When ASA Speed Truck Challenge president, Jay Rutherford had the idea for starting his Southern California truck racing series 12 years ago, he didn't picture where it might take him. As a gear head his entire life, growing up in southern Arizona, he just knew that he would always be involved with auto racing. Graduating from Arizona State University and becoming a stock broker and Registered Investment Advisor for 18 years never slowed him down from putting together several race teams and eventually owning a Craftsman Truck team.

It was in 1996 at the Atlanta 500, sitting with his close friend and Craftsman Truck Series driver, Kenny Hendrick, that he first penciled out on a napkin what would become one of the fastest growing semi-professional truck racing series on the West Coast. The goal: Allow everyone the chance to race in a competitive series that was fast, fun, and affordable.

In May of 1997, the Mechanix Wear Speed Truck Challenge was launched. Shortly after, Rutherford and long time executive VP with NASCAR, Dennis Huth, (creator of the Craftsman Truck Series and now owner of the American Speed Association (ASA), came to an agreement to bring the Speed Truck Challenge under the ASA sanctioning body and name. As the only ASA sanctioned truck racing series in the country, Rutherford donned the name ASA Speed Truck Challenge, following the ASA's national slogan of "We Build Champions. "

Huth's ASA already had a superior record of building champion drivers such as: Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Alan Kulwicki, Sterling Marlin, Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte, Bobby and Davey Allison, Ken Schrader, Jimmy Spencer, Darrel Waltrip and Matt Kenseth, just - to name a few. Rutherford knew that in order to allow drivers to compete at a higher level of racing competition; the series had to stretch the driver's abilities behind the wheel and not allow it to become "checkbook" racing. Therefore, a "specification" truck racing series with strict rule book would force parity among the entire field. In addition, Rutherford didn't want drivers to get stale driving the same track over and over becoming "one track wonders." "The only way they could get the true experience of driving on different banked tracks, at different distances and learn how to drive on tough road courses, just like the big boys," said Rutherford, "demanded that the ASA Speed Truck Challenge be a "traveling" series."

It now races a demanding 14-race schedule, March through October, on 8 to10 different tracks annually through California, Arizona and Nevada." ASA Speed Truck Challenge is the only place in the country where drivers can climb behind the wheel at only 14 years of age and the 2008 roster will see at least a dozen new Rookies doing just that." The 2008 schedule is littered with speed, taking the Speed Trucks to Irwindale Speedway, known as "LA's 1/2 Mile Super Speedway"; Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway on the Colorado River Fairgrounds; the rough and tumble Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, CA; the newly remodeled Havasu 95 Raceway in Lake Havasu, AZ; the newly constructed "Kern County's New Home to NASCAR (formerly Mesa Marin Raceway; birthplace of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series); and two rigorous 2.7 and 1.9 mile road courses at Willow Springs International Raceway near Andrews Air Force Base and Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix, AZ. The 2008 season will also see the Speed Trucks return to the famed "ESPN Winter Heat" at Tucson Raceway Park in Tucson, Arizona.

The Speed Trucks themselves are true rockets on full tube chassis, 108-inch wheelbase; 375 HP V-8 engines built and sealed by Van Gordon Racing Engines; weighing in at 2,450 pounds. Drive trains are two-speed direct drive transmissions, with Speedway Engineering quick-change rear ends. For seven years now, the trucks have raced on Hoosier Racing Tires and Allied Racing Wheels, powered by Torco Race Fuel and fired by Mr. Gasket's Mallory/ACCEL ignition systems (with specification rev-limiters). Even with power restrictions, these Speed Trucks reach speeds on oval tracks up to 120 MPH and 155 MPH on road courses. The Speed Trucks sport exact replica Norris Racing fiberglass bodies in Chevy S-10, Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota and Toyota Tacoma.

To help grow the ASA Speed Truck Challenge and help his drivers obtain more advertising/sponsor dollars; television coverage had to be implemented. Therefore, for the last seven years, the series has had regional or national television coverage. Starting with regional cable / satellite affiliates on FOX Sports West in 2000, to include additional FOX affiliates through 2003, to the OUTDOOR CHANNEL in 2004/2005, the VERSUS Network in 2006 and most recently, the 2007 season broadcast once again on the OUTDOOR CHANNEL. "We are negotiating with a new over the air network for our 2008 races right now that could take our per race broadcasts into 94-million households every Saturday in "prime-time", said Rutherford." "It should be our best season ever."

With ASA's unique insurance package, all drivers are covered for $500K traveling both to and from the track in addition to actual racing. Just this fact alone has driven much of the Speed Truck interest in this relatively young series. For a semi-professional series, it is quite cost effective as well. With a new race-ready Speed Truck costing only $39,900, a team can get started, run up front and maintain a quality season at about $2,500 per race (much lower than the huge prices of running and maintaining a Super Late Model). As far as speed on the track, the Speed Trucks are only a couple of tenths slower on any 1\2-mile oval.

At only 16, the new 2007 ASA Speed Truck Challenge Champion, Victor Pfluger, has proven that age is no barrier to winning. He won 2007 with a season's finale race in Havasu that looked like a made-for-television movie. Pfluger pulled off the come-from-behind finish to beat the 43-year-old, two-time champion in order to finish in the #1 spot. "The whole season was this way," stated Rutherford. "We have super drivers at all ages with all levels of experience, which leaves the door open for any team to win." "This season, with over 200 Speed Truck qualifying times on ovals, there was less than 9/10 of a second between first and last." " In addition, the first five races, we had five different winners!"

As the ASA Speed Truck Challenge launches into its 12th racing season, we haven't heard the last of this very electrifying and action-packed West Coast series. For more information on the ASA Speed Truck Challenge, go to www.speedtruck.com or call 909-949-4780.