News

Fraser on the Road to ASA Debut (7/12/00)
Chicago, Il. -    They call it the windy city and Scott Fraser is about to blow in to town - Chicago, that is. The Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia native will make his American Speed Association debut at the new Chicago Motor Speedway this weekend. The car Fraser drives will carry his trademark No. 00, be sponsored by King Freight Lines, and be fielded by M & R Racing, headed by Roland (Rollie) MacDonald out of Pictou, Nova Scotia.

   "This is what we've been working towards," said Fraser, 30. "Everything we've done the past few years has been aimed at making a career move - one which will take us on the path to our ultimate goal - NASCAR.

   "We put this deal together with Rollie more than a year ago," said Fraser. "We started in Florida in February of 1999, then made plans last year to do something for this year. But it's a huge jump, especially from Maritime Canada. Our biggest concern was to make sure that when we got somewhere that we felt we could be competitive. The ASA ACDelco Series is a natural for us from a competitive standpoint because the cars are so similar to what we've been running."

   Fraser first began racing in 1987 at Onslow Speedway, which was located just outside Truro, Nova Scotia and has since closed. He moved to a touring series, MASCAR in 1992 while still competing in another division in a weekly racing series - finishing Rookie of the Year runner-up with MASCAR and winning the championship in the other car. In 1996, he dominated the MASCAR series with 12 wins on the 15-race schedule, capturing the championship, a feat he repeated in 1997. In 1999, Fraser won the International Pro Stock Challenge (IPSC) championship. He has six consecutive wins in the most prestigious stock car race in Eastern Canada - the Riverside 250. His racing resume also includes a win with the now defunct ACT series. Fraser has been driving cars built in his own race shop since the early 90s.

   Fraser and MacDonald placed an order for their first ASA car back in March but a slow delivery process didn't see them take possession until early June. With half of the 2000 ASA season complete, they decided to make a limited run with the series this year in preparation for a full season in 2001. Fraser can run as many as eight ASA races this year and still be eligible to compete for ASA Rookie of the Year next year.

   "That's our plan," said Fraser. "But we've got to get a sponsor. It's a huge business, racing, and in order to be competitive we've got to come up with some major dollars. We've got enough to do the limited schedule this year, but I should point out the quarter panels are empty if there is anyone out there who would like to see their name on our car. Hopefully, we can do well and start the ball rolling for next year. We're looking into other avenues as well, including talking to a company in the U.S. about representing us in a sponsor search and beyond."

   Fraser's tentative ASA schedule for 2000 is as follows (TNN broadcast times in brackets): July 16 - Chicago Motor Speedway, Cicero, IL (3:00 EST); July 30 - Toledo Speedway, Toledo, OH (3:00 EST); August 6 - Jennerstown Speedway, Jennerstown, PA (1:00 EST); August 27 - The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, WI (3:00 EST); September 4 - Minnesota State Fair Speedway, St. Paul, MN (1:30 EST).

   The ASA ACDelco Series will make its first stop in Illinois and initial visit to the new, state-of-the-art Chicago Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16. The series will make an appearance with the USAC MCI WorldCom Midget Series. Saturday activities will begin with practice at 10 a.m. (Central). ASA qualifications take place at 2:30 p.m. and the 100-lap qualifier race is slated to take the green at 6 p.m. On Sunday, July 16, the exclusive ASA on-track autograph session is scheduled to begin at noon with pre-race ceremonies starting at 1:15 p.m. The USAMeats.com 200 will go green at 2 p.m.

   Fraser returns to his roots periodically during the ASA run this year, with races in the IPSC at Halifax, Nova Scotia's Scotia Speedworld on July 22, August 18 & 19, and September 9.

   "I'm sure it will feel good to get home," said Fraser as he prepared to leave on his journey. "Hopefully, we'll have something good to talk about."