15 replies to this topic

[fastrakpr]

I was asked today to address several rumors that are going around about FASTRAK. Please understand that its a tremendously busy time of the year for us and in light of whats going on there, even more so this year. Therefore I might not be able to get on here and address things on the board, but please feel free to email or call me. Anyone that ever has knows I will call or email you back.

The one thing I found pretty hilarious was someone stating something about making my Lamborghini payment. Thats just soooo ridiculous. Boy I wished. I do drive a Hummer H2. It also has 187,000 miles on it too. As you can imagine it was pretty cheap as well. Cheaper than most of you paid for your own car.

1. FASTRAK Corporate has paid 100% of the point money we owe and always has. In most cases we have paid more almost 100% of the time.

2. Points money owed to weekly teams for 1, 2, 3 from each weekly sanctioned track will be paid at the National Awards Banquet in January. Stated from the beginning. Thats plus their trophies and leather jackets. If they can't make it to the banquet, we mail it to them the next week after.

3. FASTRAK Corporate charges to any region (including the south) is only $285 each year to renew the contract. Then $10 per car per touring event. THATS 100% OF IT.
For that $10 per car FASTRAK Corporate pays 100% of all other point funds including Weekly tracks, World Championship and World Challenge equating to HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS GOING BACK TO FASTRAK TEAMS EVERY YEAR. That includes teams from the NE taking a lot of it home. I would say the majority but when you are talking about 48 places in the World Championship and World Challenge plus another 70 or so places at weekly tracks, honestly I don't know who took home the most and even more, don't care who did. Why would I? They are all FASTRAK teams.

4. There are no body changes to FASTRAK cars in 2013. Car at the GRITS show is concept and only concept.

5. FASTRAK will be on the same tire in 2013.

6. FASTRAK offerered a huge insurance discount to ALL WEEKLY TRACKS in 2012 and will do so again in 2013.

7. FASTRAK gives each weekly sanctioned track 100% of their armbands for each season. They have the track logo and FASTRAK logo on them.

8. FASTRAK offers each track up to a $1 a gallon rebate on every gallon of fuel they sell if they use the series fuel as their track fuel.

9. There is NO North versus South in this office. Everyone is a member and all are a part of FASTRAK. If you came to theWorld Championship teams were helping teams from everywhere. No one gave a damn where you lived. People that came know what I mean. People were helping people all weekend long. It was pretty amazing actually.

10. Yes unfortuantely others to capatilize on other peoples ideas. Some may call it the American way. I have other words for it but then again, everyone has their own opinion.

11. I am working on exact figures as I do not want to post anything false, but the corporate office has put HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars back into the North East region drivers pockets.

12. FASTRAK Corporate has sponsored EVERY BIG EVENT in the Northeast. Both the $10,000 to win events at West Virginia Motor Speedway and all 3 $5000 to win races at Mercer Speedway and if I remember right 1 at McKean County.

We didn't want to go to FASTRAK seals or new GM bolts only. We were forced too. We have been in instances in the last two years of engine situations. Bad deals. In both cases neither were FASTRAK or new bolt GM engines. They were other series seals. Thats cost us tens of thousands of dollars to contest. I want to work with other series but not to the point of continuing to do battle with people over illegal engines from other series and having to spend thousands to do so. Thats extra point money we could be paying to you, the FASTRAK teams. We take engines being all GM very seriously and will no longer tolerate other seires using parts other than GM. Either its a GM crate engine or its a spec engine to us. If you want a spec engine, we have one that actually FASTRAK started with then allowed GM crate engines later. Our engine is ALL RACE PARTS and is a real race engine costing basically the same but sounds like a race engine because it is a real race engine

Will a second series cause a split? It already has. Thats why you are posting here and thats why I've been asked to respond. Obviously car counts will go down in both series. Sometimes they wil both be good but people will make choices and that effects the sport. Like you I thought things were going along pretty well. Of course there are personality differences in people. Thats called human nature. Taking someones money until you get going good then split off is called something entirely different. You can figure that out.

Don't let people fool you and treat you as if you were ignorant. You know the truth. I did this when there was no such thing. In 2003 when I went around talking to everyone they thought I had lost my mind. I personally put over 200,000 miles on a new Chevy dually truck promoting crate late model racing and building it into what it is today. I spent countless hours flying all over the country. When I started FASTRAK there was only two tracks in the entire country running crate late models. Wythe Raceway and Cherokee Speedway. Wythe was running the 383 and Cherokee only used the 602. I went another route altogether based on decisions by race teams, not mine.

This series has been built by race teams for racers. We have changed very little in 10 years. I credit the race teams for that. I personally take credit for very, very little of the continuing growth of this series. Im not a person that opereates on arrogance, greed or ego. Most of the time when someone gives me credit its a little embarassing for me actually. I'm proud of you our teams and tracks. I don't need any credit for it. Without you it would have never happened regardless. I consider most of you family. Yes familes chew each others butts out now and again but that doesn't mean you aren't still family.

Believe what you want. Support what you will. FASTRAK has always stood behind everything we do and we will continue to do so. Brad Hibbard is still the tech man and as far as Im concerned always will be. Yes some other people did a good job there, but Brad Hibbard ran 100% of the touring events there for a long time. Most of the time completely by himself. In my humble opinion Brad Hibbard is to be given as much or more credit for building the NE Region as anyone. Ive always seen it that way and always will.

Use you heads folks. The truth is the truth. You may not have like what Ive said from time to time but I don't lie to you about anything. You know what FASTRAK is and you know what FASTRAK does. Trust who you will. I am a proud man of what you have accomplished there, as I am of what all FASTRAK teams have accomplished everywhere. People talk like hell about me but I am really over it. You know what I do. I do it with integrity and sleep well at night. This post will probably be used against me later on but I give it my best and if you ask me thats all you can ask of a man.

Yankee or Rebel I appreciate you all LOL;


Stan Lester
sl@fastrakracing.com

678-935-7304

Edited by fastrakpr, 26 November 2012 - 07:15 PM.

[CFR75]

I for one hope that most of the Fastrak NE competiors would continue to support fastrak/Stan Lester and brad Hibbard and show there loyalty for all they have done over the last several years and the tracks that have been fastrak stick with them because I was hoping to contend for the fastrak NE championship and hopefully be able to give guys like max Blair and mike Pegher a run in the points this year. Hopefully Stan will have a lot bigger paying national races in our area closer to home and bring some of the southern guys up This way also. Colton Flinner

[Racechick69]

How many NE races did you even attend this year or in past? I don't remember the 75 leaving much around the PPMS area other than traveling to 8-10 hours to SC for small regular shows, when you could've been at World Championship or other various races? Hmmmm. And as for bigger races and Southern guys coming up here. That will never happen when they're pill drawing and picking pills. Ive talked to a couple guys personally and they just laugh at the current format and say I dont know how the drivers do it.

Edited by Racechick69, 26 November 2012 - 09:04 PM.

[CFR75]

Last two years I've competed in a few selected ones that we wanted to attend but was focused on the PTs at Ppms and as far as the world championships I was not elegible saying I nvr joined fastrak would have loved to do it but couldn't! That's why we went to NORTH CAROLINA to race at 311 speedway where my friend lives but this year I would like to do the full tour if everything works out. Thanks Colton

[Racechick69]

Ok I was just confused on that post and what you had stated. I understand now, but to join Fastrak is $150 and 311 was non fastrak race . I understand now though!

[GEARHEAD]

That will never happen when they're pill drawing and picking pills. Ive talked to a couple guys personally and they just laugh at the current format and say I dont know how the drivers do it.

They pass other cars, that's how they do it. Something few drivers in the south know how to do.

[Racechick69]

Every National Tour does time trialing. And When you TT most of the time the better cars are up front and leads to better racing for the drivers and fans. This way you don't junk your stuff with clowns dooring/not holding lines in the front of the heat races that A.) never show up to tours or B.) dont even work on their cars during the week. This isn't a handicap racing series or golf league. Most people spend a lot of time and money on these racecars just to do what they can just to even race, so why handicap those who work hard to be where theyr'e at with their race program.

[94.3-RADRACER]

well, i hope 7 and eriez are still a go.

[TheLegend]

Stan you say when a worker quits to go on his own some call that the American way ... And those people would be correct , but you say that you call it something else ?? What exactly would you call it ? Back in 2000 I worked as an employee then a subcontractor for an elite deck building company , from being a perfectionist being around racing my whole life I quickly seen better ways to do everything they did . So I left and started my own deal and now I'm widely recognized as one of the top 5 in the country, in fact finishing second in a competition of elite deck builders last year without even entering my best stuff .... Some would call my story the American way as well ... Do you have another term for what I did ? Yes my Lamborghini comment was over the top but I've learned from Limbaugh to demonstrate absurdity by being absurd. And I stand by my statement that a hundred dollar entry fee for a race that doesn't even pay a hundred to start doesn't make sense. I don't care who gets the money or where it goes it doesn't make sense. Even if it goes back to the racer part of it would still be lost in administrative expenses. For the record I'm against entry fees at any level

[TheLegend]

Stan you say when a worker quits to go on his own some call that the American way ... And those people would be correct , but you say that you call it something else ?? What exactly would you call it ? Back in 2000 I worked as an employee then a subcontractor for an elite deck building company , from being a perfectionist being around racing my whole life I quickly seen better ways to do everything they did . So I left and started my own deal and now I'm widely recognized as one of the top 5 in the country, in fact finishing second in a competition of elite deck builders last year without even entering my best stuff .... Some would call my story the American way as well ... Do you have another term for what I did ? Yes my Lamborghini comment was over the top but I've learned from Limbaugh to demonstrate absurdity by being absurd. And I stand by my statement that a hundred dollar entry fee for a race that doesn't even pay a hundred to start doesn't make sense. I don't care who gets the money or where it goes it doesn't make sense. Even if it goes back to the racer part of it would still be lost in administrative expenses. For the record I'm against entry fees at any level

[94.3-RADRACER]

100 fee is a 2000 to win or grater......and 200 or more to start...

[fastrakpr]

Stan you say when a worker quits to go on his own some call that the American way ... And those people would be correct , but you say that you call it something else ?? What exactly would you call it ? Back in 2000 I worked as an employee then a subcontractor for an elite deck building company , from being a perfectionist being around racing my whole life I quickly seen better ways to do everything they did . So I left and started my own deal and now I'm widely recognized as one of the top 5 in the country, in fact finishing second in a competition of elite deck builders last year without even entering my best stuff .... Some would call my story the American way as well ... Do you have another term for what I did ? Yes my Lamborghini comment was over the top but I've learned from Limbaugh to demonstrate absurdity by being absurd. And I stand by my statement that a hundred dollar entry fee for a race that doesn't even pay a hundred to start doesn't make sense. I don't care who gets the money or where it goes it doesn't make sense. Even if it goes back to the racer part of it would still be lost in administrative expenses. For the record I'm against entry fees at any level

You seem like an intelligent person. I think we can both agree that someone furnishing $200,000 - $250,000 in point money for your teams to compete for each year and building decks are two completely different things. I'm not sure how the two could even be compared. Glad to hear your business is going well. Most people can't say that this day and time.

This office only sets the entry fees in the Southern Region. THE ENTRY FEES FOR EACH REGION ARE SET BY THAT REGION. THAT REGION (IN THIS CASE THE NE) MADE THEIR OWN PURSES AND ENTRY FEES AND THEY KEPT THOSE, not this office. If you were told otherwise, it was simply not the truth.

In the South/Mid East the minimum to win is $2000 and to start is $250. I actually lowered my entry fees. The $5000 to win races used to be $150 and the $10,000 to win races $200. When the economy turned sour I dropped everything to $100. I was trying to help.


Im assuming your company operates with a profit. I assume you have someone in your office that does the books, invoices etc for you too. .Why wouldn't we have the same type of personel you do? Are we not allowed to operate a profit? Why would I go to the trouble of workong my tail off you provide all this point money you can compete for and not at least have the opportunity to make a profit?

Man its tough to go out and get $200,000 plus in point money to compete for? How many series do you know that have that sort of championship monies?

[TheLegend]

You seem like an intelligent person. I think we can both agree that someone furnishing $200,000 - $250,000 in point money for your teams to compete for each year and building decks are two completely different things. I'm not sure how the two could even be compared. Glad to hear your business is going well. Most people can't say that this day and time.

This office only sets the entry fees in the Southern Region. THE ENTRY FEES FOR EACH REGION ARE SET BY THAT REGION. THAT REGION (IN THIS CASE THE NE) MADE THEIR OWN PURSES AND ENTRY FEES AND THEY KEPT THOSE, not this office. If you were told otherwise, it was simply not the truth.

In the South/Mid East the minimum to win is $2000 and to start is $250. I actually lowered my entry fees. The $5000 to win races used to be $150 and the $10,000 to win races $200. When the economy turned sour I dropped everything to $100. I was trying to help.


Im assuming your company operates with a profit. I assume you have someone in your office that does the books, invoices etc for you too. .Why wouldn't we have the same type of personel you do? Are we not allowed to operate a profit? Why would I go to the trouble of workong my tail off you provide all this point money you can compete for and not at least have the opportunity to make a profit?

Man its tough to go out and get $200,000 plus in point money to compete for? How many series do you know that have that sort of championship monies?

I appologize if I sounded like a liberal because I'm an anti liberal / pro capitalist as anyone out there. The point of your series should be for tracks drivers and fans to love the events and for you to hopefully make more money off the series than you could working in any other field . I absolutely agree , how ever charging an entry fee would be like me paying my guys $25.00 per hour bit making them pay me $5.00 an hour at the beginning of the week instead of just paying them $20.00.

[TheLegend]

Inspite of my complaints I still wish there was a northeast series like fastrack for super lates lol

[fastrakpr]

Inspite of my complaints I still wish there was a northeast series like fastrack for super lates lol

I appreciate you and I appreciate you being honest.

Theres something coming that might just be of interest too you. Can't talk about now because its not quite 100% but its sure going to be interesting. Keep your ears open.

[DavyLee2]

I appreciate you and I appreciate you being honest.

Theres something coming that might just be of interest too you. Can't talk about now because its not quite 100% but its sure going to be interesting. Keep your ears open.

I understood what you meant .. But taking knowledge learned from you (fastrack ) and selling it in a different region or the same region and proclaiming follow me could be called the : " the American way " (because Americans are free to do do what they like) But .. Its more like the CHinese way ! There are " rights to compete clauses in many company handbooks or contracxts agreed to .. Maybe you need one in yours ...Stan you have stepped out there into the jungle as the Guide to Crate Latemodel racing and from a Spectator possision have displayed nothing short of the most respectfull organization since 2003 ( as you stated) .. Its tragic there are people who take your sweat and try to sell it !.. Its like buying a Monkey wrench at HArbor Freight and then finding the tightest fitting to loosen while aiming the wrench handle at your forehead ! There will always be people looking for the allot for allot less but they always GET ALLOT LESS!
Congrats on almost 10 years !! of tremendous growth ! Im sure i can speak for Many ( Like Colton stated ) that Dream of Racing in your wonderfull series!