The success of the Southeast Gassers Association hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Quain Stott, the owner/founder of the SEGA revealed to CompetitionPlus.com com that his Southeast Gassers Association signed a deal earlier this week with Mattel, an American multinational toy manufacturing company’s Hot Wheels brand.

Hot Wheels is a brand of die-cast toy cars introduced by American toy maker Mattel in 1968.

“What we’ve done is we’ve entered in a partnership with Hot Wheels to use the Southeast Gassers logo on their line of Gasser cars,” Stott said. “This could be the shot in the arm that could send Southeast Gassers to the next level.”

Stott believes this partnership came about because of the way the Southeast Gassers Associations conducts its business.

“We’re the only group that races weight to cubic inch, we are the only group that races heads-up, first to the finish line wins in an elimination-style format and these people are seeing that,” Stott said. “We’re the only group that’s going to the trouble to make sure all these little details are right. Those details being, first to finish line wins, no exceptions unless they red-light. There’s no losing because you went too fast because you went under your index. We race elimination style, which means if you lose you go home, and we classify the gassers the way they were classified in the 1960s by weight to cubic inch.

"Plus, the No. 1 detail we use that’s overlooked by every other Gasser group in the world, the Gassers were named Gassers because they had to run gasoline and we’re the only Gasser group in the world that enforces that rule and makes them run gas.”

Stott said the partnership with Mattel and its Hot Wheels brand has been in the works for about six months, and it began with representatives from Mattel sending a message to the Southeast Gassers Association website at www.southeastgassers.com.

“The thing that makes me feel good is I was a Hot Wheels fan as a kid, going back to when I was like 6 or 7 years old,” Stott said. “That’s probably why I love cars so much. I wasn’t a Matchbox car fan. I was a Hot Wheels fan. I wanted Hot Wheels cars. I could physically see the difference in the product when I was 10 years old. The wheels looked more authentic, the whole deal was better, and the Hot Wheels cars would always out run the Matchbox cars on the race track I had set up. I’m 59 years old and 55 years later, what could be more satisfying than that company (Mattel) partnering with me in our racing program. How could you ask for anything more?

"I won world championships in Pro Mod and I have won numerous Pro Mod races and I have won NHRA races in Pro Mod, but this is one of the more satisfying things to have Hot Wheels partner with me because of the heroes I followed through Hot Wheels. Hot Wheels I feel is the company that started my career because when I was a kid you could buy a Hot Wheels car for a $1 and every time I went with my mom to the grocery store I was begging for a Hot Wheels car and drag racing has made me what I am.”

Stott founded the Southeast Gassers Association in 2012 and SEGA is based in Columbus, N.C.

The 11-race 2019 Southeast Gassers Association season begins April 13 at Shadyside Dragway in Shelby, N.C., and concludes Nov. 2 at Shadyside Dragway.

For more information about the Southeast Gassers Association visit www.southeastgassers.com.