Aug. 9, 2010 – Asphalt snowmobiling: A developing pastime
Snowmobiling, traditionally seen as a winter activity, is starting to spread beyond the snowy season. Snowmobile riders who are passionate competitors are now seeing new styles of high-level racing being held in the offseason.
With the creation of the National Speed Association (NSA) Pro Stock Asphalt Snowmobile series, the asphalt-racing scene has grown, giving racers more opportunities to compete in various venues and on different surfaces.
Since its launch in 2005, NSA has grown every year with the addition of a few new racers annually, said Kristin Stanley, NSA administrator. A lot of snowmobile owners who are avid drag racers are drawn to the high level of competition in the NSA Pro Stock series and its unique tracks of asphalt.
Throughout the six seasons of NSA’s existence, it has maintained consistent revenue due to support from multiple sponsors, including Wahl Bros Racing Products, Abbott’s Power Equipment in Waterboro, Maine, Camoplast, MSD Powersports and Millennium Technologies. Long-term relationships with these companies have occurred partly because, “the return on investment for these companies has been positive,” said Stanley.
The NSA Pro Stock Asphalt Snowmobile series was created to supply the need for an organized, professional asphalt-snowmobile drag racing series. After its creation in the winter of 2005, its first season featured six events at race tracks across North America. The association’s philosophy is simple, says Stanley. “Run the series like a business with the racers and sponsors being the highly regarded customers.”
For the past few years, five races has been the standard number of races per year. As a result of the economic downturn, Stanley said that in 2009 the association had to condense the program to the New England area because most of the racers live in the Northeast.
As for the amount of racers, the series averages between 14-15 sleds per event. Overall, there are only around 25 pro stock racers in the country. The average attendance at each race depends on the individual event. Events normally average about 10,000 spectators. psb
