MORRIS, IL- Paul Shafer, Jr. left the season opening ARCA Midwest Tour event in Wausau, WI dejected. After he and his crew thrashed on the car all night after racing that same car at Grundy the previous night, mechanical issues sidelined the Portage, IN driver, causing him to be scored in last place and last in Tour points. Shafer, known as one of the most positive people in the garage area, has bounced back and in a big way. Shafer is amongst the favorites to collect the $5,000 winner’s check on Saturday night August 22 Special Event, the 34th Wayne Carter Classic presented by Rod Baker Ford and Illinois Truck and Equipment.
Shafer finds himself with a semi-comfortable point lead over perennial Grundy County Speedway Champion Eddie Hoffman at the one-third mile paved Grundy oval. With one Chicagoland Championship under his belt, Shafer, the 2013 Illiana (IN) Motor Speedway is looking to add a second title to his accomplishments. Winner of the last two Tony Bettenhausen events at Grundy, Shafer has one win and countless top five finishes in weekly competition in Morris this season. The Saturday August 22 event will mark the first time the Midwest Tour has competed under the new, state of the art, LED lights installed throughout the Grundy Fairgrounds facility this Spring.
Having twice finished in the runner-up point position and in the final ARCA Midwest Tour point standings, Shafer has established himself as one of the most popular drivers on tour, receiving the ‘Larry Detjens Sportsmanship Award’ following the 2018 campaign. Surprisingly, Shafer has just one Tour feature win, while amassing nearly twenty top five performances in ARCA Midwest Tour competition. One such top five performance came earlier this month during the Gandrud Auto Group 250 at Wisconsin International Raceway. Shafer charged hard late in the race, going wheel to wheel with eventual winner Ty Majeski for the top spot, eventually finishing third in the star filled field.
Joining the ARCA Midwest Tour will be the Midwest Dash Series. The Wayne Carter Classic began in 1975 when Tom Reffner defeated Bob Roper in what was the first ever ARTGO Racing event. Spectator Gates will open at 3pm, qualifying begins at 5pm with the First Race starting at 7pm Saturday Night August 22.
Adult General Admission Tickets are $20, Seniors (62 and over) are $18, Students (ages 12-17) are $10 with kids ages 11 and under admitted Free. Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate or can be purchased in advance through August 21 on the tour website. For additional information or to buy tickets for this event, please visit www.midwesttour.racing
As a reminder, due to Illinois state regulations, all attendees are required to utilize proper facial coverings when entering the grandstand or pit area, which cover the nose and mouth. Coverings may be removed while eating or drinking as well as when seated and distanced in the grandstand and pit area. Hand sanitizer stations are available at several locations throughout the facility and everyone is encouraged to utilize these on a regular basis.
ARCA Midwest Tour Release
Photos courtesy of Ricky Bassman
Stay tuned to superlatemodel.com. We will have more from the ARCA Midwest Tour as it becomes available.
Wayne Carter Classic – Entry List
[supsystic-tables id=240]
Wayne Carter Classic – Past Winners
1975 Tom Reffner
1976 Dave Watson
1977 Larry Phillips
1978 Mike Miller
1979 Mike Miller
1980 Mark Malcuit
1981 Larry Schuler
1982 Jim Sauter
1983 Tom Reffner
1984 Dick Trickle
1985 Butch Miller
1986 Joe Shear
1987 Dick Trickle
1988 Joe Shear
1989 Ted Musgrave
1990 Steve Carlson
1991 Kevin Cywinski
1992 Steve Holzhausen
1993 Joe Shear
1994 Joe Shear
1995 Joe Shear
1996 Dave Weltmeyer
1997 Joe Shear
1998 Eddie Hoffman
1999 Steve Carlson
2011 Ross Kenseth
2012 Eddie Hoffman
2013 Jonathan Eilen
2014 Chris Weinkauf
2015 Eddie Hoffman
2016 Ty Majeski
2017 Ricky Baker
2018 Dalton Zehr
Stay tuned to superlatemodel.com. We will have more from the ARCA Midwest Tour as it becomes available.
For additional information on the ARCA Midwest Tour visit midwesttour.racing
