By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 1, 2019 – While he is certainly far from a newcomer to the 360 Sprint Car racing scene, the start of a new racing season still ignites a twinge of excitement for 2014 Midwest Sprint Car Association Masters Series Champion Paul Pokorski.

In fact, the 26-year racing veteran exudes the enthusiasm of a rookie when discussing the upcoming 2019 racing season, which kicks off Saturday, April 27 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

A year ago, the West Bend competitor recorded the team’s most consistent season in 14 years by completing every lap of every A main he competed in during the 2018 campaign, while managing to avoid major accidents or mechanical breakdowns.

In addition, Pokorski racked up five top-five A-main finishes, 16 top-10 A-main showings and five heat race triumphs in 24 events during the 2018 campaign.

“The 2018 was really good…not great, but really good,” Pokorski said. “I was very happy with our consistency and having no wrecks.  I was a little disappointed that I did not win a feature, but we did come close a few times.”

In preparation for the 2019 campaign, Pokorski and his Pokorski Motorsports crew have experienced a few challenges in upgrading the team’s equipment and aligning with the latest safety updates.

“My approach did not go as planned,” Pokorski said. “We started out on schedule, got everything apart and sent out to some of our service providers and partners, but then hit a few snags.  I was not going to do the new safety updates to the roll cage for 2019 and do it next year instead. Then I decided at kind of the last minute that I should make the update. That set us behind a little. Then we found out that a rear end we sent in for routine service had some issues and I ended up replacing it. Not a huge deal, but we had put an older rear end in the car. Since we have a new one, I had the guys take the old one out and re-install the new one.

“We also decided to change out some body work to save sponsor Goeden’s Auto Body some headaches,” he said. “That resulted in a long wait on some parts that we did not anticipate. In the end, everything is coming together and we hope to be at practice on April 13 in Plymouth.”

The three-time Eastern Wisconsin Conference Winged Super Modified champion is again aiming to chase the entire MSA and PDTR 360 Sprint Car schedules in 2019, after placing fourth in the MSA and fifth in the PDTR standings last year.

“We are planning on running the full MSA schedule,” Pokorski said. “An IRA race or two may sneak in there. I think the MSA schedule for 2019 is almost ideal. It covers the area most of our drivers wish to cover.  We get to go to a few tracks that are not traditional Sprint Car hot spots, which is fun for everyone. There is a variety on track size and surfaces. I can’t wait.”

In nailing down goals for 2019, Pokorski is eager to return to victory lane for the first time since May 27, 2017.

“My goal for 2019 is to try to be as consistent as 2018 with a win or maybe two along the way,” Pokorski said. “I’m ambitious, but appreciative and realistic.  I’ve had a really good career and have no complaints.”

Along with welcoming back all of its 2018 sponsors, Pokorski Motorsports is pleased that Hopf Farms and Gasroots Project are joining the fold in 2019.

“We are very happy to have an associate sponsorship from Hopf Farms, and a one-year grant from the Gasroots Project on board for 2019,” Pokorski said. “All of our sponsors from the past several seasons are returning as well.  I’m very thankful for them all.”

The 2019 Pokorski Motorsports team includes crew chief Dave Schultz, Randy Leamer, Dan Hoerig, Ian Schultz, Aaron Pederson, Alex Pokorski, Lynn Pokorski, Heather Pokorski, Sheila Leamer, Chuck Tuschl, Karin Tuschl and Melissa Schultz.

Sponsors for the 2019 Pokorski Motorsports team are Hopf Farms, Gasroots Project, Quest Engineering Inc., Acme Armature Works Inc., Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation and The Cawley Company.

 Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

 For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

2018 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 24

MSA events – 23

IRA events – 1

A Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 5

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 16

Heat Race Victories – 5

Midwest Sprint Car Association Points – 4^th

Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points – 5^th

2019 Pokorski Motorsports Racing Schedule

Saturday, April 27 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 4 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 11 – Plymouth, Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 18 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis

Saturday, May 25 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, June 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Sunday, June 2 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Saturday, June 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, June 15 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, June 21 – Spring Lake Speedway, Unity, Wis.

Saturday, June 22 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, June 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Wednesday, July 3 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, July 6 – TNT Speedway, Three Lakes, Wis.

Friday, July 12 – Outagamie Speedway, Seymour, Wis.

Saturday, July 13 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, July 20 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Sunday, July 21 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Saturday, July 27 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, August 2 – Outagamie Speedway, Wis. (rain date only)

Saturday, August 3 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, August 10 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Sunday, August 11 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Saturday, August 17 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, August 23 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, August 24 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, August 31 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, September 7 – TNT Speedway, Three Lakes, Wis.

Saturday, September 14 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, September 27 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, September 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, November 9 – Midwest Sprint Car Association Awards Banquet, The Columbian, West Bend, Wis.

 2019 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 0

A Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0