SPECIAL FROM ASA

Rich Bickle Latest to Enter Iowa 300 at Hawkeye Downs

Pendleton, Ind. (May 21, 2003) – NASCAR Truck Series standout Rich Bickle

will be among those drivers on hand for Saturday night’s Iowa 300 at Hawkeye

Downs Speedway. The former short-track ace from Edgerton, Wis. will drive the

No. 42 Marines.com second car from the Wood Brothers Racing stable.

Bickle was slated to compete in the April 19 BFGoodrich Tires 250 at Concord

(N.C.) Motorsport Park. Daylong rain showers forced ASA Officials to establish

the event starting field on points, denying Bickle the opportunity to compete.

“This will be my first race in one of the new ASA cars,” Bickle said. “I drove one

of them last year at Madison, and it was a lot of fun. I’m looking at this as a

chance to help Wood Brothers Racing, to help ASA and to have some fun.”

Bickle and Wood’s father Jerry grew up together in Wisconsin and have

remained close friends. “I’m trying to help that team improve a little with their

program, and Chad had a great run at Houston Motor Speedway (April 12),”

Bickle said.

Bickle last raced in ASA in 1997, finishing third at Wisconsin International

Raceway. Post-race technical inspection, however, turned up a non-conforming

part on Bickle’s car and he was disqualified. Prior to that event, Bickle raced with

ASA in 1993 at Madison International Raceway, finishing ninth in the Yamaha

Corporation Oldsmobile.

His best career finish came April 22, 1990, when he was second to Gary St.

Amant in the season-opening Buckeye 300 at Columbus Motor Speedway. That

season, Bickle was locked in a tight battle with Johnny Benson for the Pat

Schauer Memorial Rookie of the Year award until the series rolled into

Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the 15th of the scheduled 17 races. A blown

engine in practice cut short Bickle’s season, as he missed that event and the

final two at Nashville and Jennerstown. Bickle earned four top-five and six top-10

finishes that season, finishing ninth in the series points. In all, Bickle has

competed in 25 ASA Racing Series events, earning eight top-five finishes, six

top-10 results and $74,890 in prize money.

Bickle currently drives the No. 9 Fasscore Motorsports Ford truck out of his own

shops in Mooresville, N.C. In his most recent outing, Bickle drove to a 10th place

finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

For his career, Bickle has raced in 65 Truck Series events, winning three races in

1997. He finished second to champion Jack Sprague in series points in ’97 on

the strength of those victories, 15 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. He also won

four of his six poles that season, driving Darrell Waltrip’s Die Hard Chevrolet. For

his career, Bickle has amassed 21 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes in those 65

races.

He made his first NASCAR Winston Cup start in 1989 and ran nearly the full

season in 1999, starting 24 races for Tyler Jet Motorsports in the 10-10-345

Pontiac. In 1998, Bickle earned two of his three career top-10 finishes and

finished 38th in the points for Cale Yarborough’s team. He started 21 races and

earned his lone career top-five finish, a fourth at Martinsville. In all, Bickle has

started 85 Winston Cup events.

In 2001, Bickle drove Tad Geshickter’s No. 59 Kingsford Charcoal/MatchLight

Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series. In 25 starts, Bickle earned three top-10

finishes and finished 24th in the points.

The sixth event of the 2003 ASA Racing Series is set for Saturday, May 24 at

Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The ASA Racing Iowa 300

takes the green flag at 8 p.m. (Central).