"It's about time."

That's how Mike Mason responded when asked about his USAR Hooters Pro Cup debut this Saturday at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, GA.

"I can't wait to get started," said Mason, an 18-year-old driver who cut his teeth at the famed Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, CA. "Ever since I was six years old, all we've done every summer is race. This year, we've concentrated on moving our team from California to North Carolina with an eye on running the full Hooters Pro Cup Southern Division schedule in 2006. Not racing all summer has been tough, but we've finally got our car built and we're ready to go."

Mason's blue and white No. 75 Ford Taurus will feature sponsorship from Team ASE and Snap On Tools in the Peach State event. The car will fly the same colors in the 2005 Hooters Cup regular season finale at USA Speedway in Lakeland, FL, Saturday, Sept. 3.

"We wanted to get a couple of races under our belt this season so we could hit the ground running in 2006," said Mason. "We're looking to get some quality, competitive laps in this year and then be able to compete for a Top-20 position in the point standings and earn a spot in the Hooters Pro Cup Championship Series next season.

"We haven't been able to test as much as we wanted to because it's taken longer than expected to get our car done," Mason continued. "Just making the show at Peach State and being competitive in the race this weekend will be a major accomplishment given everything we've had to contend with this year. It hasn't been easy moving our team and our lives across country this summer, but making the show and having a solid run this weekend will put all of that behind us."

Mason and his No. 75 Team ASE/Snap On Ford Taurus will take the green flag at Peach State Speedway on Saturday, August 13 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

The USAR Hooters Pro Cup event will be televised by The SPEED Channel on a taped delayed basis on Saturday, August 20, at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

For more information about Mike Mason and Mason Motorsports, please log on to www.mason-motorsports.com.

For more information about ASE, please visit the ASE Internet home page at www.ase.com.