News and Notes: Joe Shear Classic 200 at Madison

When the ASA STARS National Tour rolls into Madison International Speedway for the Joe Shear Classic on Sunday, May 7, it will mark the return of the ASA brand to the Wisconsin half-mile oval for the first time in 18 years.

Sauter-ville: The Sauter family has a played a huge role in the history of short track racing in Wisconsin and in ASA. Jim Sauter won the first-ever ASA event at MIS (Capital Super Speedway back then) in July of 1984. Son Tim won the last ASA National Tour event at MIS on July 17, 2004, and has been invited back as a “Guest of Honor” by the track and the ASA STARS National Tour. He will also serve as color analyst for the broadcast of the race.

And Johnny? Well, Johnny was the 2001 ASA Racing Series national champion and is entered to compete in the 16th Annual Joe Shear Classic this Sunday. He took advantage of the open practice at Madison on Saturday, April 29, and will be one of the pre-race favorites to win his third Joe Shear Classic this Sunday (2015).

READ MORE: Johnny Sauter Making More ASA Memories at Madison

Back in the Saddle: Veteran Super Late Model racer Paul Shafer Jr returns to the driver’s seat at MIS after a year off. A fan-favorite in Wisconsin, Shafer will split driving time for the ASA STARS National Tour races with 2022 Snowball Derby Winner Derek Thorn in the No. 7. Thorn set fast time at the STARS Tour opener at Five Flags Speedway in March before a mid-race crash relegated him to 23rd in the final running order.

Shafer will be seeking his 2nd career Super Late Model Win at MIS (Howie Lettow Classic 2017) and fourth win in the ASA Midwest Tour.

Early Returns: Defending Slinger Super Speedway track champion RJ Braun has filed an entry for the Joe Shear Classic, just days after winning the Slinger and Midwest Tour season-opening event on April 23. The Slinger win propels the youngster into the limelight early in 2023 as one of the young guns to watch.

Last Chance: The stacked 41-car entry list will create a very interesting Last Chance race Sunday afternoon. The top 20 cars in Go Fas Pole Qualifying will be locked into the starting field, with the next four (4) starting spots being secured by the top four finishers in the LCQ. The entry blank calls for a 28-car starting field, with provisionals filling the final four spots.

Record Purse: The Joe Shear Classic will pay $15,000 to the race winner as part of an event record $65,750.00. This does not include payout for the Last Chance race or the $1,000 bonus the fast qualifier will earn for the Go Fas Pole Award.

Stage Racing: The Joe Shear Classic 200 will be run in three stages. The stage breaks will occur at laps 75 and 150, and each of the first two stages will pay a $1,000 bonus to the race leader at the end of the stage – adding to the record purse.

Points: The Joe Shear Classic is both an ASA STARS National Tour points race and an ASA MIdwest Tour points race. Midwest Tour Officials have announced that due to the large car count, each Midwest Tour Team will earn a minimum of 50 points for entering and competing in the event.

On the STARS National Tour side, the race winner will earn 50 points, with second place paying 45 points and then decreasing by one point for each finish position. Bonus points are earned for each stage (10, 9, 8, etc…), as well as for qualifying (five points for the Go Fas Pole), for leading a lap and for leading the most laps. Every team earns a five-point bonus for entering and competing.

Winners Circle: The Joe Shear Classic 200 will mark race two of the inaugural ASA STARS National Tour schedule, and begins to set the seeding for the Team Construction Winners Circle program for the rest of the year. The Team Construction Winners Circle program is a bonus program designed to reward teams who support the series on a full-time basis, and will begin paying bonus money at the Tar Heel 250 at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 25. Top teams meeting minimum eligibility requirements will earn a $700 per race bonus as part of the “A” Winners Circle plan, and $200 on the “B” Plan. The bonus program is sponsored by long-time short-track supporter Team Construction out of Brentwood, TN.

The Joe Shear Classic 200 will mark race two of the inaugural ASA STARS National Tour schedule, set for 2:00 PM CT on Sunday, May 7. Advance tickets are available by visiting the track website at misracing.com/tickets, or at the track office during regular business hours. Madison International Speedway is located ten minutes south of Madison, on Sunrise Road off of Highway 138 between Oregon and Stoughton.

The Joe Shear Classic will be live-streamed on Racing America, MidwestTour.tv and TRACKTV.com. MAVTV will air the event on Monday, May 15 at 8pm ET.

For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).

ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.

The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ASA CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.

The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the Series, thanks to Team Construction.

Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President, Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.

-ASA STARS National Tour Press Release
-Photo credit: Bruce Nuttleman/Ultimate Lap Photo