Western Champs, Spec Miata and one in Spec E46)," Drennan said. "Watkins Glen is an amazing, bucket-list track that perfectly fits my driving style. I raced for the first time at The Glen earlier this year in the MX-5 Cup series where I secured my first professional win. To qualify for the Championships, I raced at my local tracks in the NASA Northern California region at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Sonoma Raceway and Thunderhill Raceway Park. The competition will be stacked this year with a bunch of super talented drivers in the (so far) 54 car field. My picks to come in second (lol) are Tyler Kicera, Blake Clements, Danny Steyn, Todd Buras, and my favorite old and a very fast driver Tom Fowler."
Another one of those team's traveling across country is California based Davidson Racing. The NASA stalwarts are bringing their BMW Norma to run in Super Unlimited and driven by seasoned pro driver Brian Frisselle.
"I can't wait to race Watkins Glen," Frisselle said. "It is without a doubt one of the best tracks in North America and I think it may be my overall favorite. I love how many fast corners it has and the overall rhythm of the track. I can't wait to drive it with the new surface because I have heard it is even faster now! The team hasn't confirmed their plans for the 25 yet but if they do decide to run the Norma at the 25 then the track time at the Glen will be even more valuable."
Brian Casella will be running his Acura Integra Type R in the HPD Honda Challenge 2 Class.
"I have come close, but actually never won a NASA championship," Casella said. "In 2007 I was running second at Mid-Ohio to have a brake line rupture with five minutes remaining in the race. I would like to add a NASA championship to my two regional championships. Racing at Watkins Glen is like driving at the mecca of road racing. The track is the most pure race track I have driven. I have very little time there this year and with the new surface I cannot wait to attend the Championships next month.
Brian will be competing against his brother Robert, adding an extra dimension to the weekend.
"Robert is my brother and we have been racing together now in the same class for five years," he continued. "Competing against him is like adding another level of competition to the race besides the standard podium positions we all strive for. We will do whatever it takes to beat each other even if it is for last place in class. It's all about those family bragging rights."
For additional information, please contact NASA Championships Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468. More detail can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasachampionships.com.
To qualify for the NASA National Championships presented by Toyo Tires, NASA competitors must compete in and score points in five regional races around the country.
About Toyo Tires
Toyo offers a complete selection of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including light trucks, SUVs, high performance cars, and luxury vehicles, as well as commercial trucks. Many of these tires are built here in the United States at our state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia.
About NASA
The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.
NASA Membership
NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.
NASA Thanks Our Partners
NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support: Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, Millers Oils, and GoPro. We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members. We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, Injector Pulse, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Frozen Rotors, Rossini Race Engines, Spec Clutches, Sampson Racing Communications, Winding Road Racing, and Yokohama. NASA competitors can also get discounts from Millers Oils, Mazda, Honda Performance Development, FR.Sport, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Promotive, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School, Tire Stickers, Fuel Safe, Avis, Konig, Winding Road Racing.
NASA at a Glance
* NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.
* NASA has over 14,000 members in 15 regions.
* Key events include the Eastern States Championships at Watkins Glen International Sept. 23-25; NASA Western States Championships at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Oct. 13-16, 2016 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 3-4 presented by Hawk Performance.
* The NASA National Championships will run 31 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.
* NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.
* Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.
* NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.
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