Travis Sauter Looks to Make it Two in a Row and Keep His MIS Streak Alive
by Kari Shear-Carlson
Apr 28, 2014 – The ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment returns to Madison International Speedway this Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th for the 100 lap “6th Annual Joe Shear Classic.” The feature event will have a break at lap 64. The remaining 36 laps will be a shootout to the finish in honor of the number that Shear carried throughout most of his career.
Saturday will be an optional open practice from 12:00pm-5:00pm which includes free grandstand admission. Sunday will be a full day of racing with qualifying slated to begin at 1:15pm and racing to follow at 2:30pm. Adult tickets are $15; tickets for ages 12-17 and 60+ are $13; ages 11 and under are FREE.
For the past five years, the Joe Shear Classic has been one of the most exciting events of the season and five different drivers have been in victory lane. Nathan Haseleu was the first driver to win the Joe Shear Classic when it began in 2009. Haseleu remembered watching Shear from the stands at MIS but never had the opportunity to race against him. One of Shear’s toughest competitors in the later years of his career, Steve Carlson, took home the trophy in 2010. In 2011, Ross Kenseth won the event. While he didn’t know Shear and never had the chance to watch him race, Shear raced with Ross’s dad, Matt Kenseth, for several years. 2012 was another memorable event when Andrew Morrissey took home the checkered flag in his first ever Midwest Tour victory.
When it comes to fighting for a victory, 2013 was the crown jewel of excitment in the Joe Shear Classic. Good hard racing between passionate drivers all wanting a taste of victory, fans on their feet cheering with every ounce of energy they have in them, that is just the type of racing that Joe Shear would be proud to be a part of.
When you have two Sauters and a two-time series champion all wanting the trophy, the battle is bound to become fierce. Dan Fredrickson and Johnny Sauter put on a show that the fans will never forget. Travis Sauter patiently waited for things to iron out between the two, which they did, unfortunately to the end of Johnny’s day. After the field went green for the final time, Travis showed what he had left as he raced Fredrickson, making the pass and claiming the honor as the 5th Annual Joe Shear Classic winner. Sauter is starting his 2013 season with ten consecutive wins in a super late model at Wisconsin’s fastest 1/2 mile oval.
Will Sauter make it two in a row and keep his MIS winning streak alive? Will a rookie get the job done? Will it be a fight to the finish? The possibilities are endless, so make sure that you are a part of this year’s Joe Shear Classic on Sunday, May 5th.
The ARCA Midwest Tour will also be joined by the Midwest Trucks. For a complete schedule of the weekend’s event, log on to arcamidwesttour.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. 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 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.
