Fredrickson Disqualified, Majeski Wins Joe Shear Classic

Following a disqualification in post-race technical inspection, Ty Majeski has been declared the winner of the Joe Shear Classic 200 at Madison International Speedway.

Dan Fredrickson took the checkered flag in the race, the second event of the ASA STARS National Tour season. However, Fredrickson was disqualified for a carburetor spacer above the maximum limit allowed per the series rulebook.

Fredrickson had been fastest in practice on Saturday before an engine failure. He and his team worked overnight to swap engines in his No. 69 machine.

Ty Majeski crossed the line second one day after taking part in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Kansas Speedway. That gives the Wisconsin driver two podium finishes in the first two ASA STARS events after coming home third in the Sunshine State 200 at Five Flags Speedway.

“It was an up-and-down race for us,” said Majeski immediately following the race. “I thought our car was average. We made some good adjustments on it. We seem to wear tires out here, and obviously we had to go a long way on the first set. Once we put the next set on, it came to life again.”

Part of Majeski’s up-and-down day was an incident with Jacob Gomes on lap 132. With both driver battling inside the top five, the two made contact on the backstretch, turning Gomes into the outside wall and ending his day.

“I guess the same thing that happened last night in the Truck race,” said Majeski. “I thought I was outside of him. He just came up a little bit. Obviously, there was contact made. I hate that happened. I thought I had the run on him and I was out there enough to stay there.”

Gomes felt Majeski hooked him in the right-rear corner to instigate the incident.

“I don’t know. We were sitting there, running a good race, coming from the back in the Last Chance Race,” said Gomes. “We just didn’t have qualifying speed, sat there, and ran good all night.

“I don’t know how that guy got a Truck ride. He crashes everyone everywhere he goes. We’ve got 75 laps. I gave him as much room as I had, and he right-reared us."

Bubba Pollard improved to second place in the final running order with the Fredrickson disqualification. He changed cars following practice day on Saturday and found plenty of speed on Sunday, qualifying third and running in the top 10 for all 200 laps.

Pollard held off Gabe Sommers in the closing laps in a spirited battle to secure the runner-up finish.

“We were all racing hard. I don’t know, it’s part of racing,” said Pollard. “There was 15 to go, what do you do? You race hard. We had a good race car all day. I just made the wrong adjustment there at the break and got us behind. We got stuck in the wrong line behind the 28 and couldn’t get going.

“We had a car, I felt, capable of running in the top three, and we did. Congrats to Dan and Ty, it was a good race. All three of us were right there at the beginning. There were comers and goers, it was fun.”

Sommers had charged from outside the top 10 to fourth on-track in the final 50 laps, as he and his team took on three fresh tires at the final stage break. However, a caution with 17 laps to go for a brief, passing rain shower derailed his momentum and tightened the handling of his No. 15.

“The biggest thing was the cautions at the end hurt us a little bit,” said Sommers. “It got a little tight and the other guys gained some grip. I think we had a second-place car if that last caution didn’t come out. We just ran out of time. We were better on the long run at the end.

“Right there at the end, we started catching Bubba again, about 15 laps in. That’s when our tires started getting back where they needed to be. We just didn’t have enough on the short-run speed.”

-Photo credit: Will Bellamy/Racing America

Unofficial Results
Joe Shear Classic 200 at Madison International Speedway