By: Kevin Ramsell
(Wisconsin Dells, WI) – It’s one thing to win your first ASA Midwest Tour event, it’s another to win it at one of the crown jewel events.
Max Kahler accomplished this last year as he dominated and won the Jim Sauter Classic 200 presented by Don’s Auto Truck Service & Hableman Bros. Company at Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells, WI.
“It was a really big win for us, coming at a very opportune time. It had been a pretty up-and-down season until that point, and to be able to dominate the race the way we did, it was a really cool experience,” Kahler recalled. “We’ve always been competitive at the Dells, so I’m really looking forward to this weekend and hopefully having the same success as last year.”
The Caledonia, IL driver led 152 laps of the 200 laps en route to the victory. For the second-generation driver, this was one of the longest races he has competed in at Dells Raceway Park in his young career. But he showed a lot of maturity and poise during the race.
“As I always say, the most important part of these longer races is being patient and staying out of trouble,” Kahler said. “Sometimes you have a car fast enough to move through the field early, but there’s always time to adjust and make it better later in the race, so keeping it in one piece is a priority.”
It is also helpful to win at a track that he has had plenty of success at, especially when you can fine-tune your car. Which is not a surprise as he recently graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
“I think it’s mostly because we race there so much, we’re constantly going to the track with new ideas and testing new setups,” Kahler explained. “If you experiment enough, you eventually will find something that works well.”
When he says we, he is talking about working with his father, Bob Kahler, who is also a former driver. Working together on the car has created a great father/son bonding experience.
“We spend a lot of time together around racing. My Dad and I do all the work on our race cars, so we are in the shop every day getting prepared for the weekend ahead,” Kahler said. “I’m really thankful to be able to bond over racing and have fun doing it together.”
Get your tickets now to see if Max Kahler will go back-to-back this Saturday night!
Tickets for this Saturday night’s Jim Sauter Classic 200 presented by Don’s Auto Truck Center & Hableman Bros. Company are on sale now by clicking here.
***CLICK HERE FOR THE EXPECTED ASA MIDWEST TOUR ENTRY LIST***
About Jim Sauter: Jim Sauter won back-to-back ARTGO Challenge Series Championships in 1981 and 1982. Over the course of his career he recorded twenty ARTGO feature wins and seven ASA National Series wins before heading south where he made seventy-six NASCAR Winston Cup Series starts, recording four top-tens in the process. Over the course of his career, he won some of the biggest short track races of the day including the North Star 500 at the Minnesota State Fair, Rockford’s National Short Track Championship and the All-American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds.
Schedule of Events for Jim Sauter Classic, Saturday August 30, 2025:
12pm Pit Gate Opens
2pm Spectator Gates Open
2pm Practice Begins
4:30pm Qualifying Begins
6pmRacing Begins
Ticket Pricing: ***CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS***
Adults: $25 advance / $30 Day of Race
Senior (65+), EMS and Military $20 advance / $25 Day of Race
Students (ages 13-17) $12
Kids (ages 6-12) $5
Children ages 5 and under Free
Family Pack (2 adults and up to four youth ages 17 and under) $60
Divisions: The ASA Midwest Tour will be joined by the Midwest Truck Series and 602 Outlaw Late Models.
Location: Dells Raceway Park is located at N1070 Smith Road in Wisconsin Dells, WI. For additional information visit www.dellsracewaypark.com or call 608-253-7223
Past Winners Jim Sauter Classic
2021- Rich Bickle, Jr
2022- Gabe Sommers
2023- Ty Majeski
2024- Max Kahler
Other Past ASA Midwest Tour Winners at Dells Raceway Park
2007- Kenny Richards
2008- Donny Reuvers
2009- Steve Carlson, Frank Kreyer
2010- Tim Schendel
2013- Dan Fredrickson
2014- Travis Sauter
2016- Derek Kraus
2017- Ty Majeski
2018- Johnny Sauter
2019- Ty Majeski
2020- Johnny Sauter
