Author: Jeff Pederson

Your fast track connection

Schmidt saluted as 2024 Midwest Sprint Car Association top star  

Berth claims most improved, top mechanic awards

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, Wis. was honored as the 2024 Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association champion at the 2024 MSA Awards Banquet at Millhome Supper Club in Kiel, Wis. on Saturday, Feb. 1. – Midwest Sprint Car Association photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) February 2, 2025 – The Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association topped off the 2024 season in celebratory fashion as drivers, crew members, team owners, series officials, partners, supporters, workers and fans convened at Millhome Supper Club in Kiel Wis. for the annual MSA Awards Banquet on Saturday, Feb. 1.

A total of 137 MSA supporters gathered to honor two-time MSA champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, Wis., along with 13 additional point fund-eligible drivers, who competed in at least 85 percent of the 17 official points race programs completed during the 2024 campaign.

The drivers and teams competing in all official MSA events in 2024 were recognized with 100 Percent Attendance Awards, including Ben Schmidt of Plymouth (champion), Brandon Berth (second place), Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team (third place), Justin Erickson (fourth place) Kevin Karnitz of West Bend-Mayer Automotive Racing (fifth place), T.J. Smith of Greenville (sixth place), Bill Taylor of Boltonville (seventh place) rookie Clayton Rossmann of Wadsworth, Ill.-Daywalt Racing (eighth place), Tony Wondra of Campbellsport (ninth place), Scott Conger of Eagle (10th place) and Katelyn Krebsbach of Cascade (12th place).

Three additional MSA drivers and teams were honored for achieving 85 percent event participation during the 2024 campaign, including Chris Larson of Franksville (13th place) Spyder Akright of Sheboygan Falls and Paul Pokorski of West Bend-Akright Auto Racing Team (15th place) and the rookie tandem of Steven and Kevin Ruh of Ruh Racing (18th place).

The first of eight special awards went to Clayton Rossmann of Wadsworth, Ill., who claimed the 2024 MSA Rookie of the Year Award.

Brandon Berth of Cascade, Wis. earned the 2024 Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Most Improved Driver Award and Harry Neitzel Mechanic of the Year Award at the 2024 MSA Awards Banquet at Millhome Supper Club in Kiel, Wis. on Saturday, Feb. 1. Pictured with Berth (left) is crew member Nick TeBeest (right). – Midwest Sprint Car Association photo

Brandon Berth of Cascade picked up the 2024 MSA Most Improved Driver Award, after improving seven spots from 9th to 2nd in the final 2024 point standings.

Ben Schmidt collected the 2024 MSA Best Appearing Car/Crew Award and the MSA Hard Charger Award for 55 passing cars in A-main competition during the season.

The 2024 MSA Hard Luck Award and 18th Place Award went to Katelyn Krebsbach of Cascade

The 2024 Jim Wipperfurth Family MSA Person of the Year Award was presented to Competition Director Scott Bader.

“I got a chance to know Jim Wipperfurth when I first became involved with MSA,” Bader said. “The safety of the drivers was always his biggest concern. It’s an honor to receive an award in his name.”

The 2024 Harry Neitzel MSA Mechanic of the Year Award to Brandon Berth, who recognized crew member Nick TeBeest for his contributions to the team.

“Nick has been with me for every race I’ve been in I think,” Berth said. “This award is for him. Although I didn’t have a chance to get to know Harry, I know he was special to a lot of people. I’ve been lucky enough to win two Harry Neitzel Memorial Race trophies already, so I’m happy to pass this award along to Nick in Harry’s name.”

The final award recipient to take to the podium was 2024 MSA champion Ben Schmidt, who topped Brandon Berth by 94 points to claim his second career MSA season title on the strength of four A-main victories, 11 top-five A-main finishes, 13 top-10 A-main showings and six heat race wins.

“As a driver, sponsors and fans help you get to where you are in racing,” Schmidt said. “My crew needs to be thanked as well. I wouldn’t be up here without them. From the beginning of this team five years ago, it’s been a long road to get here. Adding Dusty [Dave Goeden] to the team a few years ago helped us elevate our game.

Clayton Rossmann of Wadsworth, Ill. received the 2024 Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Rookie of the Year Award at the 2024 MSA Awards Banquet at Millhome Supper Club in Kiel, Wis. on Saturday, Feb. 1. – Midwest Sprint Car Association photo

“We have 41 people at our table here tonight,” he said. “The camaraderie among all of us is amazing. We have fun together. There is a family aspect to our team that makes this different than it was back when I won my first MSA title in 2011. It’s truly a team effort, which means a lot to me.”

MSA President and Treasurer Sheila Leamer opened the awards program by offering her thoughts on the 2024 MSA season.

“We had a total of 23 scheduled nights this season and we lost six of them due to weather and curfew,” Leamer said. “We had 14 drivers who completed 85 percent of the schedule and 11 drivers who had perfect 100 percent attendance. We averaged 24 cars per night with a high of 29 on August 23 at Plymouth. Overall, we had eight different A-main winners during the 2024 season. I want to take this time to thank all of the drivers, car owners, sponsors, supporters, track workers and fans for all of their support during the season.”

Leamer acknowledged Spyder and Jackie Akright of 2024 MSA series title sponsor Akright Auto, along with MSA Wilmot Raceway race night sponsor Russ Wetenkamp of GR8 Company and Brian Julien of The Julien Shade Shop, which sponsored the MSA Safety Team in 2024.

She then recognized 2024 race event sponsors Buege High Performance (overall fast qualifier award sponsor), Behling Racing Equipment (heat race one and heat race three winner), R&H Racing Equipment (heat race two winner), Mayer Automotive (B main winner), Professional Plating (A-main hard charger award) and Butch and Janet Hafemann (A-main 18th place finisher and heat race four winner).

Leamer also thanked Cupcake Wonders for providing the flour for the start line, Rob Eisentraut of RC Custom Design for photography, graphic design and website and social media support, the MSA Safety Team, Paul Pokorski and Scott Bader for organizing contributions to the 2024 MSA contingency packages totaling $13,000 in products and certificates, along with her husband, Randy Leamer, scorers Angela Dulmes, Abby Kappers and Dakoda Tennyson and Donna Bader and Janell Ludwigson for 50/50 sales.

Competition Director Scott Bader was recognized with the 2024 Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Person of the Year Award at the 2024 MSA Awards Banquet at Millhome Supper Club in Kiel, Wis. on Saturday, Feb. 1. – Midwest Sprint Car Association photo

Leamer then commented on her retirement as MSA president, board member and scorer.

“For 10-plus years, I’ve been involved with MSA in some capacity as a scorer, board member and president over the past four years,” Leamer said. “It was a hard decision to leave MSA. Serving as president wasn’t always easy. When decisions were made, they were always made in the best interests of the MSA. I congratulate all the drivers on a season well done. I wish everyone involved with MSA the best for the 2025 season and beyond.”

Longtime MSA competitor Paul Pokorski, who served as the master of ceremonies for the program, recognized 2024 MSA supporting businesses Spyder and Jackie Akright of Akright Auto, R&H Racing Equipment, Dan Mayer of Mayer Automotive, Rob Eisentraut of RC Custom Design, Brian Julien of Julien Shade Shop, Stephanie Adams of Cup Cake Wonders, Steve Buege of Buege High Performance, Butch and Janet Hafemann, Professional Plating and Russ Wetenkamp of GR8 Company, who received thank you plaque for their support in 2024.

MSA Competition Director Scott Bader acknowledged the efforts of 2024 series staff, including officials Fred DeBlaey, John Metzger and Lee Glomski; scorers Sheila Leamer, Abby Kappers, Erin Doherty and Angela Dulmes; flag men Steve Crass, Alex Gilhart and Todd Booker; announcer George Baumann, photographer, videographer and graphic designer Rob Eisentraut of RC Custom Design, race report writer Jeff Pederson of Pedal Down Promotions, 50/50 ticket takers Donna Bader and Janell Ludwigson and the members of the MSA Safety Team.

“I would also like to recognize and thank the push truck and wrecker drivers for all that they do to support our racing program,” he said. “Every member of the MSA staff helps out in many different ways all year long and all of their efforts are greatly appreciated. I also want to recognize the outgoing board members for all of their hard work and welcome the new members of the board for 2025.”

Drivers competing in 100 percent of the 2024 Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) season schedule were recognized at the 2024 MSA Awards Banquet at Millhome Supper Club in Kiel on Saturday, February 1. Pictured left to right are Tony Wondra, Brandon Berth, Alex Pokorski, Ben Schmidt, Justin Erickson, T.J. Smith, car owner Dan Mayer for Kevin Karnitz, Bill Taylor, Clayton Rossmann, Katelyn Krebsbach and Scott Conger (in back). – Midwest Sprint Car Association photo

Bader also thanked each of the five tracks on the 2024 MSA schedule, including The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. (Dave Mohs), Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. (Gregg and Angie McKarns), the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. (Steve Sinclair), Eagle River Speedway in Eagle River, Wis. (Pat Zdroik) and Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. (Chris Klemko).

The 2025 MSA Board of Directors includes Dan Mayer (president), Scott Bader, Ben Schmidt, Tony Wondra, Justin Erickson and Chris Larson.

MSA 2024 Banquet trophy and award sponsors included Professional Plating, Don and Lynn Kiel, Krebsbach Construction, Fred DeBlaey, Chances Pub & Grill, Pedal Down Promotions, Butch and Janet Hafemann, Mark’s Tree Service. RC Custom Design, Richard’s of Dunbar and Mayer Automotive.

MSA 2024 contingency product sponsors are R& H Racing Equipment, HRP, Behling, Waldo Oil, American Racer Tires, Boubin Tire, Buege High Performance, Super Shox, Vortex Racing Products, PDTR, Torsion Bear Rating, Afco Shocks, M&W Radius Rods, KSE, Karavan Trailers, Maxim Chassis, Winter Products, FK Rod Ends, Bell, Wilwood, XXX Chassis, Schroeder/PAC, Competition Specialists, J&J Auto Racing, Saldana, Pyrotech, DMI, Schoenfeld, Hilborn, Lane Automotive, Velocity Wings, MRI, Racing Optics, Allstar Performance, Corey Oil, Ultrashield, MPD, Race Bumpers, Mayer Automotive (American Racer) and Bumper to Bumper IRA.

The 2025 MSA brat fry and season kickoff fundraiser will be held on Sunday, April 13 at Sheboygan County Fair Park.

The 2025 MSA racing season is scheduled to roll off on Friday, April 25 at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour, Wis.

For more information on the Midwest Sprint Car Association, visit the MSA website at www.msasprints.com or visit the MSA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/msasprints.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through a diverse array of promotional strategies and methods, including 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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

February 3, 2025 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski plans IRA 410 Sprint Car focus in 2025

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Alex Pokorski is planning to contest the majority of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series schedule during the 2025 season. – HW Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) January 30, 2025 – After five overall and three full-time seasons of competition in the Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) 360 Sprint Car ranks, Alex Pokorski is poised to contest a majority of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association (IRA) 410 Sprint Car Series schedule during the upcoming 2025 season.

At the controls of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team entry, Pokorski is slated to fire off his first dedicated season of 410 Sprint Car action with the 2025 IRA Series season opener at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5.

“We’re planning to do mainly 410 racing this year with a goal of doing most of the IRA schedule,” Pokorski said. “At this point, we aren’t planning on the longer trips, but our goal is to hit 80 percent of the IRA races. I want to thank Spyder [Akright] for the opportunity to go 410 racing and run with the IRA this season. Everyone on the crew has done a great job getting our equipment ready to do this. Our sponsors have been very supportive too. We couldn’t attempt a season running a 410 Sprint Car with the IRA without their help.”

Aside from the intended slate of IRA events, the West Bend native is tentatively slated to sprinkle in a few MSA 360 Sprint Car races at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

“When we aren’t running with the IRA, we would like to do a few MSA races at Plymouth with the 360,” Pokorski said. “Since we don’t intend to run a full season for points this year, our schedule could change a bit as the season progresses. Depending on how our season goes, there are some options for us to race at different events from week to week.”

In 16 MSA and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car events during the 2024 season, Pokorski notched six top-five, 12 top-10 and 13 top-15 A-main showings to finish second in the final PDTR and third in the MSA 360 Sprint Car point standings.

In four 410 Sprint Car starts in 2024, Pokorski compiled one top 10 A-main finish, one heat race victory and one dash appearance.

For schedule updates and additional information on the Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook at https://facebook.com/pokorskimotorsports or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto

Located at 106 North Bluebird Lane in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Akright Auto has served as a reliable source for auto parts since 1940.

With a highly trained staff of auto parts professionals, Akright Auto is well prepared to assist customers with vehicle repair needs with a wide assortment of affordable, high-quality auto parts available on-site. If a part is not available, Akright Auto offers next-day delivery services.

In addition, Akright Auto provides full auto salvage services, along with a 90-day standard warranty on all parts purchases.

Contact Akright Auto by phone at 920-467-4201, toll-free at 800-400-4201, via email at dakright12@gmail.com or visit www.akrightauto.com.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team
TENTATIVE
2025 Schedule

Friday, April 4 – 34 Raceway, West Burlington, Iowa (IRA 410)
Saturday, April 5 – 34 Raceway, West Burlington, Iowa (IRA 410)
Saturday, April 26 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, May 3 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, May 10 – Sycamore Speedway, Maple Park, Illinois (IRA 410)
Friday, May 16 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, May 17 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA 410)
Sunday, May 18 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, May 24 – Wilmot Raceway, Wis. (IRA 410)
Sunday, May 25 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, May 31 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (MSA 360)
Friday, June 6 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (MSA 360)
Saturday, June 14 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (MSA 360)
Friday, June 20 – Outagamie Speedway, Seymour, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, June 21 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, June 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (MSA 360)
Saturday, July 12 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (MSA 360)
Friday, July 25 – Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, July 26 – Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis. (IRA 410)
Sunday, July 27 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, August 2 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (MSA 360)
Saturday, August 16 – Wilmot, Raceway, Wilmot, Wis. (IRA 410)
Sunday, August 17 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis. (IRA 410)
Friday, August 22 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing, Plymouth, Wis. (MSA 360)
Saturday, August 23 – LaSalle Speedway, LaSalle, Ill. (IRA 410)
Friday, August 29 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, August 30 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA 410)
Sunday, August 31 – The Hill Raceway, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (IRA 410)
Friday, September 5 – Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, September 6 – Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis. (IRA 410)
Friday, September 12 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, September 13 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis. (IRA 410)
Saturday, September 27 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA 410)

*** Confirmed schedule updates will be posted on the Pokorski Motorsports Facebook page ***

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
360 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 16
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Events – 12
Midwest Sprint Car Association Events – 16
A-Main Victories – 0
B-Main Victories – 0
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 6
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 12
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 13
Heat Race Victories – 4
Fast Qualifier Awards – 2
Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points Finish – 2nd
Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Points Finish – 3rd

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
410 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 4
Interstate Racing Association Events – 3
A-Main Victories – 0
B-Main Victories – 0
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 1
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 1
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0
Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 68th

January 30, 2025 / by Jeff Pederson

Class of 2025 set for Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame induction

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2025 includes drivers Don Diener, Al Goetsch, Kermit Schulz, Jeff Theobald and Randy Tracy. Dedicated to Racing honorees are Dave Deicher, Butch and Janet Hafemann and Russ Waldron. The Johnson and Melis families are set for induction in the Racing Families category.

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) December 2, 2024 – A distinguished group of five drivers, four track workers/car owners and two racing families are scheduled to be recognized as part of the Class of 2025 at the fourth annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night event on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

In recognition of the spirit of competition and outstanding achievements at the Plymouth racing facility over the past 75 years, the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Committee formed in late 2021 with a goal of recognizing individuals who have exemplified dirt track racing at the highest level since The Plymouth Dirt Track’s inception in 1950.

The members of the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2025 will be recognized during a special induction ceremony at intermission of the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

Former Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified competitor Don Diener of Sheboygan will be introduced as a member of the Plymouth Racing Class of 205 at the fourth annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night program at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2025 includes the following five drivers.

DON DIENER – The Sheboygan, Wis. driver recorded three top-five finishes in the highly-competitive Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified division point standings in the 1960s, including a third-place showing in the final 1966 point standings. He tallied five feature victories during his racing career at Plymouth.

Sheboygan Sportsman competitor Al Goetsch is among the Plymouth Racing Class of 2025 honorees, who will be honored at the fourth annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night program at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

AL GOETSCH – Known as “The Lips,” the Sheboygan, Wis. driver began his racing career in the Hobby Stock division in 1971 before earning the Sportsman Division Rookie of the Year Award in 1973. Goetsch registered four top-five finishes in the Sportsman division point standings, including a runner-up showing in 1982. He visited victory lane 11 times in feature race competition at Plymouth before retiring in the early 1990s.

Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified standout Kermit Schulz of Manitowoc will be honored with the Plymouth Racing Class of 2025 at the fourth annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night program at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

KERMIT SCHULZ – The Manitowoc, Wis. competitor began his racing career in 1958, earning a total of five top-five finishes in the Modified point standings at Plymouth, including a pair of third-place finishes in 1970 and 1971. Overall, Schulz picked up 13 main event triumphs at the Plymouth track prior to his retirement in 1980.

JEFF THEOBALD – The Sheboygan, Wis. driver earned back-to-back Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Sportsman division championships at Plymouth in 1979 and 1980 to go along with nine career feature victories at the track.

Two-time Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Sportsman track champion Jeff Theobald of Sheboygan is among the drivers included in the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2025, which will be honored at the fourth annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night program on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

RANDY TRACY – Known as “The Meat,” the Plymouth, Wis. racer began his racing career in the Plymouth Hobby Stock division at the age of 18 in 1972. He later moved up to Sportsman division before collecting six top-five finishes in the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified point standings at Plymouth, including a runner-up finish in 1987. As a consistent front runner throughout his stellar career, Tracy wound up with a total of 19 feature victories at the Plymouth clay oval over 25 seasons of competition.

Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2025 inductees in the Dedication to Racing category include and Sportsman-Modified racer and flagman Dave Deicher, Modified racer and track worker Butch Hafemann, track worker Janet Hafemann and car owner/mechanic Russ Waldron.

Longtime Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car campaigner Randy Tracy of Plymouth is set to be honored with the Plymouth Racing Class of 2025 at the fourth annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night program at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

Members of the multi-generational Johnson and Melis families will also be recognized as racing family inductees.

In addition, past Miss Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car and Plymouth trophy queens are invited to be recognized at this year’s Wall of Fame Induction Night program.

The names of each Class of 2025 inductee will be permanently etched on the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame, located underneath the grandstand at The Plymouth Dirt Track racing facility, along with the names of the previous three Wall of Fame classes.

The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Night event is scheduled to include a driver meet-and-greet and autograph session prior to the racing program, as well as photo and memorabilia displays showcasing the racing careers and accomplishments of the Class of 2025 Wall of Fame honorees.

The Johnson family’s long legacy of racing at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds will be recognized with induction to the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Saturday, July 12, 2025 in the Racing Families category. Pictured is Bill “Schwartz” Johnson III competing in his Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified.

In addition, past Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame inductees from the Class of 2022, 2023 and 2024 are invited to take part in the evening’s festivities, including the meet-and-greet autograph session. In the event of inclement weather on Saturday, July 12, a make-up date for the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony has been set for Saturday, July 19, 2024.

Family members of 2025 Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame inductees and past Class of 2022, Class of 2023 Wall of Fame inductees are encouraged to attend the induction event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

Class of 2025 inductees/family members and past Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame inductees wishing to attend are asked to contact Ken Schulz in advance at kenschulz91@gmail.com.

Past Miss Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car and Pymouth trophy queens planning to be present on for the Wall of Fame Induction Night program on Saturday, July 12 are asked to contact Jeff Pederson in advance at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com.

The Melis Family, which includes brothers Tim (Plymouth), Jim (Glenbeulah) and Chuck (Plymouth), will be recognized in the Racing Families category at the 2025 Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night event Saturday, July 12, 2025 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

 

December 2, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Arenz finds success, endures setbacks in shortened 2024 IRA campaign

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Despite missing eight races due to various mechanical issues, Travis Arenz still managed to finish 11th in the 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series point standings.  – HW Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) November 27, 2024 – On the heels of a stellar rookie season with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, during which he scored his first career 410 Sprint Car A-main victory and recorded a third-place showing in the 2023 IRA point standings, the 2024 campaign featured aslew of impressive performances and some untimely mechanical maladies for Travis Arenz and his Travis Arenz Motorsports Team.

The 2021 and 2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion opened the 2024 campaign by ripping off his first career 410 Sprint Car fast qualifier award, topping the 30-car Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association field with a fast lap of 13.650 seconds on the high-banked Beaver Dam Raceway third-mile clay oval on Saturday, April 20.

The Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver went on to post a sixth-place A-main finish to kick off the 2024 IRA campaign.

On Saturday, May 4, Arenz turned his first competitive laps at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., coming home eighth in an IRA A-main contested on a fast, heavy and challenging track surface.

One week later, Arenz recorded a runner-up showing for the second consecutive season in IRA A-main action at Sycamore Speedway in Maple Park, Ill. on Saturday, May 11.

Arenz found the going quite rough as he returned to his home track – The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – for an IRA event on Saturday, May 18. In an A main contested on an extremely fast and treacherous track surface filled with six caution/red flag periods, Arenz recorded a 13th-place showing.

The following night at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. ended in heartbreak for the 17th-year competitor. Arenz was leading the main event and appeared to be headed to his second career IRA A-main victory when the third caution flag of the race brought the event to an early halt due to the track’s 10 p.m. curfew.

Since it did not reach the halfway mark, the race was not official. As a result, the A-main drivers split points and pay equally.

Six days later, Arenz recorded a fifth-place showing in an IRA main event at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, May 25.

Following the Wilmot event, IRA officials engaged in the process of investigating the team’s equipment as traction control allegations were waged in the aftermath of Arenz’s top-five finish.

On Sunday, June 9, Arenz returned to Angell Park Speedway where he earned a spot in the IRA A-main event with a sixth-place heat race performance. However, motor issues brought the team’s evening to a premature end and left the team without a powerplant to continue the 2024 season.

After the Angell Park event, Arenz revealed that the IRA’s investigation of the team’s equipment confirmed its legality.

However, the team’s motor woes kept Arenz on the sidelines for the next six weeks of the season. Arenz returned to action for a three-race IRA western swing with events at Norman County Speedway in Ada, Minn. and River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. which netted A-main results of 14th, eighth and 22nd respectively.

Arenz returned home to mount a stirring run from the B main to place fourth after starting 20th in IRA action at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 27.

A doubleheader weekend of action at Wilmot Raceway and Angell Park Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18 netted a pair of eighth-place A-main performances for the 2023 IRA Apple Cup Rookie Award winner.

The annual Sheboygan County Fair event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Aug. 31 brought out the best in Arenz as he stormed from the 11th starting position to take the lead from California’s Joel Myers Jr. on lap 21.

Following a back-and-forth slide-job duel with Myers Jr. in the closing laps, Arenz settled for a hard-fought runner-up showing.

The following night at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. brought misfortune as Arenz’s 25T machine flipped following an early race battle for position with Jake Blackhurst.

Although Arenz returned to the race to place 16th, frame damage was discovered later, which prompted the team to prepare a backup car for the 24th annual Jerry Richert Memorial event at Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 7.

True to his hard charging, “Mr. Excitement” moniker, Arenz stormed from the 16th starting spot to place fourth in the main event.

One week later, Arenz again mounted an inspired charge from the 12th starting spot to finish fourth in an IRA event at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 14.

In a non-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car event held during the Wilmot Raceway Fall Classic on Saturday, Sept. 21, Arenz started on the pole of the main event before coming home second behind race winner Blake Nimee.

Arenz closed out his 2024 campaign with a solid fourth-place showing in the 2024 IRA season-ending Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 28.

In 19 410 Sprint Car events during the 2024 campaign, Arenz collected eight top-five A-main showings, 13 top-10 main event finishes and 14 top-15 A-main runs to go along with four heat race victories, 11 dash appearances, one dash victory and one fast qualifier award.

Despite missing nine IRA events primarily due to motor issues, Arenz posted an 11th-place finish in the final 2024 IRA point standings.

“The one word to describe the 2024 season would be ‘frustrating,’” Arenz said. “A lot of things didn’t go as planned. On a positive note, I learned a lot this season and I was able to get more comfortable. Missing a handful of weeks due to the engine failure we experienced is not something I wanted to happen. That’s racing though. It was out of our control.”

At the close of the 2024 season, Arenz was non-committal about the extent of his racing endeavors in 2025, pointing to the need for additional crew help.

Those interested can send a direct message to Travis through the Travis Arenz Motorsports Facebook page.

The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation Inc., Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Carbliss Hand Crafted Cocktails, Pallet Works, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen Sales and Service, Amy Bruechert Reality, Duehring’s Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, Sonntag Plumbing Inc., Kriete Truck Center and Arenz Auto Detailing.

The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consisted of pit crew members Jerrod Gamb, Cameron Fritz, Bobby Bonelli, Keith Fellner and Emily Stadler.

Additional information on the Travis Arenz Motorsports team can be found by visiting the team’s Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.

Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Don and Lynn Kiel

Don and Lynn Kiel’s first date was attending a race at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. in June 1998 and they have been together ever since, marrying on Feb. 14, 2005. Lynn spent her working career in the banking industry retiring after 39 years in 2017 as an assistant vice-president at a local Manitowoc bank.

Lynn’s interest in racing started when she attended the races at the 141 Speedway as a child with her dad, Andy Endries. RIP ANDY!

Don’s interest in racing started when he bought Dean Divine’s Modified in the early 1970s. Don’s driving experience involved Modifieds and Mini Sprints, as well as 360 Sprint Cars at Manitowoc Expo Speedway in 2011 and 2012.

Don spent four years in the United States Air Force, enlisting the night of his graduation party. He was honorably discharged after four years in 1967 as an Airman First Class. Don was a Minuteman Missile electrician serving as team chief his last year and got to take part in the test firing of four Minuteman Missiles at Vandenburg Air Force Base in Lompoc, Calif. Don was based at F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo. for 41 months.

Don started flying in Cheyenne at the age of 19, secured his first flying job three days after his honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force at age 22 and retired at age 60. He retired as Senior Captain on the 300-passenger Airbus A 330-300 flying to London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. He has logged over 30,000 hours of flying time with a lot of stories to tell.

For a glimpse of Don’s career, Google Don Kiel Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame. For a view of his favorite aircraft that he owned for four years, check out the Warbird Takeoff by Googling Beech 18 Takeoff Great Radial Engine Sound. Click on the 32-second video. Don and Lynn continue to fly his 1952 Cessna 170B, both on wheels and skis in the winter.

Don loves to say, “It’s pretty cool when your vocation and avocation are one and the same!”

“We started out sponsoring Travis Arenz by buying him a set of rear tires five years ago and the rest is history,” Don Kiel said. “Travis is a very talented racer from the tiniest detail to the actual racing. I love to watch Travis feel the track out and then work his magic. I sponsor Travis as I feel he is one of the best!”

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970. 

Travis Arenz Motorsports
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 19
IRA Events – 18
A-Main Victories – 0
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 8
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 13
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 14
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 15
Heat Race Victories – 4
B-Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 11
Dash Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1
Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 11th

Travis Arenz Motorsports
Career Highlights
2008-2024

Total Career A-Main Victories – 71
Outlaw Compact 4-Cylinder A-Main Victories – 20
IMCA Northern Sport Mod/B Mod A-Main Victories – 20
MSA/PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-Main Victories – 30
IRA 410 Sprint Car A-Main Victories – 1
2013 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Outlaw Compact 4-Cylinder Champion
2016 141 Speedway Northern Sport Mod Champion
2021 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Champion
2021 Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Champion
2022 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Champion
2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Champion
2023 Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Apple Cup Rookie Award

November 27, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Hartmann finds comfort zone during ‘fun’ 2024 IRA season

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) November 26, 2024 – After learning the ropes of 410 Sprint Car racing throughout their first two seasons with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team enjoyed several highlights on the track and relished plenty of enjoyable times off the track during the 2024 campaign.

Austin Hartmann finished a career-best seventh in the final 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series. – HW Designs photo

The 2024 season kicked off on Friday, April 5, with a NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Series event at US 36 Speedway in Osborne, Mo.

Going up against a stellar 41-car field, the Plymouth, Wis. driver started on the pole of the C main before placing fourth to miss transferring to the Last Chance Showdown by two positions.

One night later, the team moved on to compete in a non-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car event at Farmington Empire Speedway on Saturday, April 6. After lining up fifth in the 25-lap A main, the fifth-year Sprint Car campaigner wound up with a seventh-place finish to secure the eighth top-10 A-main showing of his 410 Sprint Car career.

With temperatures in the mid-30s, Hartmann kicked off the 2024 IRA season with the inaugural Wisconsin Triple Crown event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis., on Saturday, April 20. He came home with a 12th-place finish after charging up 10 spots from his 22nd starting position.

After suffering a flat tire in the early going of an IRA main event at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. on Saturday, May 4, Hartmann salvaged a 17th-place finish before notching a solid ninth-place A-main showing in IRA action at Sycamore Speedway in Maple Park, Ill. on Saturday, May 11.

Competing in front of the hometown fans at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, May 18, the 2020 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing and Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Award winner placed seventh in IRA main event competition.

One night later, Hartmann was running seventh when an IRA A-main at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. was halted short of the halfway mark due to the track’s 10 p.m. curfew on Sunday, May 19. As a result, all pay and points were divided equally among each of the 24 A-main competitors.

An incident in IRA main event action left Hartmann with a 24th-place finish at Wilmot Raceway on Saturday, May 25.

Utilizing the team’s backup car in a testing situation, Hartmann registered a 21stplace finish in a NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws event at Beaver Dam Raceway on Friday, May 31.

The team’s second visit to Angell Park Speedway on Sunday, June 9 netted Hartmann a 14th-place finish before placing 10th in IRA A-main action at Wilmot Raceway on Saturday, June 15.

A four-race Indiana swing with the IRA and Maverick Winged Sprint Car Series, which featured large car counts in the high 30s to mid-50s, saw Hartmann miss qualifying for A-main events at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind. (seventh, B main 1), Bloomington Speedway (ninth, B Main 2) and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. (accident heat race 3, did not start C main) before tallying a 19th place A-main showing to cap the weekend at Terre Haute Action Track on Sunday, June 23.

Following a 19th-place IRA A-main showing at Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday, June 29, Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team ventured west for a three-race swing with the IRA and Northern Outlaw Sprint Association (NOSA) at Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn. on Thursday, July 18 following by a doubleheader at River Cities Speedway on Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20 in Grand Forks, N.D.

After placing 14th at Norman County Raceway, Hartmann put together his career-best night in the seat of a Sprint Car at River Cities Speedway on Friday, July 19, winning his first career IRA dash to claim his initial A-main pole position. The third-year 410 Sprint Car competitor came home with a career-best fourth-place A-main finish. One night later, Hartmann ended the weekend with a 16th-place main event finish at River Cities Speedway.

Following a 13th-place finish at Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, July 26 and a 12th-place showing at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 27, the team enjoyed a two-weekend break from IRA competition for the Knoxville Nationals.

Hartmann got back on track to place ninth at Wilmot Raceway on Aug. 17 before coming home 14th at Angell Park Speedway on Aug. 18. After a 15th-place run during the Sheboygan County Fair at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Aug. 31, Hartmann earned back-to-back sixth-place finishes in A-main action at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. on Sunday, Sept. 1 and Gondik Law Speedway in Superior, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 6.

A motor failure relegated Hartmann to a 17th-place finish in the 24th annual Jerry Richert Memorial at Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Hartmann bounced back to register a 10th-place finish at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 14 before closing out the 2024 campaign with a 15th-place finish at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 27 and a 16th-place showing in the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Sunday, Sept. 28.

In 30 410 Sprint Car events during the 2024 season, Hartmann tallied one top-five, nine top-10 and 16 top-15 A-main showings, while recording one dash victory in seven dash appearances and winning one B-main on the way to finishing a career-best seventh in the final 2024 IRA point standings.

In addition, Hartmann was recognized with the 2024 IRA Most Improved Driver Award.

“The 2024 season was one to remember,” Hartmann said. “We’ve built something special to me way beyond racing. From race days to teaching Ian Schultz how to golf, and then him kicking my butt on go-karts, there were a lot of good times. Eric Bergschultz also learned more about the car throughout the 2024 season. Mom [Kristine Hartmann] and Andy [Shufflebotham] have been nothing short of amazing in seeing the vision I have for this team, where we can go and how to do it. Karlee [Hartmann] is always there to support or give me grief when I need a reality check. They say when you’re having fun, time goes by quickly. Well, the 2024 race season was the quickest season I’ve experienced. I’m super excited for what 2025 will bring.”

The sponsorship partners for the 2024 87A Hartmann Racing team included Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Feldmann Sales & Service, Holler n Hills, Quasius Construction Inc., TheD8Dispensary, AF Inc., Metalcraft, Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair, Fastenal of Plymouth, Waldo Oil, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Maxim Chassis, Berryman Racing Shocks and My Race Pass.

The 2024 87A Hartmann Racing team consisted of Eric Bergschultz, Ian Schultz, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham and Kristine Hartmann.

Additional information on the 87A Hartmann Racing team can be found by visiting the team’s website www.team87a.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/87Ahartmannracing.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor Showcase – Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty

KRISTINE HARTMANN, REALTOR OF Pleasant View Realty, better known as “Every Race Fans Realtor,” has 25-plus years of experience selling real estate throughout Wisconsin.

Kristine’s passion for the sport of racing connects with her competitive drive and ambition as a realtor in the community.

Contact Kristine Hartmann with all your real estate needs and ask her for the special Racing Rates!

You can find her on Facebook @ KRISTINE HARTMANN, REALTOR.  Also, she can be found at the 87A trailer at any IRA race and would be happy to chat about racing and real estate!

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/PVRKRISTINE, call/text 920-980-5542 or email kristine@pleasantviewrealty.com.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 30
IRA Events – 27
World of Outlaws Events – 2
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Top Five A Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 9
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 16
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 21
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 7
Dash Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 7th

November 26, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Post sets new standards of success in third 360 Sprint Car campaign

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Randy Post placed a career-best sixth in Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing and Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car A-main action at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 20, 2024. – Trip Edge Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) November 25, 2024 – In his third season behind the wheel of a Sprint Car, Randy Post and the members of the Randy Post Racing Team tapped into a new level of car speed and cockpit confidence during the 2024 Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing and Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car A-main season.

In the seat of his Luedtke Electric-backed No. 54 machine, Post opened the 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association season by registering a 14th-place showing in the first 360 Sprint Car A main of the 2024 campaign at the Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, May 11.

After sitting out a rain-shortened PDTR-MSA event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on May 18 due to illness, the Oostburg, Wis. driver returned to the driver’s seat to make his first-ever appearance at the venerable Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. for an Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association event on Sunday, June 2.

In the 20-lap MSA headliner, Post drove a smooth and consistent race on a fast and rutted track surface, while preserving through four cautions and one red flag, to advance six spots en route to a 16th-place finish in his second MSA main event of the 2024 season.

After a pair of PDTR-MSA events at The Plymouth Dirt Track on June 15 and June 29 produced A-main finishes of 16th and 19th respectively, Post elected to skip an MSA event at Eagle River Speedway on Saturday, July 6 to address chassis and motor issues.

He returned to action with a vengeance to establish two career-best performances at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 20.

Post opened his breakthrough night by recording the 12th fastest qualifying lap in the 23-car field before claiming his first-career eight-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car heat race victory in wire-to-wire fashion.

The 10-car main event inversion dice roll landed Post on the pole of the 25-lap PDTR-MSA A-main. The former Street Stock competitor ran second through the first 13 laps of the event before surrendering four spots in the second half of the race en route to an impressive sixth-place showing.

It was the second top-10 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main finish of Post’s career and his best-ever main event showing, which topped an eighth-place main event run in 2023.

Unfortunately, Post was unable to ride the momentum of his stellar night as motor woes plagued his efforts throughout the majority of the final two months of the 2024 campaign.

Post attempted to make his first career start at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, July 26. However, motor issues prevented him from turning a competitive lap.

Randy Post earned his first career Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car heat race victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 20, 2024. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

The lingering power plant problems kept the team’s No. 54 car off the track for the next three weekends of action before Post returned to action at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Friday, Aug. 23.

With a large field of 29 cars packed into the pit area, Post rolled off sixth in the 12-lap PDTR MSA B main and was holding his own in the sixth position until the halfway point when he was forced to retire from the race due to a throttle linkage issue.

The issue caused Post to miss the evening’s A-main event after finishing 11th in the B main.

With a 27-car field on hand for the annual Sheboygan County Fair Night racing program on Saturday, Aug. 31, Post launched from the sixth starting spot in the 12-lap PDTR-MSA B main needing to finish in the top seven to earn a spot in the 25-lap main event.

The Oostburg, Wis. resident endured a pair of caution flags and hovered in and around the seventh position throughout the race. On the final restart with two laps to go, Post’s No. 54 machine got shuffled back from seventh to ninth to miss out on an A-main berth by two spots.

With 25 PDTR-MSA Sprint Cars signed in for the final program of the 2024 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 28, Post qualified 19th overall with a lap of 13.246 seconds.

The third-year Sprint Car racer started fifth and came home sixth in the third eight-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car heat race before rolling off 20th in the 24-car A-main field.

However, the main event was short-lived for Post as an incident in turn two on lap 4 ended his night and season with substantial damage to his No. 54 machine.

The Oostburg, Wis. driver was the first driver to retire from the race and scored with a 24thplace finish.

Post closed out the 2024 season with a 22nd place finish in the final PDTR 360 Sprint Car point standings after competing in nine of the 13 events held at The Plymouth Dirt Track during the 2024 season, which included two rain-shortened racing programs on Saturday, April 27 and Saturday, July 13.

Overall, Post recorded one top-10 and two top-15 A-main showings, along with one heat race victory in 11 MSA events, which placed the team 20th in the final 2024 MSA point standings.

“This was the most challenging but rewarding year we’ve had,” Post said. “I can’t thank my crew guys and partners enough for sticking with us in the 2024 season as we had mostly returning partners. At this point, we are looking forward to doing it again in 2025.”

Sponsorship partners and supporters of Randy Post and the 2024 Randy Post Racing Team included Luedtke Electric, Sunset Auto, Akright Auto, Oostburg Automotive and Progress Manufacturing Inc.

Businesses interested in supporting the Randy Post Racing Team as a sponsorship partner for the 2025 season are invited to contact Randy Post via Facebook Messenger.

The Randy Post Racing pit crew for the 2024 campaign consisted of Kirby and Nicole Post, Tiffany and Thomas Chamberlain, Brendan Ostrowski, Erin Schneider, Colton Chamberlain, Heidi Haver and the Kaat Racing family.

The team is seeking an additional crew member for the 2025 season. Those interested can contact Randy Post via Facebook Messenger for more details.

For more information on Randy Post Racing, check out Randy Post Racing #54 on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rpr54/ or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

Randy Post Racing Sponsor Showcase – Luedtke Electric

The Randy Post Racing Team would like to thank Luedtke Electric for serving as the team’s primary sponsor for the 2024 racing season.

Based in Oostburg, Wis., Luedtke Electric, located at 214 North 10th St. 10th St., was founded in 1960 when Fred Luedtke’s dream of owning his own business became a reality.

Fred’s sons began learning the trade when they were old enough to follow their dad around. As a third-generation company, Todd and his two sons continue in the tradition of a strong work ethic and a passion for all things that power up, plug in, and provide light.

As a family-owned and operated business, Luedtke Electric prides itself on providing solutions for electrical challenges and ideas for new projects with customers’ budgets and future in mind.

Luedtke Electric, which is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, specializes in residential wiring, service upgrades and light commercial, as well as custom residential and custom project lighting.

To contact or obtain additional information on Luedtke Electric, call 920-564-2022, send an email to brandon@luedtkeelectric.com or visit Luedtke Electric on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

Randy Post Racing
360 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 11
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Events – 9
Midwest Sprint Car Association Events – 11
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 5
Heat Race Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points Finish – 22nd
Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Points Finish – 20th

November 25, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Spirited title chase, stellar runs highlight Pokorski’s standout 2024 campaign  

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Alex Pokorski placed second in the final 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint point standings at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) November 24, 2024 – In his fifth overall and third full-time season in the seat of Sprint Car, Alex Pokorski gained entry to the exclusive “title contender” club by mounting an inspired bid for the Plymouth Dirt Tracking Racing 360 Sprint Car championship behind the wheel of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team entry to highlight an impressive 2024 campaign of Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car competition.

Pokorski opened the 2024 season with a seventh-place A-main showing in the Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association season opener at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, May 11.

Eight days later, the West Bend, Wis. competitor made his 410 Sprint Car debut in a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association event at Angell Park Raceway in Sun Prairie, Wis., during which ended one spot short of transferring to the A main after finishing seventh in the B main.

On Saturday, May 25, Pokorski made his second career 410 Sprint Car start and qualified for his first career Bumper to Bumper IRA Sprint Car main event coming home with an 18th-place showing at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis.

An Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association event at Angell Park Speedway on Sunday, June 2 ended in disappointment as Pokorski was involved in an incident in the main event, which ended his night with a 17th-place finish.

Pokorski bounced back to earn a podium showing in PDTR 360 Sprint Car action on June 15, charging from the eighth starting spot to place third in the 25-lap main event.

After posting a seventh-place A-main showing in PDTR 360 Sprint Car competition on June 29, Pokorski registered a sixth-place finish in an MSA event at Eagle River Speedway in Eagle River, Wis. on Saturday, July 6.

Pokorski kept his streak of strong finishes going by placing fourth in an A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 20 to vault to the top of the PDTR 360 Sprint Car point standings for the first time in his career.

The following weekend saw the 2023 MSA and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Most Improved Driver Award winner come home seventh in MSA A-main action at Dodge County Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis., the site of his first-career MSA A-main victory, on Friday, July 26.

One night later, Pokorski rebounded from an early incident and trip to the work area to salvage a 12th place run in A-main action at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

A familiar face returned to the seat of the No. 4 car for a PDTR 360 Sprint Car event on Saturday, Aug. 3 as Paul Pokorski filled in for Alex, who was attending a wedding. The 32-year racing veteran enjoyed a strong night charging from the 17thstarting spot to place ninth and earn the Hard Charger Award in the 25-lap A main.

Alex returned to the Plymouth Dirt Track to record a fifth-place A-main run in PDTR 360 Sprint Car action on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Alex gained more 410 Sprint Car seat time as he returned to Angell Park Speedway to notch an 18th-place finish in IRA A-main competition during the annual Corn Fest event on Sunday, Aug. 18.

After racking up a fourth-place A-main run in PDTR 360 Sprint Car competition on Friday, Aug. 23, Pokorski recorded a ninth-place showing in a PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event the Sheboygan County Fair on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Pokorski enjoyed a strong combo weekend of 360 and 410 Sprint Car competition during the Fall Classic event at Wilmot Raceway on Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21.

Following a solid fifth-place A-main showing in an Akright Auto MSA 360 Sprint Car event on Friday night, Pokorski turned in his best 410 Sprint Car run to date with a 10th-place finish in a non-sanctioned A main.

Pokorski rounded out the 2024 campaign with a fourth-place finish in the season-ending Akright Auto PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A main.

On the strength of his sixth top-five A-main showing of the 2024 season, Pokorski nailed down the runner-up spot in the final PDTR 360 Sprint Car point standings, 50 points behind Ben Schmidt.

Pokorski also wound up third in the final 2024 MSA 360 Sprint Car point standings behind champion Ben Schmidt and runner-up Brandon Berth.

In 16 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car events during the 2024 season, Pokorski notched six top-five, 12 top-10 and 13 top-15 A-main showings. In addition, Pokorski tallied four heat race victories and two fast qualifier awards during the 2024 campaign.

In four 410 Sprint Car starts in 2024, Pokorski compiled one top 10 A-main finish, one heat race victory and one dash appearance.

“We did well this year and secured our highest finish in the point standings to date,” Pokorski said. “At this point, we plan to be racing a mix of 410 and 360 Sprint Car races in 2025.”

Paul Pokorski earned two heat race victories and two top-10 A-man finishes in seven events behind the wheel of Spyder Akright’s 53A car during the 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car season at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Paul Pokorski also entered seven Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car events in Spyder Akright’s 53A car, during which he claimed two top-10 and three top-15 A-main showings, two heat race victories and one fast qualifier award.

Pokorski and Akright teamed up to place the 53A car 12th in the 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car point standings and 16th in the final 2024 Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association points race.

Sponsors and supporters for the 2024 Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Lynch Buick GMC West Bend, Countryside Designs, Goeden Auto Body, Petersen Septic Systems, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Professional Plating, Ace Hardware (Kiel and Sheboygan Falls locations), Cedar Valley Hunt Club, Real Estate Property Shop-Sue Erdmann, Bonafide Security Solutions, Novak’s Service Center, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

For more information on Alex Pokorski and the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook at https://facebook.com/pokorskimotorsports or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto

Located at 106 North Bluebird Lane in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Akright Auto has served as a reliable source for auto parts since 1940.

With a highly trained staff of auto parts professionals, Akright Auto is well prepared to assist customers with vehicle repair needs with a wide assortment of affordable, high-quality auto parts available on-site. If a part is not available, Akright Auto offers next-day delivery services.

In addition, Akright Auto provides full auto salvage services, along with a 90-day standard warranty on all parts purchases.

Contact Akright Auto by phone at 920-467-4201, toll-free at 800-400-4201, via email at dakright12@gmail.com or visit www.akrightauto.com.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
360 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 16
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Events – 12
Midwest Sprint Car Association Events – 16
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 6
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 12
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 13
Heat Race Victories – 4
Fast Qualifier Awards – 2
Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points Finish – 2nd
Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Points Finish – 3rd

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
410 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 4
Interstate Racing Association Events – 3
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0
Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 68th

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
360 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 7
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1
Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points Finish with Spyder Akright – 12th
Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Points Finish with Spyder Akright – 16th

November 24, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Rogler caps Madea’s Fate trilogy with ‘Shadows of Fate’

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

“Shadows of Fate Book Three Madea’s Fate” is the final entry in Robert L. Rogler’s Madea’s Fate medieval fantasy trilogy.

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) November 4, 2024 – The final chapter in the battle of good versus evil lying deep within the Northrend medieval fantasy world draws to a climatic, adventure-filled conclusion within the pages of Robert L. Rogler’s third and final novel in the Madea’s Fate Trilogy – “Shadows of Fate Book Three-Madea’s Fate.”

Published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis, Rogler’s fourth novel and capstone entry in the Madea’s Fate Trilogy wraps up the complex, intriguing and compelling family themes found in the series’ first two novels, “Heat of Light” and “Witches Valley,” while weaving together the various adventures of the action-packed three-book series.

“Although both heroes and villains from book one ‘Heart of Light’’ and book two ‘Witches Valley’ have come and gone, our main characters endure in the third novel as well,” Rogler said. “The villains who appeared in book two continue to plot and scheme in book three ‘Shadows of Fate’ as the storyline of the Madea’s Fate Trilogy concludes.”

With his daughter, Gabrielle, serving as the main inspiration for the story’s main character, Rogler wrote “Heart of Light Book One-Madea’s Fate” and now “Witch’s Valley Book Two-Madea’s Fate” with youthful readers in mind and, true to form, “Shadows of Fate” is no different.

Rogler is a retired Manitowoc Lincoln High School custodian who lives in School Hill, Wis., with his wife, Jennifer. His son, Logan, and daughter, Gabrielle, have each inspired characters in the Madea’s Fate Trilogy and his novel Rendered Soul, which was released in 2020.

“It’s been a wonderful experience writing all three novels in the trilogy,” he said. “I have to admit putting together a trilogy is a challenge, especially when it comes to choosing the direction of the story and considering the future of each character.”

Although “Shadows of Fate” marks the end of the Madea’s Fate Trilogy, Rogler says his career as an author is just getting started.

“After a short pause, I will continue to write with my direction pointing toward an illustrated children’s fantasy book,” Rogler said. “I would also like to expand on some of my characters from ‘Rendered Soul’ with a novel about Hucira and Torn, and where the Goddess Selorain may take them.”

The public launch of “Shadows of Fate Book three-Madea’s Fate” is set to take place at the third annual Lakeshore Book Show and Author Signing presented by Pedal Down Promotions on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Sabbatical Brewing Co. in Manitowoc, Wis. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I look forward to seeing many readers of the Madea’s Fate series at the Lakeshore Book Show and Author Signing on Saturday, November 9 at Sabbatical Brewing in Manitowoc, which will provide a terrific opportunity to purchase ‘Shadows of Fate’ and my other novels as well,” Rogler said. “Readers can also follow me on Facebook on the Heart of Light page.”

“Shadows of Fate Book Three-Madea’s Fate” along with “Witch’s Valley Book Two-Madea’s Fate,” “Heart of Light Book One-Madea’s Fate” and “Rendered Soul,” are now available for purchase for $20 at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Autographed copies are available by contacting Bob Rogler directly via email at rogler50@yahoo.com.

Readers are encouraged to write a review of “Shadows of Fate-Book Three Madea’s Fate” on Amazon.com and Goodreads.

For more information on Robert L. Rogler and his four medieval fantasy novels, contact Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, by phone at 920-323-7970 or by visiting www.pedaldownpromo.com.

November 4, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Lakeshore Book Show author lineup locked at Manitowoc’s Sabbatical Brewing Co. 

By Jeff Pederson - Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 17, 2024 – The list of authors scheduled to appear at the third annual Lakeshore Book Show and Author Signing Saturday, Nov. 9 at Sabbatical Brewing Co. in Manitowoc, Wis. is fresh off the press.

 The third annual Lakeshore Book Show and Author Signing is set to feature books from 28 local and regional authors on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Sabbatical Brewing Co. in Manitowoc, Wis. – Pedal Down Promotions photo

True to the narrative of the two editions of the popular event, this year’s show will allow book enthusiasts of all ages, interests and genres to peruse and purchase a diverse array of books from a wide range of regional authors.

Running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free admission, 28 local and regional authors will be on hand for the 2024 event.

The nonfiction and fiction books showcased at this year’s show cover a wide range of topics, including true crime, auto racing, autobiography, self-help, military history, youth sports/coaching, romance, Christian/inspirational poetry, medieval fantasy, children’s stories, and more.

True crime and motorsports author Joe Verdegan of Dunbar, Wis., who wrote the Amazon No. 1 true crime best-seller “The Reformatory – Tales from Green Bay’s Maximum-Security Prison” in 2020, is scheduled to return to the show for the third consecutive year. In addition to his acclaimed true crime book “The Reformatory” detailing prison life at the Green Bay Correctional Institution, Verdegan has also released six additional books covering the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan auto racing scene during his fruitful career as an author.

During this year’s Lakeshore Book Show and Author Signing, Verdegan plans to unveil the release date for his next book “The Monfils 6 Case – 30 Years Later” detailing one of the highest profile and heavily debated cases in Brown County history in which six Green Bay paper mill workers were convicted in the 1992 death of Tom Monfils.

The following authors are also scheduled to be on hand with copies of their books for sale during the event.

• Angel Mueller of Mishicot, Wis. (inspirational Christian poetry author of “Wheels Up – Grief to Peace”)

• Robert L. Rogler of Kiel, Wis. (medieval fantasy author of “Heart of Light Book One – Madea’s Fate,” “Witch’s Valley Book Two – Madea’s Fate,” Shadows of Fate Book Three – Madea’s Fate” and “Rendered Soul”)

• Barbara Welnetz of Manitowoc, Wis. (fictional biography, mystery, suspense and romance author of “Voices From Tahoe”)

• Karen Meyer of Plymouth, Wis. (author of 16 children’s books, including, “Papa Bear’s Fence,” “The Knight and the Evil Magician,” “Looking Forward to Christmas,” “Charlie and Chubby,” Ferdinand the Frog Prince,” “Rooster Saw It All,” “A Valentine Heart” and “Teddy the Matchmaker”)

• S.L. Wilton of Birnamwood, Wis. (Arthurian fantasy novelist and author of epic fantasy novels, “Crows and Wyverns” and “Queen of Crows”).

• Ann Graf of Plymouth, Wis. (modern romance author of “Love the Illusion,” “Delusions” and “Final Flame”)

• Andrea C. Heckner of Janesville, Wis. (crime and suspense novelist and author of “The Farm – Secrets in the Heartland Book 1,” “Dismantling the Farm – Secrets in the Heartland Book 2,” “Remembering the Farm – Secrets in the Heartland Book 3,” and “School Days-Secrets in the Heartland Book 4”).

• Jane Yunker of St. Croix Falls, Wis. (historical romance and suspense novelist and author of “Mary Bishop,” “Alice: The Betrayal,” “Betty: The Rebel” and “Lizzie: The Homecoming” and “Love Through Time”).

• Michael F. Dilley of Manitowoc, Wis. (military and war history author of “GALAHAD – A History of the 5307th Composite Unit,” “Elite Warriors: 300 Years of America’s Best Fighting Troops,” “Behind The Lines: A Critical Survey of Special Operations in World War II” and “Rangers, Scouts and Raiders: Origin, Organization and Operations of Selected Special Operations Forces” and “A Basic Introduction to Magic”).

• Tina Susedik of Eau Claire, Wis. (historical western romance and mystery author of “The Balcony Girl,” “The School Marm,” “The Proprietress,” “The Banker’s Wife,” “The Unconventional Blacksmith,” “Missing My Heart,” “Missing Innocence,” “The Photograph of Love” and “Love with a Side of Crazy”)

• Rodney Schroeter of Random Lake, Wis. (comic book writer, biographical essayist, designer and editor of “Misson of Benevolent Greed,” “Human Interest Stuff,” “Aluminum Currents” and The Plymouth Review Current monthly newspaper)

• S.C. Mitchell of Sheboygan, Wis. (science fiction fantasy and romance author of several book series, including “Xi Force,” “Destiny,” “Destiny’s Legacy,” “Heavenly Wars,” “Demon Gate Chronicles” and “Amulet of the Fallen God”)

• Beth Stensvold of Sheboygan, Wis. (whimsical and educational children’s book author of “Hunting the Maybee,” “Big Mistake,” “Hippos are Fun,” and “What Would You Do?”)

• Stacy Ryan of De Pere, Wis. (autobiographical and self-help author of the “Whole New Life Series” featuring the books “46 Pays,” “140.6 Smiles” and “3 Words”)

• Carla Luna of Cedarburg, Wis. (contemporary romance author of “Blue Hawaiian,” “Red Velvet,” “White Wedding,” “Field Rules,” “Troy Story” and “Tour Wars”)

• James Lazarus of Manitowoc, Wis. (biographical novelist and short story author of “Jack Kerouac End,” “Those Visions of Johanna,” “Farewell, Danny Boy,” “Stories from a Small Town” and “Eight Stories”)

• R.L. Edinger of Two Rivers, Wis. (mystery and steampunk mystery author of “Journey Into The Knight,” “Lost City of Steam,” “The Cracksman Door,” “Shadows of Nikola Tesla” and “City of Lunara Rise from the Ashes”)

• Kathy Brandon of Manitowoc, Wis. (children’s book author of “The Adventures of Nonna and the Little Red Truck in Autumn” and “The Adventures of Nonna and the Little Red Truck in Summertime”)

• Jack Kruse of West Bend, Wis. (military historical fiction author of “Cauldron” and “Crucible”)

• Karen Cutler Drecktrah of Appleton, Wis. (biographical fiction author of “Little Ida – The Story of a Family Tree”)

• Jolene Hedtke of Marion, Wis. (children’s book author of “Porcupine and Frog” and “Porcupine and Frog – Trash or Treasure?”)

• Naomi Raddatz of Manitowoc, Wis. (children’s book author of “Bob’s Birthday Blobs”)

• B.T. Lane of Manitowoc, Wis. (poetry and self-help author of “Vernacular: A Collection of Poetry” and “Smashed: A Memoir of Alcoholism and Recovery”)

• Susan L. Fink of Manitowoc, Wis. (children’s book and self-care author of “Self-Care: Selfish or Sacred?: An Interactive Guide to Myths and Misunderstandings” and “Lila the Ladybug Learns About Self-Care”)

• S.E. Grosskopf of Manitowoc, Wis. (1930s pulp fiction, mystery, urban fantasy author)

• Susan Marlene of Two Rivers, Wis. (contemporary women’s fiction author of “Sisters & Friends – Hearts Forever Faithful”)

• Gail Scoutes of Fond du Lac, Wis. (religious, self-help, animal causes author of “Paws, Purpose and Possibilities: How Therapy Dogs and Faith Healed my Heart,” “Paws, Purpose and Possibilities: How Therapy Dogs and Faith Healed my Heart,” “Gratitude and Reflection: Paws and Purpose for Everyday” and “Whiskers, Wags, and Woofs: Poems and Heartfelt Essays for Dog and Cat Lovers”).

The Sabbatical Brewing Co. taproom will be open with drinks available for purchase throughout the event.

All attendees will be eligible to win various door prizes just for entering the show.

Additional and up-to-date information on the third annual Lakeshore Book Show and Author Signing can be found on the Lakeshore Book Show and Author Signing Facebook event page, as well as the Pedal Down Promotions Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media pages or by contacting Jeff Pederson of Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com or by phone at 920-323-7970.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

October 17, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Hartmann closes book on 2024 with Mississippi Thunder, Plymouth IRA twin bill

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Austin Hartmann wrapped up the 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series campaign with a doubleheader weekend at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis. on Friday, September 27 and The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, September 27. – HW Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 2, 2024 – After entering 30 racing events contested on 19 tracks in six states over five months, the end of the long and winding 2024 410 Sprint Car racing road drew nigh for Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing Team with one final weekend of Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series action at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 27 and the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth, Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.

In the IRA’s first appearance at the third-mile high-banked clay oval nestled on the shores of the Mississippi River since 2012, Hartmann opened the night by qualifying 14th overall in the 27-car field with a lap of 12.131 seconds.

The third-year 410 Sprint Car competitor then racked up a sixth-place finish after starting fifth in the second eight-lap IRA heat race.

The Plymouth, Wis. driver started the 30-lap A-main from the 17th starting position and stayed consistent throughout on the way to a 15th place showing in a race won by Australian Scott Bogucki.

One night later, Hartmann and crew hauled back home for the 2024 IRA season finale at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 28.

The 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Rookie of the Year Award winner turned in the 19th fastest qualifying lap in the 33-car field with a time of 12.150 seconds.

Hartmann then put together an inspired effort in the third eight-lap IRA heat race blasting past Will Armitage, Blake Nimee and Kelby Watt with a nifty low move in turns two and fourth of the opening lap to vault his way into second.

The fifth-year Sprint Car campaigner held on to place second in the heat race and earn the right to start 14th in the 30-lap 2024 season-ending IRA main event.

Hartmann put together a solid run in the final IRA A-main of the 2024 campaign to come home 16th in a race won by Scotty Thiel.

“Our last weekend of the 2024 season was filled with a lot of problems but this team never gave up throughout the entire season,” Hartmann said.

In 30 410 Sprint Car events during the 2024 season, Hartmann tallied one top-five, six top-10 and 12 top-15 A-main showings, while recording one dash victory in seven dash appearances and winning one B-main.

Following a 10th-place finish in 2022 and a ninth-place run in 2023, the third-year 410 Sprint Car competitor tallied a career-best seventh-place performance in the final 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series point standings.

“The 2024 season was one to remember,” Hartmann said. “We’ve built something special to me way beyond racing. From race days to teaching Ian Schultz how to golf, and then him kicking my butt on go-karts, there were a lot of good times. Also, Eric Bergschultz got to learn more in-depth about the car throughout the 2024 season.

“I truly have one amazing team,” he said. “Mom [Kristine Hartmann] and Andy [Shufflebotham] have been nothing short of amazing in seeing the vision I have for this team and where we can go and how to do it. Karlee [Hartmann] is always there to support me or give me grief when I need a reality check. They say when you’re having fun, time goes by quickly. Well, the 2024 race season was the quickest season I’ve experienced. I’m super excited for what 2025 will bring.”

The sponsorship partners for the 2024 87A Hartmann Racing team include Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Feldmann Sales & Service, Holler n Hills, Quasius Construction Inc., TheD8Dispensary, AF Inc., Metalcraft, Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair, Fastenal of Plymouth, Waldo Oil, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Maxim Chassis, Berryman Racing Shocks and My Race Pass.

The 2024 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Eric Bergschultz, Ian Schultz, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham and Kristine Hartmann.

Additional information on the 87A Hartmann Racing team can be found by visiting the team’s website www.team87a.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/87Ahartmannracing.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor Showcase – Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair

The Austin Hartmann-87A Hartmann Racing team is pleased to have Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair on board as a sponsorship partner for the 2024 racing season.

Located at W4544 Lakepark Drive in Fond du Lac, Wis., Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair has provided quality auto repair and service to Fond du Lac, Taycheedah, St. Peter, Malone, Lake Winnebago, North Fond du Lac and East Central Wisconsin for over 60 years with a special emphasis on diesel truck and engine repair.

The current owners have worked hard to maintain the reputation Rich worked hard to establish before his passing by servicing all vehicle makes and models, including diesel vehicles and sprinter vans.

Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair’s ASE-certified technicians are committed to the best interest of customers and will complete auto and truck repairs promptly to get vehicle owners back on the road as quickly as possible. In addition, the front-of-house team is professional, friendly and committed to making the experiences of customers pleasant and comforting.

A brand-new building has helped the staff of Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair take care of customers with grace and superior service while allowing auto mechanics to do car machining when they are unable to replace a part.

Other service offerings include free bumper-to-bumper comprehensive courtesy inspection with every auto repair service, a 3-year/36,000-mile nationwide warranty through NAPA, loaner vehicles, shuttle service and financing through two trusted sources.

To contact Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair, call 920-922-7171, email richstruckandautorepair@gmail.com or visit www.richstruckandauto.com.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

 

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 30
IRA Events – 27
World of Outlaws Events – 2
A-Main Victories – 0
B-Main Victories – 1
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 9
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 16
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 21
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 7
Dash Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 7th

October 2, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Arenz draws curtain on 2024 IRA campaign in fleet fashion

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Travis Arenz turned in a fourth-place finish to close out the 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series campaign at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28. – HW Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 2, 2024 – Travis Arenz and the Travis Arenz Motorsports crew put a lid on a 2024 season complicated with motor and chassis issues by packaging together a fourth consecutive top-five performance with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series at the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Early on in the night, Arenz flexed his muscle at his home track by qualifying fifth overall in the 33-car IRA field with a lap of 11.854 seconds.

After starting third in the first eight-lap IRA heat race, the 2021 and 2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion turned in a stellar effort to earn his fourth heat race win of the 2024 campaign.

Thanks to his strong qualifying and heat race runs, Arenz advanced to the first IRA four-lap dash starting second and finishing third to gain the fifth starting spot in the 30-lap main event.

The 37-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A-main winner in four different divisions was embroiled in a heated duel at the front of the field throughout the event.

After racing in the top five during the entire 30 laps, Arenz capped off the 2024 season with a fourth-place A-main showing in a race won by Scotty Thiel. The fourth-place run marked Arenz’s fourth consecutive top-five main event finish.

“Getting back in this car was like riding a bike,” Arenz said. “Once I figured out what that chassis liked when it was a 360 car, it felt really good most of the night. We had a right rear tire leaking during the feature, which made the car a little more of a handful. I had to be cautious about where I ran.”

In 19 410 Sprint Car events during the 2024 campaign, Arenz collected eight top-five A-main showings, 13 top-10 main event finishes and 14 top-15 A-main runs to go along with four heat race victories, 11 dash appearances, one dash victory and one fast qualifier award.

Despite missing nine IRA events primarily due to motor issues, Arenz posted an 11th-place finish in the final 2024 IRA point standings.

“The one word to describe this season would be ‘frustrating.’ Arenz said. “A lot of things this year didn’t go as planned. On a positive note, I learned a lot this season and I was able to get more comfortable. Missing a handful of weeks due to the engine failure we experienced is not something I wanted to happen. That’s racing though. It was out of our control.

“As for the 2025 season, I haven’t thought about it yet,” he said. “We’ll see.”

The Travis Arenz 25T Motorsports Team continues to seek crew members to assist the team. Those interested can send a direct message to Travis through the Travis Arenz Motorsports Facebook page.

“I am still looking for another set of crew hands to help out,” Arenz said. “Those interested can reach out to me for more info.”

The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation Inc., Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Carbliss Hand Crafted Cocktails, Pallet Works, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen Sales and Service, Amy Bruechert Reality, Duehring’s Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, Sonntag Plumbing Inc., Kriete Truck Center and Arenz Auto Detailing.

The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consists of pit crew members Jerrod Gamb, Cameron Fritz, Bobby Bonelli, Keith Fellner and Emily Stadler.

Additional information on the Travis Arenz Motorsports team can be found by visiting the team’s Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.

Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Kriete Truck Center

Travis Arenz Motorsports would like to recognize Kriete Truck Center for their sponsorship during the team’s second full season of 410 Sprint Car action in 2024.

Located at 4717 South Taylor Drive in Sheboygan, Wis., Kriete Truck Center – Sheboygan is a full-line Mack, Volvo & Hino dealership location located just off of Interstate 43, which features a broad selection of new and pre-owned trucks in inventory every day.

For more information, call 920-458-0345 or visit krietetrucks.com.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970. 

 

Travis Arenz Motorsports
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 19
IRA Events – 18
A-Main Victories – 0
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 8
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 13
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 14
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 15
Heat Race Victories – 4
B-Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 11
Dash Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1
Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 11th

October 2, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Alex Pokorski wraps 2024 campaign as PDTR 360 Sprint Car runner-up

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Alex Pokorski (4) secured a second place finish in the 2024 Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car point standings with a fourth place showing in a 25-lap PDTR-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car event Saturday, Sept. 28 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – HW Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 1, 2024 – Alex Pokorski and the members of the Akright Auto Racing Team closed the curtain on the 2024 Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car season with a strong top five run during the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships to solidify a second place showing in the final PDTR 360 Sprint Car point standings at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.

 The fifth-year Sprint Car driver opened the final event of the 2024 season by qualifying second overall in the 25-car field with a lap of 12.663 seconds around the venerable third-mile clay oval.

The West Bend, Wis. competitor started and finished third in the second PDTR-Midwest Sprint Car Association eight-lap heat race to earn the seventh starting spot in the 25-lap main event.

Pokorski, who earned the 2023 PDTR and MSA Most Improved Driver Award, moved up to fourth on lap 9 and later fell to sixth following a pair of caution flags on lap 12 and 13.

Over the final 10 laps, Pokorski worked primarily the high groove of the smooth, slick and multi-groove racing surface to move back into fourth place on lap 18. He held strong in the final seven laps to register a fourth place finish in a race won by 2024 PDTR and MSA champion Ben Schmidt.

After collecting his sixth top five A-main showing of the 2024 season, Pokorski nailed down the runner-up spot in the final PDTR 360 Sprint Car point standings, 50 points behind Ben Schmidt.

Pokorski also wound up third in the final 2024 MSA 360 Sprint Car point standings behind champion Ben Schmidt and runner-up Brandon Berth.

In 16 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car events during the 2024 season, Pokorski notched six top five, 12 top 10 and 13 top 15 A-main showings.

In addition, Pokorski tallied four heat race victories and two fast qualifier awards during the 2024 campaign.

“It was a fun night at Plymouth to close out our season,” Pokorski said. “We did well this year and secured our highest finish in the point standings to date. At this point, we plan to be racing a mix of 410 and 360 Sprint Car races in 2025.”

In four 410 Sprint Car starts in 2024, Pokorski compiled one top 10 A-main finish, one heat race victory and one dash appearance.

Paul Pokorski also entered seven Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car events in Spyder Akright’s 53A car, during which he claimed two top 10 and three top 15 A-main showings, two heat race victories and one fast qualifier award.

Pokorski and Akright teamed up to place the 53A car 16th in the final 2024 Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association point standings.

Sponsors and supporters for the 2024 Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Lynch Buick GMC West Bend, Countryside Designs, Goeden Auto Body, Petersen Septic Systems, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Professional Plating, Ace Hardware (Kiel and Sheboygan Falls locations), Cedar Valley Hunt Club, Real Estate Property Shop-Sue Erdmann, Bonafide Security Solutions, Novak’s Service Center, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

For more information on Alex Pokorski and the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook at https://facebook.com/pokorskimotorsports or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase –– Petersen Septic Systems

Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team are pleased to welcome Petersen Septic Systems back as a sponsor for the 2024 racing season.

Since opening its doors in Valders, Wis. in 2012, Petersen Septic Systems LLC has provided premier septic tank service and the most reliable septic system installation and repair in Manitowoc and Two Rivers and the surrounding Lakeshore area.

“We offer our services to industrial, institutional, residential, new construction, commercial and municipal accounts,” Petersen Septic Systems Owner David Petersen said. “Customer service is our utmost priority. We do every job as it was in our own homes. Our experience is second to none in the area. Prior to opening the business, I worked for Tuschl Septic Systems from 2004 until owner Chuck Tuschl retired.”

The list of regular services Petersen Septic Systems offers includes septic pump repairs, test drilling/test boring, sewage treatment systems, septic tank removal, septic tank installation, water line repair, oil testing and perc testing.

“We provide all of these services in Manitowoc County and the surrounding areas,” Petersen said. “We are OSHA certified and are licensed MPRS/CST966051.”

Petersen Septic Systems is located at 7334 Nagel Road in Valders, Wis. For more information, call 920-323-2640, email petersenseptic@gmail.com or visit www.petersensepticsystems.com.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto

Located at 106 North Bluebird Lane in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Akright Auto has been a reliable source for auto parts since 1940.

With a highly trained staff of auto parts professionals, Akright Auto is well prepared to assist customers with vehicle repair needs with a wide assortment of affordable, high-quality auto parts available on-site. If a part is not available, Akright Auto offers next-day delivery services.

In addition, Akright Auto provides full auto salvage services, along with a 90-day standard warranty on all parts purchases.

Contact Akright Auto by phone at 920-467-4201, toll-free at 800-400-4201, via email at dakright12@gmail.com or visit www.akrightauto.com.

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.pedaldownpromo.com, or call 920-323-7970.

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
360 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 16
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Events – 12
Midwest Sprint Car Association Events – 16
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 6
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 12
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 13
Heat Race Victories – 4
Fast Qualifier Awards – 2
Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points Finish – 2nd
Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Points Finish – 3rd

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
410 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 4
Interstate Racing Association Events – 3
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0
Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 68th

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
360 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 7
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1
Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points Finish with Spyder Akright – 12th
Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association with Spyder Akright – 16th

October 1, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Post closes 2024 campaign with truncated Plymouth run  

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Randy Post of Oostburg wrapped up the 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car season at the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28. – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 1, 2024 – The 2024 season was one filled with some major highs and several disappointing lows in Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car action with the curtain closing event falling into the latter category for Randy Post and the Randy Post Racing Team during the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships held Saturday, Sept. 28 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

With 25 PDTR-MSA Sprint Cars signed in for the final program of the 2024 campaign, Post qualified 19th overall with a lap of 13.246 seconds.

The third-year Sprint Car racer started fifth and came home sixth in the third eight-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car heat race before rolling off 20th in the 24-car A-main field.

However, the main event was short-lived for Post as an incident in turn two on lap 4 ended his night and season with substantial damage to his No. 54 machine.

The Oostburg, Wis. driver was the first competitor to retire from the race and scored with a 24th place finish.

“We made a lot of changes to our car for this weekend,” Post said. “Kristian Wagner and Travis Arenz have been on my case for quite some time about trying some different things to learn what works for me. In qualifying, I couldn’t see at all in turns 3 and 4 due to the sun. There were cars in front of me, so I didn’t get a true feel of how it handled because I was pretty much coasting to make sure I didn’t hit anyone.

“In the heat race, we made even more changes,” he said. “Once we got a few laps into the heat race, I felt really comfortable and felt like I was gaining ground on the people in front of me. Our night ended early in the A-main when a car spun in front of us, hit the gas instead of the brake and drove into us. We broke a lot of things in that small hit.”

Post ended the 2024 season with a 22nd place finish in the final PDTR 360 Sprint Car point standings after competing in nine of the 13 events held at The Plymouth Dirt Track during the 2024 season.

Overall, Post recorded one top 10 and two top 15 A-main showings, along with one heat race victory in 11 MSA events in 2024.

“This was the most challenging but rewarding year we’ve had,” Post said. “I can’t thank my crew guys and partners enough for sticking with us in the 2024 season as we have mostly returning partners. At this point, we are looking forward to doing it again in 2025.”

Sponsorship partners and supporters of Randy Post and the 2024 Randy Post Racing Team include Luedtke Electric, Sunset Auto, Akright Auto, Oostburg Automotive and Progress Manufacturing Inc.

The Randy Post Racing pit crew members are Kirby and Nicole Post, Tiffany and Thomas Chamberlain, Brendan Ostrowski, Erin Schneider, Colton Chamberlain, Heidi Haver and the Kaat Racing family.

For more information on Randy Post Racing, check out Randy Post Racing #54 on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rpr54/ or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

Randy Post Racing Sponsor Showcase – Luedtke Electric

The Randy Post Racing Team is excited to welcome back Luedtke Electric as the primary sponsor for the 2024 racing season.

Based in Oostburg, Wis., Luedtke Electric, located at 214 North 10th St. 10th St., was founded in 1960 when Fred Luedtke’s dream of owning his own business became a reality.

Fred’s sons began learning the trade when they were old enough to follow dad around. As a third-generation company, Todd and his two sons continue in the tradition of a strong work ethic and a passion for all things that power up, plug in, and provide light.

As a family-owned and operated business, Luedtke Electric prides itself on providing solutions for electrical challenges and ideas for new projects with customers’ budgets and future in mind.

Luedtke Electric, which is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, specializes in residential wiring, service upgrades and light commercial, as well as custom residential and custom project lighting.

To contact or obtain additional information on Luedtke Electric, call 920-564-2022, send an email to brandon@luedtkeelectric.com or visit Luedtke Electric on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Randy Post Racing Sponsor Showcase – Progress Manufacturing Incorporated

The Randy Post Racing Team is pleased to have Progress Manufacturing Incorporated (PMI) on board as a sponsor for the 2024 racing season.

Located at 110 East Progress Drive in West Bend, Wis., Progress Manufacturing Incorporated is a family-owned company founded in 1995. PMI offers extensive custom CNC machining services to a wide range of industries, including recreational, agriculture, construction and lawn and garden.

PMI employees are trained to inspect parts thoroughly through a quality control process to assure quality parts. PMI parts are continually inspected during the manufacturing process to assure precision and high quality throughout the entire volume of each order.

For more information on PMI, email sales@pmimfg.com, call 262-334-9175 or visit https://www.pmimfg.com/.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

 

Randy Post Racing
360 Sprint Car
2024 Final Statistics

Total Events – 11
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Events – 9
Midwest Sprint Car Association Events – 11
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 5
Heat Race Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Points Finish – 22nd
Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association Points Finish – 20th

October 1, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Seventh AAUW Girls STEM Day Conference returns to Sheboygan South High School

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

A broad range of educators and professionals are set to present 10 STEM-inspired learning sessions at the American Association of University Women (AAUW)-Sheboygan Branch Girls STEM Day Conference on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Sheboygan South High School. – Submitted photo

SHEBOYGAN, WIS. (September 30, 2024) – The American Association of University Women (AAUW)-Sheboygan Branch is set to host its seventh annual Girls STEM Day Conference on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Sheboygan South High School, located at 1240 Washington Ave. in Sheboygan, Wis.

Established in 2017, the Girls STEM Day Conference connects sixth- through ninth-grade girls with the various applications of STEM by highlighting the core fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

The conference, which runs from 7:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. beginning with check-in from 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., features 10 unique STEM-inspired sessions, along with a presentation from keynote speaker Jennifer L. Lehrke from 8:15-9 a.m.

The conference includes a highly diverse collection of STEM field experts, including Lehrke who is the owner and president of Legacy Architecture, an award-winning architecture, interior design and historic preservation firm located in downtown Sheboygan. She is committed to preserving the legacy of the past by promoting environmentally responsible building practices for future generations. Legacy Architecture’s most notable projects include the Stephanie Weill Center and Bookworm Gardens.

Jennifer L. Lehrke of Legacy Architecture in Sheboygan is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the seventh annual American Association of University Women (AAUW)-Sheboygan Branch Girls STEM Day Conference on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Sheboygan South High School. – Submitted photo

Conference participants will have the opportunity to choose three of 10 available 45-minute STEM learning sessions running between 9:15 a.m. and noon.

This year’s STEM sessions cover a broad array of topics including architectural design (Architecture – Designed Awareness presented by Anne Blanke, Samantha Lee, Sydney Goetsch and Taylor Kadletz of Abacus Architects), robotics (Robotic Surgery presented by Dr. Jessica Leszcynski of Prevea Health), veterinary science (A Look Inside the Bovine Hide presented by Dr. Ellen Hooker, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture veterinarian), forensic science (Crime Scene Investigation presented by Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department Detective Tyler Wuestenhagen), applied chemistry (Chem Demons presented by Bree Lybbert and Amy Kabrhel of UW-Green Bay), the science of color and appearance (The Science of Color presented by Kohler Co. staff members Megan Doege,  Megan Sprenger, Samantha Kraft and Shari McWilliams), emergency medicine and nursing health care (Blood and Body Works by Aurora Regional EMS Community Educator Jean Zemke), the science of hydroponics (Grow Fresh Produce Hydroponically presented by Howards Grove High School teacher Makayla Malone and Howards Grove FFA participants), role of pigs in human medicine (Medical Devices Made From Pig presented by Aubrey Doherty and Lauren Sammel of Johnsonville Sustainable Swine Resources) and the role of environmental scientists and consultants (Dirty Jobs: Sneak Preview Into Environmental Consulting presented by Kelsey Bird, engineer; Kendyl Hoss, hydrogeologist; Kyleen Bruckner, EHS specialist; Jenn Zillmer; EHS project manage and Jeanie Angel, Fehr Graham project assistant).

Ten STEM-themed learning sessions will be featured at the American Association of University Women (AAUW)-Sheboygan Branch Girls STEM Day Conference on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Sheboygan South High School. – Submitted photo

Over the past six years, the AAUW-Sheboygan Branch Girls STEM Day Conference has granted area girls a rare opportunity to experience the wonderful world of STEM through various hands-on activities and learn directly from STEM field experts.

“As always, we are very enthusiastic about the lineup of workshops we have for the girls this year,” AAUW-Sheboygan Branch Member and Girls STEM Day Conference Co-Chair Lori Bryne said. “We continue to have great attendance and very enthusiastic responses. We already have several girls who attended last year registered to come again this year.”

The registration fee is $10 per student, which includes instruction and supplies.

Checks can be made out to the AAUW Wisconsin Foundation.

The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 25.

Sponsors for this year’s event include Bemis Manufacturing, Fehr Graham, Feingold Family Foundation, Frank G. & Frieda K. Brotz Family Foundation, Garton Family Foundation, Grover Family Foundation, Masters Gallery Foods, Northland Plastics, Richco Structures, Rockline Inc., Satori and The Vollrath Company.

In-kind donors are JoAnn Gadicke, Judy Hangartner, Dolcye Johnson and Laura Lienau, Marianne Comstock and Richard Linde, Old World Wisconsin Sausage Inc. and Z Spot Espresso & Coffee.

Founded in 1881, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) advances equity by empowering women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.

The AAUW-Sheboygan Branch grants scholarships each year to non-traditional women students.

To register or for more information on the AAUW-Sheboygan Branch Girls STEM Day Conference, visit https://aauw-106470.square.site/ or call Sheboygan Branch AAUW member and Girls STEM Day Conference Co-Chair Lori Bryne by phone at 920-458-9224 or via email at loribryne@yahoo.com.

View the full Girls STEM Day brochure by clicking the link below —>

187510 STEM Day Brochure AAUW 2024 r3

September 30, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Schmidt tops off PDTR 360 Sprint Car title with A-main triumph

Thiel, Fahl, Neau rack up Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships victories

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Ben Schmidt of Plymouth earned his fourth Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA)-Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (PDTR) 360 Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2024 season and sealed his second career PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint championship during the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 28, 2024 – Ben Schmidt of Plymouth put a bow on an Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing and Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car championship season in fitting fashion by parking his No. 35 machine in victory lane to close out the 2024 campaign during the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, September 28.

In the 30-lap Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series A-main, Scotty Thiel of Sheboygan rolled to victory in the annual IRA Rick Schmidt Memorial Race to seal his first career IRA championship.

John Fahl of Brown Deer used some late-race heroics to rack up a win in the 20-lap Autometer Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car A-main. Zach Raidart of Gurnee, Ill. sealed his first career Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car Series title.

Mike Neau of Pleasant Prairie secured the 20-lap IRA Lightning Sprints A-main victory and Mark Heinert of Waukesha racked up the 2024 IRA Lightning Sprints title.

After starting on the outside of the front row in the 25-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car main event, Ben Schmidt emerged from a side-by-side duel with polesitter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum, who was filling in behind the wheel of Bill Taylor’s No. 69 car, to seize the lead in turn one on lap 2.

Two laps later, the first of three caution flags was displayed for the slowing car of Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee in turn one. Schmidt controlled the restart and built up a solid cushion over Wenninger by lap 6.

As T.J. Smith of Greenville rocketed into second from the eighth starting spot on lap 11, two-time Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion Billy Kreutz of Kiel advanced to third from the fourth starting position.

With Schmidt closing in on the rear of the field, the second caution flag of the race appeared on lap 12 for the stalled car of Chris Larson of Franksville in turn one.

Following the restart, Kreutz springboarded into second and 13th starter Joseph Hintz of Burnett rode the high line of the well-manicured track surface into fifth.

The third and final caution of the race came one lap later when Chris Larson stopped again in turn four.

The final restart of the race found Smith battling back to seize the runner-up spot, while Hintz powered up into third. At the head of the pack, Schmidt sliced his way through dense lapped traffic in the final few laps to secure his fourth A-main triumph of the 2024 season, 25th career PDTR A-main victory and 46th career MSA main event win.

The victory helped Schmidt capture his second career PDTR and MSA 360 Sprint Car championship 13 years after winning both titles in 2011.

Smith had to settle for second, Wenninger was third, seventh starter Alex Pokorski of West Bend finished fourth and Kevin Karnitz of West Bend charged up from the 18th starting spot to place fifth.

“We had kind of an odd start to the year with the rainouts and curfew night,” Schmidt said. “We picked it up in the second half of the year. Since we put this team together in 2020, we’ve finished second every year we’ve run for points. Winning a championship is a great accomplishment for the guys on my crew. I have to thank them, my family and my sponsors for everything they do to help make this happen. This is awesome.”

In memory of late 360-410 Sprint Car and Winged Super Modified driver Brian Portschy, who passed away 11 years ago, the Portschy family contributed $50 to the fifth place finisher in the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main, which Kevin Karnitz claimed.

Outside front row starter Blake Nimee of Oswego, Ill. edged out polesitter Scotty Thiel to take the lead exiting turn four of the opening circuit. Nimee opened a significant gap over Thiel until the leaders caught the rear of the field on lap 7, which allowed Thiel to close the gap.

Scotty Thiel of Sheboygan racked up his fourth Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series main event victory of the 2024 season and secure his first career IRA championship during the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

After the leading raced in lockstep formation for the next 10 laps, a red flag appeared on lap 17 when the No. 19 machine of Jett Mann of Goshen, Ind. flipped in turn four. Thiel used a strong restart to slip underneath Nimee and seize the top spot in turn three.

After three more green flag laps were completed, a caution flag was displayed when Joe B. Miller of Millersville, Mo. stopped in turn two on lap 20. Following the restart, Nimee attempted to wrestle the lead away from Thiel with a slide job in turn two. However, Thiel crossed Nimee over heading down the backstretch to maintain the top spot.

Thiel then bolted away from his fellow competitors to seal his initial IRA 410 Sprint Car Series championship with his fourth A-main victory of the 2024 campaign and 29th career IRA main event triumph.

Nimee wound up second, 2023 IRA champion Brenham Crouch of Lubbock, Texas moved up from the eighth starting spot to place third, 2021 and 2022 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls took fourth after starting fifth and two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Danny Schlafer of Sussex placed fifth from the seventh starting position.

After the initial start was waved off due to a spin, fifth starter Jimmy Sivia of Winthrop Harbor, Ill. won a battle with polesitter John Fahl to take the initial lead along the outside groove in turn two on lap 2.

Second starter Allen Hafford of Beach Park, Ill. gained second on lap two before a caution flag was displayed to the field on lap four when Tom Eller of Pleasant Prairie stopped along the front stretch.

When the race resumed, Hafford worked the low line to challenge Sivia for the top spot on lap 11. However, Sivia fended off Hafford’s advances to retain the lead. Two laps later, Zach Raidart used the outside groove to secure second place on lap 13.

Raidart quickly moved in to pressure Sivia for the lead just before the two cars made contact in turn three on lap 16, which caused Raidart to spin and bring out the race’s third caution flag.

John Fahl of Brown Deer raced to victory in the Autometer Wisconsin wingLESS A-main during the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

Following the restart on lap 16, Sivia felt pressure from outside second row challenger Tyler Kuxhouse of Antioch, Ill. Mirroring the incident between Raidart and Sivia two laps prior, the two drivers made contact in turn three sending Kuxhouse spinning to produce the fourth and final caution flag of the race on lap 18.

Following the final restart, Fahl unleashed his No. 0 along the cushion and vaulted his way past Sivia into the top spot exiting turn two on lap 19.

Fahl, who captured back-to-back PDTR Super Modified championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in 2014 and 2015, rode on from there to secure his first Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2024 season and second career Wisconsin wingLess Series A-main win.

Sivia placed second, seventh starter Bryce Andrews of Kenosha placed third, Tim Cox of Park City, Ill. wound up fourth after starting 12th and Ryan Zielski of Oconomowoc moved up from the 13th starting position to round out the top five.

Inside second row starter Jordan Funderburk of Wadsworth, Ill. outpowered second starter Mark Heinert to gain the lead in turn four of the opening lap. Funderburk held the top spot until he spun in turn four, which gave the lead to Heinert on lap 4.

Mike Neau of Pleasant Prairie claimed the victory in the IRA Lightning Sprints A-main held during the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

Over the next 10 laps, seventh starter Mike Neau weaved his way through the pack to duel with Heinert for the top spot before seizing the lead in turn four on lap 15.

Neau cruised from there to nail down the A-main victory, eighth starter Chad Stouthamer of Big Bend finished third, newly crowned 2024 IRA Lightning Sprints champ Heinert placed fourth and Funderburk recovered from lap 4 spin to place fifth.

Kris Spitz of Salem won the 10-lap IRA 410 Sprint Car B-main and Josh Davidson of Racine racked up the victory in the 10-lap Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car B main.

Joe B. Miller earned the overall fast qualifier award in IRA 410 Sprint Car Series qualifying with a fast lap of 11.711 seconds.

T.J. Smith claimed overall fast time honors in PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car hot-lap-group qualifying in 12.649 seconds.

Chad Stouthamer of Big Bend seized the fast qualifier award in IRA Lightning Sprints qualifying with a lap of 13.389 seconds.

Longtime inspector and track worker Fred DeBlaey accepted the 2024 PDTR Dedication to Dirt Award during a pre-race presentation.

The 14th and final event of the 2024 PDTR campaign, sponsored by Jensen Sales & Service, equaled the season-high car count at The Plymouth Dirt Track with 95 total entries, including 33 IRA 410 Sprint Cars, 25 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 22 Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Cars and 15 IRA Lightning Sprints.

The 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Awards Ceremony will take place Saturday, Oct. 12 at Racers Hall in Plymouth at 7 p.m. The event honors the top three points finishers, along with the rookie of the year and most improved award winners in the PDTR Late Model, 360 Sprint Car, Grand National and B Mod divisions.

Off-season news and information about the 2025 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing season will be posted on the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram pages, as well as the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing website –  www.plymouthdtr.com

The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds is located at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth, Wis.

AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [2]; 2. 69S-TJ Smith [8]; 3. 69-Shane Wenninger [1]; 4. 4-Alex Pokorski [7]; 5. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [18]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz [13]; 7. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [4]; 8. 2-Chris Clayton [16]; 9. 24-Scott Conger [3]; 10. 22B-Brandon Berth [17]; 11. 3-Justin Erickson [9]; 12. 30-Doug Wondra [21]; 13. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [5]; 14. 33M-Josh Bilicki [14]; 15. 11-Tony Wondra [19]; 16. 09-Clayton Rossmann [11]; 17. 55P-Brady Portschy [12]; 18. 53A-Spyder Akright [15]; 19. 52-Cody Schlafer [22]; 20. 29J-Ralph Johnson [23]; 21. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [24]; 22. 51-Chris Larson [10]; 23. 39K-Kurt Davis [6]; 24. 54-Randy Post [20]; 25. (DNS) 12P-JJ Pagel

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 09-Clayton Rossmann [1]; 2. 3-Justin Erickson [3]; 3. 51-Chris Larson [2]; 4. 14J-Joseph Hintz [5]; 5. 39K-Kurt Davis [4]; 6. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [6]; 7. 11-Tony Wondra [7]; 8. 29J-Ralph Johnson [9]; 9. 30-Doug Wondra [8]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 24-Scott Conger [1]; 2. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [2]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski [3]; 4. 69S-TJ Smith [4]; 5. 69-Shane Wenninger [5]; 6. 22B-Brandon Berth [7]; 7. 2-Chris Clayton [6]; 8. 52-Cody Schlafer [8]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 33M-Josh Bilicki [1]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 3. 55P-Brady Portschy [2]; 4. 53A-Spyder Akright [6]; 5. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [4]; 6. 54-Randy Post [5]; 7. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [8]; 8. (DNF) 12P-JJ Pagel [7]

Qualifying 1: 1. 39K-Kurt Davis, 12.674 [9]; 2. 3-Justin Erickson, 12.805 [6]; 3. 51-Chris Larson, 12.861 [2]; 4. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 12.911 [5]; 5. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 12.956 [8]; 6. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 12.997 [1]; 7. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.213 [7]; 8. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.273 [4]; 9. 29J-Ralph Johnson, 13.518 [3]

Qualifying 2: 1. 69S-TJ Smith, 12.649 [5]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski, 12.663 [1]; 3. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 12.697 [6]; 4. 24-Scott Conger, 12.706 [2]; 5. 69-Shane Wenninger, 12.762 [3]; 6. 2-Chris Clayton, 12.907 [4]; 7. 22B-Brandon Berth, 12.928 [7]; 8. 52-Cody Schlafer, 13.319 [8]

Qualifying 3: 1. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.691 [7]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.735 [3]; 3. 55P-Brady Portschy, 12.954 [4]; 4. 33M-Josh Bilicki, 13.002 [5]; 5. 54-Randy Post, 13.246 [1]; 6. 53A-Spyder Akright, 13.297 [6]; 7. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.421 [2]; 8. 55S-Ryan Sawusch, 14.670 [8]

BUMPER TO BUMPER INTERSTATE RACING ASSOCIATION 410 SPRINT CARS

A-Main (30 Laps): 1. 73-Scotty Thiel [1]; 2. 79-Blake Nimee [2]; 3. 1-Brenham Crouch [8]; 4. 25T-Travis Arenz [5]; 5. 25-Danny Schlafer [7]; 6. 9K-Kyle Schuett [11]; 7. 17GP-Scott Bogucki [6]; 8. 3N-Jake Neuman [10]; 9. 2W-Scott Neitzel [18]; 10. 7A-Will Armitage [9]; 11. 50YR-Kelby Watt [17]; 12. 22-Riley Goodno [13]; 13. GR8-Logan Julien [15]; 14. 4K-Kris Spitz [21]; 15. 47-Todd King[19]; 16. 87A-Austin Hartmann[14]; 17. 99-Tyler Brabant; 18. 21H-Tim Haddy [20]; 19. 16C-Tylar Rankin [16]; 20. 68-Dave Uttech [12]; 21. 13-Van Gurley Jr [23]; 22. 51B-Joe B Miller [3]; 23. 96-Jake Blackhurst [4]; 24. 19J-Jett Mann [24]

B-Main (10 Laps): 1. 4K-Kris Spitz [5]; 2. 12-Corbin Gurley [1]; 3. 13-Van Gurley Jr [3]; 4. 19J-Jett Mann [4]; 5. 99-Tyler Brabant [7]; 6. 33B-Scott Broty [11]; 7. 14T-Tim Estenson [9]; 8. 16-Anthony Knierim [10]; 9. 43-Jereme Schroeder [8]; 10. G5-Gage Pulkrabek [12]; 11. 17-Dylan Winkel [2]; 12. 70W-Logan Wienke [13]; 13. 21-Will Gerrits [6]

Dash 1 (4 Laps): 1. 73-Scotty Thiel [1]; 2. 51B-Joe B Miller [3]; 3. 25T-Travis Arenz [2]; 4. 25-Danny Schlafer [4]; 5. 7A-Will Armitage [5]

Dash 2 (4 Laps): 1. 79-Blake Nimee [1]; 2. 96-Jake Blackhurst [2]; 3. 17GP-Scott Bogucki [3]; 4. 1-Brenham Crouch [5]; 5. 3N-Jake Neuman [4]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 25T-Travis Arenz [3]; 2. 68-Dave Uttech [1]; 3. GR8-Logan Julien [2]; 4. 2W-Scott Neitzel [5]; 5. 51B-Joe B Miller [4]; 6. 13-Van Gurley Jr [7]; 7. 12-Corbin Gurley [6]; 8. 33B-Scott Broty [8]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 1-Brenham Crouch [1]; 2. 9K-Kyle Schuett [2]; 3. 3N-Jake Neuman [4]; 4. 96-Jake Blackhurst [3]; 5. 21H-Tim Haddy [5]; 6. 19J-Jett Mann [7]; 7. 43-Jereme Schroeder [8]; 8. 17-Dylan Winkel [6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 17GP-Scott Bogucki [2]; 2. 87A-Austin Hartmann [5]; 3. 79-Blake Nimee [4]; 4. 50YR-Kelby Watt [1]; 5. 7A-Will Armitage [3]; 6. 4K-Kris Spitz [7]; 7. 99-Tyler Brabant [6]; 8. G5-Gage Pulkrabek [8]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 73-Scotty Thiel [3]; 2. 22-Riley Goodno [1]; 3. 16C-Tylar Rankin [5]; 4. 25-Danny Schlafer [4]; 5. 47-Todd King [2]; 6. 21-Will Gerrits [7]; 7. 14T-Tim Estenson [9]; 8. 16-Anthony Knierim [6]; 9. 70W-Logan Wienke [8]

Qualifying: 1. 51B-Joe B Miller, 11.711 [9]; 2. 3N-Jake Neuman, 11.790 [7]; 3. 79-Blake Nimee, 11.829 [29]; 4. 25-Danny Schlafer, 11.843 [27]; 5. 25T-Travis Arenz, 11.854 [14]; 6. 96-Jake Blackhurst, 11.861 [12]; 7. 7A-Will Armitage, 11.908 [13]; 8. 73-Scotty Thiel, 11.914 [33]; 9. GR8-Logan Julien, 11.941 [28]; 10. 9K-Kyle Schuett, 12.012 [24]; 11. 17GP-Scott Bogucki, 12.040 [6]; 12. 47-Todd King, 12.048 [16]; 13. 68-Dave Uttech, 12.083 [17]; 14. 1-Brenham Crouch, 12.100 [25]; 15. 50YR-Kelby Watt, 12.103 [18]; 16. 22-Riley Goodno, 12.108 [21]; 17. 2W-Scott Neitzel, 12.111 [32]; 18. 21H-Tim Haddy, 12.115 [1]; 19. 87A-Austin Hartmann, 12.150 [2]; 20. 16C-Tylar Rankin, 12.216 [30]; 21. 12-Corbin Gurley, 12.313 [10]; 22. 17-Dylan Winkel, 12.343 [26]; 23. 99-Tyler Brabant, 12.359 [4]; 24. 16-Anthony Knierim, 12.366 [5]; 25. 13-Van Gurley Jr, 12.430 [19]; 26. 19J-Jett Mann, 12.465 [15]; 27. 4K-Kris Spitz, 12.530 [20]; 28. 21-Will Gerrits, 12.604 [23]; 29. 33B-Scott Broty, 12.694 [31]; 30. 43-Jereme Schroeder, 12.730 [8]; 31. G5-Gage Pulkrabek, 12.848 [3]; 32. 70W-Logan Wienke, 13.259 [22]; 33. (DNS) 14T-Tim Estenson

Hot Laps: 1. 25-Danny Schlafer, 11.642 [27]; 2. 73-Scotty Thiel, 11.735 [33]; 3. 51B-Joe B Miller, 11.751 [9]; 4. 16C-Tylar Rankin, 11.806 [30]; 5. GR8-Logan Julien, 11.919 [28]; 6. 2W-Scott Neitzel, 11.957 [32]; 7. 17GP-Scott Bogucki, 11.991 [6]; 8. 79-Blake Nimee, 12.019 [29]; 9. 9K-Kyle Schuett, 12.040 [24]; 10. 1-Brenham Crouch, 12.058 [25]; 11. 3N-Jake Neuman, 12.071 [7]; 12. 50YR-Kelby Watt, 12.105 [18]; 13. 47-Todd King, 12.114 [16]; 14. 25T-Travis Arenz, 12.120 [14]; 15. 87A-Austin Hartmann, 12.253 [2]; 16. 7A-Will Armitage, 12.264 [13]; 17. 22-Riley Goodno, 12.274 [21]; 18. 33B-Scott Broty, 12.374 [31]; 19. 13-Van Gurley Jr, 12.436 [19]; 20. 21-Will Gerrits, 12.450 [23]; 21. G5-Gage Pulkrabek, 12.488 [3]; 22. 17-Dylan Winkel, 12.499 [26]; 23. 43-Jereme Schroeder, 12.559 [8]; 24. 4K-Kris Spitz, 12.670 [20]; 25. 21H-Tim Haddy, 12.676 [1]; 26. 68-Dave Uttech 12.684 [17]; 27. 19J-Jett Mann, 12.727 [15]; 28. 99-Tyler Brabant, 12.825 [4]; 29. 16-Anthony Knierim, 13.022 [5]; 30. 70W-Logan Wienke, 13.726 [22]; 31. (DNS) 12-Corbin Gurley; 32. (DNS) 14T-Tim Estenson; 33. (DNS) 96-Jake Blackhurst

AUTOMETER WISCONSIN WINGLESS SPRINT CARS

A-Main (20 Laps): 1. 0-John Fahl [1]; 2. 91-Jimmy Sivia [5]; 3. 17-Bryce Andrews [7]; 4. 40-Tim Cox [12]; 5. 14Z-Ryan Zielski [13]; 6. 70H-Tate Hensley [9]; 7. 7-Trinity Uttech [8]; 8. 8-Parker Jones [14]; 9. 29J-Ralph Johnson [10]; 10. 50-Rusty Egan [18]; 11. 11-Austin Hansen [22]; 12. 23Z-Zach Raidart [6]; 13. 21T-Mitchell Reich [15]; 14. 44-Jordan Miklas [17]; 15. 57F-Tristan Furseth [3]; 16. 29OG-Tom Eller [16]; 17. 7D-Josh Davidson [11]; 18. 4G-George Gaertner III [19]; 19. 38-Allen Hafford [2]; 20. 711-Tyler Kuxhouse [4]; 21. 17M-Matt Rypel [20]; 22. (DNS) 99J-Seth Johnson

B-Main (10 Laps): 1. 7D-Josh Davidson [1]; 2. 40-Tim Cox [7]; 3. 14Z-Ryan Zielski [9]; 4. 8-Parker Jones [12]; 5. 21T-Mitchell Reich [8]; 6. 29OG-Tom Eller [4]; 7. 44-Jordan Miklas [11]; 8. 50-Rusty Egan [2]; 9. 4G-George Gaertner III [3]; 10. 17M-Matt Rypel [10]; 11. (DNS) 11-Austin Hansen; 12. (DNS) 99J-Seth Johnson

IRA LIGHTNING SPRINTS

A-Main (20 Laps): 1. 16-Mike Neau [7]; 2. 5S-Chad Stouthamer [8]; 3. 55H-Mark Heinert [2]; 4. 17-Jordan Funderburk [3]; 5. 18-Nick Petska [6]; 6. 22S-Brian Strane Jr [15]; 7. 63-Jacob Irwin [10]; 8. 74-Tim Brannam [4]; 9. 74M-Max Brannam [12]; 10. 13-Tucker Richards [9]; 11. 23-Dominick Swierad [14]; 12. 01-Ron Brannam [13]; 13. 6-Jeff Schmidt [11]; 14. (DNS) 11-Derek Fortier; 15. (DNS) 38-Johnson Ginder

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 17-Jordan Funderburk [1]; 2. 18-Nick Petska [3]; 3. 13-Tucker Richards [6]; 4. 5S-Chad Stouthamer [4]; 5. 11-Derek Fortier [5]; 6. 6-Jeff Schmidt [2]; 7. 01-Ron Brannam [7]; 8. (DNS) 22S-Brian Strane Jr

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 55H-Mark Heinert [1]; 2. 38-Johnson Ginder [3]; 3. 16-Mike Neau [4]; 4. 74-Tim Brannam [2]; 5. 63-Jacob Irwin [6]; 6. 74M-Max Brannam [5]; 7. 23-Dominick Swierad [7]

Qualifying: 1. 5S-Chad Stouthamer, 13.389 [10]; 2. 16-Mike Neau, 13.450 [11]; 3. 18-Nick Petska, 13.470 [12]; 4. 38-Johnson Ginder, 13.582 [3]; 5. 6-Jeff Schmidt, 13.611 [9]; 6. 74-Tim Brannam, 13.622 [15]; 7. 17-Jordan Funderburk, 13.732 [4]; 8. 55H-Mark Heinert, 13.840 [14]; 9. 11-Derek Fortier, 13.982 [1]; 10. 74M-Max Brannam, 14.101 [7]; 11. 13-Tucker Richards, 14.255 [6]; 12. 63-Jacob Irwin, 14.396 [2]; 13. 01-Ron Brannam, 14.471 [13]; 14. 23-Dominick Swierad, 15.120 [5]; 15. 22S-Brian Strane Jr [8]

September 29, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Arenz deposits runner-up showing in Wilmot 410 Sprint Car special event

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions 

Travis Arenz earned a runner-up showing in a non-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car event at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 21.  – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 25, 2024 – Travis Arenz has seen plenty of ups and downs while planted firmly in the seat of a roller coaster thrill ride during the 2024 racing season.

After enduring chassis and motor failures throughout his second full season of 410 Sprint Car competition, Arenz put together one of his strongest performances of the year as his 25T machine fired on all cylinders in a non-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car event held during the 2024 Falls Classic at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The 17th-year racer opened the night by qualifying third in the 22-car field with a lap of 13.452 seconds.

After starting fourth in the third eight-lap 410 Sprint Car heat race, the 2021 and 2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion raced to victory to secure a spot in the six-lap dash, which set the top starting positions in the evening’s A-main.

Arenz went on to win the six-lap 410 Sprint Car dash from his outside front row starting position to claim the pole position for the 25-lap A-main.

The Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver, who owns a total of 71 career A-main victories across four different racing divisions, held the top spot throughout the first half of the race before Blake Nimee slipped past to secure the top spot.

Nimee retained control all the way to the checker as Arenz went on to tally his seventh top five main event showing of the 2024 season with a second place run.

“The car felt very good in qualifying,” Arenz said. “I was very pleased to have a strong lap time. We made some small adjustments with this different car and, so far, they seem to be working. In the heat and dash, the car worked well and I was able to hit my marks. I knew I had the best starting position to win the feature. As the laps progressed and we got into lapped traffic, the car kind of went away a bit. I should’ve gone further in snugging the car up for the feature than what I did. I just didn’t want to over do it.”

Travis Arenz Motorsports is set to compete in the final event of the 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association season at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28 as part of the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships.

In addition to the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series,  the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships will also feature the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars, Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Cars and IRA Lightning Sprints, which will close out their 2024 points seasons at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 28. Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5 p.m.

All 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events will be streamed live on FloRacing.

The Travis Arenz 25T Motorsports Team continues to seek crew members to assist the team. Those interested can send a direct message to Travis through the Travis Arenz Motorsports Facebook page.

“I am still looking for another set of crew hands to help for the remainder of the season and, hopefully, for seasons to come,” Arenz said. “Anyone with an interest can reach out to me for more info.”

The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation Inc., Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Carbliss Hand Crafted Cocktails, Pallet Works, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen Sales and Service, Amy Bruechert Reality, Duehring’s Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, Sonntag Plumbing Inc., Kriete Truck Center and Arenz Auto Detailing.

The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consists of pit crew members Jerrod Gamb, Cameron Fritz, Bobby Bonelli, Keith Fellner and Emily Stadler.

Additional information on the Travis Arenz Motorsports team can be found by visiting the team’s Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.

Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Duehring’s Tax Service

Travis Arenz Motorsports would like to acknowledge Duehring’s Tax Service for its support during the team’s second full season of 410 Sprint Car action in 2024.

Located at 615 South Eighth St., Suite 110-6 in Sheboygan, Wis., Duehring’s Tax Service is a local, family-owned business specializing in tax preparation services.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Duehring’s Tax Service via email at bneils09@gmail.com or by calling 920-452-8665.

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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

Travis Arenz Motorsports
2024 Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, September 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)

Travis Arenz Motorsports
2024 Statistics

Total Events – 18
IRA Events – 17
A-Main Victories – 0
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 7
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 12
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 13
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 14
Heat Race Victories – 3
B-Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 10
Dash Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1

September 25, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Alex Pokorski posts solid runs in 360-410 Wilmot Sprint Car combo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Alex Pokorski registered a top-five showing with the Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars on Friday, Sept. 20 and a top-10 showings in a non-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car event on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 24, 2024 – Alex Pokorski and the members of the Akright Auto Racing Team took on the challenge of competing in two different cars in two different divisions on back-to-back nights of competition and delivered a pair of rock-solid finishes in Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car competition on Friday, Sept. 20 and non-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car action on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis.

On the second night of the Wilmot Fall Classic at the historic three-eighths-mile semi-banked facility, Pokorski opened the MSA 360 Sprint Car program by qualifying second overall in the 21-car field with a lap of 13.864 seconds.

After lining up fourth in heat race one, the 2023 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Most Improved Driver Award winner wound up second to nail down the fifth starting position in the 25-lap MSA main event.

The West Bend competitor found the going to be on the challenging side in the initial laps of the A-main as he was shuffled back to 11th after a caution on lap 4.

Over the final 15 laps of the event, Pokorski skillfully steered his way back through the field to cross the line in fifth place in a race won by Brandon Berth.

“In the main event, we just needed more restarts on the outside,” Pokorski said. “We kept losing spots on restarts due to being on the inside lane.”

One night later, Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team crew returned to Wilmot Raceway for the final night of the Wilmot Fall Classic for a non-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car event on Saturday, Sept. 21.

In his fourth appearance in the seat of a 410 Winged Sprint Car, Pokorski qualified seventh in the 22-car field in 13.695 seconds. The fifth-year Sprint Car racer started second in the first eight-lap heat race and went on to post his first career 410 Sprint Car heat race victory and secure a spot in the six-lap dash.

After starting and finishing fourth in the dash, Pokorski nailed down an outside second-row starting spot in the 25-lap 410 Sprint Car main event. Pokorski drove a smooth and consistent race to record his first career top-10 410 Sprint Car A-main finish with a 10th place showing in a race won by Blake Nimee.

“The night went as well as we could’ve asked for,” Pokorski said. “It was great to get a heat race win. We missed the setup a bit for feature time, but if you would’ve offered us a 10th place finish at the beginning of the night, we would’ve taken it. Overall, it was a solid night.”

Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team are set to cap the 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car campaign at the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., which will also feature the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Cars, Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Cars and IRA Lightning Sprints.
Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with “on-track action” scheduled to commence at 5 p.m.

The event will be available to view via live stream at floracing.com.

Sponsors and supporters for the 2024 Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Lynch Buick GMC West Bend, Countryside Designs, Goeden Auto Body, Petersen Septic Systems, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Professional Plating, Ace Hardware (Kiel and Sheboygan Falls locations), Cedar Valley Hunt Club, Real Estate Property Shop-Sue Erdmann, Bonafide Security Solutions, Novak’s Service Center, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

For more information on Alex Pokorski and the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook at https://facebook.com/pokorskimotorsports or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Bonafide Security Solutions

Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team is pleased to welcome Bonafide Security Solutions as a sponsorship partner for the 2024 season.

Based in Brookfield, Wis., Bonafide Security Solutions is Wisconsin’s premier source of commercial and residential security hardware and services, offering safes, vaults, locks, surveillance, alarms, security systems, banking security equipment, master keys, deadbolt locks, padlocks and more.

Bonafide Security Solutions supports its clients with expert delivery, installation of products and prompt service from experienced fully licensed, bonded and insured professionals. Customers also benefit from Bonafide Security Solution’s high level of integrity and professionalism, which make the company a trusted business partner.

To contact Bonafide Security Solutions, call 262-790-9400, email service@bonafidesafe.com or visit http://bonafidesafe.com/

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto

Located at 106 North Bluebird Lane in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Akright Auto has been a reliable source for auto parts since 1940.

With a highly trained staff of auto parts professionals, Akright Auto is well prepared to assist customers with vehicle repair needs with a wide assortment of affordable, high-quality auto parts available on-site. If a part is not available, Akright Auto offers next-day delivery services.

In addition, Akright Auto provides full auto salvage services, along with a 90-day standard warranty on all parts purchases.

Contact Akright Auto by phone at 920-467-4201, toll-free at 800-400-4201, via email at dakright12@gmail.com or visit www.akrightauto.com.

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.pedaldownpromo.com, or call 920-323-7970.

 

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
Remaining 2024 Schedule

Saturday, September 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (PDTR-MSA 360)

 

 Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
360 Sprint Car
2024 Statistics

Total Events – 15
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Events – 11
Midwest Sprint Car Association Events – 15
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 5
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 11
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 12
Heat Race Victories – 4
Fast Qualifier Awards – 2

 

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
410 Sprint Car
2024 Statistics

Total Events – 4
Interstate Racing Association Events – 3
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0

 

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
360 Sprint Car
2024 Statistics

Total Events – 7
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1

 

 

 

September 24, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Swedberg steals victory in ‘wild’ Plymouth Dirt Kings Watson Classic

Sivia, Schroeder, McDonald claim A-main triumphs

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Brett Swedberg of Shawano earned the victory in the seventh annual WABAM Dirt Kings Late Model Tour Jim “Wildman” Watson Classic at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 20.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 21, 2024 – A mad scramble in the final turn of the last lap of the seventh annual 106.5 The Buzz WABAM Dirt Kings Late Model Tour Jim “Wildman” Watson Classic produced a fittingly “wild” finish with Brett Swedberg of Shawano prevailing when the dust settled on the 30-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 21.

Jimmy Sivia of Winthrop Harbor, Ill. emerged from a thrilling three-way duel as the winner of the 20-lap Autometer Wisconsin wingLess Sprint Car Series A-main.

Cody Schroeder of Manitowoc put together a dominating performance to top an attrition-filled 20-lap A Modified main event.

Josh McDonald of Cleveland claimed top honors in the United Street Stock main event.

Six-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake jumped into the lead on the drop of the green flag in the 30-lap “Wildman” Watson Dirt Kings Late Model Tour headliner from the pole with third starter Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha in tow.

On lap eight, Mueller caught the rear of the field on the lightning fast track surface, while second starter Brett Swedberg ducked underneath Scheffler to take over the runner-up position.

With Mueller holding down a comfortable lead, the lone caution of the race appeared on lap 12 when Tim Rothe of Hortonville stopped along the backstretch.

When the race resumed, Joel Bennett of Hortonville moved up from his fifth starting position to take over third in the running order on lap 13. Meanwhile, newly crowned seven-time WABAM Dirt Kings Late Model Tour champion Nick Anvelink of Bonduel maneuvered his way into fourth from the sixth starting spot.

Mueller continued to maintain a stranglehold on the lead before he caught lapped traffic once again in the fleeting laps of the race. Mired in heavy lapped traffic, Mueller slipped up the track coming off of turn three on the final lap, which allowed Swedberg to dive low and power underneath Mueller exiting turn four.

After the two veteran competitors jockeyed hard for position heading onto the front stretch, Mueller made contact with the front stretch wall while Swedberg sailed forward to collect his second Dirt Kings A-main victory of the 2024 season and first Jim “Wildman” Watson main event win, which was worth $2,000.

Bennett came home second and Anvelink finished third. Following his skirmish with Swedberg while racing to the checkered flag, Mueller guided his damaged No. 89 machine along the front stretch wall en route to a fourth place finish and Scheffler rounded out the top five in the Dirt Kings Late Model Tour’s 2024 curtain closer.

After being held at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. for the first five years, it was the second “Wildman” Watson Classic to be contested at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

A native of Greenfield, nicknamed “Wildman,” Watson was a longtime Dirt Late Model competitor, most notably at the now shuttered Hales Corners Speedway in Franklin. Following his racing career, Watson went on to work in NASCAR for Roush Fenway Racing from 2006 to 2015, HScott Motorsports in 2016 and Furniture Row Racing, where he worked as a fabricator at the time of his passing in October 2017.

Polesitter and current Wisconsin wingLess Sprint Car Series points leader Zach Raidart of Gurnee, Ill. seized the top spot on the opening lap of the Wisconsin wingLess A-main with outside front row starter Jimmy Sivia trailing in second. Sivia then inched ahead of Raidart in turn one on lap three just before Ryan Zielski of Oconomowoc spun in turn four to bring out the first of two caution flags.

The hot-and-heavy action raged on following the restart as Sivia rode the high groove and Raidart clung to the inside lane of the expertly manicured track surface. Raidart pulled off a well-executed slide job to claim the lead on lap 7. However, Sivia answered by sweeping back around Raidart along the cushion during the following lap.

While Sivia and Raidart were mounting an intense duel for the lead, fourth starter Tyler Kuxhouse of Antioch, Ill. motored in to join the lead battle.

After the leaders briefly battled in three-wide formation on lap 9, the second caution flag appeared on lap 10 for a spin in turn two involving Craig Lager of Union Grove and Mitchell Reich of Waukegan, Ill.

Jimmy Sivia of Winthrop Harbor, Ill. claimed top honors in the 20-lap Autometer Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car Series A-main at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 20.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

Sivia, who claimed the 2020 Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car Series title, and Raidart re-engaged in their high-speed chess match when the race resumed. In the closing laps, Raidart attempted a pair of slide jobs to oust the lead from Sivia.

However, Sivia held Raidart’s attempts at bay on the way to his third A-main victory of the 2024 season and 16th career Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car Series main event triumph.

Raidart had to settle for second, seventh starter Tristan Furseth of Cambridge placed third, Allen Hafford of Beach Park, Ill. finished fourth after starting third and Rusty Egan of Round Lake Heights, Ill. moved up from the 11th starting spot to place fifth.

After the initial attempt to start the 20-lap A Modified main event produced a six-car pileup, Cody Schroeder leaped forward from the third starting position to seize the lead when the green flag flew with Jayden Schmidt of Seymour, who started fourth, sliding into second.

Cody Schroeder of Manitowoc raced to victory in the 20-lap A Modified main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 20.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

The second yellow flag was displayed on lap 2 when Gary Jahnke of Bear Creek spun in turn two on lap 8. After two laps of green flag action, the third caution flag was displayed when Logan Brass of Howards Grove and Steve Lorier of Sheboygan slowed on lap 10.

After the fourth and final caution occurred on lap 12 when Brenan Ostrowski of Milwaukee spun in turn two, Schroeder put on a driving clinic over the final eight laps en route to a half-lap victory over sixth starter Jeff Bodendorfer of Waterford.

Fifth starter Matt Klenz of West Bend placed third, Mike Simons of Genoa City advanced from the 15th starting spot to finish fourth and polesitter Mike Klenz of West Bend completed the top five in a race which saw nine of the 20 starters make it to the finish line.

Shanon Guelette of Luxemburg led the opening lap from the pole before the first of three caution flags appeared on lap 2 when Arianna Ross of Green Bay spun in turn four.

Following the restart, Guelette relinquished the lead after slowing in turn two. Josh McDonald, who started fifth, inherited the lead when the race resumed with third starter Austin Steinke of St. Nazianz following in second.

On lap 6, McDonald found himself feeling pressure from sixth starter Eddie Anschutz of Denmark and David Hoerning of Grand Chute, who started fourth.

Josh McDonald of Cleveland was victorious in the United Street Stock A-main at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 20.  – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

The third and final caution flag was displayed on lap 7 for a three-car incident. After that, McDonald, Hoerning and Anschutz staged a heated three-wide duel for the lead on lap 8 before Anschutz worked past Hoerning into second.

Anschutz moved in to challenge McDonald for the top spot in the closing laps of race. However, McDonald held on to earn the A-main victory.

Anschutz ended up second, Hoerning finished third, seventh starter Tony Everard of Green Bay took fourth and Steinke placed fifth.

Taylor Scheffler claimed top qualifier honors in Dirt Kings Late Model Tour qualifying in 13.384 seconds.

Jayden Schmidt was the fastest qualifier in the A Modified qualifying session with a lap of 15.115 seconds.

Tyler Kuxhouse turned in a fast lap of 13.716 seconds in Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car Series qualifying.

David Hoerning topped United Street Stock qualifying with a lap of 16.526 seconds.

Austin Winkel of Sheboygan Falls earned the victory in the 10-lap A Modified B-main.

The 13th event of the 2024 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track attracted 89 total entries, including 26 A Modifieds, 22 Dirt Kings Late Models, 22 Unified Street Stocks and 19 Wisconsin wingLess Sprint Cars.

The 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track campaign will draw to a close on Saturday, Sept. 28 with the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships featuring the season finales for the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars, Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Cars, Wisconsin wingLess Sprint Cars and IRA Lightning Sprints.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5 p.m.

The 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Awards Ceremony is set to take place Saturday, Oct. 12 at Racers Hall in Plymouth at 7 p.m.

Weather information for all Plymouth Dirt Track Racing events will be posted on the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram pages, as well as the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing website – www.plymouthdtr.com.

The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds is located at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth, Wis.

For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

106.5 THE BUZZ WABAM DIRT KINGS TOUR LATE MODELS

Jim Wildman Watson Classic (30 Laps): 1. 3-Brett Swedberg [2]; 2. 7-Joel Bennett [5]; 3. 15-Nick Anvelink [6]; 4. 89-Brad Mueller [1]; 5. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [3]; 6. 5-Lukas Postl [11]; 7. 97-Justin Schmidt [7]; 8. 77-Bill Edler [8]; 9. 10P-Paul Parker [12]; 10. 70-Justin Ritchie [13]; 11. 42N-Paul Niznik [10]; 12. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [14]; 13. 51-Chris Oertel [19]; 14. 55-Joe Bongiorno [17]; 15. 99-Sawyer Specht [4]; 16. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [15]; 17. 35X-Parker Foster [18]; 18. 56-Tim Rothe [20]; 19. 89R-Kolton Roehl [9]; 20. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [21]; 21. 99M-Mike Mullen [22]; 22. 21F-Gunner Frank [16]

Autoworx Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [1]; 2. 15-Nick Anvelink [2]; 3. 97-Justin Schmidt [7]; 4. 42N-Paul Niznik [3]; 5. 10P-Paul Parker [6]; 6. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [5]; 7. 35X-Parker Foster [8]; 8. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [4]

Klink Equipment Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 3-Brett Swedberg [1]; 2. 7-Joel Bennett [5]; 3. 77-Bill Edler [3]; 4. 99M-Mike Mullen [2]; 5. 70-Justin Ritchie [7]; 6. 21F-Gunner Frank [6]; 7. 51-Chris Oertel [4]

Ken’s Sports Inc. Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 89-Brad Mueller [1]; 2. 99-Sawyer Specht [2]; 3. 89R-Kolton Roehl [3]; 4. 5-Lukas Postl [4]; 5. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [5]; 6. 55-Joe Bongiorno [6]; 7. 56-Tim Rothe [7]

Autoworx Qualifying 1: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 13.384 [4]; 2. 15-Nick Anvelink, 13.449 [5]; 3. 42N-Paul Niznik, 13.584 [1]; 4. 9N-Tom Naeyaert, 13.643 [3]; 5. 9Z-Jayme Zidar, 13.935 [7]; 6. 10P-Paul Parker, 14.050 [6]; 7. 97-Justin Schmidt, 14.108 [8]; 8. 35X-Parker Foster, 14.415 [2]

Klink Equipment Qualifying 2: 1. 3-Brett Swedberg, 13.432 [5]; 2. 99M-Mike Mullen, 13.562 [6]; 3. 77-Bill Edler, 13.742[3]; 4. 51-Chris Oertel, 13.800 [1]; 5. 7-Joel Bennett, 13.843 [4]; 6. 21F-Gunner Frank, 14.004 [7]; 7. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.098 [2]

Ken’s Sports Inc Qualifying 3: 1. 89-Brad Mueller, 13.426 [1]; 2. 99-Sawyer Specht, 13.820 [7]; 3. 89R-Kolton Roehl, 13.830 [2]; 4. 5-Lukas Postl, 13.990 [5]; 5. 24S-Jayden Schmidt, 13.998 [3]; 6. 55-Joe Bongiorno, 14.277 [4]; 7. 56-Tim Rothe, 15.057 [6]

Autoworx Hot Laps 1: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 13.841 [4]; 2. 89-Brad Mueller, 13.960 [16]; 3. 3-Brett Swedberg, 14.001 [13]; 4. 21F-Gunner Frank, 14.146 [15]; 5. 99-Sawyer Specht, 14.199 [22]; 6. 99M-Mike Mullen, 14.219 [14]; 7. 5-Lukas Postl, 14.338 [20]; 8. 42N-Paul Niznik, 14.453[1]; 9. 55-Joe Bongiorno, 14.457 [19]; 10. 24S-Jayden Schmidt, 14.502 [18]; 11. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.582 [10]; 12. 9N-Tom Naeyaert, 14.634 [3]; 13. 10P-Paul Parker, 14.781 [6]; 14. 51-Chris Oertel, 14.847 [9]; 15. 15-Nick Anvelink, 15.224 [5]; 16. 97-Justin Schmidt, 15.610 [8]; 17. 89R-Kolton Roehl, 15.624 [17]; 18. 77-Bill Edler, 15.650 [11]; 19. 9Z-Jayme Zidar, 14.241[7]

AUTOMETER WISCONSIN WINGLESS SPRINT CARS

A Main (20 Laps): 1. 91-Jimmy Sivia [2]; 2. 23Z-Zach Raidart [1]; 3. 57-Tristan Furseth [7]; 4. 38-Allen Hafford [3]; 5. 50-Rusty Egan [11]; 6. 0-John Fahl [6]; 7. 17-Bryce Andrews [5]; 8. 99J-Seth Johnson [13]; 9. 11-Austin Hansen [10]; 10. 4G-George Gaertner III [12]; 11. 7D-Josh Davidson [14]; 12. 29J-Ralph Johnson [18]; 13. 14Z-Ryan Zielski [9]; 14. 7-Trinity Uttech [16]; 15. 29OG-Tom Eller [17]; 16. 21T-Mitchell Reich [15]; 17. 52-Craig Lager [8]; 18. 711-Tyler Kuxhouse [4]; 19. 29JR-Cameron Kuxhouse [19]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 57-Tristan Furseth [2]; 2. 711-Tyler Kuxhouse [4]; 3. 11-Austin Hansen [1]; 4. 23Z-Zach Raidart [3]; 5. 99J-Seth Johnson [5]; 6. 29OG-Tom Eller [6]; 7. (DNF) 29JR-Cameron Kuxhouse [7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 38-Allen Hafford [4]; 2. 17-Bryce Andrews [3]; 3. 50-Rusty Egan [1]; 4. 52-Craig Lager [2]; 5. 7D-Josh Davidson [5]; 6. 29J-Ralph Johnson [6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 14Z-Ryan Zielski [2]; 2. 91-Jimmy Sivia [4]; 3. 0-John Fahl [3]; 4. 4G-George Gaertner III [1]; 5. 21T-Mitchell Reich [6]; 6. 7-Trinity Uttech [5]

Qualifying: 1. 711-Tyler Kuxhouse, 13.716 [8]; 2. 38-Allen Hafford, 13.941 [4]; 3. 91-Jimmy Sivia, 13.945 [13]; 4. 23Z-Zach Raidart, 13.973 [2]; 5. 17-Bryce Andrews, 14.036 [18]; 6. 0-John Fahl, 14.046 [17]; 7. 57-Tristan Furseth, 14.247 [16]; 8. 52-Craig Lager, 14.258 [3]; 9. 14Z-Ryan Zielski, 14.296 [14]; 10. 11-Austin Hansen, 14.314 [19]; 11. 50-Rusty Egan, 14.364 [11]; 12. 4G-George Gaertner III, 14.380 [9]; 13. 99J-Seth Johnson, 14.413 [1]; 14. 7D-Josh Davidson, 14.435 [10]; 15. 7-Trinity Uttech, 14.443 [6]; 16. 29OG-Tom Eller, 14.490 [12]; 17. 29J-Ralph Johnson, 14.516 [15]; 18. 21T-Mitchell Reich, 14.583 [5]; 19. (DNS) 29JR-Cameron Kuxhouse

A MODIFIEDS

A Main (20 Laps): 1. 20C-Cody Schroeder [3]; 2. 95-Jeff Bodendorfer [6]; 3. 18-Matt Klenz [5]; 4. 25-Mike Simons [15]; 5. 17-Mike Klenz [1]; 6. 451-Tim Robbins [7]; 7. 3M-Randy Markwardt Jr [18]; 8. 88-Austin Winkel [16]; 9. 27-Brendan Ostrowski [20]; 10. (DNF) 97-Tanner Janke [14]; 11. (DNF) 89-Logan Brass [17]; 12. (DNF) 19P-Clint Parsons [19]; 13. (DNF) 66-Steve Lorier [11]; 14. (DNF) 79-Gary Janke [10]; 15. (DNF) 24-Jayden Schmidt [4]; 16. (DNF) 46-Jason Condrad [2]; 17. (DNF) 6W-David Wirth [8]; 18. (DNF) 11-Bart Sievert [9]; 19. (DNF) 19-Mike Wittenburg [12]; 20. (DNF) 33A-Adam Abbey [13]

B Main (10 Laps): 1. 88-Austin Winkel [2]; 2. 89-Logan Brass [6]; 3. 3M-Randy Markwardt Jr [1]; 4. 19P-Clint Parsons [3]; 5. 27-Brendan Ostrowski [7]; 6. 29P-Chris Pigeon [8]; 7. 68-Tom Neubauer [5]; 8. 19G-Parker Glander [4]; 9. 11B-Brad Buckman [9]; 10. (DNS) 37L-Brad Lubach; 11. (DNS) 86R-Tom Robbins

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 24-Jayden Schmidt [4]; 2. 79-Gary Janke [5]; 3. 18-Matt Klenz [2]; 4. 6W-David Wirth [1]; 5. 25-Mike Simons [8]; 6. 88-Austin Winkel [6]; 7. 89-Logan Brass [7]; 8. 11B-Brad Buckman [9]; 9. 37L-Brad Lubach [3]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 95-Jeff Bodendorfer [2]; 2. 66-Steve Lorier [5]; 3. 19-Mike Wittenburg [9]; 4. 33A-Adam Abbey [6]; 5. 46-Jason Condrad [3]; 6. 19G-Parker Glander [8]; 7. 86R-Tom Robbins [7]; 8. 27-Brendan Ostrowski [1]; 9. 3M-Randy Markwardt Jr [4]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 451-Tim Robbins [2]; 2. 20C-Cody Schroeder [4]; 3. 17-Mike Klenz [3]; 4. 11-Bart Sievert [1]; 5. 97-Tanner Janke [5]; 6. 19P-Clint Parsons [7]; 7. 68-Tom Neubauer [6]; 8. 29P-Chris Pigeon [8]

Qualifying: 1. 24-Jayden Schmidt, 15.115 [22]; 2. 3M-Randy Markwardt Jr, 15.270 [15]; 3. 20C-Cody Schroeder, 15.358 [1]; 4. 37L-Brad Lubach, 15.539 [7]; 5. 46-Jason Condrad, 15.589 [6]; 6. 17-Mike Klenz, 15.720 [4]; 7. 18-Matt Klenz, 15.725 [16]; 8. 95-Jeff Bodendorfer, 15.736 [2]; 9. 451-Tim Robbins, 15.782 [12]; 10. 6W-David Wirth, 15.823 [5]; 11. 27-Brendan Ostrowski, 15.919 [13]; 12. 11-Bart Sievert, 15.990 [11]; 13. 79-Gary Janke, 16.162 [20]; 14. 66-Steve Lorier, 16.173 [19]; 15. 97-Tanner Janke, 16.268 [10]; 16. 88-Austin Winkel, 16.268 [14]; 17. 33A-Adam Abbey, 16.343 [26]; 18. 68-Tom Neubauer, 16.350 [8]; 19. 89-Logan Brass, 16.376 [9]; 20. 86R-Tom Robbins, 16.403 [21]; 21. 19P-Clint Parsons, 16.583 [3]; 22. 25-Mike Simons, 00:16.832 [23]; 23. 19G-Parker Glander, 17.155 [24]; 24. 29P-Chris Pigeon, 17.192 [18]; 25. 11B-Brad Buckman, 17.669 [25]; 26. (DNS) 19-Mike Wittenburg

UNIFIED STREET STOCKS

A Main (20 Laps): 1. 6-Josh McDonald [5]; 2. 71-Edward Anschutz [6]; 3. 71H-David Hoerning [4]; 4. 8-Tony Everard [7]; 5. 24S-Austin Steinke [3]; 6. 95V-Logan Verhagen [9]; 7. 14X-Nate Gross [14]; 8. 838-Jason Eisel [10]; 9. 4-Shaun Bangart [8]; 10. 8M-Mike Meier [17]; 11. 6M-Matt McDonald [2]; 12. 83-Roman Blank [18]; 13. 28V-John Vetting [12]; 14. 22H-Hope Eisel [20]; 15. 51-Quentin Morrison [16]; 16. 121-Arianna Ross [21]; 17. 14-Bennett Glidden [11]; 18. 1K-Derek Kaye [22]; 19. 5-Todd Berzowski [19]; 20. 914-Tyler Nettekoven [13]; 21. 111-Shanon Guelette [1]; 22. 50X-Trevor Vandehei [15]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 71-Edward Anschutz [2]; 2. 95V-Logan Verhagen [1]; 3. 111-Shanon Guelette [3]; 4. 71H-David Hoerning [4]; 5. 914-Tyler Nettekoven [5]; 6. 8M-Mike Meier [6]; 7. 5-Todd Berzowski [7]; 8. 121-Arianna Ross [8]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 838-Jason Eisel [1]; 2. 6-Josh McDonald [3]; 3. 24S-Austin Steinke [4]; 4. 8-Tony Everard [2]; 5. 14X-Nate Gross [5]; 6. 83-Roman Blank [6]; 7. 22H-Hope Eisel [7]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 4-Shaun Bangart [2]; 2. 6M-Matt McDonald [4]; 3. 14-Bennett Glidden [7]; 4. 28V-John Vetting [6]; 5. 50X-Trevor Vandehei [5]; 6. 51-Quentin Morrison [1]; 7. 1K-Derek Kaye [3]

Qualifying: 1. 71H-David Hoerning, 16.526 [19]; 2. 24S-Austin Steinke, 16.616 [22]; 3. 6M-Matt McDonald, 16.851 [16]; 4. 111-Shanon Guelette, 16.892 [20]; 5. 6-Josh McDonald, 16.980 [21]; 6. 1K-Derek Kaye, 17.010 [9]; 7. 71-Edward Anschutz, 17.044 [4]; 8. 8-Tony Everard, 17.062 [10]; 9. 4-Shaun Bangart, 17.092 [11]; 10. 95V-Logan Verhagen, 17.106 [17]; 11. 838-Jason Eisel, 17.278 [1]; 12. 51-Quentin Morrison, 17.300 [8]; 13. 914-Tyler Nettekoven, 17.394 [18]; 14. 14X-Nate Gross, 17.430 [14]; 15. 50X-Trevor Vandehei, 17.431 [5]; 16. 8M-Mike Meier, 17.506 [12]; 17. 83-Roman Blank, 17.567 [2]; 18. 28V-John Vetting, 17.889 [7]; 19. 5-Todd Berzowski, 17.981 [13]; 20. 22H-Hope Eisel, 18.003 [3]; 21. 14-Bennett Glidden, 18.131 [15]; 22. 121-Arianna Ross, 21.058 [6]

September 22, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Berth endures Wilmot survival test to claim third 2024 MSA win

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Brandon Berth collected his third Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main victory of the 2024 season at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 20. – HW Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 20, 2024 – Brandon Berth Cascade survived seven caution flags and withstood a spirited three-way dual for the lead to nail down his third Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2024 season in a marathon 25-lap main event on Friday, Sept. 20 at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis.

To set the tone for the lengthy A-main, a pair of caution flags flew before an official lap was completed. The first caution came on a spin involving Russel Borland of Kewaskum and Chris Larson of Franksville in turn three. The second was for the disabled car of Billy Kreutz of Kiel in turn two.

When the race finally got underway, polesitter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum bolted into the lead in the seat of the No. 69 car normally driven by Bill Taylor, with outside front row starter Anthony Knierim of Franksville giving chase.

On lap four, Brandon Berth, who started third, moved in to challenge Knierim for the runner-up spot before the third caution flag was displayed for the spinning car of Katelyn Krebsbach of Cascade in turn two.

Following the restart, 2011 Midwest Sprint Car Association champion and current points leader Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who started sixth, charged into third on lap 6. Three laps later, Berth began to reel in Wenninger on the smooth and slick racing surface, which included a tricky cushion.

The fourth and fifth caution flags came out on laps 10 and 11 for the spinning car of Ryan Sawusch of Lake Villa, Ill.

After the completion of just one additional lap, the slowing car of Scott Conger of Eagle brought out the sixth caution flag of the event on lap 12.

The ensuing restart proved successful as the remaining field clicked off 12 consecutive green flag laps, during which Wenninger, Berth and Schmidt sliced and diced for the top spot in remarkably close quarters in and around the outer edge of the three-eighths-mile semi-banked clay oval.

Berth and Schmidt swapped the second position multiple times along the high and low grooves of the well-manicured racing surface while reeling in Wenninger for the lead.

As the intensity in the three-car duel for the lead ramped up, the seventh and final caution flag was thrown when Wenninger’s car stopped abruptly as the field was about to take the white flag. After Berth and Schmidt made slight contact with Wenninger’s car exiting turn four, the right front tire of his No. 69 machine dislodged and bounded away along with his hopes for an A-main victory.

Berth commanded the final restart and pulled away over the final two laps to secure his fifth career MSA main event triumph and third A-main victory of the 2024 MSA campaign.

Schmidt wound up second, five-time MSA champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee charged up from the 11th starting spot to place third, Kevin Karnitz of West Bend moved up eight positions to place fourth and Alex Pokorski of West Bend started and finished fifth.

“I’m so grateful to be in victory lane here,” Berth said. “I’m not sure what happened to Shane [Wenninger] there. He was very strong and had been running away with it. I have to thank everyone on my great team and all of the sponsors and supporters. It’s a dream come true to get to do this every week.”

The 12th MSA event of the 2024 season drew a field of 21 MSA 360 Sprint Cars to the venerable Wilmot Raceway facility.

Ben Schmidt earned the MSA 360 Sprint Car fast qualifier award with a top lap of 13.798 seconds in group qualifying.

The Akright Auto MSA 360 Sprint Series is set to cap off the 2024 campaign at the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5 p.m.

For more information on the 2024 Midwest Sprint Car Association season, visit www.msasprints.com or check out the Midwest Sprint Car Association Facebook page.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through a diverse array of promotional strategies and methods, including 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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

 

Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association
Wilmot Raceway
Wilmot, Wis.
September 20, 2024

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 22B-Brandon Berth [3]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [6]; 3. 39K-Kurt Davis [11]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [12]; 5. 4-Alex Pokorski [5]; 6. 51-Chris Larson [9]; 7. 11-Tony Wondra [18]; 8. 16-Anthony Knierim [2]; 9. 24-Scott Conger [13]; 10. 09-Clayton Rossmann [10]; 11. 69-Shane Wenninger [1]; 12. 52-Cody Schlafer [14]; 13. 55P-Brady Portschy [15]; 14. 26-Russel Borland [8]; 15. 3-Justin Erickson [17]; 16. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [16]; 17. 0-Robbie Pribnow [4]; 18. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [21]; 19. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [7]; 20. 25-Danny Schlafer [Did Not Start]; 21. 69S-TJ Smith [Did Not Start]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 51-Chris Larson [1]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [4]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [6]; 4. 24-Scott Conger [7]; 5. 26-Russel Borland [2]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [5]; 7. 55P-Brady Portschy [3]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth [2]; 3. 09-Clayton Rossmann [1]; 4. 39K-Kurt Davis [4]; 5. (DNF) 55S-Ryan Sawusch [6]; 6. (DNF) 25-Danny Schlafer [5]; 7. (DNS) 11-Tony Wondra

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 69-Bill Taylor [2]; 2. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [1]; 3. 0-Robbie Pribnow [4]; 4. 16-Anthony Knierim [3]; 5. 52-Cody Schlafer [6]; 6. 3-Justin Erickson [5]; 7. (DNS) 69S-TJ Smith

Qualifying 1: 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.864 [7]; 2. 55P-Brady Portschy, 14.053 [6]; 3. 26-Russel Borland 14.124 [2]; 4. 51-Chris Larson, 14.126 [1]; 5. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 14.172 [3]; 6. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 14.222 [5]; 7. 24-Scott Conger, 14.274 [4]

Qualifying 2: 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.798 [6]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.914 [7]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra, 14.179 [4]; 4. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 14.180 [1]; 5. 39K-Kurt Davis, 14.218 [3]; 6. 25-Danny Schlafer, 14.387 [2]; 7. 55S-Ryan Sawusch, 16.526 [5]

Qualifying 3: 1. 0-Robbie Pribnow, 13.904[3]; 2. 16-Anthony Knierim, 14.052[2]; 3. 69-Shane Wenninger, 14.080 [7]; 4. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 14.122 [5]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith, 14.303 [4]; 6. 3-Justin Erickson, 14.308 [6]; 7. 52-Cody Schlafer, 14.383 [1]

September 21, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson

Hartmann motors to solid IRA top 10 at 141 Speedway

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Austin Hartmann turned in a 10th place showing in a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series A-main at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 14. – HW Designs photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 18, 2024 – After losing a motor at Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 7, Austin Hartmann and the members of the 87A Hartmann Racing Team bounced back to record a top 10 main event finish in Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car competition at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Utilizing a loaned motor from Ion Stear, the fifth year Sprint Car racer bolted out of the gate at one of his favorite tracks on the IRA circuit to record the eighth fastest qualifying lap among the 27 entries in 11.687 seconds.

The 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Award winner started second and came home third in the second IRA eight-lap heat race to lock himself into the A-main.

The Plymouth, Wis. driver then launched from the fourth spot and came home fifth in the second four-lap IRA dash to earn the 10th starting position in the evening’s main event.

When the green flag flew on the 30-lap IRA main event, Hartmann dropped back to 11th in the early going before briefly moving into seventh following a restart for back-to-back yellow and red flags on lap 13.

The third-year 410 Sprint Car competitor was running ninth after a lap 22 restart before coming home with a 10th place showing to earn his ninth top 10 A main finish of the 2024 campaign.

“I can’t thank Ion Stear enough for lending us a motor so close to the end of the year,” Hartmann said. “We had a decent night at 141. I wish we could’ve kept building on what we’ve grown, but we’ll shake that one off. We are waiting for our fresh motor to arrive, so we can be ready to let it all hang out on the last couple of nights of the season in hopes of picking up a win.”

Austin Hartmann and the members of the 87A Hartmann Racing Team are set to enter the final two races of the 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series season at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 27 and at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 28 as part of the seventh annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships.

Spectator gates open at 5:30 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m. for the IRA’s first-ever appearance at Mississippi Thunder Speedway. Also on the card are the USRA Hobby Stocks, B Mods, Modifieds, Late Models and Stock Cars, along with Batwings and Eco Mods.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5 p.m. for the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships. The Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars, Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Cars and IRA Lightning Sprints will also close out their 2024 points seasons at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 28.

All Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events can be viewed via live streaming at Floracing.com.

The sponsorship partners for the 2024 87A Hartmann Racing team include Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Feldmann Sales & Service, Holler n Hills, Quasius Construction Inc., TheD8Dispensary, AF Inc., Metalcraft, Rich’s Truck and Auto Repair, Fastenal of Plymouth, Waldo Oil, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Maxim Chassis, Berryman Racing Shocks and My Race Pass.

The 2024 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Eric Bergschultz, Ian Schultz, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham and Kristine Hartmann.

Additional information on the 87A Hartmann Racing team can be found by visiting the team’s website www.team87a.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/87Ahartmannracing.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor Showcase – Quasius Construction
The Austin Hartmann – 87A Hartmann Racing team is thrilled to have Quasius Construction on board as a returning partnership partner for the 2024 season.   Located at 1202 North Eighth St. in Sheboygan, Wis., Quasius Construction is a construction services company and contracting firm utilizing general construction, construction management and design-build delivery systems.
To contact Quasius Construction, call 920-457-5585, email info@quasius.com or visit quasius.com.
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.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2024 Upcoming Schedule

Friday, September 27 – Mississippi Thunder Speedway, Fountain City, Wis. (IRA)
Saturday, September 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2024 Statistics

Total Events – 28
IRA Events – 21
World of Outlaws Events – 2
A-Main Victories – 0
B-Main Victories – 1
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 9
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 15
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 19
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 7
Dash Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

September 18, 2024 / by Jeff Pederson