ASA Midwest Tour PR
BURLINGTON, WI (Monday, November 2, 2009) - Last week the American Speed Assocation Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment along with ASAMT Touring Star Kyle Calmes and his Thrive to Drive Motorsports team spent the day with college students from Skills USA and the Wisconsin Marketing & Managment Association at the Hotel Sierra in Green Bay, WI. The purpose was to meet with the students and give them the opportunity to get up close with an ASAMT super late model and talk about marketing in motorsports.

Steve Einhaus, ASAMT Vice-president joined Kyle Calmes, Hank Calmes and Brian Sollars of Thrive to Drive Motorsports met with members of Skills USA which gave them the opportunity to get up close with an ASAMT super late model stock car.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. It was formerly known as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America). Kyle Calmes participated in Skills USA when he was in high school.

Einhaus, Kyle and Hank Calmes talked about the #9 Chevrolet Impala, how the car is built to follow the rules of the series, how adjustments are made to the car and answer their questions. After a 45 minute presentation and Q&A, the members were allowed to get up close and look over just about every aspect of the car. At the end of the session and per the request of the Skills USA members, the car was rolled outside, Kyle got in the car and fired up the engine.

“This was a unique way of introducing the ASA Midwest Tour to these students,” Einhaus said. “Many of these students are involved in the automotive industry, some were in auto and diesel mechanics and they were eager to look under the hood and learn more about how the car is built. It was a fun experience for everyone.”

Later, Einhaus and the Thrive to Drive team joined up with Kevin Ramsell, American Speed Association Public Relations Director, to present a workshop about marketing in the racing industry to members of the Wisconsin Marketing & Management Association.

The Wisconsin Marketing & Management Association is a member of the Delta Epsilon Chi college division of DECA, an association of Marketing Students. Many of the students in the workshop are interested in working in the area of Sports & Entertainment Marketing.

Ramsell and Einhaus led the workshop that included videos of ASAMT sponsors, drivers and track promoters talking about how they attract and work with sponsors in this sport. Kyle and Hank Calmes also shared their thoughts about attracting sponsors and working with them citing examples of what they have done at ASAMT events for the sponsors.

Afterwards, some of the students approached Kyle and Hank to inquire about possibly assisting them to find sponsors for the 2010 season. “This was great, we even learned a lot from these sessions,” Hank Calmes said afterwards. “This was a lot of fun to meet with the students and it meant a lot to have some students approach us interested in helping us, that made our day.”

A special thanks goes out to Thrive to Drive Motorsports, Steve Einhaus and Kevin Ramsell for their participation with these two organizations. The responses from the advisors and the students were enthusiastic and positive, along with an invitation to come back again in 2010.

For more information on Skills USA, please visit www.skillsusa.org and for more information on WMMA, please visit www.wideltaepsilonchi.org.

To learn more about the American Speed Association Midwest Tour and the American Speed Association Midwest Sportsman Tour log on to sportsman.asamidwesttour.com or call the ASA Midwest Tour office at (262) 514-3880 or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@asamidwesttour.com or Steve Einhaus at steve@asamidwesttour.com.

To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Florida-based Racing Speed Associates or the American Speed Association Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail toinfo@asa-racing.com. For news and information from racetracks and regional tours involved in the American Speed Association, visit www.asaracing.com.

ASA™, ASA Racing™ and American Speed Association® are trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. Racing Speed Associates, LLC is not related to or affiliated with ASA Late Model Series, LLC.