PLOVER, WI – Gabe Sommers Racing headed south this past weekend to Madison International Speedway, a
premier half mile circuit that holds a story of years past in every crack in the aged and abrasive
asphalt. The task at hand? The Joe Shear Classic 200, a test of both man and machine, against
the best drivers that the ASA Midwest Tour has to offer.
Saturday’s practice sessions started off with a bang. The GSR No. 15, historically a strong team
in years past, put their prowess on display immediately by going to the top of the board in the
opening round of practice. Feeling decent about his chances, Gabe elected to work on the car
some more, always hungry to find a few hundredths lying around through small changes. The
Travis Sauter led crew continued to plug away and look for gains throughout the day, resulting in
Sommers never departing the top five on the speed charts across all five practice sessions, and
finishing the day as the second fastest car on the property.
Sunday rolled around with plenty of hope for the No. 15 pit, carrying a strong amount of
momentum from the previous day’s practices. A final pair of quick practice sessions would start
the day for the ASA Midwest Tour, with Gabe winding up back at the top of the speed charts as
the time expired. Qualifying would soon follow, and cars were sent on track one by one in front
of the thousands of fans in the grandstands and those sitting at home via the TrackTV.com
broadcast. Gabe would time in near the top of the board before sliding just a couple of spots
before locking in at the fifth spot. With a fourteen car invert, this would slot Sommers into a fifth
row starting position.
Making the most of on track opportunities would be the name of the game once the green flag
flew on the 200 lap feature event, and Gabe knew from previous years just how to do so.
Wasting no time, Gabe flew up five positions in the opening six laps, slotting himself firmly inside
of the top five and ahead of the fracas of the midfield without a scratch on his Farmers
Promise/Meristem Crop Performance/Kwik Trip No. 15. From that point on, Sommers played a
high speed game of chess against his competitors, carefully making his way into a podium
position by Lap 25/200. The first caution of the day would slow the field just after Lap 50, with
Sommers slotting into the second position for the restart. On the ensuing restart, Gabe would
snag the lead and begin to run away from the field by a margin of over two seconds.
Gabe would command the field for well over seventy laps, during which he’d make a pitstop
around Lap 115/200 for his two fresh Hoosier tires. On the 136th circuit around Madison
International Speedway, the No. 15 would relinquish the lead and return to playing offense for
the remainder of the Joe Shear Classic 200. A brief yellow would slow the field one final time on
lap 173, giving Sommers one final shot to make a move for the win. He’d muster two more laps
led on laps 178-179, but would settle into the second spot in the waning laps, crossing the finish
line as the runner up.
With a strong run like this, and officially putting Slinger in the rearview, Gabe and the crew will
look to wind up one spot better in their next outing with the ASA Midwest tour on Saturday, May
25 at Jefferson Speedway for the Salute the Troops 100. If you can’t make it to the track, tune in
on TrackTV.com to catch all of the action!