PLOVER, WI – Gabe Sommers Racing headed to Minnesota for the ASA Midwest Tour’s return to Elko Speedway for their Thunderstruck 93 program. With it being GSR’s first trip to Minnesota’s only asphalt race track, it was uncertain as to how the day would play out as they headed west from Plover.
The day would kick off at noon sharp as the pit gates swung open, welcoming Super Late Model teams from across the Midwest into the pit area for the first time in over half a decade. Thunderstruck 93 has been arguably Elko Speedway’s largest event of the season since its inception, with winners like Jacobe Goede, Dalton Zehr, and Ty Majeski all hoisting the custom guitar trophy in previous years. With the impressive pedigree came a solid car count for the day. A total of 21 Super Late Models would roll onto the speedway grounds and into technical inspection. The No. 15 would unload and get through tech with no problems, with the Travis Sauter led crew getting to work on preparing for practice.
Gabe rolled out for his first laps on the ⅜ mile bullring and immediately went to P2 on the leaderboard after only five laps on track. With characteristics similar to Dells, it was easy to see why Sommers was able to find speed so quickly. A few changes were made to help combat changing track conditions, and the crew readied themselves for their second and final practice session of the day. GSR would send out Sommers for multiple runs, with him able to lock down the top spot in the process. Feeling confident, they would strap on a fresh set of Hoosier tires to break in before qualifying.
A light rain disturbed the program for the better part of an hour, but a fleet of racecars dried the track relatively quickly. Unfortunately for Gabe, he would be the very first car set to qualify for the ASA Midwest Tour. The No. 15 was good enough for a 14.124 second lap on the fresh racing surface, placing him eighth on the charts once all cars had finished their runs. With the earlier rain slowing down the night’s progress, officials elected to cancel the Odd/Even dashes and Qualifiers, moving straight to the 125 lap feature at the conclusion of the local divisions’ features.
Rolling off from the third spot, Sommers would have a shot to capitalize on track position early in the 125 lap main event. As soon as the green flew, it was clear that contact would be the primary mode of passing with such even racing grooves all the way around the ⅜ mile. Gabe would quickly roll up to the second spot, but a cluster of cars would challenge for the top spot in the opening five laps, shuffling the No. 15 back to third. Contact between the lead pair sent them both spinning on Lap 6, and for a second it looked like Sommers would be commanding the race upon the restart. However, one of the leaders reclaimed his spot under caution, but it didn’t matter. Gabe would poke the nose of his racecar out front and into the lead for a few laps before slipping back one spot, conceding the lead. Another caution, this time for some spinners in the back of the field, would slow the drivers to a crawl with under twenty laps complete. As green flag racing resumed, it was clear that Gabe was handling an extremely tight racecar, made worse by heat cycles resulting from the early cautions. At the halfway point, the No. 15 had slid to sixth place in the field, with the leaders growing smaller in his windshield. Hanging on while the laps clicked off, Sommers fended off multiple challenges from other drivers for his spot, pointing his way towards the lap 93 break.
Once the field had stopped for the ten minute break, Travis and the crew went to work on their machine, looking to make the No. 15 go forward in the final 32 laps of Thunderstruck weekend. No new tires were allowed on the pit stop, putting an emphasis on the driver’s ability to adapt to his car and the changing track conditions. Gabe would choose the bottom line on the cone, restarting from the inside of the third row. Tight racing would keep a cluster of 3-4 cars bumper to bumper for third through sixth as Gabe managed to sneak his way into the top five of the running order. Door to door, Sommers would make his way to the bumper of the third place car before contact would send him shuffling back to sixth place out of turn four on the final lap.
As we look into the future and put Elko in the rearview, it’s time to prepare for the biggest event of the season for the Midwest short track scene. We will be at Lacrosse Fairgrounds Speedway’s Oktoberfest, from October 3-6, for our next event, tentatively set to partake in both the Trickle 99 on Friday night, and the Oktoberfest 200 on Sunday. This is one race you will not want to miss, so make sure to grab your tickets now! As always, all races during Oktoberfest weekend will be broadcasted live on TrackTV.com.