As if responding point-by-point to the ABC Committee, Five Star Body CEO Carl Schultz released an open letter of his own on Thursday afternoon after the group of influential regional short track promoters once again refused to approve the Gen-6 Super Late Model body released on Wednesday.

The current members of the ABC Committee are made up of the CRA Super Series, Midwest Tour, Big 8 Late Model Series, CARS Tour, Northwest Super Late Model Series, the Race of Champions, Southern Super Series and SRL Southwest Tour — a considerable collection of promoters from all corners of the continent.

The two parties have been involved in a back-and-forth for over four years regarding the approval of the next-generation body style for Super Late Models to replace the ones that have been in use since the 2004 season.

Five Star stated an intent to release this body since 2014 but the ABC Committee said it would only do so if the body was wanted by a majority of teams, had equal downforce numbers to the current body and featured a price lock to keep the bodies near the same price as those currently on the market.

It’s also worth noting that AR Bodies has opted to not make their own Gen-6 body at current time, risking Five Star becoming the sole body supplier for Super Late Model teams across the country.

Thus, both the ABC Committee and Five Star have gone back and forth over the past half-decade. It came to a head on Wednesday when Five-Star finally made the body available for purchase and the ABC once again rejected it at current time with a short letter stating that its goals were not met.

In his letter to the short track industry, Schultz addressed each point the Committee has made over the years. That letter can be read in its entirety below.

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Dear Members of the Late Model Racing Community,

Five Star has taken the initiative to invest in the future of late model racing and released the 2019 Late Model body. As a founding member of the ABC Committee, we believe this new body will benefit all stakeholders in the industry, just as the 2004 body achieved. As such, we would like to address a few concerns around pricing, aerodynamics, and participation from other manufacturers:

PRICING

• New body is the same price as the current body.

• A 3% price cap has been established – only to cover annual material cost surges if needed.

• Five Star serves as a sole supplier for several other top racing series across the country, and we have a strong track record of never taking advantage of a sole supplier scenario. Our quality, service, and pricing has never faltered.