by Kari Shear-Carlson
April 27, 2015 – It isn’t very often when one thinks of the history of Madison International Speedway that the name Kenseth doesn’t come to mind. There’s good reason for that with the success both NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Matt Kenseth, and his son Ross have had at the track. Fans can add one more race to the Kenseth history as Ross Kenseth returns to MIS and the ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment on Sunday, May 3rd for the 7th Annual Joe Shear Classic.
The 2011 winner of the event always looks forward to racing at Madison International Speedway so when he looked at his schedule and saw that the opportunity to race was available, he put the plan together.
“It worked out that I was off that weekend and this has been one of my favorite events to run,” said Kenseth. “Madison is a place I feel like I should run good at every time because of the experience I have there. I’m really excited to go back.”
Kenseth currently resides in North Carolina, but when he received a call from Robb Vanderloop during the off season about racing a few races up in Wisconsin he didn’t hesitate. The two teamed up a few years ago at Wisconsin International Raceway and ran well, so the idea made a lot of sense. In fact, when the ARCA Midwest Tour returns to WIR for the Dixieland event later this season, Kenseth plans to be on the entry list.
When it comes to being competitive this weekend, Kenseth feels pretty confident in what it will take to be successful. “I think going back to where we were a couple years ago will be the key. This has been one of my better tracks, and being able to drive off of turn two has always been the key to having success at Madison,” said the 2010 ARCA Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year.
Kenseth will be going up against some of the toughest competition in the nation, but it’s not something he is not used to and is up for the challenge. Having raced against most of the drivers throughout his career, he knows what he will be up against. “I think the competition is just as strong as it’s always been. There are a couple new faces and cars, but the overall strength of the field seems to be as good as it’s ever been.”
The driver of the Smart Motors Toyota and Earnest Performance machine hopes to become the second two-time winner of the Joe Shear Classic this Sunday, May 3rd.
The ARCAMT will also be joined by the Mid-American Stock Car Series and Midwest Truck Series with the drop of the green at 2:00pm. For complete event details log on to arcamidwesttour.com.
Advanced tickets on sale at www.misracing.com
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.
