What Won the Race:

Patience, a reliable car, and some luck helped Austin Nason snatch his first ARCA Midwest Tour win.

The Finish:

The Skinny: 

In the final part of the Joe Shear Classic, the top-five leaders all ran into different problems over the final 60 laps. This allowed Nason, who ran near the front all day, to hold off Dan Fredrickson for the win.

Winning Quote:

“I had one slip away several months ago,” Nason said. “As soon as that caution came out and I saw Casey break, I had an automatic flashback.”

On the Move:

Nick Murgic came from the 20th position to finish third in today’s race, a gain of 17 positions.

Biggest Loser:

Bubba Pollard led a large part of the race, but a mechanical issue forced him to fall out and lose out on $10,000. He started fourth and finished 17th, a loss of 13 positions.

Feature Notebook:

Steve Apel takes the lead on the green flag.

181 to go, Bubba Pollard passes Apel for first.

156 to go, Jason Weinkauf takes the lead. 2nd Eilen, 3rd Pollard, 4th Morrissey, 5th Fredrickson.

137 to go, 1st caution for the slow car of Kyle Calmes. J. Weinkauf continues to lead.

Halfway: J Weinkauf, Pollard, Eilen, Morressey, and Nason.

91 to go, Pollard takes the lead from Weinkauf.

73 to go, competition caution comes out for teams to pit. Top-5: Pollard, Eilen, Morrissey, Sauter, J Weinkauf.

60 to go, 3rd Caution for Andrew Morrissey with a problem in the rear. Pollard leads.

46 to go, 4th caution as Rich Bickle Jr. goes for a spin in turn four. John Beale and Bickle Jr will go to the rear.

27 to go, 5th caution for Eddie Hoffman spinning in turn 2. Pollard, Eilen, Sauter, Nason, and Johnson the top-five.

16 to go, 6th caution. Sauter and Eilen make contact, Eilen spins. Both go to the tail of the field.

Pre-Feature Notebook: 

Due to his NASCAR obligations, Ty Majeski is not here this weekend.

Last years winner, Andrew Morrissey, looks to get back-to-back wins in the Joe Shear Classic.

Dan Fredrickson has been quickest so far today, leading both practices.

Johnny VanDoorn set fast time during time trials.

Starting Lineup:

Time Trial Results:

Heat 1 Results (Top 3 advance):

Heat 2 Results (Top 3 Advance):

Fast Dash 1 Results:

Fast Dash 2 Results:

Last Chance Race Results:

Car Count: 30 ARCA Midwest Tour Super Late Models

Entry List: 

Qualifying Format:

Each car gets 2 laps during time trials. The top 16 will be locked in and separated into two heats. 28 cars will make the show

Event Schedule: 

Time Trials begin at 12:45 pm CT
Racing begins at 2:00 pm CT

Who to Watch For:

Bubba Pollard is always one to watch when it comes to a Super Late Models, but Casey Johnson, Johnny Sauter, and other Tour stars want a chance at the $10,000 purse.

Title Fight:

This is the first race of the season for the ARCA Midwest Tour Series.

The Track:

Madison International Speedway is located about 20 miles south of Madison, Wisconsin. MIS is a paved 1/2 mile with plenty of banking and two good racing grooves.

Weather:

After a rough first couple of weeks of racing around the Midwest, the weather could not be more perfect. The sky is blue with no cloud in sight and a high of 67 today.

Next Series Race:

The next race for the ARCAMT will be Saturday, May 19th at State Park Speedway (WI).