by Kari Shear-Carlson
April 29, 2015 – When Wehrs Machine and Racing Products decided to become a contingency sponsor of the ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment for the 2015 season, it presented a great opportunity for some additional involvement.
“When Gregg (McKarns) asked me if I would consider designing a trophy for the Joe Shear Classic, I knew right away I wanted to do it. I really admired Joe when I was growing up. It is an honor to make a trophy for a race that honors one of my boyhood heroes,” said Chad Wehrs, founder of Wehrs Machine.
Given the freedom of design, Chad wanted to create something innovative and different, something that stayed true to both the legacy of Joe Shear and what Wehrs Machine is all about. His passion of history and innovation will be reflected in this year’s trophy.
The winner of the 2015 Joe Shear Classic will receive a Wehrs Machine & Racing Products custom-designed clock made of billet aluminum with Shear’s 1981 car machined in the base. “I really liked those cars from the 80’s, when there were no templates, just really innovative designs,” said Wehrs.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products was founded by Chad Wehrs in 1997 simply out of a love of creating parts out of metal. From the age of 12, when Chad turned on a lathe for the first time, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Today Wehrs Machine is making some of the finest racing products in the world and their vision is to continue building the most innovative products on the market.
While Wehrs has a lot of great memories watching Shear race, there is one unique memory that always come to mind. “One of my favorite memories of Joe was at Oktoberfest in the mid-90’s. He won the race and then pulled my ticket for the 50/50 drawing. As we were walking back to the pits together, he looked at me and said, ‘well Wehrs, I won the race today, and I think you won more money than I did.”
This Sunday, one driver will be able to say they won the race, and along with that victory he or she will be taking home a trophy that represents the legacy of one man and the innovation of another.
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 Speedway.
