17-Year-Old Paul Shafer Jr., Looking To Finish Rookie Season Strong In ARCA/CRA Super Series
One last new track remaining before the final two that he's been too (Special from Shafer Motorsports)
September 12, 2014
Portage, Indiana (September 12, 2014) – It's been a learning experience for 17-year-old
rookie, Paul Shafer Jr., in the ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS. While he is in
second place in the chase for the 2014 Rookie of the Year title while also sitting an
impressive fifth overall in the points standings, the wins have eluded the Portage, Indiana
driver on the touring side of things. While he does have victories at his home track of
Illiana Motor Speedway (IN) in weekly Super Late Model competition, that success hasn't
carried over to the ARCA/CRA Super Series.
Shafer Jr., hopes to change that over the weekend of September 13-14th. The 53rd Annual
Tony Bettenhausen Memorial 100 will be held at Illiana on Saturday, September 13th.
Shafer Jr., is the reigning Super Late Model Track Champion and hopes he can close out
his home tracks schedule with a win in one of the most prestigious races held at the fast
1/2 (0.500) mile semi-banked paved oval.
"We raced Illiana last Saturday as a test session for the Bettenhausen. We had a pretty
good car, making our way up to as high as third. But with 10 to go a flat tire sent us
backward fast." The Hoosier State teenager explained. "I'm excited to go back to the
Bettenhausen for the third straight year. It's a great event with tough competition coming
from all around. I feel like (Crew Chief) Chris (Purdy) gave me a good car last week, only
for bad luck to end the night. Hopefully we can get a good finish to give us momentum going into the race at Kil-Kare on Sunday." He added.
As for Kil-Kare Speedway (OH), the tricky 1/3 (0.333) mile semi-banked paved oval located southeast of Dayton in Xenia, Ohio is the final track on the 2014 ARCA/CRA Schedule that Shafer Jr., and his Shafer Motorsports Team has not raced at before. I've heard some interesting things about the place. I've never seen it before, but from what I hear, it has about seven turns and you never get wide open." Laughed Shafer Jr.
"I'm not too worried about a new track this week. I'm more worried about the bad luck we've been having. So if we can find some way to avoid the bad luck, then hopefully we end up with a decent finish to gain some points on rookie leader Wes Griffith Jr." He stated. At the last ARCA/CRA race, the Winchester 100 at another new track to the team, the legendary 1/2 (0.500) mile high-banks of Winchester Speedway (IN), he struggled to a 14th place finish, but now has a notebook to work off of for the final points race of the season for the series; the 43rd running of the Winchester 400.
"The bad luck struck again at Winchester. We were decent during practice, but qualified pretty bad. On the first lap of the race, someone on the outside of us broke a pan hard bar. He came down and bent the right front upper. I stayed out, but by lap 40 we broke a stud on the left rear hub." He continued. "That effectively ended the day for us, but we kept turning laps after we fixed that hoping to learn a little something for the 400 next month." He ended.
Shafer Jr., remains firmly in second place in the chase for the 2014 Rookie of the Year title. He's 64 points back of Griffith Jr., for the freshman title. He also has one top five, a career high fourth place finish at Flat Rock Speedway (MI), to go with four top 10 finishes. Shafer Jr., is solidly fifth in the overall standings, 21 points behind fourth place Rick Turner and those same 64 markers back of Griffith Jr., for third overall with three races left on the schedule.
For the rest of the 2014 racing season, Shafer Jr.'s black and purple #7 Shafer Motorsports / Chevrolet which is a Pathfinder Chassis with horsepower under the hood from Hamner Racing Engines will carry sponsorship support and decals all year long from Southlake Body as well as Maxim Powersports, Genesis Energy Consultants, Paul's Auto Yard and M.P.H. Promotions. For more information about the entire Shafer Motorsports Team, please call Car Owner, Paul Shafer at: (219) 406-0067. You can also go to the Shafer Racing Facebook Page located at: www.facebook.com and search for "Shafer Racing" as well as the Twitter page which can be found at: www.twitter.com/ShaferRacing7
