Normally, I like to give NASA members a little something to chew on with these columns, drawing connections between theory and racing or something interesting to think about. I’m sorry to report I will not deliver on that front with this column, but I have been mulling a number of items that are relevant to NASA members.
Championships Fast Approaching
Back in May I put out the notion of setting a world record for the largest number of Spec Miatas ever gathered on track. We had 85 cars at the bucket-list track Circuit of The Americas in 2018, so I thought we could top that in Daytona this year.
The idea got a little bit of traction on social media, but at this point, I can’t place a call to the folks at the Guinness Book because — as I write this — there are 59 cars registered.
That’s still a great field, one that ensures a lot of competitive racing up and down the field, but it’s nowhere close enough to a world record to be able to put the Guiness Book on notice about attending our event.
Oh, well. Maybe next year. It’s still a good idea and something worth shooting for, no matter which track we visit. Either way, I’m looking forward to NASA Championships Presented by Toyo Tires and seeing old friends from around the country.
25 Hours of Thunderhill Back on For 2021
We ran a news brief announcing the return of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill Presented by Hawk Performance last week, and we’ve got a great feature about successful teams and how they tackle the race in this week’s issue.
I wanted to reinforce the scope of this event, how wonderful it is to take part in, and if you’ve never done it, well, you are missing out. Even if you live across the country, I would encourage you to take it on. Come watch it as a spectator first if you don’t believe me. When you see the race in person, it makes you start running checklists in your brain as to how you can take it on.
In years past, we’ve seen teams from Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Canada field a car. It’s always been a spectacle in the U.S. motorsports world, but it’s become a must-do event for amateur and professional teams alike, a true pro-am event at a time on the calendar when there isn’t much racing going on in the U.S.
Registration opens August 1. If you can’t race just yet, come check it out as a spectator.
Take Advantage of NASA Member Benefits
Back when I was working at the AAA National Office in the mid 1990s, the auto club introduced a marketing program, “Show Your Card and Save.” You might remember it. Heck, it might still be an active campaign. I’ve saved on nearly every hotel room I’ve ever booked by showing my AAA card.
But did you know you can get the same kinds of discounts as a NASA member?
NASA National staff has been out pounding the pavement to establish relationships throughout the motorsports community and with national companies outside of racing to provide NASA members discounts on everything from tires to hotel rooms to rental cars and more.
Here’s something to think about, and maybe this idea can be the something for NASA members to chew on that I mentioned at the top of this column.
Without much effort, NASA members can recoup the entire cost of their NASA memberships by taking advantage of just a few of the benefits we’ve been able to provide. Heck, if you have a finicky old BMW like I do, the discount program with ECS Tuning will pay for your NASA membership with a couple of orders.
How cool is that?
