Long-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series announcer Johnny Gibson will trade the dirt for the pavement this weekend, joining the call for the inaugural ASA STARS National Tour Sunshine State 200 at Five Flags Speedway.
Gibson started with the Outlaws as PA announcer in 1997 and has announced close to 2,200 consecutive races for the series over the past 27 years. He has called some of the biggest Sprint Car races on the planet, including the Knoxville Nationals, King’s Royal, and the National Open.
It will be unfamiliar territory for Gibson, as this will be his first time announcing a pavement race. However, he does have some exposure to the former ASA National Tour. He attended a race at Oswego Speedway (NY) in July 1985. Dick Trickle won the 150-lap race that day over a field that included NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, and Bobby Allison.
“It’s definitely out of my comfort range, but it’s always nice to do things like that once in a while,” said Gibson. “What better way to be on the mic for my first-ever pavement race than with two iconic names, ASA and Five Flags Speedway.”
Gibson’s connection with Track Enterprises goes back to his start as World of Outlaws announcer in the 1990’s, having called series events promoted by Track Enterprises at the Sprigfield Mile, Paducah International Raceway, and other tracks in the Midwest.
He hopes that this weekend’s race can act as a collaboration between the pavement world and the dirt world, doing good for all of short track racing in general.
“I’m just looking for a new challenge or maybe a fun collaboration with people who normally don’t get to hear my voice or the way that I do things. I think it’s a way of cross-promoting motorsports in general. Pavement fans may not be familiar with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and some Sprint Car people may not have much of an interest in pavement racing. We’re all helping each other, as we’re all one motorsports family.”
He will be in the booth with Bill Roth and Adam Mackey at Five Flags Speedway Saturday night.
The ASA STARS National Tour will open the 10-race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Advance tickets are available for purchase online at https://bit.ly/ASA5FlagsTixs.
The Sunshine State 200 will be live-streamed on both Racing America and TRACKTV.com. MAVTV will air the event on Monday, March 20 at 8pm ET.
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at www.starsnationaltour.com, and be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
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