11/14/2024
Southern All Stars
Coltman Farms Racing Southern All Stars Super Late Model Series Under New Ownership
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 14, 2024
(BRASSTOWN, NORTH CAROLINA) The longest running Dirt Late Model tour in America - the Coltman Farms Racing Southern All Stars Super Late Model Series - is under new ownership effective immediately. A group of investors led by longtime racer and promoter Ray Cook has recently purchased the storied touring series from Matt Wagner and is already making plans for 2025. The popular regional tour, which was led by Series Director Dewayne Keith, just wrapped up their 2024 campaign last weekend in Kentucky and celebrated Smiths Station, Alabama ace Dalton Cook as the newest series Champion.
The Southern All Stars Series was founded in 1983 by National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer B.J. Parker, who operated the series until 2002. For more than forty years, the tour has been a Dirt Late Model staple in the Southeast and has produced some of the top stars in our sport. Ronnie Johnson, Chris Madden, Dale McDowell, Randy Weaver, and Mike Head hold the top five spots on the series all-time wins list, while past Champions also include the likes of Jeff Purvis, Clint Smith, Rex Richey, Marshall Green, Duayne Hommel, Ivedent Lloyd, Jr., Billy Ogle, Jr., and Riley Hickman.
“I am excited and truly honored to be a part of the new Southern All Stars ownership,” quoted Cook, who has fourteen career series wins on his resume - good for tenth all-time. “The tour has a deep, rich history and we want to add to that year after year. There were some people that wanted to buy the series just to shut it down. We want the exact opposite… We want the series to thrive and produce the next batch of stars in our sport just like it has for over forty years. Dewayne (Keith) did a good job keeping it going and I look forward to working with him and his staff during the transition to see how we can grow the series moving forward!”
Former SAS owner Matt Wagner was happy to make the transaction with the new ownership group led by Cook, whose first-ever Super Late Model race came with the Southern All Stars at Talladega (AL) Short Track around 1990. Matt had owned the series since 2012 when the Huntsville, Alabama native purchased it from Charles Roberts and David Miller.
“The main thing is that I wanted the series to survive,” said Wagner. “With everything I have going on, I just don't have time for it anymore, but I know Ray (Cook) has a passion for this sport and will do great things. I have to thank Dewayne and David for the hard work and the job they did with the series in 2024. It would have been a disservice to them, B.J. Parker, Lynn Acklin, and everyone who played a part in the success of the Southern All Stars Series since 1983 if it had been simply shut down. I wanted to do everything in my power to avoid that and I look forward to seeing what Ray and his group have in store for the tour in 2025 and beyond!”
Ray is still in the preliminary stages of formulating a schedule for the upcoming 2025 race season, but the current plan is to sanction around 25 races sprinkled throughout the Southeast. The first event; however, is set in stone and will be held on Saturday, January 25 at I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, Tennessee. The Coltman Farms Racing Southern All Stars Super Late Model Series portion of the ‘Winter Championships’ will shell out a $5,000 first place prize. Any tracks interested in hosting a SAS event in 2025 can contact Ray Cook at 828-360 5353.
“Adding the Southern All Stars to our portfolio will allow us the flexibility to book races all year long,” Cook went on to say. “We are going to continue on with the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring and Southern Nationals as normal and then book non-conflicting Southern All Stars dates throughout the remainder of the season. All three series schedules will be announced at the PRI Trade Show in about a month. Another thing we are excited about is the streaming service they already have set up at sasdirt.tv. While our Spring and Southern Nationals races will remain on FloRacing, we look forward to growing our own streaming service with the Southern All Stars.”
More news and information concerning the Coltman Farms Racing Southern All Stars Super Late Model Series will be announced in the coming weeks including a list of marketing partners and the entire 2025 schedule. Be on the lookout for revamped social media pages, as well as a new series website at www.sasdirt.com.
Media Contact: Ryan Delph - Delph Communications
www.DelphCommunications.com