by Gregg Paul
The ARCA Midwest Tour presented by SCAG Power Equipment and Lester Buildings is proud to announce that Ross Kenseth is coming back to his home track to race in the 5th Annual Joe Shear Classic at the Madison International Speedway on May 4th-5th. Kenseth won the 2011 event and is elated to return after not racing at MIS in 2012.
“I couldn’t be any more excited,” said Kenseth. “I love racing at Madison in front of the people who watched me get started in late models and it’s so close to Blain’s Farm and Fleet’s headquarters. It’s that much sweeter to have a good run. I feel like MIS is the track I run best at as a driver. It’s a lot of fun to race on. I was fortunate enough to win the event in 2011, it will be fun to get back to my home track after not racing there in 2012.”
Kenseth was scheduled to race in the 2012 event, however rain forced a postponement to a date that Kenseth had a prior commitment for.
Not being able to race at MIS in 2012 has lit a fire underneath Kenseth, as he is eager to show off his talents once again at the famed half mile. A win in the Joe Shear Classic is one that Kenseth would definitely savor.
“It would mean a lot,” said Kenseth. “Farm and Fleet have been supporting me for about 5-6 years now and it would mean a lot to me to get another win in their main area.”
While it is always good to win a race in your sponsor’s back yard, Kenseth also knows about the legacy of Joe Shear and how a win in a race honoring a legend is an important one for anyone’s racing resume.
“I wasn’t lucky enough to meet Joe Shear but I have a good relationship with the Shears,” said Kenseth. “They’re really good people so it would be special to get another guitar with the Shear name on it.”
Perhaps someday there may be a trophy with the name Kenseth associated with it, but in the meantime, Ross knows that racing with the stars of the ARCA Midwest Tour is a challenge. A challenge that if successful, will show that you are among racing’s elite.
“The ARCA Midwest Tour has tremendous competition,” said Kenseth. “Winning any of their events is an accomplishment for any driver. It’s a really fun series to race in because it is one of the few series that have 15-20 drivers week in and week out that really respect their fellow competitors and their equipment, which is why you don’t see a lot of cautions in their events. It’s always a pleasure racing with the ARCA Midwest Tour, because you know you can race hard without beating up your equipment.”
The hard racing in the ARCA Midwest Tour at the Joe Shear Classic gets underway with a practice session on Saturday May 4th. Then on Sunday May 5th, a full day of practice qualifying and racing highlights the day.
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 toarcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@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
