Joe Shear - Racing Career

Racing Career

Shear began racing karts as a youth. While he was still under age, he would sneak in the pits to work on his father Al Shear's racecar at Rockford Speedway. His father won the track's championship in 1951, 1962, and 1965. Joe Shear was named the track's Outstanding Mechanic for 1962.

Joe Shear began racing at Rockford in 1964 and he won the track's Rookie of the Year award. He had his first win at the track on his birthday May 8, 1965. In 1972, Shear was awarded his sixth straight Rockford track championship. That year he won the first of his eight National Short Track Championship events at the track.

Shear finished second behind Dick Trickle with 58 ARTGO wins and he won the championship of the Midwestern touring series in 1986 and 1989. In 1979, 1987, and 1989 he won the Red, White, and Blue State championship races at Wisconsin International Raceway. During the Daytona Speedweeks, he won the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in 1988 and 1988, and in 1990 he won the Volusia County Speedway championship. The four-time winner at the Slinger Nationals at Slinger Super Speedway (1987, 1990, 1991, 1993) also won the 1994 Wisconsin Short Track Series title in 1994.

Shear won six ARTGO events in 1996 plus five out of six special events at Wisconsin International Raceway. He could feel cancer returning in May 1996, but he decided to continue racing. On February 1997 he had surgery to remove his lymph nodes and muscles on his neck. He was unable to prepare his car for the upcoming season and he received five weeks of radiation.

With his health failing, he won four of the last five races in his career. His final victory was winning the 1997 National Short Track Championship race at Rockford. He was recorded laps 0.2 seconds faster than the rest of the cars at his final event at the Oktoberfest race at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway until his motor blew up. He had won the event five times, mainly later in his career.