Jay Sommers (born October 15, 1967) is an American professional

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

driver. He competed in the ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series in the late 1980s. After winning the

Michigan Lottery The Michigan Lottery offers numerous on-line and scratch-off games, giving players a wide variety of prize possibilities. Initiated under the authority of Public Act 239 in 1972, the games collect funds to support Michigan’s public school system. ...

in 1988, he used his earnings to bankroll racing endeavors in

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

. Sommers eventually raced in the

NASCAR Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

and

NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

. He last raced in the

Champion Racing Association Champion Racing Association (CRA) is a stock car racing sanctioning body based in the Midwestern United States. It was founded in 1997 by Glenn Luckett and R. J. Scott, who then sold the company to Bob Sargent's Track Enterprises in 2022. All CRA ...

's JEGS All-Stars Tour.

Racing career

In 1987, Sommers competed in the ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series race at

Atlanta International Raceway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series s ...

, finishing 34th after crashing on lap 26. A year later, at the age of 20, Sommers won one-fifth of a $28.9 million jackpot in the Michigan Lottery, getting $5.8 million. As part of his winnings, Sommers received an annual payment of $290,000, which he used to purchase race cars and equipment from NASCAR team owner

Hoss Ellington Hoss Ellington (May 12, 1935 – May 31, 2014) was a NASCAR driver and team owner. He married Betty Frances Hunt on April 17, 1959 at the Mount Pleasant Methodist Parsonage. They had three daughters: Monica Dale Ellington, Trellace Hunt Ellington ...

. He finished fourth in the season-opening ARCA race at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

, followed by a 31st-place run at Atlanta due to mechanical problems. Rumors eventually surfaced of his death or critical injury, which he attributed to people envious of his lottery success. In April 1988, he entered a self-owned No. 78 Chevrolet in the Winston Cup race at

North Wilkesboro Speedway North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill fr ...

, but failed to qualify. Two months later, Sommers made his first Cup start at

Dover Downs International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per year ...

, starting 36th after setting a qualifying time of . He retired from the race on lap 280 for overheating issues and finished 37th. Sommers also missed the races at

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is ...

Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Known as ...

, and Atlanta. In 1989, Sommers was encouraged by high school friend John Paganes to let him manage his lottery winnings for the next decade. As part of the deal, Paganes would send Sommers $57,000 each year. Though the money was set to run through 2008, Sommers ultimately lost it, prompting him to sue. Although he won the case on a $887,000 settlement, Sommers had to spend much of it to pay off debts. He eventually became a pizza delivery person and construction worker. After a four-year retirement from stock car racing, Sommers attempted a return to the sport in 2000, driving

late model A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.) The precise definition ...

s in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. In 2003, he competed in the NASCAR Busch Series race at

Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...

, driving the No. 0 for

JD Motorsports JD Motorsports, is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It is owned and operated by Johnny Davis. It currently fields two Chevrolet Camaro SS teams: The No. 4 for Bayley Currey ...

. After qualifying 33rd, he was involved in a lap 197 crash with

Johnny Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

and

Tim Sauter Tim Sauter (born October 13, 1964) is an American race car driver. He has competed in the American Speed Association, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the Busch Series, and the Winston Cup Series. He is the son of Jim Sauter, and the brother o ...

, resulting in a 28th-place finish. In 2005, he won a track championship in Ohio. With the support of car owners Barb and John Stajninger, Sommers later raced in the CRA/JEGS All-Stars Tour, driving the No. 98 car. In the series, he ran two races apiece in 2015 and 2016. Outside of racing, he works as a self-employed marine mechanic.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

Busch Series

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series

(

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sommers, Jay 1967 births Living people People from Mount Clemens, Michigan Sportspeople from Macomb County, Michigan Racing drivers from Detroit Lottery winners ARCA Menards Series drivers NASCAR drivers