The Captain Is On Board
Famed NASCAR Cup Series and INDY Car Team Owner Roger Penske made a surprise appearance during the drivers meeting for the ASA STARS National Tour Father’s Day 100 Sunday morning, further fueling speculation the Milwaukee Mile could return to IndyCar as soon as next year. In addition to owning race teams, Penske is also the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the INDY Car Series. Penske visited the track Sunday morning before the IndyCar race at Road America 65 miles away.
It’s been no secret that Milwaukee promoter and ASA STARS National Tour owner Bob Sargent, along with Wisconsin State Fair Park representatives, have had ongoing talks about a possible race at the facility, which was a staple of Indy-style races for decades.
Dad’s Day Domination
The Father’s Day 100 at the Milwaukee Mile marked the halfway point of the inaugural season for the ASA STARS National Tour – an event dominated by one of the most dominant short track drivers in the last decade.
Ty Majeski earned his second ASA STARS victory on Father’s day, six weeks after inheriting the win at the Joe Shear Classic 200 at Madison International Speedway. Majeski opened up leads of more than 20 car lengths in the closing stages of the 100 mile race, winning by 3.42 seconds over runner-up Cole Butcher. The Neenah, WI racer earned the maximum points possible Sunday; winning the pole, leading the most laps and winning all three stages to earn 100 points. Unofficially, the win extended his point lead over Casey Roderick to 24.
Ty-riffic!
The Father’s Day 100 was a combination race with the ASA STARS National Tour and the ASA Midwest Tour. Majeski’s win was the 32nd career Midwest Tour win in 77 starts.
Midwest’s Best
ASA Midwest Tour points leader Gabe Sommers finished seventh in the Father’s Day 100, the highest finishing Midwest Tour regular in the combination National Tour / Midwest Tour event. Sommers qualified 16th, but used some pit strategy early to gain valuable track position, running sixth by the halfway point. The Plover, WI racer pitted with the leaders during the events fourth caution period on lap 59, and ran as high as fourth at the second stage break (lap 70).
Hard Luck
Justin Mondeik, who entered the Father’s Day 100 second in ASA Midwest Tour Points, saw his day end on lap 59 when he was involved in an incident with Sean Hingorani. Mondeik’s No.44 initially made contact with the outside retaining wall of the Milwaukee Mile, before slamming the inside wall hard on the backstretch. Mondeik was able to exit his racecar under his own power, but the car was badly destroyed. The accident left Mondeik 23rd in the final rundown.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tune-Up
Three drivers who were in the field for Sunday’s Father’s Day 100 will also take part in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Clean Harbors 175 on Sunday, August 27. Majeski, Carson Hocevar and William Sawalich will be back at Milwaukee for the second race of the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series playoffs.
Ty Majeski: “As the race goes on and tires wear out, you learn where the groove is at. You can test until you’re blue in the face but until you get in a race situation with long runs and real tire falloff, that’s when you learn the most. I feel like I really did learn a few things that’ll help me come August.”
William Sawalich: “I think entry speed is a good value. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that with the ARCA car, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how those cars perform here. These are a lot different, they’re a lot lighter and have a little less horsepower.”
Carson Hocevar: “It was fun to run the top here. I don’t think that’s going to be accurate for the Truck but just knowing the bumps here and already having 100 laps is going to be crucial for the day job.”
The ASA STARS National Tour heads to the birthplace of ASA, Anderson Speedway on Saturday, July 15 for the Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400. Tickets for the Redbud 400 are available now by calling (765)642-0206 ext.121 or by visiting the track office.
The Redbud 400 will be co-sanctioned with the ASA CRA Super Series, which will be the second race of the CRA season. Gio Ruggiero previously won at Salem Speedway.
The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on March 11. Ty Majeski is the most recent winner, claiming the victory in the Father’s Day 100 at the Milwaukee Mile.
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.
The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ASA CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.
The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the Series, thanks to Team Construction.
Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President, Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.
