A pair of familiar faces to short track fans will anchor the inaugural ASA STARS National Tour season.
Ralph Sheheen and Jim Tretow will reunite as a broadcasting team across the ten-race season. Their partnership in the booth goes back to the 1990’s when they were calling ASA National Tour races together on TNN.
Sheheen was on the first ASA broadcasts on TNN in 1990, with Tretow joining him soon after for several seasons.
The duo has garnered over 70 years of combined broadcasting experience since their ASA days, ranging from local short tracks all the way to the NASCAR Cup Series and across multiple motorsports disciplines. The two have remained friends, united by their passion for short track racing and all forms of motorsports.
Jim Tretow And Ralph Sheheen From 1997 ASA Broadcast at Five Flags Speedway.
“I am thrilled to be back calling ASA races, and the fact that my booth partner will be Jim Tretow makes it just that much better. Some of the best times I’ve had in broadcasting was calling ASA races on TNN back in the 90’s with Jim as my colleague in the booth,” said Ralph Sheheen. “Jim and I had great chemistry on the air and had a lot of fun, which translated through to the fans.”
Sheheen’s return to the booth brings back memories of his time with the old-school cars and stars of the American Speed Association in the 1990’s, dating back to ASA’s first live broadcast on TNN. With a new generation of stars set to do battle starting at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway on March 10-11, he is ready to help write new memories.
“When I think back on those days with ASA back in the 90’s, I quickly think of the legends that were a part of the series,” Sheheen said. “Racers like Mike Eddy and Bob Senneker were as tough as any racer I’ve seen. In fact, the greatest stock car race I’ve ever seen was the first-ever ASA live broadcast on TNN at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Darrell Waltrip, Mike Eddy and Bob Senneker absolutely went at it and Darrell ended up winning by a hair. In victory lane, Darrell told me in an interview that it was the toughest race he had ever been in. I fully expect the new era ASA STARS National Tour to be just as exciting and the races just as thrilling.
“The other big thing that happened with ASA was how many drivers made the leap from ASA to NASCAR successfully. Obviously stars like Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Alan Kulwicki had already made the jump, but during the 90’s Johnny Benson led the next generation. Eventually, drivers like Johnny Sauter, Tony Raines, Jeff Neal and others used success in ASA as a springboard to a career in NASCAR,” Sheheen continued. “I’m excited to see which drivers in the new ASA STARS National Tour will become the next stars to rise to the highest level of the sport.”
Tretow has been a mainstay in super late model racing for the last decade, having been on the call for races such as the Snowball Derby, Slinger Nationals, Winchester 400 and All American 400. Now, he returns to the booth for the ten-race season with an old friend.
“For the last decade or so, I’ve had the opportunity to call several high-level super late model events on Racing America and SPEED SPORT’s streaming platforms, and on MAVTV. I am amazed at the speed and skill of today’s ASA STARS National Tour competitors,” said Tretow. “I look forward to sharing the compelling stories of today’s best of the best super late model racers on the live stream and to a national audience on MAVTV.”
“ASA is back, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to reunite with Ralph on these races. Growing up in Wisconsin as a kid in the stands, I watched the best of the best racing in ASA. In 1993 I got the call to join ASA’s national radio broadcasts, then joined Ralph in the ASA on TNN TV booth in 1996.”
SPEED SPORT.tv affiliate MidwestTour.tv will broadcast all 10 races live.