From Jim Hanks
Holly, Mich. – The Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series has announced an agreement naming American Racer as the official and exclusive series tire for 2011.
The agreement is the result of months of extensive research and testing by series officials. “We had three important objectives in mind with this project,” said Must See Racing president Jim Hanks. “Our first objective was safety, our second objective was obtaining a level and competitive playing field for our competitors, and our third objective was to significantly reduce tire costs for our teams. American Racer has worked with us to achieve those objectives and we are looking forward to moving with them into this new era for our series.”
In recent years tires have become one of the most important components in racing, creating a difficult and complex dynamic for competitors and officials alike. As the overall costs of racing continue to rise, the recent challenging economy has made it imperative for officials to step forward with solid and meaningful programs to reduce competitor expenses.
For more than 12 months MSR officials conducted detailed research in the area of tires. The research culminated in an extensive testing program using real-world conditions, designed to duplicate the tire experience in a live racing environment. Based on these tests, with acute attention given to tire performance and durability over an extended period, American Racer presented a product that addressed the three key components of the MSR objectives.
“We approached this issue with great care and attention, because it is vitally important to all parties,” said Hanks. “The end result was that American Racer demonstrated a commitment to quality, price, competitive capabilities, and overall performance. They have stepped up with a product that provides a race team operation cost savings of 40 to 50 percent to our competitors. The most encouraging result of our test is a tire that greatly reduces, and in fact may well eliminate, the competitive difference between a new and used set of tires.”
The Must See Racing / American Racer tire program will be in place at the series opener at Salem Speedway on April 10th and will be in place for all MSR events. The Pay Less Little 500 at Anderson Speedway on May 28th will allow both American Racer and Hoosier tires for the event.
Specific details regarding tire distributors, approved compounds, pricing, and logistics (including a detailed tracking system that includes electronic tire scanning) will be forthcoming.
The Xtreme Sprint Series is based in Holly, Mich. and features unlimited-horsepower winged sprint cars competing on some of the most historic and notable tracks in the Midwest. The 2011 schedule includes 11 events at eight venues
with 10 events televised on a delayed basis to 100 million homes.
mustseeracing.com.