by Kari Shear-Carlson / May 2nd, 2016 – The ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment opened up the season at Madison International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. After rain quelled the chances for practice on Saturday, it didn’t steal the thunder on Sunday for the 8th Annual Joe Shear Classic.
With a great crowd on hand, Ty Majeski continued to prove his talent earning fast time and overtaking the field of 24 cars in the 100 lap, caution free event.
As starter Tom White waved the green flag, Dennis Prunty and Jason Weinkauf set the pace. Prunty took the top spot as the field came around to complete lap one. Weinkauf fell into second but stayed on Prunty’s bumper as the rest of the field raced side-by-side.
Nick Murgic was on his own in the third spot and Jonathan Eilen and Chris Weinkauf raced side-by-side for fourth, Weinkauf eventually taking over the spot. After starting 10th, Majeski followed Weinkauf around Eilen and was up to fifth. He quickly looked under Weinkauf and snagged the position. With the on-going challenge for first still underway, Murgic closed in on the top two, but Majeski was rapidly catching him, his sights set on the top spot.
Johnny Sauter started in 23rd, but was flying through the field in pursuit of his second Joe Shear Classic victory. Meanwhile up front, the top three approached lapped traffic allowing Majeski to close the gap.
Prunty opened up the lead a little bit only to have Jason Weinkauf move right back onto his bumper. Murgic tried to take advantage of Weinkauf’s move to the outside of Prunty, but the three settle back in line. Majeski was patiently waiting for them to sort things out. Once the opportunity arose, he went around Murgic on the outside and made the cross-over move to take second from Weinkauf. It didn’t take long before he made his move to the inside of Prunty and overtook the lead, immediately pulling away.
Only 33 laps into the 100 lap event, Johnny Sauter was all the way up to sixth with no signs of slowing down. Murgic and Jason Weinkauf were running side-by-side for third allowing Chris Weinkauf and Johnny Sauter to close in. Sauter made the move to the inside taking over fourth from Weinkauf and immediately went to work on Murgic and Jason Weinkauf. With 45 to go, Sauter was up to third. Thirteen laps later he passed Prunty on the outside, but Majeski now had almost a full-straightaway lead.
Johnny closed within two seconds behind Majeski but just didn’t have enough time to catch him. Sauter settled for second behind Majeski, Dennis Prunty held on for third. Chris Weinkauf finished fourth and Travis Sauter made his way through the field to round out the top five.
Next up for the ARCA Midwest Tour is the Cabin Fever 100 on Saturday, May 14th at State Park Speedway in Wausau, WI. Last year, Tim Sauter and Ty Majeski traded paint all the way to the finish line in one of the most exciting finishes of the year.
For the full schedule of events, go to www.arcamidwesttour.com.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (/midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the ARCA 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.
