Photos © Doug Hornickel / www.FastLapPhoto.com
ARCA Midwest Tour 2015 Class of Touring Stars Continues…
by Kari Shear-Carlson
Apr 2, 2015 – Jonathan Eilen has been with the Midwest Tour since the series started in 2007. Eilen became the first ever series winner at his home track of Elko Speedway. He was also crowned the 2007 Rookie of the Year. In 2010, Eilen suffered a season ending injury after breaking his back at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. He returned in 2011 and had a rebuilding year. Eilen came back in 2012 and secured the 2012 ARCA Midwest Tour Championship. Eilen has been successful since the start of his career, so it is no surprise that he has become one of the toughest competitors in the ARCA Midwest Tour.
If you’ve been to Grundy County Speedway in the last few years, then you are sure to have heard the name Ricky Baker. Baker was the 2013 and 2014 Grundy County Speedway Champion. Baker has been a teammate alongside Larry Schuler and admittedly learned a lot from him over the past few years. Ricky hopes to extend that knowledge into the ARCA Midwest Tour this year as a Touring Star.
Jason Weinkauf will return to the ARCA Midwest Tour as a Touring Star again in 2015. The Merrill, WI driver got his first series win in 2011 at Marshfield Motor Speedway in front of his family and hometown crowd. That year he was also the Yellow River Racing Series Champion with seven straight regular nights as the fast qualifier and finished second in points. Jason is definitely one to keep an eye on at each and every track and 2015 will be no different.
The 2011 Midwest Tour Champion, Andrew Morrissey, will probably be the first one to tell you that he’s had his fair share of up and down seasons, yet Morrissey is always a top contender and one that his competitors don’t like to see in their rearview mirror. As a 2015 Touring Star, Morrissey’s focus is to maintain an up season and shoot for another championship.
The Touring Star Program for the ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment has been in place since the inception of the series. The program includes the top drivers competing in the ARCA Midwest Tour and some of the best drivers in the country. Past champions, consistent challengers, and up and coming drivers looking to break into the next stage of their racing career, will all be competing against one another for a $30,000 point fund. With the level of competition in this year’s class of Touring Stars, there is no doubt 2015 will be one of the best seasons yet.
Stay tuned as the introduction to the rest of the 2015 Class of ARCA Midwest Touring Stars continues…
Don’t forget to make your plans for the Joe Shear Classic at Madison International Speedway coming up on May 3rd.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (/midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
