Knoxville, TN/Ridgecrest, CA -- NASA Rally Sport announced today its intention to continue its involvement in stage rally in the United States.

"We thought that it was important that we get on the record as soon as possible regarding the future of the sport in the United States, especially in light of the Sports Car Club of America's announcement that it will no longer continue to sanction or insure stage rally events in the United States," said Ray Hocker, one of NASA Rally Sport's principals. "We want to make sure that our clubman competitors know that we will continue to represent their interests in providing safe, fun, and affordable events."

John Lindsey, spokesman for NASA Rally Sport's parent organization, the National Auto Sport Association commented, "We're pleased to be able to continue to offer a home to stage rally enthusiasts across the country. We are looking forward to welcoming more ralliers into the NASA family and our team of experienced officials will work to make NASA's program as safe as possible to avoid the issues that have led to the demise of other programs."

Regarding the national stage, NASA Rally Sport Principal John K. Shirley added, "we had been working with organizers throughout the US on the formation of the United States Rally ChampionshipSM, or USRCSM, even prior to the SCCA's announcement. While obviously our focus right now will be to accommodate our clubman constituency, in light of the announcement, we certainly are in a go position to work with those and other organizers to keep stage rallying on a national level in addition to our strong regional championships."

"We do want to stress that while we have many established events, in light of the SCCA's withdrawal from the stage rally arena, we welcome all organizers and competitors, without exception, to work together for the growth of our sport," Hocker added.

For more information, contact John K. Shirley, [email protected], +1 (865) 567-2823,