Arenz, Boden, Niznik, Loehr, Long excel in PDTR A-main action

Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion and current point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan earned his 15th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main and fifth victory of the 2022 season in the 25-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 16, 2022 – On a night that produced a close-quarters brand of wheel-to-wheel competition contested on a lightning-fast racing surface, two first-time winners collected main-event hardware in a five-division Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program featuring a special appearance from the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16.

In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main, defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ and current point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan notched his fifth main event triumph of the 2022 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track in flag-to-flag fashion.

2016 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Micro Sprint champion Zach Boden of Cambridge posted his second career Badger Midget A-main victory in the 25-lap Badger Midget Auto Racing Association main event.

Late Model newcomer Paul Niznik of Medford used a late-race pass to secure his first PDTR Late Model A-main victory in the 25-lap Sheboygan’s Country B93.7 Late Model A main in his debut PDTR appearance.

2018 PDTR Grand National champion Matt Loehr of Dotyville cruised to his third 25-lap Oostburg Automotive PDTR Grand National A-main triumph of the 2022 campaign.

Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls led from start to finish to earn his first career PDTR B Mod A-main victory in the 25-lap Next Stop Insurance B Mod main event.

Travis Arenz led the 360 Sprint Car field to the green flag from the pole position and outpowered outside front row starter Alex Pokorski of West Bend at the start of the 25-lap A main to lead the opening lap.

Arenz then proceeded to open up a comfortable half-straightaway cushion over Pokorski with fourth starter Tony Wondra of Campbellsport in third. On lap 5, Pokorski got sideways and flipped into the turn four fence, while 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth simultaneously flipped in turn three to bring out the red flag. Both drivers emerged from their damaged cars uninjured.

On the restart, two-time PDTR champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee, who started seventh, moved into fourth. One lap later, the caution flag was displayed to the field for the stalled car of Bill Taylor of Boltonville in turn four.

When the race resumed, Arenz again bolted into the lead while 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who started eighth, moved into third in the running order. Two laps later, the hard-charging Schmidt worked past Wondra to advance to second in turn four.

As the leaders started to work their way through slower traffic on lap 10, two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh began to make his presence felt as he moved into third on lap 15 before powering past Schmidt into second on lap 20.

Meanwhile, Arenz successfully negotiated his way through the rear of the field as the laps wound down to secure his 15th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 27th career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph.

McMullen had to settle for second, Schmidt was third, fifth starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum finished fourth and Davis rounded out the top five.

Outside front row starter Aaron Muhle of Beaver Dam grabbed the lead with third starter Kevin Douglas of Madison slipping into second on the opening lap of the 25-lap Badger Midget A main.

After Douglas drifted high in turn four lap 4, which allowed 10th starter Zach Boden and R.J. Corson of Markham, Ill. to move past and engage in a duel for second place. On lap 6, Boden used the low groove to gain second and quickly cut the gap on Muhle.

Former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Micro Sprint champion Zach Boden of Cambridge collected his second career Badger Midget Auto Racing Association 25-lap A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Boden reeled in Muhle on lap 8 and two laps later he powered into the lead in turn two as Badger Midgets points leader Todd Kluever of Sun Prairie moved into third from his eighth starting spot.

By lap 16, Boden, who owns nine PDTR Micro Sprint A-main victories, had built up a full-straightaway cushion over Muhle before the lone caution of the race appeared on lap 20 for the stalled car of Denny Smith of Mukwonago in turn four.

On the restart, Boden again pulled away from Muhle on the way to his second career Badger Midget A-main victory.

Muhle finished second, Kluever placed third, Corson was fourth and seventh starter Daltyn England of Springfield, Ill. placed fifth.

After the initial start of the 25-lap Late Model A main was aborted for a spin involving Don Singer in turn two, outside front row starter Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag with polesitter Paul Niznik following in second.

On lap 2, the second and final caution flag was displayed when four-time and defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland spun in turn two and was collected by Don Singer and Chad Ludwigson of Sheboygan Falls.

The race was red flagged as Schmidt received medical assistance after exiting his car under his own power, while the cars of Singer and Ludwigson had to be separated after being wedged together in the incident.

Paul Niznik of Medford earned his first career 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model A-main victory in his first appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Bongiorno held the top spot on the restart with Niznik following close behind. On lap 6, four-time PDTR Late Model champ Brad Mueller of Random Lake moved into third after starting seventh. Three laps later, Mueller moved in to pressure Niznik for second. However, Niznik pulled ahead on the ensuing circuits and moved in to hound Bongiorno for the lead on lap 14.

On lap 17, Niznik ducked low to pull even with the high-riding Bongiorno as the two drivers engaged in an entertaining side-by-side duel for the lead over the next six laps before Niznik finally powered his way into the lead on lap 23.

Niznik held tight over the final two circuits to secure his first career PDTR Late Model A-main victory in his Plymouth Dirt Track Racing debut.

Bongiorno finished second, eighth starter Charlie Schmidt of Oostburg placed third, Jim Schmidt of Cleveland moved up from the 11th starting spot to place fourth and ninth starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee finished fifth.

2010 PDTR Grand National champ Brian Gilles of Plymouth drove the Bender Racing 23K car into the lead from the pole position on the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National A main.

On lap 6, third starter Matt Loehr steered the Bender Racing 89 machine around Gilles into the lead along the high groove in turn three.

2018 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National champion Matt Loehr of Dotyville notched his 12th career 25-lap PDTR Grand National A-main triumph at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Loehr then proceeded to build up a comfortable lead before the first of two caution flags appeared on lap 10 for a two-car incident in turn two involving Steven Weber of Plymouth and Mavrick Ruh of Elkhart Lake.

On the restart, eighth starter Josh Pierce of Fredonia worked the high groove to move into second on lap 14.

Loehr remained strong at the head of the field in the closing stages of the race en route to his 12th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory.

Pierce finished second, sixth starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg finished third, 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth finished fourth after starting fourth and Steven Weber recovered to finish fifth.

Polesitter Shane Long seized the top spot on lap 1 of the 25-lap B Mod A main before the lone caution flag of the race was displayed on lap 3 when rookie Parker Glander of Sheboygan Falls stopped in turn two.

On the restart, sixth starter Jonathon Baumann of Sheboygan worked the outside groove to vault his way into fourth in turn three.  Meanwhile, fifth starter and current PDTR B Mod points leader Andy Welter of Hartford and Brendan Ostrowski of Milwaukee, who started fourth, engaged in a heated duel for second before Welter assumed the runner-up spot on lap 5.

Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls racked up his first career 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Three laps later, Welter moved in to pressure Long for the lead. However, Long would have none of Welter’s challenges as he proceeded to pull away to extend his lead to five car lengths on lap 15 and 10 car lengths on lap 20.

Long was not to be denied as he cruised over the final five laps on the way to his first career PDTR B Mod A-main victory.

Welter finished second, Ostrowski wound up third, seventh starter James Rautmann of Howards Grove placed fourth and eighth starter Brian Konitzer of Sheboygan rounded out the top five.

Ben Schmidt was the fastest 360 Sprint Car overall qualifier with a lap of 12.030 seconds.

Zach Boden earned the Badger Midgets fast qualifier award with a lap of 13.186.

Anthony Knierim of Caledonia won the 15-lap 360 Sprint Car B main.

The eighth full PDTR program of the 2022 campaign, which was sponsored by Pit Stop Pizza, drew a total field of 89 cars, including 32 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, 19 Badger Midgets, 13 Late Models, 11 Grand Nationals, 14 B Mods.

The next PDTR racing program on Saturday, July 23 will feature the inaugural Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 induction with 10 drivers, four track workers and three racing families honored for their contributions to the racing program at Plymouth since its inception in 1950.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m. for the PDTR program sponsored by Josfo Electric.

The new book “Racing Recollections – Plymouth Racetrack Fans & Drivers 1950-2021” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, George Baumann of Waupun and Verla Peichl of Sheboygan Falls will be available for purchase at every race during the 2022 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.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.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

QUALIFYING

1, Ben Schmidt 12.030 2, Anthony Knierim 12.218 3, Scott Conger 12.266 4, Brandon Berth 12.272 5, Travis Arenz 12.437 6, Tommy Colburn 12.480 7, Dylan Winkel 12.489 8, Justin Erickson 12.546 9, Justin Miller 12.596 10, Shane Wenninger 12.600 11, Tony Wondra 12.685 12, Chris Clayton 12.721 13, Kurt Davis 12.738 14, Mike Yurmanovich 12.754 15, Cole Possi 12.776 16, Katelyn Krebsbach 12.782 17, Alex Pokorski 12.816 18, Tyler Davis 12.829 19, Tim Haddy 12.852 20, Brandon McMullen 12.932 21, Bill Taylor 12.967 22, Will Gerrits 12.990 23, Robbie Pribnow 13.028 24, Donny Goeden 13.049 25, Johnny Fahl 13.128 26, J.J. Pagel 13.137 27, Doug Wondra 13.299 28, Eric Wilke 13.352 29, Lance Fassbender 13.413 30, Mike Decker no time 31, Randy Post no time 32, Tyler Brabant no time.

HEAT 1

1, Bill Taylor 2, Alex Pokorski 3, Tim Haddy 4, Will Gerrits 5, Donny Goeden 6, Robbie Pribnow 7, Lance Fassbender 8, Katelyn Krebsbach.

HEAT 2

1, Cole Possi 2, Travis Arenz 3, Brandon Berth 4, Anthony Knierim 5, Tyler Davis 6, J.J. Pagel 7, Doug Wondra 8, Mike Decker.

HEAT 3

1, Shane Wenninger 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Tommy Colburn 4, Brandon McMullen 5, Mike Yurmanovich 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Randy Post 8, Justin Erickson.

HEAT 4

1, Tony Wondra 2, Justin Miller 3, Kurt Davis 4, Scott Conger 5, Dylan Winkel 6, Johnny Fahl 7, Eric Wilke 8, Chris Clayton DNS.

B MAIN

1, Anthony Knierim 2, Tyler Brabant 3, Robbie Pribnow 4, Lance Fassbender 5, Mike Yurmanovich 6, Tyler Davis 7, Dylan Winkel 8, Katelyn Krebsbach 9, Johnny Fahl 10, Mike Decker 11, Eric Wilke 12, Randy Post 13, J.J. Pagel 14, Justin Erickson 15, Doug Wondra 16, Chris Clayton.

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Ben Schmidt 4, Shane Wenninger 5, Kurt Davis 6, Brandon Berth 7, Will Gerrits 8, Donny Goeden 9, Tony Wondra 10, Tim Haddy 11, Lance Fassbender 12, Cole Possi 13, Anthony Knierim 14, Robbie Pribnow 15, Tyler Davis 16, Tyler Brabant 17, Scott Conger 18, Mike Yurmanovich 19, Bill Taylor 20, Tommy Colburn 21, Alex Pokorski 22, Justin Miller.

BADGER MIDGETS

QUALIFYING

1, Zach Boden 13.186 2, Kyle Stark 13.492 3, Todd Kluever 13.511 4, Daltyn England 13.699 5, R.J. Corson 13.773 6, Dave Collins Jr. 13.775 7, Bryon Walters 13.802 8, Kevin Douglas 13.854 9, Aaron Muhle 13.928 10, Jordan Nelson 13.977 11, Jim Fuerst 14.344 12, Jace Sparks 14.694 13, Denny Smith 14.785 14, Charles Rufi 14.790 15, Harrison Kleven 14.794 16, Kyle Koch 14.899 17, Jake Goeglein 15.272 18, Trey Weishoff 15.456 19, Mike Stroik 19.000.

HEAT 1

1, Kyle Stark 2, Datlyn England 3, Kyle Koch 4, Kevin Douglas 5, Dave Collins Jr. 6, Charles Rufi 7, Mike Stroik 8, Jake Goeglein 9, Jordan Nelson DQ Jace Sparks.

HEAT 2

1, Aaron Muhle 2, Zach Boden 3, R.J. Corson 4, Todd Kluever 5, Bryon Walters 6, Jim Fuerst 7, Trey Weishoff 8, Harrison Kleven 9, Denny Smith.

A MAIN

1, Zach Boden 2, Aaron Muhle 3, Todd Kluever 4, R.J. Corson 5, Daltyn England 6, Dave Collins Jr. 7, Kevin Douglas 8, Kyle Koch 9, Mike Stroik 10, Jim Fuerst 11, Charles Rufi 12, Jordan Nelson 13, Harrison Kleven 14, Denny Smith 15, Trey Weishoff 16, Kyle Stark 17, Jake Goeglein 18, Jace Sparks

SHEBOYGAN’S COUNTRY B93.7 LATE MODELS 

HEAT 1

1, Charlie Schmidt 2, Bill Edler 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Joe Bongiorno 5, Paul Niznik 6, Don Singer 7, Jim Schmidt.

HEAT 2

1, Brad Mueller 2, Turk Letizia 3, Sawyer Specht 4, Eric Michaels 5, Dan White 6, Chad Ludwigson.

A MAIN

1, Paul Niznik 2, Joe Bongiorno 3, Charlie Schmidt 4, Jim Schmidt 5, Turk Letizia 6, Bill Edler 7, Sawyer Specht 8, Dan White 9, Eric Michaels 10, Brad Mueller 11, Justin Schmidt 12, Don Singer 13, Chad Ludwigson.

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

HEAT 1

1, Josh Pierce 2, Luke Scholten 3, Mavrick Ruh 4, Matt Loehr 5, Shaun Goetsch 6, Mark Kuhfuss.

HEAT 2

1, Matt Yancey 2, Steven Weber 3, Tyler Kulow 4, Brian Gilles 5, Donny Kulow.

A MAIN

1, Matt Loehr 2, Josh Pierce 3, Luke Scholten 4, Tyler Kulow 5, Steven Weber 6, Matt Yancey 7, Brian Gilles 8, Donny Kulow 9, Mavrick Ruh 10, Mark Kuhfuss 11, Shaun Goetsch.

NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS

HEAT 1

1, Andy Welter 2, Brendan Ostrowski 3, James Rautmann 4, Shane Long 5, Rory Welch 6, Spencer Long 7, Jonathan Hitsman.

HEAT 2

1, Jonathon Baumann 2, Brandon Knepprath 3, Steve Lorier 4, Brian Konitzer 5, Travis Schmidt 6, Patrick Hansen 7, Parker Glander.

A MAIN

1, Shane Long 2, Andy Welter 3, Brendan Ostrowski 4, James Rautmann 5, Brian Konitzer 6, Jonathon Baumann 7, Steve Lorier 8, Jonathan Hitsman 9, Brandon Knepprath 10, Rory Welch 11, Patrick Hanson 12, Travis Schmidt 13, Spencer Long 14, Parker Glander.

Alex Pokorski earns season-best A-main showing at Plymouth Dirt Track

Alex Pokorski posted a season-best 14th-place finish in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main event Saturday, July 9 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 12, 2022 – Nine days after missing out on an A-main transfer spot for the first time during the 2022 season, Alex Pokorski bounced back to record a season-best 14th-place A-main finish behind the wheel of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team 360 Sprint Car, during Fan Appreciation Night at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9.

With 26 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars checked in for the evening, Pokorski lined up sixth in the third 10-lap heat race based on draw, after group qualifying was scrapped for the evening due to computer issues.

On the opening lap, Pokorski swept around fifth starter Kevin Seidler and moved up to pressure Tyler Brabant for fourth along the low line on lap 4. After Brabant adjusted his line from the middle to the bottom of the racing surface, he pulled away from Pokorski, who went on to register a fifth-place finish, which earned him a direct transfer to the 360 Sprint Car A main based on the passing points formula.

Alex Pokorski is set to compete in a Midwest Sprint Car Association doubleheader this weekend with action at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17 at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

The third-year 360 Sprint Car competitor rolled off 13th in the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main and moved up to 11th following a lap two caution for a five-car mishap in turn one.

On the restart, Pokorski held his own just outside the top 10 during the first portion of a long 23-lap green-flag run. After the front wing of his No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team machine became slightly dislodged Pokorski settled into the 14th spot in the running order.

During the final stages of the race, Pokorski stayed consistent running primarily along the cushion on the way to a season-best 14th-place showing in a race won by Ben Schmidt.

“I felt that the night went well and we made some good progress on some set-up changes,” Pokorski said. “I would’ve liked to pick up a top-10 finish, but I needed to be a little more consistent in how I ran the cushion.”

Pokorski and the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team is set to compete in an Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association doubleheader this weekend starting at The Plymouth Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 16 with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association joining the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying slated for 5:30 p.m. and racing set to begin at 6 p.m.

On Sunday, July 17 Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team will head to Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. with the Akright Auto MSA 360 Sprint Cars, along with the Badger Midgets and Wisconsin Dirt Racing Legends, as part of the Salute to Bryan Gapinski event.

Spectator gates open at 4 p.m. with opening ceremonies scheduled at 6 p.m.

“I’m looking forward to racing both nights of a doubleheader this weekend with the MSA on Saturday at Plymouth and Sunday at Angell Park,” said Pokorski, who posted a 15th-place A-main showing in his first MSA outing of the 2022 season at Angell Park Speedway on Sunday, May 21.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2022 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor ShowcaseAkright 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.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor ShowcasePetersen Septic Systems

Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team are pleased to have Petersen Septic Systems as a sponsor for the 2022 racing season as it celebrates 10 years in business.

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.

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.

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
2022 Season
By The Numbers

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

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A/Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 2
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
Heat Race Victories – 0

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Upcoming Races

Saturday, July 16 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Sunday, July 17 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.
Saturday, July 23 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Schmidt, Scheffler, Kulow, Welter notch initial 2022 PDTR A-main triumphs

2011 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth notched his 14th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory in the 25-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 9, 2022 – As the 2022 campaign hit the half-way mark, four drivers paid their first visits of the season to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing victory lane in A-main competition on Fan Appreciation Night at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9.

In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth held off former track champions Travis Arenz of Sheboygan and Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh to claim his first A-main victory of the 2022 season.

Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha made the most of a rare appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track by capturing the 25-lap Sheboygan’s Country B93.7 Late Model A main.

2019 PDTR Grand National champ Tyler Kulow of Plymouth earned his first 2022 triumph in the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National A-main.

Andy Welter of Hartford rolled to his first career PDTR B Mod A-main victory in the 25-lap Next Stop Insurance B Mod main event.

Polesitter Justin Erickson of Plymouth led the opening lap of the 25-lap 360 Sprint Car A main before outside front row starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum used the outside groove to sweep into the lead in turn two on lap two.

Seconds later, the lone caution flag of the event appeared for a five-car incident in turn one involving Tyler Brabant of Waupun, Doug Wondra of Oakfield, Tommy Colburn of New Berlin, Tony Wondra of Campbellsport and Mike Yurmanovich of Cascade. The incident knocked Colburn and Yurmanovich out of the remainder of the race, while Doug Wondra, Tony Wondra and Brabant were able to continue.

On the restart, Ben Schmidt, who started fourth, worked the high line to move past Erickson into second and quickly close in on Wenninger for the lead. Three laps later, Schmidt moved within striking distance, while 2021 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion and current points leader Travis Arenz, who started sixth, moved into third.

On lap 9, Schmidt maneuvered his way past Wenninger in turn two to take the lead, while Arenz followed suit by moving around Wenninger into second on the following lap.

Over the final 16 laps, the leaders had their hands full as they sliced their way through heavy lapped traffic. As the laps wound down, Arenz worked primarily the low line to reel in the high-riding Schmidt, while two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen, who started seventh, moved into third to join in a spirited three-car duel at the front of the field.

With Arenz and McMullen hot on his heels, Schmidt stayed smooth and consistent to successfully negotiate a dense gaggle of slower traffic in the closing laps en route to his 14th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 31st career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph.

Arenz had to settle for second, McMullen finished third, Wenninger placed fourth and Erickson wound up fifth.

Polesitter Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee took the lead at the drop of the green flag of the 25-lap Late Model main event.

Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha posted his sixth career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model A-main victory in the 25-lap headliner at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9. – RC Custom Design photo

On lap 2, outside front row starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee used the low line to pressure the cushion-running Bongiorno for the top spot. As Bongiorno and Letizia continued to wage an early duel at the front of the pack, Taylor Scheffler, who started fourth, dove low to move past Letizia into second on lap 5.

Scheffler then bolted past Bongiorno to assume the lead in turn one on lap six. The first of two caution flags appeared later on lap 6 for the slowing car of Charlie Schmidt Oostburg along the backstretch.

On the restart, Scheffler worked the preferred outside groove to open up a full straightaway cushion over Bongiorno. The second and final caution flag was displayed on lap 16 when Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn two.

Late Model rookie Bill Edler of Howards Grove charged up to briefly take second in the running order on the restart before four-time defending PDTR Late Model champion and current point leader Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started 10th, used a low move to take second from Edler on lap 17.

Schmidt cut into Scheffler’s lead over the final eight circuits, but he was not able to mount a serious challenge as Scheffler went on to notch his sixth career PDTR Late Model A-main victory in his second appearance of the 2022 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Outside front row starter Steven Weber of Plymouth grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National A main. On lap 3, fourth starter Tyler Kulow moved into second with current PDTR Grand National point leader Luke Scholten of Oostburg moving into third from his sixth starting position.

The first of three caution flags was displayed on lap 5 for debris in turn four. On lap restart, Scholten used the high line to move around Kulow and pressure Weber for the top spot. Weber and Scholten battled side by side over the next several circuits as 2010 PDTR Grand National champion Brian Gilles of Plymouth, who started fifth, moved the Bender Racing No. 89 car into third on lap 9.

The second caution flag appeared on lap 10 when Scott Kafka of Kiel spun along the backstretch. On the restart, Kulow worked his way past Scholten into second as Weber built up a solid half-straightaway lead at the front of the field.

With three laps remaining, Weber’s machine began to slow, which allowed Kulow close the gap significantly. After slight contact with Kulow and the third-place car of Gilles on lap 23, the third and final caution flag of the race flew when Weber stopped along the backstretch and Gilles slowed with a flat right front tire.

2019 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth posted his 11th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory in the 25-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9. – RC Custom Design photo

With Weber out of the race, Kulow inherited the lead and he maintained the top spot over the final two circuits on the way to his 11th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory.

Scholten finished second, 2008 PDTR Grand National champion Matt Yancey of Sheboygan, who started third, finished third, Donny Kulow of Elkhart Lake, who started seventh, placed fourth and Gilles recovered to finish fifth.

After the initial start was aborted for a fourth car incident involving Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls, Jonathan Hitsman of Newton, Rory Welch of Grafton and Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls, James Rautmann of Howards Grove seized the top spot from the pole position on the opening lap of the 25-lap B Mod A main.

On lap 5, third starter Travis Schmidt of Waldo worked the low line to move into second in turn one. By lap 10, Schmidt pulled up to challenge Rautmann for the top spot as the leaders held tight to the low groove.

The second caution flag was presented on lap 15 when Steve Lorier of Sheboygan spun in turn two. On the restart, Andy Welter made his presence felt as he moved up from his fifth starting spot to pressure Schmidt’s slowing car for second on lap 17.

The third and final caution flag appeared on lap 16 for a four-car incident in turn three involving Jonathan Hitsman, Spencer Long, Patrick Hansen of Sheboygan Falls and Matthew Roehl of Fond du Lac.

Andy Welter of Hartford claimed his first-career 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Welter took second from Schmidt following the final restart on lap 17 and quickly set his sights on Rautmann. On lap 20, Welter powered his way past Rautmann into the lead in turn two.

Welter then pulled away to earn his first career PDTR B Mod A-main victory and assume the point lead in the B Mod division at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Sixth starter Jonathon Baumann of Sheboygan rode the high line to a second-place finish, Rautmann placed third, third starter Brandon Knepprath of Boltonville took fourth and Steve Lorier bounced back after restarting at the rear of the field on lap 15 to round out the top five.

Butch Hafemann of Campbellsport captured the special 12-lap Vintage Modified A main.

Butch Hafemann of Campbellsport won the special 12-lap Vintage Modified main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Bill Taylor of Boltonville won the 12-lap 360 Sprint Car B main.

The seventh full PDTR program of the 2022 campaign, which was sponsored by Butch and Blondie Hafemann, drew a total field of 68 cars, including 26 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, 12 Late Models, 8 Grand Nationals, 14 B Mods and 8 Vintage Modifieds.

The next PDTR racing program on Saturday, July 16 will include the first of two scheduled appearances of the 2022 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track for the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, in addition to the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m. for the PDTR program sponsored by Pit Stop Pizza on July 16.

The new book “Racing Recollections – Plymouth Racetrack Fans & Drivers 1950-2021” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, George Baumann of Waupun and Verla Peichl of Sheboygan Falls will be available for purchase at every race during the 2022 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.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.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Blake Wondra 2, Chris Larson 3, Justin Erickson 4, Preston Ruh 5, Mike Yurmanovich 6, Will Gerrits 7, Dylan Winkel 8, J.J. Pagel 9, Lance Fassbender.

HEAT 2

1, Scott Conger 2, Shane Wenninger 3, Ben Schmidt 4, Justin Miller 5, Tommy Colburn 6, Bill Taylor 7, Tony Wondra 8, Chris Clayton 9, Randy Post.

HEAT 3

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Travis Arenz 3, Katelyn Krebsbach 4, Tyler Brabant 5, Alex Pokorski 6, Tim Haddy 7, Doug Wondra 8, Kevin Seidler.

B MAIN

1, Bill Taylor 2, Tommy Colburn 3, Doug Wondra 4, Tony Wondra 5, Dylan Winkel 6, Lance Fassbender 7, Chris Clayton 8, J.J. Pagel 9, Randy Post 10, Kevin Seidler.

A MAIN

1, Ben Schmidt 2, Travis Arenz 3, Brandon McMullen 4, Shane Wenninger 5, Justin Erickson 6, Chris Larson 7, Justin Miller 8, Will Gerrits 9, Scott Conger 10, Blake Wondra 11, Lance Fassbender 12, Tyler Brabant 13, Tim Haddy 14, Alex Pokorski 15, Bill Taylor 16, Preston Ruh 17, Dylan Winkel 18, Tony Wondra 19, Katelyn Krebsbach 20, Doug Wondra 21, Mike Yurmanovich 22, Tommy Colburn.

SHEBOYGAN’S COUNTRY B93.7 LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Taylor Scheffler 2, Jon Bongiorno 3, Turk Letizia 4, Sawyer Specht 5, Tony Peterson 6, Justin Schmidt.

HEAT 2

1, Bill Edler 2, Jim Schmidt 3, Donny Singer 4, Chad Ludwigson 5, Charlie Schmidt 6, Eric Michaels.

A MAIN

1, Taylor Scheffler 2, Justin Schmidt 3, Joe Bongiorno 4, Bill Edler 5, Turk Letizia 6, Tony Peterson 7, Jim Schmidt 8, Eric Michaels 9, Donny Singer 10, Sawyer Specht 11, Charlie Schmidt 12, Chad Ludwigson.

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

HEAT

1, Luke Scholten 2, Brian Gilles 3, Tyler Kulow 4, Matt Yancey 5, Steven Weber 6, Donny Kulow 7, Scott Kafka 8, Shaun Goetsch.

A MAIN

1, Tyler Kulow 2, Luke Scholten 3, Matt Yancey 4, Donny Kulow 5, Brian Gilles 6, Scott Kafka 7, Steven Weber, 8, Shaun Goetsch.

NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS 

HEAT 1

1, Steve Lorier 2, Brandon Knepprath 3, Travis Schmidt 4, Shane Long 5, Rory Welch 6, Spencer Long 7, Michael Strean.

HEAT 2

1, Jonathon Baumann 2, Jonathan Hitsman 3, Andy Welter 4, James Rautmann 5, Patrick Hanson 6, Gary Glander 7, Matthew Roehl.

A MAIN

1, Andy Welter 2, Jonathon Baumann 3, James Rautmann 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Steve Lorier 6, Rory Welch 7, Jonathan Hitsman 8, Matthew Roehl 9, Spencer Long 10, Patrick Hanson 11, Travis Schmidt 12, Shane Long 13, Gary Glander (DNS) 14, Michael Strean (DNS).

Austin Hartmann tallies top-20 showing in first IRA 410 main event at Plymouth hometown track  

Austin Hartmann recorded a 19th-place finish in the second Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series Road America Challenge 30-lap A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, June 30. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 6, 2022 – Nearly two weeks after competing in their first-career NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-main event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis, Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team added another “first” by participating in their first Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series main event with a 410 motor under the hood at the Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis., during the second Road America Challenge Sprint Car event on Thursday, June 30.

With the NASCAR Cup Series set to visit Road America just at nearby Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, The Plymouth Dirt Track was buzzing for the special weeknight all-Sprint Car spectacular with a full house of fans packing the grandstand and a solid field of 28 IRA Sprint Cars checked in to battle for the $5,000-to-win top prize.

After failing to record a timed lap in his hot lap session, Hartmann opened the night by clocking in 21st in the 28-car field with a lap of 12.457 seconds around his hometown track.

Austin Hartmann recorded his fifth top-20 A-main finish of the 2022 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series season, during the 30-lap Road America Challenge main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, June 30. – RC Custom Design photo

Hartmann then lined up seventh in the third eight-lap IRA heat race and stuck to the low groove around the increasingly dry slick third-mile clay oval track surface to finish seventh, just one spot out of a direct transfer spot to the evening’s 30-lap A main.

After starting third in the 12-lap B main, the former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car competitor navigated mainly the low to middle sections of the track as IRA veterans Steve Meyer, Scott Biertzer and Kris Spitz worked their way past Hartmann’s 87A machine.

However, Hartmann held strong over the final three laps to secure a sixth-place finish and punch his ticket to the 30-lap IRA Road America Challenge main event.

“The issue in hot laps was alignment,” Hartmann said. “After we got the problem fixed, the car handled good in the heat race. We entered the B main the same as any other race, trying to go forward. However, that just wasn’t the case for us in that race, but we were still able to get an A-main transfer spot.”

After starting 24th in the 24-car IRA A-main lineup, Hartmann ran a smooth and consistent race as he managed to dodge several mishaps, which produced a lengthy event filled with six caution/red flag periods and ensuing restarts.

In the closing stages of the race, Hartmann engaged in a duel with fellow IRA rookie competitor Tyler Tischendorf before finishing 19th in the event, which was won by Bill Balog.

“The A main was long with all of the cautions,” Hartmann said. “I just tried to stay clean and not get involved with spinning cars.”

With no IRA events scheduled, Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team will take the upcoming weekend off, before picking up with the IRA tour by venturing west for the two-night, co-sanctioned Buffalo Wild Wings King of the Wings event with the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association (NOSA) at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16 with the Case Construction World of Outlaws Late Model Series also on the card on Friday night.

“We will be off this weekend,” Hartmann said. “Our next races will be at River Cities Speedway in North Dakota on July 15 and July 16. I’m super excited to race at River Cities, which is another new track for us.”

Those unable to make it to track can follow all of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series action throughout the 2022 campaign via FloRacing by visiting https://www.floracing.com.

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

The 87A Hartmann Racing team has assembled a strong group of partners in support of the team’s maiden voyage with the Bumper to Bumper IRA Series, including Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Call Girls Motorsports, Pallet Works LLC, AF Inc., Bennett Transport Inc., SCA Inc., Gretchen Tillman New American Funding, Classic Title Services, CP Services, Cobblestone Landscaping, Jensen Sales & Services, Lee’s Color Studio, Dave’s Fabrication, Racer’s Hall Sports Bar and Grill, Feldmann Sales & Service, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Pit Road Apparel, the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series and Sage Fruit.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham, Jarrett Neese and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseJensen Sales & Service

Located at W7031 State Road 28 in Cascade, Wis., Jensen Sales & Service has been providing quality vehicle and auto body repair service for a legion of satisfied customers since 2010.

In addition to its top-notch repair work, Jensen Sales & Service also features a wide selection of used vehicles.

To contact Jensen Sales & Service, call 920-528-8780 or email jensensales@frontier.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
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 11
IRA Events – 9
World of Outlaws Events – 2
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 5
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
Upcoming 2022 Schedule

Friday, July 15 – River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, North Dakota (IRA/NOSA)
Saturday, July 16 – River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, North Dakota (IRA/NOSA)
Friday, July 22 – Outagamie Speedway, Seymour, Wis. (IRA)
Saturday, July 23 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis. (IRA)
Friday, July 29 – Langlade County Speedway, Antigo, Wis. (IRA)
Saturday, July 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)

Special weeknight event proves challenging for Alex Pokorski at Plymouth Dirt Track  

Alex Pokorski (4) steers his Akright Auto Racing Team 360 Sprint Car through turn one ahead of Tony Wondra (11), during Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car action as part of the second Road America Challenge all-Sprint Car event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, June 30. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 5, 2022 – For the second consecutive outing, Alex Pokorski saw his evening come to an earlier-than-anticipated end behind the wheel of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team 360 Sprint Car machine, during the special weeknight Road America Challenge all-Sprint Car event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, June 30.

Pokorski, who suffered an engine failure while running sixth in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A main on June 18, came out firing by turning in the 10th quickest overall lap in the 29-car field and the fastest lap in his third heat race grouping with a lap of 12.999 seconds in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car group qualifying session.

After lining up fourth in the third 10-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car heat race, Pokorski had a rough start, which saw him fall back to seventh shortly after the drop of the green flag after being caught on the outside lane of the dry slick racing surface.

Pokorski was unable to advance his way back through the field for the remainder of the race and had to settle for a seventh-place showing.

After the heat race passing points formula was calculated and the track surface underwent a complete reworking, Pokorski started the 12-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main from the 11th starting spot, needing to advance to sixth place or better to earn a spot in the 25-lap A-main field.

The third-year West Bend, Wis. driver worked his way past J.J. Pagel on lap two to move up to 10th and five laps later, he moved around Katelyn Krebsbach into ninth in the running order.

However, Pokorski was unable to move up any more positions in the non-stop race and his evening came to a close with a ninth-place showing in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

“The car was actually too tight in qualifying, but we were able to get a fast lap in,” Pokorski said. “In the heat race, the track only had one lane around the bottom and I got a poor start. Then I just got stuck following everyone.

“The track was more racey after they reworked it before the B main,” he said. “I knew it would be difficult to pass five or six cars in that race. I got past a couple cars, but not enough to make the A main. We will try again next week.”

Pokorski and the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action at The Plymouth Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 9 for PDTR’s Fan Appreciation Night program.

All adults and students in attendance will receive $5 off the regular general admission price with adults admitted for $13 with students between the ages 12 and 15 gaining entry for $5. Kids 11 and under receive free entry, if accompanied by an adult.

Vintage Modifieds are set to join the July 9 PDTR program, which will also include 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods, with Butch and Blondie Hafemann serving as the evening’s trophy sponsor.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying slated for 5:30 p.m. and racing set to begin at 6 p.m.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2022 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor ShowcaseAkright 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.

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.

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
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 6
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A/Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 2
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
Heat Race Victories – 0

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Upcoming Races

Saturday, July 9 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 16 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Sunday, July 17 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.
Saturday, July 23 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Balog, Fassbender claim Plymouth Dirt Track Road America Challenge Sprint Car A-main triumphs

Current Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions regular and 10-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association champion Bill Balog of Hartland collected his 134th career IRA A-main victory and six straight main event victory in All Stars and IRA 410 Sprint Car competition at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. during the 30-lap Road America Challenge main event on Thursday, June 30.  – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 30, 2022 – With the cars and stars of NASCAR Cup Series set to compete just a few miles down the road during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the largest crowd of the season packed the grandstands and a solid field of Sprint Cars filled the pit area for the second Road America Challenge event presented by Kunes RV featuring the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series and the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series Thursday, June 30 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

Current Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions regular and 10-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series champion Bill Balog of Hartland continued his dominance at The Plymouth Dirt Track by claiming his sixth consecutive victory at the third-mile clay oval in his last six starts in All Stars and IRA competition dating back to the 2020 season by topping the $5,000-to-win 30-lap IRA A main.

In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main, 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett rolled to his first MSA main event victory since the 2019 season, following a spirited race-long duel with two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee.

Outside front row started Jake Neuman of New Berlin, Ill. jumped into the lead on the drop of the green field of the 30-lap IRA Road America Challenge headliner with fourth starter Blake Nimee of Oswego, Ill. sliding into second and third starter Scotty Thiel of Sheboygan settled into third on the opening lap.

By lap 5, Neuman caught the back of the field, which allowed Nimee to close the gap. Just as Nimee moved within striking distance in thick lapped traffic, the first of six caution flags flew on lap 8 when Scott Biertzer of West Bend spun in turn two.

On the restart, Bill Balog, who started fifth, began to flex his muscle has he pulled off consecutive slide jobs to move past eighth starter Danny Schlafer of Sussex and two-time and defending IRA champion Jack Blackhurst of Hanna City, Ill., who started on the pole, to move into fourth in the running order on the restart.

The second caution flag was displayed on lap 11 when former IRA champ Jeremy Schultz of Beaver Dam slowed in turn three after losing a right rear tire. Shortly after the ensuing restart, the red flag was displayed when two-time IRA champion Scotty Neitzel of Beaver Dam made contact with the turn two wall and flipped.

Neuman controlled the lead with Nimee running second on the following restart until the fourth caution flag was shown after Hunter Custer of Chippewa Falls spun to a stop in turn four on lap 15.

On the next restart, Thiel, who had been running third, spun into the turn four infield after contact with Balog coming to the green flag, which brought out the fifth caution of the race.

When the race resumed, Balog bolted past Nimee to assume second and quickly set his sights on the lead before the sixth and final caution flag was displayed on lap 17 when Scott Biertzer and Jack Routson of Waterman, Ill. spun in turn four.

On the race, Blackhurst charged up to exchange slide jobs with Balog for second place before Balog secured the spot on lap 19. Three laps later, Neuman encountered heavy lapped traffic, which allowed Balog to move into striking range. On lap 24, Balog swept past Neuman in turn two and wasted no time in opening up a sizable lead as he weaved his way skillfully through dense slower traffic.

Balog cruised over the final six laps to secure his 134th career IRA A-main victory and his second A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track of the 2022 season after collecting a combined Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions and Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association A-main triumph at The Plymouth Dirt Track on May 21.

“This win means a lot,” Balog said. “I have to thank Road America, the IRA and The Plymouth Dirt Track for putting this deal on. We weren’t real good at the start. I think we just needed some green flag laps to get going. I feel terrible about Scotty [Thiel]. I don’t know if maybe I jumped on it a little too soon or he got sideways and I clipped him on that restart. That wasn’t good at all.

“It is good to race close to home here at Plymouth,” he said. “I love Plymouth. Even though I’m from Alaska, I’ve called Wisconsin home for a long time now. It feels good to be back in victory lane here.”

Neuman had to settle for second, Blackhurst hung on to place third, Schlafer, who is a two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion, placed fourth and Nimee rounded out the top five.

“Bill [Balog] was the best of the All Stars a few weeks ago,” Neuman said. “He’s run a lot of laps in a Sprint Car and a lot of laps here as well. We were fast early and at the end, I was too nice to the lapped cars and you can’t do that.”

“Our car was really good tonight, but my restarts were so awful that I’d get gapped right off the bat,” Blackhurst said. “Bill [Balog] threw a few sliders at me. He’s just so smart and drove a great race. We just need to be better on the restarts. It’s disappointing to fall back when you start on the pole, but we will get better and come back stronger.”

Lance Fassbender bolted into the lead on the opening lap of the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car 25-lap A main from the pole with outside front row starter Kurt Davis sliding into second and sixth starter Tim Haddy of Waupun moving into third in the early going.

2008 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett claimed his seventh career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, during the Road America Challenge 25-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 30. – JW.’s Car and Raccing Photos

On lap five, Davis closed the gap on the low-riding Fassbender along the outside groove of the increasingly black-slick racing surface. One lap later, Davis pulled off a slide job to take over the top spot in turn four.

Fassbender battled back as the two veteran drivers dueled side by side over the next lap before Davis surged ahead and began to open up a measurable lead as the leaders caught the back of the field on lap 9.

On lap 14, Fassbender stuck to the low line to briefly gain the lead before Davis battled back to secure the top spot and pull away once again.

The first of two caution flags appeared on lap 19 when Will Gerrits of Waupun spun in turn four. Due to the track conditions, a single-file restart was utilized, which allowed Fassbender to dive underneath Davis to regain the top spot with a low move in turn four following the ensuing restart.

The second and final caution flag was thrown on lap 23 when Anthony Knierim of Franksville rolled to a stop in turn two. After another single-file restart, Fassbender held firm to the lead along the bottom groove and pulled away to notch his seventh career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, 21st career MSA main event triumph and first A-main victory in three years.

Fassbender was elated with the win as his family-based pit crew joined him in a jubilant victory lane celebration.

“This win is a result of a lot of hard work from everyone on the crew,” Fassbender said. “Everyone on this team makes sacrifices to do this and we are a family team that has stuck together through everything over the years. This win feels really good.”

Davis placed second, defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion and current point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls, who had come into the night as the winner of four of the first five PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main events of the 2022 season, placed third after starting 10th, two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh finished fourth after starting seventh and 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth wound up fifth after being forced to start 21st when a flat left rear tire on the parade lap prompted a tire change before the start of the race.

Steve Meyer of Sheboygan Falls won the 12-lap IRA B main. Bill Taylor of Boltonville won the 12-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

In IRA qualifying, Jake Blackhurst recorded the fastest lap of 11.622 seconds.

Ben Schmidt earned overall fast qualifier honors in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car division with a lap of 12.550 seconds.

The sixth PDTR program of the 2022 campaign, which was sponsored by Road America, drew a total field of 57 Sprints, including 28 IRA 410 Sprint Cars and 29 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars.

The next PDTR racing program on Saturday, July 9 is Fan Appreciation Night with all spectators receiving $5 off the regular adult and student admission price.

The trophy sponsor for the racing program on Saturday, July 9 will be Butch and Blondie Hafemann with Vintage Modifieds joining the PDTR 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m.

The new book “Racing Recollections – Plymouth Racetrack Fans & Drivers 1950-2021” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, George Baumann of Waupun and Verla Peichl of Sheboygan Falls will be available for purchase at every race during the 2022 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.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.

BUMPER TO BUMPER INTERSTATE RACING ASSOCIATION 410 SPRINT CARS 

QUALIFYING

1, Jake Blackhurst 11.622 2, Blake Nimee 11.655 3, Jordan Goldesberry 11.669 4, Scotty Thiel 11.684 5, Kyle Schuett 11.775 6, Bill Balog 11.808 7, Jake Neuman 11.867 8, Chase Briscoe 11.969 9, Danny Schlafer 11.988 10, Riley Goodno 12.012 11, Travis Arenz 12.038 12, Todd Daun 12.038 13, Tyler Tischendorf 12.065 14, Hunter Custer 12.124 15, Jack Routson 12.183 16, Jack Vanderboom 12.188 17, Scotty Neitzel 12.240 18, Jeremy Schultz 12.289 19, Russel Borland 12.318 20, Josh Schneiderman 12.350 21, Austin Hartmann 12.457 22, Kris Spitz 12.470 23, Steve Meyer 12.489 24, Scott Biertzer 12.549 25, Scott Conger 12.577 26, Jereme Schroeder 12.616 27, Andy Rein 12.635 28, Dave Uttech no time.

HEAT 1

1, Riley Goodno 2, Scotty Thiel 3, Jake Neuman 4, Jake Blackhurst 5, Russel Borland 6, Tyler Tischendorf 7, Scott Conger 8, Kris Spitz 9, Jack Vanderboom 10, Dave Uttech (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, Chase Briscoe 2, Travis Arenz 3, Blake Nimee 4, Kyle Schuett 5, Scotty Neitzel 6, Josh Schneiderman 7, Steve Meyer 8, Hunter Custer 9, Jereme Schroeder (DNS).

HEAT 3

1, Danny Schlafer 2, Bill Balog 3, Todd Daun 4, Jeremy Schultz 5, Jordan Goldesberry 6, Jack Routson 7, Austin Hartmann 8, Scott Biertzer 9, Andy Rein.

Dash 1

1, Jake Blackhurst 2, Scotty Thiel 3, Bill Balog 4, Kyle Schuett 5, Chase Briscoe

Dash 2

1, Jake Neuman 2, Blake Nimee 3, Jordan Goldesberry 4, Danny Schlafer 5, Riley Goodno.

B MAIN

1, Steve Meyer 2, Hunter Custer 3, Scott Biertzer 4, Jack Vanderboom 5, Kris Spitz 6, Austin Hartmann 7, Jeremy Schroeder 8, Andy Rein 9, Scott Conger 10, Dave Uttech (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Bill Balog 2, Jake Neuman 3, Jake Blackhurst 4, Danny Schlafer 5, Blake Nimee 6, Jordan Goldesberry 7, Chase Briscoe 8, Riley Goodno 9, Scotty Thiel 10, Travis Arenz 11, Kyle Schuett 12, Steve Meyer 13, Todd Daun 14, Russel Borland 15, Josh Schneiderman 16, Jeremy Schultz 17, Kris Spitz 18, Jack Vanderboom 19, Austin Hartmann 20, Tyler Tischendorf 21, Hunter Custer 22, Jack Routson 23, Scott Biertzer 24, Scotty Neitzel.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

QUALIFYING

1, Ben Schmidt 12.550 2, Brandon Berth 12.706 3, Tim Haddy 12.800 4, Brandon McMullen 12.824 5, Travis Arenz 12.843 6, Lance Fassbender 12.892 7, Preston Ruh 12.923 8, Will Gerrits 12.927 9, Doug Wondra 12.944 10, Alex Pokorski 12.999 11, Mike Yurmanovich 12.999 12, Blake Wondra 13.013 13, Tony Wondra 13.029 14, Chris Clayton 13.050 15, Cole Possi 13.091 16, Anthony Knierim 13.100 17, Bill Taylor 13.121 18, Kurt Davis 13.148 19, Shane Wenninger 13.178 20, Tommy Colburn 13.182 21, Justin Erickson 13.203 22, Justin Miller 13.216 23, Chris Larson 13.236 24, Katelyn Krebsbach 13.252 25, Tyler Brabant 13.366 26, Tyler Davis 13.445 27, J.J. Pagel 13.940 28, Randy Post 13.974 29, Andy Rein no time.

HEAT 1

1, Will Gerrits 2, Lance Fassbender 3, Ben Schmidt 4, Doug Wondra 5, Tommy Colburn 6, Brandon Berth 7, Katelyn Krebsbach 8, Randy Post.

HEAT 2

1, Kurt Davis 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Travis Arenz 4, Preston Ruh 5, Shane Wenninger 6, Justin Miller 7, Chris Larson.

HEAT 3

1, Anthony Knierim 2, Justin Erickson 3, Chris Clayton 4, Tony Wondra 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Tyler Davis 7, Alex Pokorski.

HEAT 4

1, Cole Possi 2, Tim Haddy 3, Blake Wondra 4, Mike Yurmanovich 5, Bill Taylor 6, J.J. Pagel 7, Andy Rein (DNS).

B MAIN

1, Bill Taylor 2, Tony Wondra 3, Brandon Berth 4, Tyler Davis 5, Justin Miller 6, Chris Larson 7, Preston Ruh 8, Shane Wenninger 9, Alex Pokorski 10, Katelyn Krebsbach 11, J.J. Pagel 12, Randy Post 13, Andy Rein (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Lance Fassbender 2, Kurt Davis 3, Travis Arenz 4, Brandon McMullen 5, Ben Schmidt 6, Doug Wondra 7, Chris Clayton 8, Justin Erickson 9, Brandon Berth 10, Chris Larson 11, Tony Wondra 12, Bill Taylor 13, Tyler Davis 14, Blake Wondra 15, Mike Yurmanovich 16, Will Gerrits 17, Justin Miller 18, Cole Possi 19, Tim Haddy 20, Anthony Knierim 21, Tommy Colburn 22, Tyler Brabant (DNS).

Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame to debut with Class of 2022 induction Saturday, July 23

The inaugural Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 inductees include drivers, track workers and racing families that have made outstanding contributions to the racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. since the track’s inception in 1950. The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 will be recognized during an induction ceremony as part of the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Saturday, July 23.

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 28, 2022 – Since the first race car hit the track in 1950, a host of outstanding racers have put their skills to the test over the past 72 years at the dirt track located on the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

In an effort to honor the spirit of competition and outstanding achievements originating at the Plymouth racing facility over the past 72 years, the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Committee has forged plans to recognize those that have exemplified dirt track racing at the highest level with the creation of the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame, which will launch with the induction of 10 drivers, four track workers and three families as part of the inaugural Class of 2022.

The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 will be recognized with a short induction ceremony at intermission of the Plymouth Dirt Tracking Racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 23.

The inaugural Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 includes the following 10 drivers.

Dick Berth – The Cedar Grove, Wis. driver earned the 1971 and 1972 Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Sportsman division championships before claiming the 1987 Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified division title at Plymouth.

Etchie Biertzer – After starting his racing career in the Milwaukee area in the 1950s, Biertzer became a regular in the Modified division at Plymouth in the 1970s winning four consecutive Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified titles in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980. He is currently one of four drivers to earn four consecutive division championships at Plymouth.

Buck Carman – The Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver was a top competitor in the Sportsman division at Plymouth between 1965 and 1984, earning four Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Sportsman division titles at the Plymouth track in 1966, 1967, 1970 and 1981.

Willie Goeden – The St. Michaels, Wis. driver started racing Modifieds in the Milwaukee area in 1963 and retired in 1987 while driving Late Models at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna. Goeden earned three Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified championships at Plymouth in 1973, 1974 and 1981. Goeden raced at 38 different race tracks during his 24-year career.

Wayne Goetsch – The Plymouth, Wis. driver began his racing career in 1957 and continued to race into the early 2000s. Goetsch earned back-to-back Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified division titles at Plymouth in 1985 and 1986.

Dick Hed – The Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver captured the 1966 Eastern Wisconsin Stock Sportsman and 1969 Modified championships at Plymouth. Hed also competed in the Limited Late Model division at Plymouth from 1999 through 2004 and has been a regular competitor in the Grand National division at Plymouth since 2012.

Bill Johnson II – The Slinger, Wis. driver earned Modified championships on the Milwaukee area circuit during the 1960s before competing regularly at Plymouth in the 1970s where he earned Modified championships in 1972 and 1976. Johnson’s ashes were spread at the start/finish line at the Plymouth track.

Carl Kulow – The Plymouth, Wis. driver competed in the Modified division from 1951 through 1970 earning two Modified titles on the Milwaukee Stock Car Circuit in the 1950s before claiming the 1963 Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified championship at Plymouth.

Ken Markwardt – The Sheboygan, Wis. driver raced from 1959 to 1974 earning six Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Modified championships at Plymouth in 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967 to go along with a Modified title at 141 Speedway in 1966. Markwardt earned a total of 97 A-main feature victories in his career.

Ken Steffen – After starting his racing career in the early 1960s, Steffen claimed the 1964 and 1968 Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Sportsman titles at Plymouth. Steffen waged spirited duels with Buck Carman through his career for Sportsman track titles, feature victories and fast qualifier awards at Plymouth.

Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 inductees in the Dedication to Racing category include track workers Karen and Donny Ruh, Bill Hoftiezer, Happy Laack and Eddie Foy.

In addition, the Goetsch, Laack and Schulz families will be inducted to the Plymouth Wall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022 in the Racing Families category.

The names of each inductee will be permanently etched on the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame, located underneath the grandstands at The Plymouth Dirt Track racing facility.

The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Committee intends to honor a new group of inductees on an annual basis, during future racing seasons at The Plymouth Dirt Track facility.

Family members of 2022 Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame inductees are encouraged to attend the induction event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 23. Those wishing to attend are asked to contact Ken Schulz in advance at kenschulz91@gmail.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 fulfills World of Outlaws A main dreams at Beaver Dam Raceway  

Austin Hartmann earned a starting spot in his first-career NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A main Saturday, June 18 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. – Mech Photography photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 22, 2022 – In just the 10th Winged 410 Sprint Car event of his career, Austin Hartmann of Plymouth, Wis. earned a spot alongside the top Sprint Car drivers in the world as he qualified for his first career NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-main event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, June 18 in the second half of a doubleheader weekend of World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series action for the 87A Hartmann Racing team.

In his World of Outlaws Series debut on Friday, June 17, Hartmann qualified 22nd in the 33-car field with a lap of 11.528 seconds on the lightning-fast, high-banked, third-mile Beaver Dam Raceway clay oval.

After lining up sixth in the second World of Outlaws heat race, Hartmann’s maiden voyage with the WoO was short-lived as contact with J.J. Hickle as the green flag dropped resulted in heavy damage to his Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty sponsored machine, which forced the team to retire from the race and scratch for the remainder of the event.

“Coming into Friday, I knew I had to set a good qualifying lap to put us in a good position for the heat race,” Hartmann said. “The car felt great in qualifying and laid down a decent time. The start of the heat race didn’t go as planned and got a bad start, which allowed the car inside of me to come up the track and he spun the tires getting loose, made a driver mistake and I ended up hitting the wall pretty hard.

“The contact damaged the rear end and rear suspension, front end, right front shock, top wing and chassis,” he said. “Thankfully, Scotty Neitzel and Rick Lemanski from R&H Enterprises took us in and got a new bar welded in late Friday night. Without them, that incident would’ve ended our weekend. I can’t thank them enough.”

On Saturday, June 18, Hartmann again turned in the 22nd fastest qualifying lap in the 31-car field with a lap of 12.131 seconds. After starting and finishing eighth in the first eight-lap WoO heat race, Hartmann rolled off fifth in the 12-lap Last Chance Showdown needing to finish in the top six to advance to the 40-lap main event.

Hartmann ran fifth in the opening laps of the Last Chance Showdown before Josh Schneiderman slipped past to shuffle him back to sixth. The third-year Sprint Car competitor and Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series rookie then ran smooth and consistent laps over the second half of the race to hold off Matt Vandevere and secure a starting berth in his first career World of Outlaws A main.

With the big picture of completing the remainder of his rookie 410 Sprint Car season in mind, Hartmann pulled off early in the 40-lap main event and was credited with a 22nd place finish in a race won by Sheldon Haudenschild.

“Saturday started pretty much the same as Friday, as we qualified decent with the track conditions very different from Friday,” Hartmann said. “In the heat race, the car felt good. I just have to work on getting better starts. However, we were able to hold our position on the slick track.

“In the LCS [Last Chance Showdown], I knew I had to get a good start and get up front,” he said. “The car was great on the bottom. I tried to run on the top, but felt I was faster on the bottom. Honestly, qualifying for an Outlaws A main felt like a dream, but it was well deserved for my team, especially, Hunter Annis, who worked his butt off all day to get the car back together. The support I have behind me is incredible. I can’t thank everyone enough. In the A main, I decided to pull off and not wreck anymore equipment. I’d like to specially thank Alex Bliesner, Ozzie Wesener and R&H Enterprises for all of their help during the weekend.”

With the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series off during the upcoming weekend, the next event for Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing Team with the IRA will be Thursday, June 30 for the Road America Challenge held in conjunction with the NASCAR Cup Series weekend at nearby Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m. with spectator gates opening at 4:30 p.m., qualifying at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.

Those unable to make it to track can follow all of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series action throughout the 2022 campaign via FloRacing by visiting https://www.floracing.com.

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

The 87A Hartmann Racing team has assembled a strong group of partners in support of the team’s maiden voyage with the Bumper to Bumper IRA Series, including Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Call Girls Motorsports, Pallet Works LLC, AF Inc., Bennett Transport Inc., SCA Inc., Gretchen Tillman New American Funding, Classic Title Services, CP Services, Cobblestone Landscaping, Jensen Sales & Services, Lee’s Color Studio, Dave’s Fabrication, Racer’s Hall Sports Bar and Grill, Feldmann Sales & Service, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Pit Road Apparel, the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series and Sage Fruit.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham, Jarrett Neese and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseCobblestone Landscaping

Headquartered at N5635 Willow Road in Plymouth, Wis., Cobblestone Landscaping LLC is a growing business, which offers a multitude of services, including lawn care, spring/fall cleanups, landscaping installation, hardscapes, mini excavation and much more.

To contact Cobblestone Landscaping, call 920-449-2049 or email cobblestonelandscapingllc@gmail.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
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 10
IRA Events – 10
World of Outlaws Events – 2
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 4
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
Upcoming 2022 Schedule

Thursday, June 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)
Friday, July 15 – River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, North Dakota (IRA/NOSA)
Saturday, July 16 – River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, North Dakota (IRA/NOSA)
Friday, July 22 – Outagamie Speedway, Seymour, Wis. (IRA)
Saturday, July 23 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis. (IRA)

Engine woes spoil promising night for Alex Pokorski at Plymouth Dirt Track

Alex Pokorski turned in the second fastest qualifying lap and was running sixth early in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main before the motor in his No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team car expired at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 18. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 21, 2022 – What was shaping up to be the best outing of the season for Plymouth Dirt Track Racing and Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car driver Alex Pokorski of West Bend, Wis. quickly turned to disappointment when engine issues struck his Akright Auto Racing Team No. 4 car to cut his night short at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 18.

Pokorski’s night got off to a strong start as he ripped off the second fastest qualifying lap in the 26-car PDTR 360 Sprint Car field with a lap of 12.435 seconds.

After rolling off third in the third PDTR 360 Sprint Car heat race, Pokorski held down the third spot throughout the 10-lap event on the hammer-down, lightning-fast third-mile clay oval track surface to earn a transfer spot to the 25-lap A main.

The third-year 360 Sprint Car competitor started a 2022 season-best eighth in the PDTR 360 Sprint main event. As track conditions rapidly changed from fast and tacky to dry and slick in the opening laps of the A main, Pokorski was running eighth when the first caution flag of the race appeared on lap 6 for the stalled car of Preston Ruh.

On the restart, Pokorski bolted past Tyler Davis and Lance Fassbender to take over sixth in the running order. Pokorski was closing in on the top five when his car suddenly lost power and rolled to a stop in turn three on lap 8 with an ailing engine.

The engine issues proved to be terminal as Pokorski was credited with a 22nd place finish in a race won by Travis Arenz.

“We had just put this motor in prior to Saturday’s show,” Pokorski said. “The car felt really good for the whole night and was very fast until the point when the motor blew up. It was encouraging to have a strong showing in qualifying, the heat race and to be running well in the feature. There were no warning signs before it blew. It’s just an unfortunate break. Sometimes these things happen in racing.”

With the PDTR and MSA 360 Sprint Cars idle on Saturday, June 25, Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action on Thursday, June 30 with the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing and MSA 360 Sprint Cars running in support of the Road America Challenge Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series event in held conjunction with the NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Road America in nearby Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m. with spectator gates opening at 4:30 p.m., qualifying at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.

“I am very lucky to have a dedicated car owner in Spyder Akright and to have all the supportive people around to help us change motors and work on the car,” Pokorski said. “Even fellow competitor, Dylan Winkel, stopped by to help us take a motor out Sunday morning, which was very kind of him. It’s really cool to have help from guys you compete with on a week-to-week basis. Our plan is to put in a spare motor and be back out for the next show on Thursday, June 30.”

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2022 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor ShowcaseAkright 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.

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.

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
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 5
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A/Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 2
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
Heat Race Victories – 0

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Upcoming Races

Thursday, June 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 9 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 16 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Sunday, July 17 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Arenz, Mueller, Smith, Warner tally Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A-main triumphs  

Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls earned his 14th career 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 18. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 18, 2022 – The cream rose to the top as three former track champions and one of the region’s most versatile and successful competitors rolled to victory lane in Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A-main action at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 18.

In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty A main, defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls racked up his fourth Plymouth Dirt Track Racing main event triumph in five attempts during the 2022 campaign. Four-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake raced to victory in the 25-lap Sheboygan’s Country B93.7 Late Model A main. Greenville’s T.J. Smith adapted quickly to the Plymouth Dirt Track in a rare appearance at the third-mile clay oval by claiming a victory in the caution-filled 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National A-main. Two-time PDTR Grand National B Mod champion Tim Warner of Fond du Lac endured six caution flags to earn the victory in the 25-lap Next Stop Insurance B Mod A-main in his first Plymouth Dirt Track Racing appearance of the 2022 season.

Polesitter Doug Wondra of Oakfield jumped into the lead on the drop of the green flag of the 25-lap 360 Sprint Car A main with third starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum, who was competing for the first time since the end of the 2020 season, moving into second and 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who started fourth, taking third on the opening lap.

Four laps later, Schmidt worked his way around Wenninger to take over second in the running order. On lap 6, the first of three caution flags appeared when Preston Ruh of Elkhart Lake spun in turn two. Following the ensuing restart, Travis Arenz, who started sixth, swept past Wenninger and Schmidt to move into the runner-up spot on lap 7.

One lap later, the second caution flag flew when Alex Pokorski West Bend rolled to a stop in turn three. When the race resumed, Arenz used the outside groove to power his way around Wondra and into the lead in turn one on lap 8.

As Arenz bolted away from the field, Schmidt used a low move to pass Wondra and gain second place on lap 12. Schmidt closed the gap slightly on Arenz as the leaders began to weave their way through lapped traffic on lap 18.

On lap 20, the third and final caution flag appeared when Tyler Davis of Franklin spun to a stop in turn two. Arenz then fended off Schmidt over the final five laps en route to his fourth PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2022 season, 14th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event win and 26th career Midwest Sprint Car Association feature triumph.

Schmidt had to settle for second, Wondra placed third, 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett placed fourth after starting fifth and Brandon Berth of Cascade charged up from his 14th starting spot to round out the top five.

PDTR Late Model rookie Bill Edler of Howards Grove raced to the lead on the opening lap from his outside front row starting spot with polesitter Eric Michaels of Cleveland moving into second.

Four-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champ Brad Mueller of Random Lake notched his 23rd career 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 18.  – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

The first of four caution flags appeared on lap 2 when Jim Schmidt of Cleveland stopped in turn four while Wayne Freimund of West Allis spun in turn two. On the restart, four-time defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started fourth, powered his way into second place along the high groove.

The second caution flag was then displayed on lap 3 when Wayne Freimund spun in turn four. When the race resumed, Brad Mueller, who started eighth, moved in to challenge Schmidt for the runner-up spot. On the following lap, Schmidt looped his machine into the infield, but continued on after dropping several spots, while Mueller assumed second.

On lap 8, Mueller began to apply pressure to Edler along the outside groove before securing the lead in turn four on lap 10. Once ahead, Mueller set sail to build up a sizable cushion over Edler.

A pair of cautions slowed the pace and bunched the field on lap 19 when Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn two and on lap 23 when Charlie Schmidt of Oostburg stopped in turn two.

However, Mueller was not to be denied as he pulled away after the final restart to notch his 23rd career PDTR Late Model A main victory.

Edler placed second, Justin Schmidt recovered to finish third, Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee, who started 11th, finished fourth and Turk Letizia of Milwaukee finished fifth after starting fifth.

Chad Espen of West Bend assumed the initial lead from the pole in the 25-lap Grand National A main. The first of six caution flags appeared on lap four when Marc Caswell of West Allis spun in turn four.

T.J. Smith of Greenville captured his first career 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National A-main victory in a rare appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 18. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

On the restart, 2010 PDTR Grand National champion Brian Gilles of Plymouth, who owns a total of six career track championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track, moved in from his sixth starting spot to take second in the Bender Racing No. 89 car along the high groove on lap 8.

The third caution flag was displayed when Kyle Caswell of Caledonia spun along the front stretch on lap 8. On the restart, T.J. Smith made his presence felt as he powered into second from his fifth starting spot on lap 9 and worked past Espen into the lead on lap 10 before the fourth caution flag flew on lap 10 when Rich Garb spin in turn four.

Gilles, who has returned from a retirement from racing as one of three team drivers in the Bender Racing No. 89 entry this season, battled back to take second from Espen  along the outside line on lap 10 before two more caution flags slowed the pace in succession on lap 11 for single-car spins.

When the race resumed, Luke Scholten of Oostburg, who started 19th, charged in to duel with Gilles for second before Gilles gained the runner-up spot for good on lap 20. Gilles then mounted one final charge as he again worked the outside lane to pull even with Smith on lap 24.

However, Smith was too strong as he fended off Gilles persistent challenges to earn his first career PDTR Grand National A-main victory. Gilles placed second, Scholten wound up third, Espen placed fourth and 13th starter Jonathan Otte of Cedar Grove completed the top five.

Outside front row starter Andy Welter of Hartford outpowered polesitter Jonathan Hitsman of Newton to lead the first lap of the 25-lap B Mod A main.

Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod champion Tim Warner of Fond du Lac racked up his seventh career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod A-main triumph in the 25-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 18. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

The first of six caution flags was displayed on lap 4 when Steve Lorier of Sheboygan spun and collected Gary Glander of Sheboygan Falls in turn two.

On the restart, 2019 and 2020 PDTR B Mod champion Tim Warner worked his way into second from his seventh starting position. Warner was closing on Welter when the second caution flag came out for Gary Glander, who stopped near turn three while attempting to exit the track on lap 14.

After a series of three caution flags with one on lap 15 and two on lap 18, Warner tracked down Welter and powered in the lead with a high move in turn two on lap 19. The sixth and final caution flag was displayed when Jonathan Hitsman spun in turn four on lap 23.

Following a single-file restart, Warner pulled away to notch his seventh career PDTR B Mod A-main victory, which moved him into second place on the all-time PDTR B Mod A-main win list.

Welter placed second, Travis Schmidt of Waldo wound up third, after starting sixth, fifth starter Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls took fourth and third starter Brendon Ostrowski of Milwaukee placed fifth.

Will Gerrits of Waupun was victorious in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth was the overall fastest qualifier in the group qualifying session with a lap of  seconds.

Thirteen drivers made their first appearance of the 2022 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track with a total of 74 drivers on hand. The program, which as sponsored by Mayer Automotive, included 26 360 Sprint Cars, 11 Late Models, 21 Grand Nationals and 16 B Mods.

With no racing scheduled at The Plymouth Dirt Track next Saturday, June 25, the next PDTR program is set to take place on Thursday, June 30 featuring the Road America Challenge Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series event and the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m. with spectator gates opening at 4:30 p.m., qualifying at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.

Advance adult $25 tickets can be purchased for the June 30 Road America Challenge IRA event by visiting https://myracepass.com/406362/tickets/ until Thursday, June 30 at 9 a.m. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate for at the regular adult price of $30 on Thursday, June 30.

Shuttle buses will be available to transport NASCAR weekend campers from Road America to The Plymouth Dirt Track for the June 30 event.

The new book “Racing Recollections – Plymouth Racetrack Fans & Drivers 1950-2021” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, George Baumann of Waupun and Verla Peichl of Sheboygan Falls will be available for purchase at every race during the 2022 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.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.

 

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

QUALIFYING

1, Tim Haddy 12.427 2, Alex Pokorski 12.435 3, Ben Schmidt 12.454 4, Doug Wondra 12.576 5, Shane Wenninger 12.617 6, Cole Possi 12.622 7, Kurt Davis 12.638 8, Travis Arenz 12.639 9, Justin Erickson 12.731 10, Tim McMullen 12.731 11, Bill Taylor 12.822 12, Preston Ruh 12.904 13, Will Gerrits 12.909 14, Katelyn Krebsbach 12.998 15, Justin Miller 13.001 16, Lance Fassbender 13.031 17, Tyler Brabant 13.040 18, Tyler Davis 13.111 19, Brandon Berth 13.157 20, Chris Clayton 13.164 21, Mike Yurmanovich 13.197 22, Dylan Winkel 13.329 23, Kevin Seidler 13.593 24, J.J. Pagel 13.883 25, Randy Post 14.335 26, Tony Wondra no time.

HEAT 1

1, Lance Fassbender 2, Tyler Davis 3, Justin Miller 4, Katelyn Krebsbach 5, Brandon Berth 6, Mike Yurmanovich 7, Chris Clayton 8, J.J. Pagel 9, Tony Wondra(DNS).

HEAT 2

1, Travis Arenz 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Kurt Davis 4, Dylan Winkel 5, Tim McMullen 6, Will Gerrits 7, Kevin Seidler 8, Randy Post 9, Tyler Brabant.

HEAT 3

1, Shane Wenninger 2, Doug Wondra 3, Alex Pokorski 4, Tim Haddy 5, Preston Ruh 6, Justin Erickson 7, Bill Taylor 8, Cole Possi.

B MAIN

1, Will Gerrits 2, Bill Taylor 3, Chris Clayton 4, Tim McMullen 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Cole Possi 7, Tony Wondra 8, Kevin Seidler 9, J.J. Pagel 10, Randy Post (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Doug Wondra 4, Lance Fassbender 5, Brandon Berth 6, Justin Erickson 7, Chris Clayton 8, Shane Wenninger 9, Will Gerrits 10, Tim Haddy 11, Dylan Winkel 12, Tyler Brabant 13, Justin Miller 14, Bill Taylor 15, Kurt Davis 16, Mike Yurmanovich 17, Tim McMullen 18, Preston Ruh 19, Tyler Davis 20, Cole Possi 21, Katelyn Krebsbach 22, Alex Pokorski.

 

SHEBOYGAN’S COUNTRY B93.7 LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Jim Schmidt 2, Turk Letizia 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Sawyer Specht 5, Chad Ludwigson 6, Joe Bongiorno.

HEAT 2

1, Charlie Schmidt 2, Brad Mueller 3, Bill Edler 4, Eric Michaels 5, Wayne Freimund.

A MAIN

1, Brad Mueller 2, Bill Edler 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Joe Bongiorno 5, Turk Letizia 6, Eric Michaels 7, Charlie Schmidt 8, Chad Ludwigson 9, Sawyer Specht 10, Wayne Freimund 11, Jim Schmidt.

 

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

HEAT 1

1, Steven Weber 2, Josh Pierce 3, Tyler Kulow 4, Matt Yancey 5, Jonathan Otte 6, Tim Mitchell 7, Luke Scholten.

HEAT 2

1, Nick Schumacher 2, Kyle Caswell  3, Brian Gilles 4, Chad Espen 5, Marc Caswell 6, Scott Kafka 7, Joshua Koslowski.

HEAT 3

1, Donny Kulow 2, Paul Tod 3, T.J. Smith 4, Rich Garb 5, Will Schumacher 6, Jim Wirtz 7, Dick Hed.

A MAIN

1, T.J. Smith 2, Brian Gilles 3, Luke Scholten 4, Chad Espen 5, Jonathan Otte 6, Josh Pierce 7, Nick Schumacher 8, Matt Yancey 9, Donny Kulow 10, Kyle Caswell 11, Steven Weber  12, Tim Mitchell 13, Rich Garb 14, Jim Wirtz 15, Joshua Koslowski 16, Scott Kafka 17, Tyler Kulow 18, Paul Tod 19, Will Schumacher 20, Marc Caswell 21, Dick Hed (DNS).

 

NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS

HEAT 1

1, Travis Schmidt 2, Jonathan Hitsman 3, Spencer Long 4, Tim Warner 5, Brandon Knepprath 6, Patrick Hanson 7, Don Marquart 8, Gary Glander.

HEAT 2

1, Shane Long 2, Brendan Ostrowski 3, Andy Welter 4, Jonathon Baumann 5, Steve Lorier 6, James Rautmann 7, Tim Thrun 8, Rory Welch.

A MAIN

1, Tim Warner 2, Andy Welter 3, Travis Schmidt 4, Shane Long 5, Brendan Ostrowski 6, Brandon Knepprath 7, James Rautmann 8, Spencer Long 9, Tim Thrun 10, Rory Welch 11, Jonathan Hitsman 12, Jonathon Baumann 13, Patrick Hanson 14, Steve Lorier 15, Gary Glander 16, Don Marquart (DNS).

Austin Hartmann earns career-best IRA A-main showing at Angell Park Speedway

Austin Hartmann notched a career-best Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series 11th place finish in the 30-lap A-main at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, June 12. – Framed Dirt Photography by Pit Road Apparel

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 15, 2022 – Another doubleheader of weekend of Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association action brought plenty of learning experiences for Austin Hartmann and his 87A Hartmann Racing team, topped off with a career-best IRA A-main performance, as the Plymouth-based 410 Winged Sprint Car team made its debut appearance at the Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, Ill. on Saturday, June 11 and returned to Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, June 12.

On Saturday, June 11, Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team made the haul south of the Wisconsin-Illinois border to Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, Ill. for the 12th annual $6,000-to-win co-sanctioned IRA-Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Bill Waite Jr. Memorial Classic, which attracted a stout field of 36 entries.

In his first competitive laps around the ultra-fast and tacky quarter-mile clay oval, Hartmann opened the night by qualifying 22nd in the 36-car field with a lap of 11.976 seconds.

Needing a top-five finish to advance to the evening’s 30-lap A main, Hartmann started and finished sixth in the second 10-lap heat race to move on to the B main field.

After starting fourth in the 12-lap B main, Hartmann was running seventh when a two-car spin brought out the yellow flag on lap 10. With the top-four finishers earning spots in the A main, Hartmann restarted fifth and pressured the fourth-place car of Dave Uttech for the final transfer position over the final two laps before settling for fifth to fall just short of advancing to the A-main event.

“Pulling up to Fairbury for the first time as an unfamiliar track for me in-person was pretty neat,” Hartmann said. “I watched film all week, so I knew what we were facing. With the strong field that showed up, the team and I knew we had to be on our ‘A’ game all night. We learned a lot and we are very excited to get back to Fairbury.”

On Sunday, June 12, Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team ventured to Angell Park Speedway for their second visit of the season to the historic third-mile clay oval in IRA competition. Hartmann opened the program by clicking off the 16th fastest qualifying lap in the 18-car field with a lap of 12.704 seconds.

The third-year Plymouth, Wis. Sprint Car racer rolled off sixth in the first IRA heat race before moving past Trevin Littleton to take fifth on the ultra-fast and undulating race surface on lap 3. Hartmann held on to finish fifth to secure the 15th starting spot in the 30-lap IRA A main.

With the fast and uneven track conditions providing an extra challenge for all 18 IRA A-main competitors, Hartmann drove a steady race to advance to 11th before a caution flag was displayed for the stalled car of Scotty Thiel on lap 16.

On the restart, Hartmann fell back to 12th when Dave Uttech snuck past. Hartmann  held the 12th position until the checkered and red flags were displayed simultaneously for race winner Blake Nimee and Danny Schlafer, who flipped in turn four, just as Nimee took the checkered flag at the end of the 30-lap event.

Hartmann came home 11th to record his career-best IRA A-main showing behind the wheel of a 410 Winged Sprint Car.

“Coming into Sunday, we knew it was going to be tricky track conditions,” Hartmann said. “I made a couple mistakes in qualifying, which set us back, but it turned out to be a great night for us finishing 11th in the feature.”

With the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association sitting idle over the upcoming two weekends, Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team are set to make their debut appearance with the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series this Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis.

“After putting together some solid runs over our past two weekends of action with the IRA, we have a lot to build off of, which has us excited for this coming weekend with the World of Outlaws doubleheader at Beaver Dam Raceway,” Hartmann said.

Those unable to make it to Beaver Dam Raceway for the World of Outlaws doubleheader on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18 can tune into the live streaming coverage of the World of Outlaws Series on www.dirtvision.com.

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

The 87A Hartmann Racing team has assembled a strong group of partners in support of the team’s maiden voyage with the Bumper to Bumper IRA Series, including Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Call Girls Motorsports, Pallet Works LLC, AF Inc., Bennett Transport Inc., SCA Inc., Gretchen Tillman New American Funding, Classic Title Services, CP Services, Cobblestone Landscaping, Jensen Sales & Services, Lee’s Color Studio, Dave’s Fabrication, Racer’s Hall Sports Bar and Grill, Feldmann Sales & Service, RC Custom Design, Hepner Racing Products, Pit Road Apparel, the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series and Sage Fruit.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham, Jarrett Neese and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseFeldmann Sales & Service

Located at 1014 South Wisconsin Drive in Howards Grove, Wis., Feldmann Sales & Service has been in business since 1948. As a small, family-owned business,  Feldmann Sales and Service’s mission to offer the latest in parts and products at the best prices with unparalleled service, along with a a full line of Polaris, Kubota, Echo Stihl, Ariens, Simplicity, Toro and Land Pride equipment, including ATVs, Ranger RZRs, tractors and chainsaws.

In addition to featuring a full showroom of equipment for all seasons, Feldmann Sales & Service’s team of certified technicians offers ATV maintenance, lawn equipment service and trailer service.

To contact Feldmann Sales & Service, call 920-565-3939, email sales@feldmannsales.com or visit http://www.feldmannsales.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
2022 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 8
IRA Events – 8
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 4
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
Upcoming 2022 Schedule

Friday, June 17 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (World of Outlaws)
Saturday, June 18 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (World of Outlaws)
Thursday, June 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)
Friday, July 15 – River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, North Dakota (IRA/NOSA)
Saturday, July 16 – River Cities Speedway, Grand Forks, North Dakota (IRA/NOSA)

Austin Hartmann finds speed, makes first dash in IRA Rice Lake-141 twin bill  

Austin Hartmann earned a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series career-best 13th-place finish in A-main action at Rice Lake Speedway in Rice Lake, Wis. on Saturday, May 28. – Framed Dirt Photography by Pit Road Apparel

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 1, 2022 – With just a handful of races to his credit in the seat of 410 Winged Sprint Car, 2022 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association rookie contender, Austin Hartman keyed into some considerable speed behind the wheel of his 87A Hartmann Racing machine, during an IRA Memorial Day weekend doubleheader at Rice Lake Speedway in Rice Lake, Wis. on Saturday, May 28 and 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Sunday, May 29.

On Saturday, May 28, Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team made the long trek to Northwest Wisconsin for the IRA’s return to the third-mile semi-banked Rice Lake Speedway for the first time in several years.

Hartmann opened the night by qualifying 12th in the 20-car field with a lap of 14.181 seconds. After lining up the pole of the third eight-lap IRA heat race, Hartmann placed fourth in the race to earn the 12th starting spot in the 30-lap main event.

The third-year Plymouth, Wis. Sprint Car driver drove a steady race in just his third IRA A main in a 410 Sprint Car en route to an IRA career-best 13th place finish in a race won by Scotty Neitzel.

“Pulling into Rice Lake Speedway was like going to SK Speedway I’d say, very comparable,” Hartmann said. “Although I never ran there, I was able to kind of get an idea for what to do. We made very few changes throughout the night, and just made small adjustments as I was comfortable with the car right away in qualifying. It took rubber about midway through the night and once I found that, we were fast.”

On Sunday, May 29, Hartmann was quick out of the box as he turned in the 11th fastest qualifying lap in the 27-car field with a lap of 11.318 seconds. After lining up on the pole of the second eight-lap IRA heat race, Hartmann placed fourth to earn a direct transfer spot to the A main and his first-career berth in the IRA dash field.

After drawing the pole for the second four-lap IRA dash, Hartmann placed fourth to gain the eighth starting spot in the 30-lap IRA main event.

Hartmann held steady in the front half of the field in the early going of the A main by testing multiple lines on the dry and dusty track surface. After dropping to 18th, the lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 16 for a spin involving Kyle Schuett. Hartmann then held on during the non-stop second half of the race to finish 24th.

“What can I say about 141 Speedway? – I love that place,” Hartmann said. “I was excited for that one, but I didn’t quite expect to have the night we had. We found speed and I got more comfortable in the car. As for the feature, we threw some things at the car to try out and let’s just say we’re going mark those as ‘no good.’ We couldn’t find forward bite anywhere on the racing surface.”

Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team will continue their rookie campaign with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series this Saturday, June 4 at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis.

“The team is excited to get back to Wilmot, which is another track where we’re pretty decent,” Hartmann said. “We will build off the ups and downs of this past weekend and get after it at Wilmot Raceway.”

Those unable to make it to track can follow all of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series action throughout the 2022 campaign via FloRacing by visiting https://www.floracing.com.

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

The 87A Hartmann Racing team has assembled a strong group of partners in support of the team’s maiden voyage with the Bumper to Bumper IRA Series, including Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Call Girls Motorsports, Pallet Works LLC, AF Inc., Bennett Transport Inc., SCA Inc., Gretchen Tillman New American Funding, Classic Title Services, CP Services, Cobblestone Landscaping, Jensen Sales & Services, Lee’s Color Studio, Dave’s Fabrication, Racer’s Hall Sports Bar and Grill, Feldmann’s Sales and Service, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Pit Road Apparel, the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series and Sage Fruit.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham, Jarrett Neese and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseClassic Title Services

Classic Title Services is proud sponsor of Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing Team for the 2022 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association season.

Located in Sheboygan, Wis., Classic Title Services is a locally owned real estate title company, owned by Hollie O’Neil since 2005, which provides real estate title insurance and real estate closing services to customers in Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Ozaukee Counties.

To contact Classic Title Services, call 920-783-0318 or visit http://www.myclassictitle.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

2022 Season

By The Numbers

Total Events – 6

IRA Events – 6

A Main Victories – 0

B Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1

Top 20 A Main Finishes – 3

Heat Race Victories – 0

Dash Appearances – 1

Dash Victories – 0

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing

Upcoming 2022 Schedule

Saturday, June 4 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis.

Saturday, June 11 – Fairbury American Legion Speedway, Fairbury, Ill.

Sunday, June 12 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

June 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Alex and Paul Pokorski enjoy solid MSA 360 Sprint Car runs at Plymouth Dirt Track

Alex Pokorski earned his second career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car B main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28. – JW’s Car and Raccing photos

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 31, 2022 – For only the third time in their 360 Sprint Car racing careers, Alex and Paul Pokorski had the opportunity to compete on the same track on the same night, during a Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28.

Alex Pokorski, who was behind the wheel of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team machine, and Paul Pokorski, who was filling in behind the wheel of Spyder Akright’s 53A car, were among a field of 27 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars signed in for the evening’s program at the third-mile Plymouth clay oval.

In group qualifying, Paul turned in the 16th fastest lap with a time of 12.791 seconds, while Alex qualified 20th with a lap of 12.896.

After starting fifth in the first 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race, Paul came home sixth. Alex lined up on the pole of the third 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race before falling back to third on the opening lap as Dylan Winkel and Tim Haddy moved past. On lap 6, Travis Arenz worked around Alex to move him back to fourth in the running order, which is where he finished the race.

Both Alex and Paul found themselves in the B main needing to finish in the top six spots to earn a transfer position to the evening’s 25-lap A main with Alex lining up third and Paul starting fifth.

Before a lap could be completed, the red flag flew shortly after the initial start when Chris Clayton and Mike Yurmanovich collided in turn two and Randy Post got caught up in the mishap, which sent him on a series of flips.

When the lineup was reshuffled, Alex started second and Paul rolled off fourth. Alex got the jump on polesitter Katelyn Krebsbach to lead the opening lap, while Paul worked around Krebsbach on lap three to move into the runner-up spot.

As Alex pulled away to a comfortable lead, Brandon McMullen dropped Paul to third in the running on lap 10. Alex went on to claim his second career B main victory, while Paul finished third to gain a transfer spot to the main event.

Paul rolled off 19th in the 25-lap 360 Sprint Car A main and put together a solid run up through the field, including a brief side-by-side duel with his son, Alex, in the early going. The 30-year racing veteran advanced seven spots in the event to come home with a 12th place finish.

“I had fun,” Paul Pokorski said. “I didn’t change a thing from where Spyder normally starts with the car. I was curious how it would feel the way that he runs it, so I kind of looked at it like a testing session. We made a few tweaks as the night went on and I thought the car got better and having never driven it before, it took a little while to get comfortable with the way I sit in the car and where everything is.

Paul Pokorski filled in behind the wheel of Spyder Akright’s 53A car with Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28. – RC Custom Design photo

“Since I hadn’t driven in a few weeks, and the last time I drove Spyder’s car didn’t turn out very well, I just wanted to make sure we had a silent night and brought it home in one piece,” he said. “It was certainly fun to race with Alex early on in the feature and to chase him in the B main. I’m happy that we have this chance to have those experiences.”

Meanwhile, Alex found the going to be challenging on the fast and tricky track surface as he was involved in a pair of spins during the event, which impeded his progress. Alex’s second spin on lap 22 brought out a caution flag when Lance Fassbender was unable to avoid contact with his spinning car in turn three.

After restarting at the rear of the field, Alex recovered to record a 17th place showing in the event, which was won by Travis Arenz.

Paul Pokorski (53A) and Alex Pokorski (4), who competed on the same night for just the third time in their Sprint Car racing careers, lined up next to each other during the four-wide parade line prior to the start of the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at The Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

“I was hoping to finish a bit better in the heat race, but there were some fast cars that got past me,” Alex Pokorski said. “We only made some slight adjustments for the B main, and I was happy to pick up a win there. The A main was a bit frustrating because I made a few mistakes, which led to me spinning and collecting another car. Hopefully, I can iron those mistakes out moving forward.”

Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, June 4 with the Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series joining e PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with PDTR 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2022 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor ShowcaseAkright 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.

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.

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

2022 Season

By The Numbers

Total Events – 4

A Main Victories – 0

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1

Heat Race Victories – 0

Paul Pokorski

Akright Auto 53A/Akright Auto Racing Team 4

2022 Season

By The Numbers

Total Events – 2

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

Heat Race Victories – 0

Alex Pokorski

Akright Auto Racing Team 4

2022 Upcoming Races

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

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

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

Thursday, June 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Arenz, Ritchie, Loehr, Schmidt take home PDTR A-main hardware

Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls collected his 13th career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 28, 2022 – With the arrival of Memorial Day signaling the unofficial start of summer, the final weekend of May typically follows suit in triggering when the racing season kicks into high gear in the state of Wisconsin.

Although the temperatures again stayed on the cool side and a late afternoon shower swept over the track, a host of competitors checked into The Plymouth Dirt Track for their first night of action of the 2022 season at the third-mile clay oval at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28.

In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty A main, defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls cruised to his third Plymouth Dirt Track Racing main event triumph of the 2022 campaign. Justin Ritchie of New London came out on top in the thrilling back-and-forth 25-lap Sheboygan’s Country B93.7 Late Model A main. 2017 PDTR Grand National champ Matt Loehr of Dotyville notched his second Oostburg Automotive Grand National A-main triumph of the 2022 season, while Travis Schmidt of Waldo claimed the victory in the 25-lap Next Step Insurance B Mod A main in his first outing of the 2022 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

The initial start of the 360 Sprint Car A main was negated when Nick Daywalt of Slinger and 2018 PDTR champion Justin Miller of Plymouth made hard contact along the front stretch to bring out the first of the event’s two caution flags.

Polesitter Blake Wondra of Fond du Lac grabbed the lead on the opening lap and passed the first three laps before outside front row starter Tony Wondra of Campbellsport road the high groove to sweep into the lead in turn two on lap four.

On lap 12, 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett worked the high line to pressure Blake Wondra for the runner-up spot the two drivers continued to duel for the position as the leaders began to weave their way through slower traffic on the fast and challenging third-mile clay oval track surface.

On lap 16, Arenz, who started eighth, surged past Fassbender and Blake Wondra along the outside line and quickly closed the gap on the leader. Two laps later, Arenz secured the lead from Tony Wondra and began to open up a solid cushion before the second and final caution flag appeared on lap 22 when Alex Pokorski of West Bend spun in turn three and was collected by Fassbender, who was forced to retire from the race, while Pokorski restarted at the rear of the field.

Following a single-file restart with less than five laps remaining, Arenz bolted out to a commanding lead over Tony Wondra en route to his 13th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main win, 25th career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph and third A-main victory in four outings at The Plymouth Dirt Track this year.

Two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, charged from his 18th starting spot to finish a strong second, Tony Wondra finished third, Blake Wondra placed fourth and sixth starter Brandon Berth of Cascade rounded out the top five.

Outside front row starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag of the 25-lap Late Model A main. On lap 4, four-time defending PDTR Late Model champ Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started sixth, dove low to pressure the high-riding Letizia for the lead.

Justin Ritchie of New London claimed his fifth career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model A-main victory in the 25-lap A-main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28.  – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

On lap 5, the first of two caution flags appeared when Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn two. Following the restart, Justin Ritchie, who started eighth, moved into third with four-time PDTR Late Model champ Brad Mueller of Random Lake following into fourth from his fifth starting spot.

With the high-riding Letizia continuing to fend off the low-running Schmidt for the lead, the second and final caution was displayed on lap 11 for debris. On the restart, Ritchie flexed his muscle to utilize the high line to challenge Schmidt for second.

However, Schmidt battled back to surge head of Ritchie and move in to pressure Letizia for the lead once again as the top three drivers dueled in very tight quarters for the remainder of the race.

Letizia and Schmidt waged a heated back-and-forth, side-by-side battle over the ensuing six laps before Letizia finally surged ahead. However, it was Ritchie’s turn next as he bolted up to the high groove to seize second from Schmidt on lap 19. Three laps later, Ritchie dove underneath Letizia to seize the top spot on lap 22.

Letizia crossed under to the low groove to challenge Ritchie on the next lap, but Ritchie proved to be too strong as he held on over the final two laps to secure his fifth career PDTR Late Model A-main victory and his first Late Model victory of the 2022 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Letizia had to settle for second, Justin Schmidt took third, 11th starter Jim Schmidt of Cleveland placed fourth and Mueller rounded out the top five.

Matt Loehr of Dotyville earned his 11th career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Visiting driver Nick Schumacher of Eagle seized the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National A-main from his outside front row starting spot with third starter Matt Loehr sliding into second.

On lap 3, Loehr dove underneath Schumacher in turn four to take over the top spot. By lap 10, Loehr had built up a full straightaway cushion over Schumacher.

Three laps later, Luke Scholten of Oostburg, who started eighth, worked his way into third before the first of two caution flags appeared on lap 14 when Plymouth Dirt Track newcomer Joshua Koslowski of Chilton spun in turn two. On the restart, Scholten moved in to pressure Schumacher for second along the outside groove. However, Schumacher successfully fended off Scholten’s advances.

Meanwhile, Loehr remained in control at the front of the pack before the second and final caution flag waved on lap 22 when Koslowski spun again in turn two. After a single-file restart, Loehr bolted away from the field on the way to his 11th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory, which moved him into fifth place on the all-time PDTR Grand National victory list, and his second main event triumph of the 2022 season at Plymouth.

Schumacher placed second, Scholten finished third, 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth placed fourth after starting ninth and octogenarian Dick Hed of Plymouth finished fifth, after starting fifth, in his first appearance of the season at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Polesitter Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls grabbed the lead of the 25-lap B Mod A main on the opening lap with outside front row starter Andy Welter of Hartford following in second.

On lap 2, 2018 PDTR B Mod champion Tim Sheppard of Beaver Dam moved up to challenge Welter for second before the first of two caution flags was displayed on lap four when Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls stalled in turn one.

Following the restart, Sheppard and Welter continued their heated duel for second before fourth starter Travis Schmidt slipped past Welter to take over third. When the leaders caught the reader of the field on lap 15, Sheppard cut the gap on Shane Long significantly.

The second and final caution flag came out on lap 20 when Steve Lorier of Sheboygan spun in turn three. On the restart, Schmidt came to life in a big way to shoot back Sheppard into second on lap 21 along the high groove.

On the following lap, Schmidt, who was making his first appearance of the 2022 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track, bolted around Shane Long to take the lead.

Schmidt maintained the top spot over the final three circuits en route to his sixth career PDTR B Mod A-main victory to move into a tie for second on the all-time PDTR B Mod A-main wins list.

Travis Schmidt of Waldo posted his sixth career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod A-main triumph in the 25-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Shane Long had to settle for second, Welter finished third, Sheppard placed fourth and fifth starter James Rautmann of Howards Grove placed fifth.

Alex Pokorski was victorious in the 12-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth was the overall fastest qualifier in the group qualifying session with a lap of 12.283 seconds.

A total of 18 drivers made their 2022 season debut at The Plymouth Dirt Track with a total of 73 drivers on hand for the Military Night Memorial Day weekend event, which was sponsored by Pedal Down Promotions, including 27 360 Sprint Cars, 12 Late Models, 16 Grand Nationals and 18 B Mods.

The PDTR program on Saturday, June 4 will again feature 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods, as well as the first-ever appearance of the Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

The trophy sponsor for the racing program on Saturday, June 4 is Pit Stop Pizza.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m.

The new book “Racing Recollections – Plymouth Racetrack Fans & Drivers 1950-2021” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, George Baumann of Waupun and Verla Peichl of Sheboygan Falls will be available for purchase at every race during the 2022 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.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.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

QUALIFYING

1, Ben Schmidt 12.283 2, Lance Fassbender 12.327 3, Anthony Knierim 12.464 4, Justin Miller 12.500 5, Nick Daywalt 12.573 6, Tim Haddy 12.581 7, Brandon McMullen 12.595 8, Will Gerrits 12.597 9, Tony Wondra 12.603 10, Brandon Berth 12.614 11, Chris Clayton 12.615 12, Mike Yurmanovich 13, Doug Wondra 12.690 14, Chris Larson 12.692 15, Dylan Winkel 12.733 16, Paul Pokorski 12.791 17, Blake Wondra 12.813 18, Bill Taylor 12.848 19, Justin Erickson 12.887 20, Alex Pokorski 12.896 21, Katelyn Krebsbach 12.899 22, Preston Ruh 12.958 23, Andy Rein 12.974 24, J.J. Pagel 13.845 25, Randy Post 14.610 26, Kevin Seidler no time 27, Travis Arenz no time.

HEAT 1

1, Nick Daywalt 2, Doug Wondra 3, Ben Schmidt 4, Anthony Knierim 5, Bill Taylor 6, Paul Pokorski 7, Justin Erickson.

HEAT 2

1, Lance Fassbender 2, Tony Wondra 3, Justin Miller 4, Chris Clayton 5, Chris Larson 6, Mike Yurmanovich 7, Randy Post.

HEAT 3

1, Travis Arenz 2, Dylan Winkel 3, Tim Haddy 4, Alex Pokorski 5, Will Gerrits 6, J.J. Pagel 7, Kevin Seidler.

HEAT 4

1, Brandon Berth 2, Blake Wondra 3, Andy Rein 4, Katelyn Krebsbach 5, Preston Ruh 6, Brandon McMullen.

B MAIN

1, Alex Pokorski 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Paul Pokorski 4, Will Gerrits 5, Justin Erickson 6, Katleyn Krebsbach 7, Mike Yurmanovich 8, J.J. Pagel 9, Chris Clayton 10, Randy Post 11, Kevin Seidler.

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Tony Wondra 4, Blake Wondra 5, Brandon Berth 6, Andy Rein 7, Will Gerrits 8, Dylan Winkel 9, Ben Schmidt 10, Doug Wondra 11, Bill Taylor 12, Paul Pokorski 13, Chris Larson 14, Anthony Knierim 15, Preston Ruh 16, Justin Erickson 17, Alex Pokorski 18, Lance Fassbender 19, Tim Haddy 20, Katelyn Krebsbach 21, Nick Daywalt 22, Justin Miller.

SHEBOYGAN’S COUNTRY B93.7 LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Charlie Schmidt 2, Bill Edler 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Jon Bongiorno 5, Turk Letizia 6, Jim Schmidt.

HEAT 2

1, Justin Ritchie 2, Taylor Scheffler 3, Brad Mueller 4, Kevin Baldry 5, Sawyer Specht 6, Chad Ludwigson.

A MAIN

1, Justin Ritchie 2, Turk Letizia 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Jim Schmidt 5, Brad Mueller 6, Joe Bongiorno 7, Taylor Scheffler 8, Kevin Baldry 9, Bill Edler 10, Charlie Schmidt 11, Chad Ludwigson 12, Sawyer Specht.

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

HEAT 1

1, Luke Scholten 2, Matt Yancey 3, Dick Hed 4, Nick Schumacher 5, Mavrick Ruh 6, Joshua Koslowski 7, Robert Horcos 8, Donny Kulow.

HEAT 2

1, Chad Espen 2, Jeff Muehlbauer 3, Tyler Kulow 4, Matt Loehr 5, Steven Weber 6, Brad Weiss 7, Derek Kaat 8, Josh Pierce (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Matt Loehr 2, Nick Schumacher 3, Luke Scholten 4, Tyler Kulow 5, Dick Hed 6, Brad Weiss 7, Mavrick Ruh 8, Matt Yancey 9, Chad Espen 10, Steven Weber 11, Josh Pierce 12, Donny Kulow 13, Joshua Koslowski 14, Jeff Muehlbauer 15, Derek Kaat 16, Robert Horcos.

NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS

HEAT 1

1, James Rautmann 2, Andy Welter 3, Rory Welch 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Patrick Hanson 6, Jonathan Hitsman.

HEAT 2

1, Travis Schmidt 2, Shane Long 3, Spencer Long 4, Mark Hoeppner 5, Craig Gessner 6, Brendan Ostrowski.

HEAT 3

1, Tim Sheppard 2, Jonathan Baumann 3, Brian Konitzer 4, Gary Glander 5, Steve Lorier 6, Michael Strean.

A MAIN

1, Travis Schmidt 2, Shane Long 3, Andy Welter 4, Tim Sheppard 5, James Rautmann 6, Jonathan Baumann 7, Jonathan Hitsman 8, Brendan Ostrowski 9, Brandon Knepparth 10, Brian Konitzer 11, Steve Lorier 12, Craig Gessner 13, Patrick Hansen 14, Mark Hoeppner 15, Rory Welch 16, Spencer Long 17, Gary Gander 18, Michael Strean.

Austin Hartmann returns to familiar surroundings of hometown track during All Stars-IRA weekend  

Austin Hartmann returned to his home track – The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – for the first time as a full-time competitor with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series on Saturday, May 21. – Shawn Mueller Photography

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 25, 2022 – During his rookie campaign with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, Austin Hartmann’s ability to adapt to unfamiliar territory will certainly be put to the test with several tracks that are new to the 87A Hartmann Racing team dotting the 2022 IRA schedule.

However, that was not the case on Saturday, May 21, as Hartmann returned to the friendly confines of his hometown track – The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – for the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Shootout.

With a host of extra local supporters on hand to wish him well during the third race of his rookie IRA season, Hartmann was among 36 All Stars-IRA competitors to check in for the event.

Hartmann, who was a regular competitor at The Plymouth Dirt Track over the past two seasons with the Plymouth Dirt Tracking Racing 360 Sprint Cars, opened the night by turning in the 28th fastest qualifying time with a lap of 11.560 seconds around the third-mile clay oval.

After lining up eighth in the third 10-lap All Stars-IRA heat race, Hartmann dropped to ninth place as Dave Uttech moved past in the early going. The 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association and PDTR 360 Sprint Car rookie of the year, went on to finish ninth in the race.

Hartmann then lined up 14th in the All Stars-IRA B main and used a strong start to shoot past Kris Spitz into 13th in the early going. However, Spitz battled back along the outside groove to regain the position on lap 2.

On lap 3, Hartmann moved back into 14th when fellow rookie IRA competitor Tyler Tischendorf dropped out of the race with apparent mechanical issues.

Hartmann moved to within striking distance of another IRA rookie, Scott Conger, over the final laps of the race before crossing the finish line 14th to complete his first outing at The Plymouth Dirt Track in the seat of a 410 Sprint Car.

“Plymouth was a good night for our team, as it is our home track and we were able to find some good speed,” Hartmann said. “I’m still learning to get comfortable in the car, but it was a good night for sure battling with some other competitors in the B main.”

Hartmann and the 87A Racing team entered the third scheduled All Stars-IRA co-sanctioned event of the planned tripleheader weekend at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, May 22 hoping to get more experience behind the wheel of his 410 Sprint Car machine at the historic third-mile clay oval.

However, mechanical issues hounded the team throughout the night as Hartmann was unable to get up to speed to register a qualifying time or compete in heat race or B main action.

“Angell Park turned out to be a wash for us,” Hartmann said. “We battled all night trying to find the issue in the engine. It ended up being a magneto cap. It was a problem that caused many headaches for us throughout the night. It was very frustrating.”

The first night of the scheduled All Stars-IRA tripleheader weekend was cancelled on Friday, May 20 at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis., after steady rain washed out the event following the completion of hot laps.

“With the rain, Friday night at Wilmot was pretty much a scratch, but not completely,” Hartman said. “I was able to get up to speed around that place in a 410 during the two hot lap sessions that we got, so we will take what we can get!”

Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team will take part in a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association doubleheader weekend starting at Rice Lake Speedway in Rice Lake, Wis. on Saturday May 28 and wrapping up at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Sunday, May 29.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to get more seat time during a doubleheader weekend with the IRA at Rice Lake, which is a new track for us, and 141 Speedway, which is a track that is relatively close to home,” Hartmann said.

Those unable to make it to track can follow all of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series action throughout the 2022 campaign via FloRacing by visiting https://www.floracing.com.

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

The 87A Hartmann Racing team has assembled a strong group of partners in support of the team’s maiden voyage with the Bumper to Bumper IRA Series, including Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Call Girls Motorsports, Pallet Works LLC, AF Inc., Bennett Transport Inc., SCA Inc., Gretchen Tillman New American Funding, Classic Title Services, CP Services, Cobblestone Landscaping, Jensen Sales & Services, Lee’s Color Studio, Dave’s Fabrication, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Pit Road Apparel, the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series and Sage Fruit.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham, Caitlin Shaw, Jarrett Neese and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseGretchen Tillman New American Funding

With many years of experience in the mortgage banking industry, and extensive practice in originating home loans for both purchase and refinance, Gretchen Tillman of New American Funding is a firm believer in excellent customer service and offering the most competitive pricing as a home loan and financing consultant.

Gretchen and New American Funding offer professional advice and support in making home financing decisions, a full spectrum of loan products from which to choose, consistent communication and follow up throughout the loan process from  Gretchen and New American Funding’s in-house operations team and industry leading close times.

For more information on New American Funding, located at 529 Ontario Ave. in Sheboygan, contact by phone Gretchen Tillman at 262-836-3042 (direct) or 302-423-0738 (mobile) or via email at Gretchen.tillman@Nafinc.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

2022 Season

By The Numbers

Total Events – 4

IRA Events – 4

A Main Victories – 0

B Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Top 15 A Main Finishes – 0

Top 20 A Main Finishes – 2

Heat Race Victories – 0

Dash Appearances – 0

Dash Victories – 0

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing

Upcoming 2022 Schedule

Saturday, May 28 – Rice Lake Speedway, Rice Lake, Wis.

Sunday, May 29 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis.

Saturday, June 4 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis.

Saturday, June 11 – Fairbury American Legion Speedway, Fairbury, Ill.

Sunday, June 12 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Alex Pokorski continues speed search at Plymouth Dirt Track  

Alex Pokorski turned in a 17th-place finish in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 21. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 24, 2022 – With the national touring Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series making its annual visit to The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds along with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team experienced an up-and-down type of night in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car division on Saturday, May 21.

With a solid showing of 31 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars signed in for the all-Sprint Car two-division program, Pokorski turned in the 17th-fastest lap in PDTR 360 Sprint Car group qualifying to earn the sixth starting spot in the third 10-lap heat race.

The third-year 360 Sprint Car competitor got the jump on fifth starter Katelyn Krebsbach to seize fifth place in turn one of the opening lap. Pokorski maintained the fifth spot throughout the remaining of the race on a fast and narrow racing surface.

After advancing one position in his heat race, Pokorski collected enough passing points to transfer directly into the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main, where he rolled off from the 16th starting position.

With the inside lane serving as the preferred line, Pokorksi stayed low throughout the majority of the race as he moved up to 15th following a caution on lap 15. On the ensuing restart, Pokorski fell back to 18th in the running order after starting on the outside of the eighth row.

Pokorski regrouped to pull off a last-lap pass of Anthony Knierim to secure 17th at the finish of the race, which was won by Justin Erickson.

“The car felt really good for the heat race and I was happy to make the A-main directly out of the heat race,” Pokorski said. “The car was a bit of a handful in the A main. The track was also very one-lane around the bottom, so it was difficult to gain spots. I had moved up a few spots and then lost a couple spots restarting on the outside. I think we have a better sense of how to set up this car now, so hopefully we can be faster moving forward.”

Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, May 28 on Military Night with all members of the U.S. Military gaining free admission with valid identification.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with PDTR 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.

Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team supporter Pedal Down Promotions will be the trophy sponsor for the May 28 PDTR program.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2022 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor ShowcaseAkright 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.

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.

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

2022 Season

By The Numbers 

Total Events – 4

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

Heat Race Victories – 0

Alex Pokorski

Akright Auto Racing Team

2022 Upcoming Races

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

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

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

Balog bags another Plymouth All Stars-IRA Shootout victory, Erickson collects first career PDTR 360 Sprint Car win

10-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association champion Bill Balog of Hartland earned his third career Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions A-main victory and 133rd career Bumper to Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series main event triumph at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 21. – Jared Burba photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 21, 2022 – With the touring stars of the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions in town for the series’ fifth annual appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis., a contingent of Wisconsin-based drivers used their local knowledge to steal the spotlight with 10-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association champion Bill Balog of Hartland leading the way en route to his third career All-Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series main event victory in the All Stars-IRA Shootout Saturday, May 21.

Balog, who earned his first career All Star Circuit of Champions A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track last year, led a Wisconsin sweep of all three podium positions in the 30-lap All Stars-IRA Shootout A main, as Danny Schlafer of Sussex placed second and Sheboygan’s Scotty Thiel finished third.

In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main, Justin Erickson of Plymouth notched his first career main event triumph.

The initial start of the 30-lap All Stars-IRA Shootout main event was negated after Brandon Spithaler of Renfrew, Penn. hit the wall in turn three. After a complete restart, Bill Balog jumped into the lead from the pole position as Danny Schlafer, who started on the outside of the front row, slipped into second and fourth starter Parker Price-Miller of Kokomo, Ind. moved up into third.

By lap five, Balog caught the rear of the field and began to negotiate his way through lapped traffic, which allowed Schlafer to cut the lead considerably. The second and final caution flag flew on lap 10 when Blake Nimee of Oswego, Ill. spun against the turn two wall.

10-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series champion Bill Balog (17B) of Hartland duels with two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Danny Schlafer of Sussex, during the 30-lap All Stars-IRA Shootout A-main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 21. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Scotty Thiel, who started third, dove underneath Schlafer to briefly take over second place before the two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion regained the runner-up spot several laps later.

Balog, who is in his second season as full-time competitor with the All Star Circuit of Champions, had to deal with dense lapped traffic on the lightning fast and relatively narrow track surface over the final 10 laps of the event, but he skillfully sliced his way through the gaggle of slower cars to extend his lead over Schlafer in the closing laps en route to his third career All Star Circuit of Champions A-main victory, 133rd career IRA main event triumph and fifth straight A-main victory in his last five starts in All Stars and IRA competition at Plymouth.

The victory earned Balog $6,600, including $600 in bonus money courtesy of Newton, Wis.-based Mulch Express of Wisconsin through the Gr8 Challenge, which awarded $100 to the leader of lap 8 of the All Stars-IRA A-main and an additional $500 if the leader on lap 8 went on to win the race.

“This is what we want to do running with the All Stars,” Balog said. “We want to get feature wins and better finishes than we have been getting. We’ve been struggling a bit at some of the tracks we’ve been to with the All Stars this year. For some reason, we were good tonight. I wish the All Stars would come to Wisconsin a little more often. I have to thank all of my guys and supporters for helping to make this happen and all of the great fans here for helping to make us feel so comfortable and welcome the few times we get to race here now.”

With a strong turnout featuring many of the top Winged 410 Sprint Car drivers in the country, Wisconsin drivers swept the podium for the 30-lap Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Shootout main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 21. Pictured left to right are Danny Schlafer of Sussex, who finished second; Bill Balog of Hartland, who earned his third career All Star Circuit of Champions A-main victory and Scotty Thiel of Sheboygan, who finished third. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Schlafer, who owns 23 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victories and has yet to record an IRA A-main win, had to settle for an IRA career-best second-place finish.

“I can’t be too upset to run second to Bill because he’s the king of Wisconsin Sprint Car racing,” Schlafer said. “To run second is a hell of a night for us and to do it with the All Stars is an honor. This place is special to me as I ran a  lot of 360 stuff here over the years. My crew is what puts me here. I may get all the credit as the driver, but they make me look good.”

Thiel placed third, Price-Miller was fourth and Kyle Reinhardt of Neptune City, N.J. finished fifth after starting seventh.

The opening lap of the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main saw 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth and Justin Erickson, who started fourth, duel side by side over the first two laps before Erickson surged into the lead in turn two on lap 3.

By lap 6, Erickson proceeded to bolt out to a full-straightaway advantage over Miller before encountering lapped traffic for the first time on lap 10.

Two laps later, the first of two caution flags appeared when Chris Larson of Franksville spun in turn two. On the restart, Tim Haddy of Waupun, who started on the pole, used the high groove to turn to surge past Miller into second place,

Miller battled back on lap 15 as Haddy and Miller swapped the runner-up spot back-and-forth over the next five laps before Haddy regained the position on lap 20. One lap later, Larson spun again in turn four to bring out the second and final caution flag of the race.

Justin Erickson of Plymouth notched his first career Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 21. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Erickson controlled the ensuring single-file restart and held on over the final four laps to collect his first career PDTR 360 Sprint A-main victory.

Haddy finished second, Miller wound up third, defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls, who started 18th, charged up through the field to place fourth and 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who started fifth, rounded out the top five.

Justin Peck of Monrovia, Ind. won the 12-lap All Stars-IRA B main. Two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee won the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

In All Stars-IRA qualifying, Parker Price-Miller led the way by establishing a new PDTR track record with a lap of 10.895 seconds to shatter Scotty Thiel’s previous track record of 11.300 set on July 1, 2021.

2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett earned overall fast qualifier honors in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car division with a lap of 12.696 seconds.

The third PDTR program of the 2022 campaign, which was sponsored by JDL Automotive, drew a strong field of 36 All Stars-IRA 410 Sprint Cars and 31 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars.

This week’s Military Night Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Saturday, May 28 will feature free admission for all U.S. Military members with valid identification in honor of Memorial Day weekend.

In addition, Kindred Hearts families will hand out American flags to kids courtesy of B93 Sheboygan’s Country. Kindred Hearts is a non-profit that helps out family members that are taking care of children of other family members who are unable to. For example, grandparents who are raising their own grandchildren.

The trophy sponsor for the racing program on Saturday, May 28 is Pedal Down Promotions.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m.

The new book “Racing Recollections – Plymouth Racetrack Fans & Drivers 1950-2021” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, George Baumann of Waupun and Verla Peichl of Sheboygan Falls will be available for purchase at every race during the 2022 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.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.

TEZOS ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – BUMPER TO BUMPER INTERSTATE RACING ASSOCIATION 410 SPRINT CARS

QUALIFYING

1, Parker Price-Miller 10.895 2, Scotty Thiel 10.941 3, Zeb Wise 10.960 4, Justin Peck 11.108 5, Jake Neuman 11.162 6, Danny Schlafer 11.163 7, Bill Balog 11.199 8, Cap Henry 11.238 9, Scott Bogucki 11.258 10, Hunter Schuerenberg 11.272 11, Kyle Reinhardt 11.277 12, Cory Eliason 11.295 13, Steve Meyer 11.318 14, Jordan Goldesberry 11.332 15, Kyle Schuett 11.348 16, Jack Routson 11.359 17, Tyler Courtney 11.360 18, Brandon Spithaler 11.360 19, Jake Blackhurst 11.367 20, Carson Short 11.368 21, Scotty Neitzel 11.381 22, Jeremy Schultz 11.383 23, Kevin Thomas Jr. 11.404 24, Tyler Tischendorf 11.475 25, Chris Windom 11.483 26, Hunter Custer 11.490 27, Sean Rayhall 11.536 28, Austin Hartmann 11.560 29, Blake Nimee 11.561 30, Dave Uttech 11.565 31, Russel Borland 11.574 32, Kris Spitz 11.584 33, Jereme Schroeder 11.729 34, Scott Biertzer 11.747 35, Ion Stear 11.992 36, Scott Conger 11.993.

HEAT 1

1, Cap Henry 2, Jake Neuman 3, Cory Eliason 4, Scotty Thiel 5, Sean Rayhall 6, Scott Biertzer 7, Jereme Schroeder 8, Scott Conger 9, Kris Spitz.

HEAT 2

1, Danny Schlafer 2, Zeb Wise 3, Hunter Schuerenberg 4, Parker Price-Miller 5, Carson Short 6, Steve Meyer 7, Scott Bogucki 8, Hunter Custer 9, Ion Stear.

HEAT 3

1, Tyler Courtney 2, Kyle Schuett 3, Brandon Spithaler 4, Kevin Thomas Jr. 5, Jordan Goldesberry 6, Scott Neitzel 7, Jake Blackhurst 8, Dave Uttech 9, Austin Hartmann.

HEAT 4

1, Bill Balog 2, Kyle Reinhardt 3, Blake Nimee 4, Chris Windom 5, Russel Borland 6, Justin Peck 7, Jack Routson 8, Jeremy Schultz 9, Tyler Tischendorf.

Dash

1, Bill Balog 2, Danny Schlafer 3, Scotty Thiel 4, Parker Price-Thiel 5, Cap Henry 6, Jordan Goldesberry 7, Tyler Courtney.

B MAIN

1, Justin Peck 2, Jake Blackhurst 3, Scott Bogucki 4, Scotty Neitzel 5, Steve Meyer 6, Jeremy Schultz 7, Dave Uttech 8, Scott Biertzer 9, Jack Routson 10, Jeremy Schroeder 11, Hunter Custer 12, Kris Spitz 13, Scott Conger 14, Austin Hartmann 15, Tyler Tischendorf 16, Ion Stear (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Bill Balog 2, Danny Schlafer 3, Scotty Thiel 4, Parker Price-Miller 5, Kyle Reinhardt 6, Hunter Schuerenberg 7, Zeb Wise 8, Justin Peck 9, Cory Eliason 10, Tyler Courtney 11, Cap Henry 12, Kevin Thomas Jr. 13, Carson Short 14, Jordan Goldesberry 15, Blake Nimee 16, Jake Blackhurst 17, Jake Neuman 18, Scott Bogucki 19, Chris Windom 20, Russel Borland 21, Kyle Schuett 22, Sean Rayhall 23, Scotty Neitzel 24, Brandon Spithaler.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

QUALIFYING

1, Lance Fassbender 12.696 2, Anthony Knierim 12.796 3, Brandon McMullen 12.859 4, Bill Taylor 12.860 5, Justin Miller 12.899 6, Andy Rein 12.928 7, Blake Wondra 12.943 8, Tyler Davis 12.983 9, Preston Ruh 13.013 10, Jack Vanderboom 13.059 11, Chris Clayton 13.132 12, Doug Wondra 13.205 13, Justin Erickson 13.210 14, Nick Daywalt 13.336 15, Katelyn Krebsbach 13.503 16, Mike Yurmanovich 13.532 17, Alex Pokorski 13.545 18, Ben Schmidt 13.554 19, Brandon Berth 13.773 20, Kurt Davis 13.776 21, Chris Larson 13.802 22, Tim Haddy 13.839 23, Tyler Brabant 14.119 24, Jordan Paulsen 14.143 25, Dylan Winkel 14.147 26, Spyder Akright 14.161 27, Tommy Colburn 14.349 28, Cole Possi 14.450 29, Travis Arenz 14.511 30, Randy Post 15.986 31, J.J. Pagel 16.682.

HEAT 1

1, Brandon Berth 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Kurt Davis 4, Tim Haddy 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Mike Yurmanovich 7, Dylan Winkel 8, Cole Possi.

HEAT 2

1, Nick Daywalt 2, Justin Erickson 3, Doug Wondra 4, Chris Larson 5, Spyder Akright 6, Tommy Colburn 7, Randy Post 8, Travis Arenz.

HEAT 3

1, Jack Vanderboom 2, Andy Rein 3, Preston Ruh 4, Anthony Knierim 5, Alex Pokorski 6, Katelyn Krebsbach 7, Jordan Paulsen 8, J.J. Pagel.

HEAT 4

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Justin Miller 3, Bill Taylor 4, Lance Fassbender 5, Chris Clayton 6, Tyler Davis 7, Blake Wondra.

B MAIN

1, Kurt Davis 2, Travis Arenz 3, Tyler Brabant 4, Chris Larson 5, Jordan Paulsen 6, Dylan Winkel 7, Mike Yurmanovich 8, Katelyn Krebsbach 9, J.J. Pagel 10, Randy Post 11, Spyder Akright 12, Blake Wondra 13, Cole Possi 14, Tyler Davis 15, Tommy Colburn.

A MAIN

1, Justin Erickson 2, Tim Haddy 3, Justin Miller 4, Travis Arenz 5, Ben Schmidt 6, Doug Wondra 7, Chris Clayton 8, Lance Fassbender 9, Brandon McMullen 10, Tyler Brabant 11, Jack Vanderboom 12, Brandon Berth 13, Nick Daywalt 14, Kurt Davis 15, Andy Rein 16, Dylan Winkel 17, Alex Pokorski 18, Anthony Knierim 19, Bill Taylor 20, Jordan Paulsen 21, Chris Larson 22, Preston Ruh.

Schmalz returns with second children’s book ‘What Is Church?’

Lynn Schmalz of Appleton, Wis. has released her second children’s book “What Is Church?” through Pedal Down Promotions.

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 19, 2022 – As a self-described lifelong learner, Lynn Schmalz of Appleton, Wis. has embraced a newfound mission to share her diverse experiences and thirst for knowledge through her enthusiasm for writing and illustrating children’s books.

Schmalz’s latest children’s book “What Is Church?” continues the inquisitive nature of her debut children’s book “What Is School?” released in late 2021.

Published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis., Schmalz’s “What Is Church?” features 31 pages of informative and inspirational messages with Christianity and the word of God serving as the centerpiece of full-color illustrations designed to intrigue and captivate both children and adults alike.

Schmalz, who is a Kaukauna, Wis. native, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and is presently employed as a paraprofessional in the Kimberly Area School District.

“What Is Church?” came to fruition through Schmalz’s desire for learning about complex subjects and sharing the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“I am a lifelong learner,” Schmalz said. “I have always been curious to try and figure out how things work. I love to read to gain insight in answering questions I have. Who is God? Who are we? Why are we here? Why did Jesus come from heaven to earth? What is our goal, mission? What is truth? Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. How do we examine our lives? What do we use to do so? Culture? Society? Our emotions? The Bible? What is truth? I believe when you know better, you do better!

“The more I learn, the more questions I have,” she said. “The inspiration for this book is to share the truth of Jesus with others. Come and hear God’s word, go and share his love! Why has the Bible been around as long as it has? It is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone but on every word from the mouth of God.’ God’s Word is mysterious, intriguing and transforming! Don’t take my word for it…read it yourself and see! Readers will find the main problem of human life and the perfect solution too. It will also give the reader inspiration to truly seek to understand who Jesus is, what he has done and who we are because of him.”

“What Is Church?” has a similar look and feel when compared to “What Is School?,” while clearly establishing its own identity.

“‘What Is School?’ and ‘What Is Church?’ are both passionately written because I believe strongly in the topics as they are both part of everyday life for me,” Schmalz said. “They both give the reader successful strategies to problems faced as a school and as the church. They both highlight the person’s choice to choose to learn or not, and to choose to respect authority or not. The choice chosen will have consequences. Both books need the learner to seek to understand through listening and truly hearing the message and to be motivated to pursue more learning which will profit the learner in many ways. Both show that we are better together…unity and peace and treating others as we would like to be treated.

“The differences between the two are that faith is a gift not a choice, whereas learning is a choice,” she said. “’What Is Church?’ emphasizes what has been done for us whereas ‘What Is School?’ emphasizes our responsibility to make choices and choose to learn from them or not.”

“What Is Church?” is now available for purchase for $10 at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or by contacting Schmalz directly at lynnschmalz@sbcglobal.net.

For more information on Lynn Schmalz  and her “What Is Church?” children’s book, contact Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, by phone at 920-323-7970 or by visiting www.pedaldownpromo.com.

 

 

 

 

Mulch Express of Wisconsin to present Gr8 Challenge at Plymouth All Star-IRA Sprint Car event

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(NEWTON, WIS.) May 18, 2022 – With deep roots in the thrilling sport of Sprint Car racing, Mulch Express of Wisconsin has thrown its support behind the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Shootout dirt track racing event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. with the Gr8 Challenge presented by Mulch Express of Wisconsin on Saturday, May 21.

The Gr8 Challenge presented by Mulch of Express of Wisconsin will offer a $100 reward to the leader of lap 8 of the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Challenge A-main event, along with an additional $500 bonus if the driver that leads lap 8 goes on to win the A-main event.

The fifth appearance of Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Series at The Plymouth Dirt Track third-mile clay is expected to draw a strong field of top national and regional Sprint Car drivers, including defending All Star champion and current points leader Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind., current IRA points leader Scotty Thiel of Sheboygan, Wis. and defending race winner and 10-time IRA champion Bill Balog of Hartland, Wis., who is now in his second season as a full-time All Star Circuit of Champions competitor.

“It is exciting for Mulch Express of Wisconsin to be involved in this event, which will bring many of the top Sprint Car drivers in the country and region to our area,” Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp said. “We have a strong connection to Sprint Car racing after several years of competing locally in the 360 Sprint Car division with the number Gr8 car, so being involved with this big event is really a perfect fit for us. It should be a great night of Sprint Car racing.”

Along with the All Star Circuit of Champions and Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Cars, the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars will also be on the card for the all-Sprint Car event.

Spectator gates open at 4 p.m. with on-track action slated to begin at 6 p.m.

Advance tickets are available by visiting https://www.irasprints.com/schedules/event/389124.

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.

Founded in 2000 out of the desire to control the cost and efficiency of installing mulch, bark, soil and playground chips, the Newton-based Mulch Express of Wisconsin specialty landscaping company has found its niche as the to-go mulching provider for municipalities, school districts, commercial businesses and residences throughout Northeastern Wisconsin.

To contact or obtain additional information on Mulch Express of Wisconsin, call 920-726-4840, send an email to mulchexpressofwi@gmail.com or visit Mulch Express of Wisconsin on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Alex Pokorski adjusts to new Akright Auto Racing Team surroundings in MSA double dip

Alex Pokorski made his debut in the seat of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team 360 Sprint Car at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 14. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions 

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 17, 2022 – After forgoing last week’s 2022 season opener to attend to his college master’s degree program obligations at Concordia University of Wisconsin, third-year 360 Sprint Car driver Alex Pokorski spent the majority of a Midwest Sprint Car Association doubleheader weekend of action at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 14 and Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, May 15 searching for comfort and consistency behind the wheel of his new No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team machine.

After his father, Paul, steered Alex’s Akright Auto Racing Team car to a 10th-place showing in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, May 7, it was Alex’s turn to make his debut in the Spyder Akright-owned No. 4 ride with stellar field of 33 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars signed in at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, May 14.

In PDTR 360 Sprint Car group qualifying, Pokorski turned in the 27th fastest time with a lap of 13.935 seconds. After lining up eighth in the second 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race, Pokorski moved past Dylan Winkel to take over seventh on the opening lap. Pokorski maintained the position over the remaining nine laps to secure a seventh-place heat race finish.

Needing to finish in the top six to earn a transfer spot to the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main, Pokorski started sixth in the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B Main and found himself running fifth following a yellow flag restart on lap 5.

After dueling with Chris Larson two laps, Pokorski maintained fifth in the running order until lap 10 when Larson and Blake Wondra worked past Pokorski, who slipped to seventh, one spot out of an A-main transfer spot.

Pokorski maintained his composure and battled back to work underneath Wondra to steal the sixth and final A-main transfer spot with a nifty move in turn one on the 15th and final circuit. Pokorski held on to place sixth and advance to his first PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main of the 2022 season.

After starting 22nd in the 25-lap main event, Pokorski worked the low groove in the first portion of the race. However, he found passing to be difficult along the inside line. On lap 20, Pokorski ventured up to the high groove to work his way around Preston Ruh into the 21st position, which is where he finished the non-stop race, which was won by Travis Arenz.

“On Saturday at Plymouth, we started pretty far away from what we want the car to do and we got a lot closer as the night went along,” Pokorski said. “The B main was a fun race back and forth for the last few transfer spots. In the A main, starting in the back is always tough. I think I spent too long trying to make the bottom work, but when I moved to the top, I was able to keep pace with the leaders.”

On Sunday, May 16, Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team ventured to Angell Park in Sun Prairie, Wis. for an Akright Auto Parts Midwest Sprint Car Association event, which attracted a 16-car field to the historic venue.

Pokorski started fifth in the first 10-lap MSA heat race before dropping back to seventh on lap 2 when Jack Vanderboom and Travis Arenz slipped past. On lap 5, Pokorski advanced to fifth when Travis Arenz dropped out with a broken axle and race leader Katelyn Krebsbach retired to the pit area with motor issues.

Pokorski went on to finish fifth on the narrow, undulating third-mile clay oval racing surface.

The West Bend driver rolled off ninth in the 25-lap MSA A main and found himself running 11th at the half-way mark of the race. With passing at a premium on the tricky track surface, Pokorski advanced to 10th after ducking underneath Tyler Davis in turn two on lap 19.

However, on the next circuit, Pokorski drifted high in turn four and hit the front stretch wall, which forced him to stop on the track to bring out the race’s lone caution flag. The damage was too extensive for Pokorski to return to the race as he was scored 15th in a race won by Kurt Davis.

“Like Plymouth, I think we had a similar adjustment period at Angell Park, but the car felt good for the feature,” Pokorski said. “That was the roughest track I’ve raced on and it eventually got the better of me when I got out of shape off the cushion in turn four and slapped the wall. We tweaked the Jacob’s ladder and bent the front axle as well.”

Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, May 21, as part of the fifth-ever appearance of the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. in conjunction with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series.

Spectator gates open at 4 p.m. with on-track action slated to begin at 6 p.m. for the all-Sprint Car event, which will be streamed live on FloRacing.

“This week the goal is to keep our nose clean and hopefully finish a little better using what we learned this past weekend on how to set this car up,” Pokorski said.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2022 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, 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 ShowcaseAkright 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

2022 Season

By The Numbers

Total 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 – 2

Heat Race Victories – 0

Alex Pokorski

Akright Auto Racing Team

2022 Upcoming Races

Saturday, May 21 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

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

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