Dennis Slane Photo
Oregon, WI (May 5, 2023) – 1977 ASA National Champion Dave Watson has accepted an invitation to be a “Guest of Honor” this Sunday, May 7 for the Joe Shear Classic at Madison International Speedway.
Watson began his racing career on the Midwestern short tracks, winning the 1973 track championship at Rockford (IL) Speedway and the 1975 Slinger Super Speedway track championship.
1976 was a big year for the Milton, WI racer. In 76 events entered during that season, Watson won 41 races – the most in the United States that year. During that magical summer, Watson claimed the Madison International Speedway (Capital Super Speedway) track championship with his Super Late Model, and the Lake Geneva Raceway track championship. He also won two Red, White, and Blue state championship series races at Wisconsin International Raceway.
Watson began racing on two national tours in 1977 – the American Speed Association (ASA) and USAC Stock Car. He took the USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year award and won the both the 1977 ASA Championship and Rookie of the Year.
After short stint at the NASCAR Cup Level, Watson moved on to road racing and won the Most Improved Driver Award in Trans Am in 1983.
In 2015, Watson was inducted into the Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame, as well as the Madison International Speedway Hall of Fame.
The Joe Shear Classic 200 will mark race two of the inaugural ASA STARS National Tour schedule, set for 2:00PM CT on Sunday, May 7. Advance tickets are available by visiting the track website at misracing.com/tickets, or at the track office during regular business hours. Madison International Speedway is located ten minutes south of Madison, on Sunrise Road off of Highway 138 between Oregon and Stoughton.
The Joe Shear Classic will be live-streamed on Racing America, MidwestTour.tv and TRACKTV.com. MAVTV will air the event on Monday, May 15 at 8pm ET.
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.
The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ASA CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.
The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the Series, thanks to Team Construction.
Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President, Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.