Gabe Sommers has made quick work of the Super Late Model learning curve and it showed Sunday afternoon. With just a handful of starts under his belt, the Wisconsin driver earned a top-ten finish at the Ice Breaker 100 at Dells Raceway Park Sunday, which featured a stout field of short track stars.
“I really thought it was a good weekend,” said Sommers. “I was able to accomplish all my goals and it was a great way to start the Midwest season after Speedweeks.”
Sommers qualified his Kwik Trip Allied Cooperative Wysocki Companies No. 15 machine in the 12thposition, locking himself into the 100-lap event on time. The 15-year-old driver quickly worked his way into the top-ten once the green flag flew. He raced as high as seventh and then held steady over the final 25 laps for a ninth-place result.
“The best part of the weekend was making it into the top 14 on time,” said Sommers. “There were a lot of really good drivers and to lock ourselves in was awesome. Once we got to racing it was fun to race competitively with some great drivers, I learned a lot.”
The young driver has also announced his full schedule for the 2018 season. He will be back at it again this weekend for The Thaw at Golden Sands Speedway before heading to Madison International Speedway on May 6th for the Joe Shear Classic. To see Sommers’ complete schedule for the season, click here.
Sommers and GSR have also brought on veteran race car driver Kelly Bires and Kelly Bires Racing Performance (KBR Performance) for the 2018 season. Bires will serve as crew chief, consultant and driver coach throughout the year and will work closely with the Gabe Sommers Racing team to put good cars on the track and help Sommers gain experience behind the wheel of a Super Late Model.
“They are great people that are true racers,” said Bires. “I had the chance to follow Gabe and the whole GSR team in the trucks last year and was very impressed with their preparation, organization and the amount of time they put into their program. I’ve had experience working with several young drivers and driving in the past myself, so that really allows me to help Gabe and the team in so many ways. Realistically we all work hard and so well together we all just do what it takes to put the best car on the track and we can go to each event without worrying about titles.”