Smith, Sorce, Thompson register A-main triumphs

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 20, 2024 – Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha held off the spirited challenges of five-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake and Jayden Schmidt of Seymour to rack up his second consecutive 30-lap 106.5 The Buzz Seubert Calf Ranches Super Six Late Model Series A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 20.

With rain and curfew plaguing seven of the first 11 racing programs of the 2024 season, the event was the fourth full race night of the 2024 PDTR campaign.

In the 25-lap Akright Auto PDTR – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car main event, T.J. Smith of Greenville registered a flag-to-flag victory.

Defending PDTR Grand National co-champion Will Sorce of Franklin secured his first A-main victory of the 2024 season in the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National main event.

Plymouth’s Rory Welch pulled off a late pass to rack up his first career Sheboygan Flooring PDTR B Mod A-main victory.

In the High School Racing Association’s first-ever appearance at The Plymouth Track Racing, Hixton resident and Osseo-Fairchild High School student Charles Thompson raced to victory in the 12-lap JDL Automotive and Detailing HSRA main event.

Taylor Scheffler used his outside front row starting spot to dart into the lead on the opening lap of the 30-lap Super Six Late Model Series A main with polesitter Charlie Schmidt of Cedar Grove sliding into second.

As Scheffler bolted away from the field, third starter Jayden Schmidt maneuvered around Charlie Schmidt to take the second spot on lap 5 before the first of six race stoppages occurred when eighth starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee spun in turn three to bring out a yellow flag on lap 6.

After another caution flag was displayed for a spin involving Charlie Schmidt on the ensuing restart, fourth starter Brad Mueller pulled in to pass Jayden Schmidt for second on lap 7.

The third caution period came on lap 10 when Eric Michael of Cleveland spun in turn four. Mueller used a good restart to duck underneath Scheffler and mount a bid for the top spot on lap 11. The two prodigious Late Model competitors dueled side-by-side before Scheffler retained command on the smooth, slick and multi-groove racing surface.

The race was halted on lap 16 when a fire erupted in Milwaukee driver Joe Bongiorno’s machine. The Scheffler-Mueller battle raged on when the race resumed with both drivers swapping between the equally effective high and low grooves of the venerable third-mile clay oval.

Scheffler again stayed ahead before Mueller moved in to wage another bid for the lead on lap 21 until the fifth caution flag was waved on lap 22 when Kevin Baldry of Omro stopped in turn one.

Following the restart, Jayden Schmidt and Mueller re-engaged in a side-by-side jaunt for the runner-up position as Scheffler built up a solid cushion at the front of the field. The sixth and final yellow flag came out on lap 26 when Bill Edler of Howards Grove made contact with the turn-four wall.

After the ensuing single-file restart, Scheffler proved to be too strong for his fellow competitors to overcome as he rolled to his second PDTR Super Six Late Model Series main event triumph of the 2024 campaign, third career Super Six Late Model win and ninth overall PDTR Late Model victory of his career.

Mueller had to settle for second, Jayden Schmidt placed third, Turk Letizia rallied from his lap 6 spin to secure fourth and fifth starter Justin Ritchie of New London rounded out the top five.

The 2024 Super Six Late Model Series is slated to wrap up on Saturday, Aug. 10 with Brad Mueller holding a four-point lead over Taylor Scheffler and a 14-point cushion over Justin Ritchie heading into the finale.

In the 25-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main, T.J. Smith outdueled polesitter Randy Post of Oostburg to gain the lead in turn two on the opening lap with Post following in second and Alex Pokorski of West Bend moving up from the fourth starting position into third.

Meanwhile, 2011 PDTR and MSA 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who started 10th, used the high groove to power his way into the top five on lap 5 as eighth starter Brandon Berth of Cascade worked the outside line to follow Schmidt into sixth.

Smith caught the rear of the field on lap 10, while Schmidt vaulted his way past Post into second on lap 14 and quickly moved in to challenge Smith for the lead.

With the leaders fully entwined in thick lapped traffic, Berth slipped into third on lap 17 before Schmidt pulled even with Smith at the head of the field. One circuit later, disaster struck as Schmidt made contact with Smith’s right rear tire, which sent his machine hard into the turn three wall before flipping.

On the restart, Berth tried to track down Smith, while third starter Justin Erickson of Plymouth gained third on lap 18. Smith continued his smooth and steady pace at the point over the final seven laps to notch his second career PDTR and MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main triumph.

Berth placed second, Erickson was third, Pokorski claimed fourth and T.J. Haddy of Waupun worked his way up from the ninth starting spot to round out the top five.

On the opening lap of the 25-lap PDTR Grand National main event, octogenarian competitor Dick Hed of Plymouth worked the high line to assume the lead on the first lap as fourth-starting Derek Kaat took second from polesitter Jason Juech of Plymouth.

Hed set the pace at the front of the field before the first of two caution periods came on lap 4 for a three-car incident in turn two.

Following the restart, Kaat powered in to challenge Hed for the lead on lap 5 as Will Sorce shot into third from his eighth starting spot. The second and final yellow flag came out on lap 8 when Jack Wiroll of Sheboygan stopped in turn four with a fire under the hood of his car.

The restart allowed Sorce to move up to Hed’s rear bumper and vault his way into the lead on lap 8. Four laps later, ninth starter Dustin Weiss of Iron Ridge worked past Hed to nail down second while seven-time Plymouth track champion and two-time PDTR Grand National champ Brian Gilles of Plymouth bolted in from the 13th starting position to snag third on lap 15.

With Sorce securely in the lead, Gilles slipped past Dustin Weiss to take over second on lap 20. Sorce went on to notch his first A-main victory of 2024 and his ninth career PDTR Grand National main event win.

Gilles placed second, Dustin Weiss was third, 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth, who started 10th, finished fourth, while 1966 Plymouth Sportsman and 1969 Modified champion Dick Hed rounded out the top five.

Fresh off of his first career A-main victory in the last PDTR B Mod main event on June 29, Barrett Hummelmeier of Beaver Dam secured the lead on the first circuit of the 25-lap B Mod A-main.

The lone caution flag flew on lap 4 when Brendan Ostrowski of Milwaukee spun in turn third.

When the race resumed, Hummelmeier commanded the top spot while fourth starter Rory Welch moved into second on lap five. After building up a half-straightaway cushion over the field, Hummelmeier’s advantage shrank gradually as Welch chipped away at the lead gap.

On lap 18, Hummelmeier was bound up in slower traffic, which allowed Welch to advance to his rear bumper. After following close behind Hummelmeier over the next six laps, Welch finally made the winning move when he ducked low to shoot into the top spot in turn two on lap 24.

Welch held on to seal his first career PDTR B Mod A-main triumph in stirring fashion. Hummelmeier placed second, Travis Schmidt of Plymouth worked his way up from the eighth starting spot to finish third, seventh starter Steve Lorier of Sheboygan finished fourth and polesitter Ryan Pafford of Kiel placed fifth.

Charles Thompson fended off a spirited effort from Jackson Martindale of Stillman Valley High School in Stillman Valley, Ill. to earn the victory in the first-ever 12-lap High School Racing Association main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Brad Mueller of Random Lake secured Super Six Late Model Series fast qualifier honors with a lap of 13.802 seconds.

Ben Schmidt topped PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car group qualifying with a quick lap of 13.326 seconds.

The seventh event of the 2024 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Butch and Blondie Hafemann, drew 79 total entries, including 23 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 21 B Mods, 19 Grand Nationals, 13 Late Models and three High School Racing Association cars.

The next Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Saturday, July 27 will feature the third scheduled Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series event of the 2024 campaign at The Plymouth Dirt Track with the Akright Auto PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars and Sheboygan Flooring B Mods rounding out the card.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with “on-track action” scheduled to commence at 5:30 p.m.

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

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

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

106.5 THE BUZZ SEUBERT CALF RANCHES SUPER SIX LATE MODEL SERIES

A Main (30 Laps): 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [2]; 2. 89-Brad Mueller [4]; 3. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [3]; 4. D1-Turk Letizia [8]; 5. 70-Justin Ritchie [5]; 6. 10-Paul Parker [10]; 7. 22-Charlie Schmidt [1]; 8. 97-Justin Schmidt [11]; 9. 57M-Eric Michaels [12]; 10. 79-Jim Schmidt [9]; 11. 77-Bill Edler [7]; 12. 54-Kevin Baldry [13]; 13. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [6]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 22-Charlie Schmidt [2]; 2. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [3]; 3. 79-Jim Schmidt [1]; 4. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [5]; 5. D1-Turk Letizia [6]; 6. 10-Paul Parker [4]; 7. (DNF) 57M-Eric Michaels [7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [2]; 2. 89-Brad Mueller [3]; 3. 70-Justin Ritchie [5]; 4. 77-Bill Edler [4]; 5. 97-Justin Schmidt [1]; 6. (DNS) 54-Kevin Baldry

Qualifying 1: 1. 24S-Jayden Schmidt, 14.060 [5]; 2. 22-Charlie Schmidt, 14.126 [1]; 3. 79-Jim Schmidt, 14.350 [6]; 4. 10-Paul Parker, 14.393 [2]; 5. 55B-Joe Bongiorno, 14.580 [4]; 6. D1-Turk Letizia, 15.263 [3]; 7. 57M-Eric Michaels, 15.340 [7]

Qualifying 2: 1. 89-Brad Mueller, 13.802 [5]; 2. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 13.811 [6]; 3. 97-Justin Schmidt, 13.920 [2]; 4. 77-Bill Edler, 14.031 [1]; 5. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.086 [3]; 6. 54-Kevin Baldry, 16.083 [4]

AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 69S-TJ Smith [2]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth [8]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson [3]; 4. 4-Alex Pokorski [4]; 5. 21H-TJ Haddy [9]; 6. 54-Randy Post [1]; 7. 51-Chris Larson [16]; 8. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [6]; 9. 09-Clayton Rossmann [7]; 10. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [11]; 11. 69-Bill Taylor [15]; 12. 30-Doug Wondra [20]; 13. 14J-Joseph Hintz [12]; 14. 11-Tony Wondra [14]; 15. 24-Scott Conger [13]; 16. 46-Steven Ruh [17]; 17. 53A-Spyder Akright [5]; 18. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [18]; 19. 55P-Brady Portschy [19]; 20. (DNF) 35-Ben Schmidt [10]; 21. (DNS) 44-Hayden Johnson; 22. (DNS) 19-Ion Stear; 23. (DNS) 16-Anthony Knierim

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 54-Randy Post [1]; 2. 21H-TJ Haddy [4]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [3]; 4. 53A-Spyder Akright [2]; 5. 14J-Joseph Hintz [6]; 6. 16-Anthony Knierim [7]; 7. 46-Steven Ruh [5]; 8. (DNS) 30-Doug Wondra

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 09-Clayton Rossmann [1]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [4]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson [5]; 4. 69S-TJ Smith [6]; 5. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [7]; 6. 55P-Brady Portschy [8]; 7. (DNF) 51-Chris Larson [2]; 8. (DNF) 44-Hayden Johnson [3]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 4-Alex Pokorski [3]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth [4]; 3. 24-Scott Conger [1]; 4. 69-Bill Taylor [6]; 5. 11-Tony Wondra [5]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [7]; 7. (DNS) 19-Ion Stear

Qualifying 1: 1. 21H-TJ Haddy, 13.380 [5]; 2. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.614 [2]; 3. 53A-Spyder Akright, 13.628 [3]; 4. 54-Randy Post, 13.793 [8]; 5. 46-Steven Ruh, 13.838 [1]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 13.950 [6]; 7. 16-Anthony Knierim, 13.957 [4]; 8. 30-Doug Wondra [7]

Qualifying 2: 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.326 [8]; 2. 44-Hayden Johnson, 13.421 [3]; 3. 51-Chris Larson, 13.459 [4]; 4. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 13.590 [7]; 5. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.739 [5]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith, 13.746 [6]; 7. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 13.875 [2]; 8. 55P-Brady Portschy, 14.642 [1]

Qualifying 3: 1. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.427 [4]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.707 [2]; 3. 19-Ion Stear, 14.099 [7]; 4. 24-Scott Conger, 14.118 [5]; 5. 11-Tony Wondra, 14.178 [6]; 6. 69-Bill Taylor, 14.233 [1]; 7. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 14.291 [3]

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 14X-Will Sorce [8]; 2. 89-Brian Gilles [13]; 3. 53W-Dustin Weiss [9]; 4. 24K-Tyler Kulow [10]; 5. 6-Dick Hed [2]; 6. 53B-Brad Weiss [15]; 7. 15-Derek Kaat [4]; 8. 95-Donny Kulow [5]; 9. 34-Steven Weber [7]; 10. 80-Luke Scholten [6]; 11. 3-Jim Wirtz [19]; 12. 42-Jason Juech [1]; 13. 35-Jared Weiss [17]; 14. 5R-Nate Ruh [14]; 15. 54-Austin Yancey [16]; 16. 23-Scott Kafka [18]; 17. 8-Jake Richards [11]; 18. 37-Ryan Minster [12]; 19. 52W-Jack Wiroll [3]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 6-Dick Hed [2]; 2. 15-Derek Kaat [3]; 3. 14X-Will Sorce [5]; 4. 80-Luke Scholten  [4]; 5. 89-Brian Gilles [6]; 6. 54-Austin Yancey [1]; 7. 3-Jim Wirtz [7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 53W-Dustin Weiss [5]; 2. 95-Donny Kulow [3]; 3. 52W-Jack Wiroll [2]; 4. 8-Jake Richards [6]; 5. 5R-Nate Ruh [4]; 6. 35-Jared Weiss [1]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 42-Jason Juech [1]; 2. 24K-Tyler Kulow [5]; 3. 34-Steven Weber [4]; 4. 37-Ryan Minster [6]; 5. 53B-Brad Weiss [3]; 6. 23-Scott Kafka [2]

SHEBOYGAN FLOORING B MODS

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 73-Rory Welch [4]; 2. 33H-Barrett Hummelmeier [2]; 3. 3-Travis Schmidt [8]; 4. 66-Steve Lorier [7]; 5. 26-Ryan Pafford [1]; 6. 9-Hunter Larson [6]; 7. 10F-Mitchell Fairbank [16]; 8. 59S-Spencer Long [9]; 9. 98-Dustin Wudstrack [11]; 10. 17-Brandon Knepprath [19]; 11. 89-Logan Brass [5]; 12. 14-Craig Gessner [12]; 13. 19-Parker Glander [15]; 14. 117-Jim Juneau [10]; 15. 27L-Brendan Ostrowski [3]; 16. 81-Dan Melton [13]; 17. XV-Don Marquart [18]; 18. 11B-Brad Buckman [17]; 19. 18-Miranda Sandholm [21]; 20. 31W-Kelan Wolfe [14]; 21. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [20]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 73-Rory Welch [3]; 2. 26-Ryan Pafford [1]; 3. 27L-Brendan Ostrowski [2]; 4. 9-Hunter Larson [4]; 5. 81-Dan Melton [6]; 6. 10F-Mitchell Fairbank [7]; 7. 17-Brandon Knepprath [5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 3-Travis Schmidt [5]; 2. 66-Steve Lorier [4]; 3. 14-Craig Gessner [7]; 4. 117-Jim Juneau [6]; 5. 31W-Kelan Wolfe [1]; 6. 11B-Brad Buckman [3]; 7. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [2]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 33H-Barrett Hummelmeier [1]; 2. 59S-Spencer Long [5]; 3. 98-Dustin Wudstrack [6]; 4. 89-Logan Brass [3]; 5. 19-Parker Glander [4]; 6. XV-Don Marquart [2]; 7. (DNS) 18-Miranda Sandholm

HIGH SCHOOL RACING ASSOCIATION

A-main (12 Laps) 1. Charles Thompson; 2. Jackson Martindale; 3. Adrian Barrow

Heat 1 (6 Laps) 1. Charles Thompson; 2. Jackson Martindale; 3. Adrian Barrow

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 13, 2024 – To say the weather has been unkind to the 2024 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing season would be quite an understatement.

Through the first 10 scheduled events of the 2024 campaign, just three nights have been completed in full, while seven have experienced A-main cancellations due to rain or curfew at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

The latest PDTR racing program with A-main events falling victim to rain came during the third annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night racing program on Saturday, July 13.

After the completion of all heat races in the Seubert Calf Ranches 106.5 The Buzz Super Six Late Model Series, Akright Auto PDTR-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars, Oostburg Automotive Grand Nationals and Sheboygan Flooring B Mods, along with the visiting Vintage Modifieds, the remainder of the PDTR program was cancelled six laps into the scheduled 30-lap Super Six Late Model Series main event as heavy rain, coupled with lightning brought the night to an early conclusion.

Since all preliminary races (heat races in this case) were completed in each of the five racing divisions, the event went down as an official racing program per PDTR rules. As a result, points and payout were split evenly among the scheduled A-main starters in each of the four PDTR divisions.

A total of 12 names were added to the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame during the third annual Class of 2024 induction ceremony held at intermission.

Fuzzy Fassbender, Donny Goeden, Dave Haag, Steve Hoffmann, Randy Markwardt, Pete Ostrowski, Steve Schad and K.J. Skelton were inducted as drivers. The names of track workers Lee Glomski, John Laack and Bill Krueger were etched on the Wall of Fame in the Dedicated to Racing category. The McMullen racing family joined the six previous Wall of Fame-worthy racing families.

Five-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake picked up the Super Six Late Model Series fast qualifier award with a lap of 13.535 seconds.

Paul Pokorski of West Bend topped PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car group qualifying with a fast lap of 12.698 seconds.

The sixth event of the 2024 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Butch and Blondie Hafemann, drew 100 total entries, including 25 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 24 B Mods, 19 Grand Nationals, 19 Late Models and 13 Vintage Modifieds.

The next Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Saturday, July 20 will feature the sixth round of competition in the 106.5 The Buzz Seubert Calf Ranches Super Six Late Model Series, as well as the Akright Auto PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, Oostburg Automotive Grand Nationals, Sheboygan Flooring B Mods, along with the debut of the High School Racing Association at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.

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

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

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

 

106.5 THE BUZZ SEUBERT CALF RANCHES SUPER SIX LATE MODEL SERIES

A-main (30 laps) Cancelled due to rain

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [3]; 2. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [5]; 3. 97-Justin Schmidt [1]; 4. 22-Charlie Schmidt [6]; 5. 99-Scott Specht [2]; 6. D1-Turk Letizia [4]; 7. 21M-Shawn Miller [7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [2]; 2. 19J-Justin Green [1]; 3. 54-Kevin Baldry [3]; 4. 42-Paul Niznik [6]; 5. 10-Paul Parker [4]; 6. 57M-Eric Michaels [5]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 89-Brad Mueller [3]; 2. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [1]; 3. 79-Jim Schmidt [2]; 4. 70-Justin Ritchie [6]; 5. 74-Mitch McGrath [4]; 6. 77-Bill Edler [5]

Qualifying 1: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 13.841 [7]; 2. 99-Scott Specht, 14.230 [2]; 3. 97-Justin Schmidt, 14.240 [6]; 4. D1-Turk Letizia, 14.275 [1]; 5. 24S-Jayden Schmidt, 14.426 [5]; 6. 22-Charlie Schmidt, 14.633 [3]; 7. 21M-Shawn Miller, 14.947 [4]

Qualifying 2: 1. 54-Kevin Baldry, 14.533 [4]; 2. 55B-Joe Bongiorno, 14.823 [6]; 3. 19J-Justin Green, 14.928 [2]; 4. 10-Paul Parker, 15.428 [5]; 5. 57M-Eric Michaels, 15.541 [3]; 6. 42-Paul Niznik, 16.562 [1]

Qualifying 3: 1. 89-Brad Mueller, 13.535 [2]; 2. 79-Jim Schmidt, 13.749 [6]; 3. 9Z-Jayme Zidar, 13.937 [4]; 4. 74-Mitch McGrath, 13.967 [1]; 5. 77-Bill Edler, 14.056 [5]; 6. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.404 [3]

AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS

A-main: Cancelled due to rain

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 69S-TJ Smith [2]; 2. 66-Donny Goeden [3]; 3. 85J-Logan Julien [5]; 4. 30-Doug Wondra [7]; 5. 53A-Paul Pokorski [4]; 6. 54-Randy Post [9]; 7. 55P-Brady Portschy [8]; 8. (DNF) 0-Robbie Pribnow [1]; 9. (DNF) 12P-JJ Pagel [6]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 22B-Brandon Berth [1]; 2. 11-Tony Wondra [3]; 3. 21H-TJ Haddy [2]; 4. 09-Clayton Rossmann [8]; 5. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [6]; 6. 24-Scott Conger [5]; 7. 14J-Joseph Hintz [7]; 8. (DNF) 63K-Kevin Karnitz [4]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [4]; 2. 39K-Kurt Davis [3]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson [5]; 4. 69-Bill Taylor [1]; 5. 4-Alex Pokorski [7]; 6. 51-Chris Larson [6]; 7. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [2]; 8. 46-Kevin Ruh [8]

Qualifying 1: 1. Paul Pokorski, 12.698 [4]; 2. 66-Donny Goeden, 12.779 [3]; 3. 69S-TJ Smith, 12.872 [7]; 4. 0-Robbie Pribnow, 12.907 [8]; 5. 85J-Logan Julien, 12.919 [6]; 6. 12P-JJ Pagel, 12.983 [5]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.306 [1]; 8. 55P-Brady Portschy, 13.408 [9]; 9. 54-Randy Post, 14.112 [2]

Qualifying 2: 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 12.726 [5]; 2. 11-Tony Wondra, 12.741 [3]; 3. 21H-TJ Haddy, 12.750 [6]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth, 12.776 [2]; 5. 24-Scott Conger, 12.778 [7]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.819 [4]; 7. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 12.853 [1]; 8. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 12.879 [8]

Qualifying 3: 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.799 [2]; 2. 39K-Kurt Davis, 12.831 [4]; 3. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 12.912 [7]; 4. 69-Bill Taylor, 12.939 [8]; 5. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.044 [1]; 6. 51-Chris Larson, 13.055 [5]; 7. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.117 [6]; 8. 46-Kevin Ruh, 13.758 [3]

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

A-main: Cancelled due to rain

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 72E-Chad Espen [4]; 2. 89-Brian Gilles [6]; 3. 6-Dick Hed [1]; 4. 24K-Tyler Kulow [7]; 5. 95-Donny Kulow [5]; 6. 52W-Jack Wiroll [3]; 7. 35-Jared Weiss [2]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 42-Jason Juech [2]; 2. 15-Derek Kaat [3]; 3. 14X-Will Sorce [6]; 4. 47-Nick Schumacher [1]; 5. 34-Steven Weber [4]; 6. 69-TJ Smith [5]; 7. 23B-Trent Bogart [7]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 80-Luke Scholten [4]; 2. 53W-Dustin Weiss [6]; 3. 53B-Brad Weiss [5]; 4. 23-Scott Kafka [2]; 5. 5M-Nate Ruh [3]; 6. 54-Austin Yancey [1]

SHEBOYGAN FLOORING B MODS

A-main – Cancelled due to rain

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 66C-Colten Van Hierden [7]; 2. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [2]; 3. 19-Parker Glander [4]; 4. 32Z-Andy Welter [6]; 5. 11B-Brad Buckman [3]; 6. 27L-Brendan Ostrowski [8]; 7. 66-Steve Lorier [5]; 8. (DNF) 29S-Scott Quarnstrom [1]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 3-Travis Schmidt [6]; 2. 73-Rory Welch [3]; 3. 89-Logan Brass [2]; 4. 31W-Kelan Wolfe [1]; 5. 17-Brandon Knepprath [5]; 6. XV-Don Marquart [4]; 7. 35W-Wayne Walker [8]; 8. 117B-Tom Barnharst [7]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 33H-Barrett Hummelmeier [2]; 2. 91-Cole Thomas [6]; 3. 59S-Spencer Long [5]; 4. 9-Hunter Larson [4]; 5. 69-Travis Kleindl [3]; 6. 26-David Paskiewicz [7]; 7. 25S-Steve Ellis [1]; 8. 54-Michael Strean [8]

VINTAGE MODIFIEDS

A-main: Cancelled due to rain

Heat 1 (6 Laps) 1. Darrin Allard

Heat 2 (6 Laps) 1. Butch Hafemann

Pribnow, Dustin Weiss, Hummelmeier claim A-main triumphs

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 29, 2024 – Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha survived six caution flags and fended off former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champs Mitch McGrath and Brad Mueller to secure the 30-lap Seubert Calf Ranches 106.5 The Buzz Super Six Late Model A-main victory worth $2,500 in the third complete PDTR program of the 2024 season Saturday, June 29 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

In the 25-lap Akright Auto 360 Sprint Car main event, Robbie Pribnow of Lomira outdueled 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Ben Schmidt of Plymouth in the closing laps to capture his first A-main victory of the 2024 season behind the wheel of Blake Wondra’s No. 0 machine.

Dustin Weiss of Iron Ridge rolled up from the 12^th starting spot to record his first career 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National main event victory.

Barrett Hummelmeier of Beaver Dam led wire-to-wire en route to the first A-main victory of his career in the 25-lap Sheboygan Flooring B Mod A-main.

Polesitter Taylor Scheffler bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag in the 30-lap Super Six Late Model Series headliner with 2014 PDTR Late Model champion Mitch McGrath of Waukesha, who started fourth, seizing second on the opening lap.

On lap five, five-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake took over third in the running order after starting sixth. The first of six caution flags appeared on lap 8 when Turk Letizia of Milwaukee spun in turn two.

Following another caution flag on lap 9, Scheffler bolted out to a half-straightaway advantage over McGrath on lap 13 before the third caution flag of the event was displayed when Turk Letizia spun in turn two.

Five laps later, Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls and Charlie Schmidt of Cedar Grove collided in turn four to bring out the fourth caution of the race on lap 18.

On the restart, five-time PDTR Late Model champ Justin Schmidt of Cleveland slowed in turn out to draw the fifth caution of the race. Mueller moved in to challenge McGrath for second on lap l9 along the outside groove of the dry and dusty racing surface.

McGrath, who leads the way with three career Super Six Late Model Series A-main victories at Plymouth, retained second on lap 22 and was reeling in Scheffler when Bill Edler of Howards Grove and Jim Schmidt of Cleveland spun along the front stretch to bring out the sixth and final caution flag of race.

Following a single-file restart, McGrath attempted to duck underneath Scheffler. However, Scheffler held on to secure his second-career Super Six Late Model Series A-main victory and eighth overall PDTR Late Model main event win of his career, which earned him a $2,500 first-place check.

McGrath had to settle for second, Mueller was third, Spencer Diercks of Davenport, Iowa, who started second, placed fourth and Justin Ritchie of New London stormed up from the 14^th starting position to round out the top five.

Inside second row starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend used a daring three-wide move to zip past front row starters Bill Taylor Boltonville and Chris Larson of Franksville to grab the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main.

With Karnitz holding a comfortable lead, fifth starter Ben Schmidt used the outside groove to vault his way into the top five on the second circuit before the lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 5. Following the restart, Schmidt bolted past Larson, Taylor, Robbie Pribnow to secure second and move in to challenge Karnitz for the top spot on lap 6.

Three laps later, Schmidt used the high groove to shoot past Karnitz to secure the top spot in turn one on lap 11. Karnitz attempted to battle back over the ensuing lap along the inside lane. However, Schmidt was too strong as he powered away as he weaved his way through slower traffic starting on lap 13.

Schmidt, who captured seven main event victories at Plymouth during the 2023 campaign and has one A-main win in 2024, continued to hold down the top spot over Karnitz over the ensuing 10 laps.

Meanwhile, fourth starter Robbie Pribnow was mounting a spirited charge to the front utilizing the outside lane of the third-mile clay oval to take over third on lap 16. After disposing of Karnitz on lap 18, Pribnow started to reel in the leader.

On lap 23 Pribnow moved in to challenge Schmidt for the top spot before slipping past the 25-year veteran in turn two on lap 24. Pribnow powered away from Schmidt over the final two circuits to secure his fourth career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and ninth career Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car main event triumph.

Schmidt placed second, Karnitz placed third, Taylor wound up fourth and rookie Clayton Rossmann of Wadsworth, Ill. rounded out the top five after starting sixth.

Rookie Austin Yancey of Sheboygan, who started on the pole, outbattled second starter Mavrick Ruh of Elkhart Lake to lead the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National main event with Ruh and third starter Steven Weber of Plymouth securing second and third respectively in the running order.

On lap 6, eighth starter T.J. Smith of Greenville executed a three-wide pass to take over fifth before advancing to third along the high line on lap 8.

One lap later, Ruh briefly took the lead before Smith bolted by to take the top spot on lap 12. Ruh remained close behind Smith before the first caution of the race appeared on lap 16.

Following the restart, Dustin Weiss, who started 12^th, flexed his muscle to sweep into second place on lap 16. One lap later, Yancey spun in turn fourth to prompt the second caution flag of the race.

The third and final caution flag of the race was displayed on the ensuing restart when Weber spun in turn two. When the race returned to green flag action, Weiss completed his stirring run to the front by powering past Smith along the outside groove. Once he was out front, Weiss bolted away from the field to post his first-career PDTR Grand National main event win.

Smith held on to place second, Tyler Kulow of Plymouth moved up from the ninth starting position to finish third, 2023 PDTR Grand National co-champion Will Sorce of Franklin placed fourth from his 11^th starting spot and seven-time Plymouth track champ Brian Gilles of Plymouth charged up from the 10^th starting position to finish fifth.

Outside front row starter Barrett Hummelmeier seized the lead on the drop of the green flag in the 25-lap B Mod A-main with rookie polesitter Parker Glander of Sheboygan Falls sliding into second.

The first of three caution periods occurred on lap two for a four-car incident in turn two. On the restart, Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls moved up from his sixth starting position to secure second.

The leaders caught the rear of the field on lap 11 as Travis Schmidt of Plymouth advanced from the 10^th starting spot to take over third. After two more caution flags on lap 18, Long began to pressure Hummelmeier for the lead on lap 19.

However, Long slipped back a spot when Schmidt wrestled the second position away on lap 24. Meanwhile, Hummelmeier stormed to his first career A-main victory.

Schmidt took home second, Long wound up third, Brian Konitzer of Sheboygan improved seven spots from the 11^th starting position to place fourth and 2022 PDTR B Mod champ Andy Welter of Cedarburg started and finished fifth.

Mike Mullen of Seymour picked up the Super Six Late Model Series fast qualifier award with a lap of 13.967 seconds.

Alex Pokorski claimed his second fast time award of the 2024 campaign in PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car hot-lap-group qualifying with a lap of 13.363 seconds.

GoFundMe donations continue to be accepted for 2005 MSA and 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett, who suffered serious burns in a methanol fire during hot lap qualifying at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 15.

Those wishing to assist Fassbender and his family during his recovery can donate by visiting https://gofundme.com/f/help-lance-and-his-family-during-his-recovery.

The fifth event of the 2024 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Pedal Down Promotions, drew 89 total entries, including 24 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 23 Late Models, 22 B Mods and 20 Grand Nationals.

After taking a weekend off, the next Plymouth Dirt Track Racing event will feature the third annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night Program on Saturday, July 13, during which the names of eight drivers (Fuzzy Fassbender, Donny Goeden, Dave Haag, Steve Hoffmann, Randy Markwardt, Pete Ostrowski, Steve Schad and K.J. Skelton), three track workers (Lee Glomski, John Laack and Bill Krueger) and the McMullen racing family will be added to the track’s Wall of Fame.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.

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

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

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

106.5 THE BUZZ SEUBERT CALF RANCHES SUPER SIX LATE MODEL SERIES

A Main: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [1]; 2. 74-Mitch McGrath [4]; 3. 89-Brad Mueller [6]; 4. 29-Spencer Diercks [2]; 5. 70-Justin Ritchie [14]; 6. 10-Paul Parker [16]; 7. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [5]; 8. 54-Kevin Baldry [19]; 9. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [23]; 10. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [20]; 11. 19J-Justin Green [21]; 12. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [18]; 13. 77-Bill Edler [7]; 14. 42-Paul Niznik [15]; 15. 57M-Eric Michaels [12]; 16. 79-Jim Schmidt [11]; 17. 99-Sawyer Specht [10]; 18. 97-Justin Schmidt [17]; 19. 22-Charlie Schmidt [3]; 20. 99M-Mike Mullen [9]; 21. D1-Turk Letizia [8]; 22. 7X-Jesse Glenz [13]; 23. (DNS) 03-Dan White

Heat 1: 1. 22-Charlie Schmidt [1]; 2. 77-Bill Edler [2]; 3. 99M-Mike Mullen [3]; 4. 99-Sawyer Specht [5]; 5. 70-Justin Ritchie [4]; 6. 57M-Eric Michaels [7]; 7. (DNF) 03-Dan White [6]; 8. (DNF) 24S-Jayden Schmidt [8]

Heat 2: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [3]; 2. D1-Turk Letizia [1]; 3. 79-Jim Schmidt [2]; 4. 89-Brad Mueller [7]; 5. 7X-Jesse Glenz [4]; 6. 97-Justin Schmidt [6]; 7. 19J-Justin Green [5]; 8. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [8]

Heat 3: 1. 29-Spencer Diercks [2]; 2. 74-Mitch McGrath [3]; 3. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [5]; 4. 55B-Joe Bongiorno  [1]; 5. 42-Paul Niznik [4]; 6. 10-Paul Parker [6]; 7. 54-Kevin Baldry [7]

Qualifying 1: 1. 99M-Mike Mullen, 13.967 [8]; 2. 77-Bill Edler, 14.170 [6]; 3. 22-Charlie Schmidt, 14.197 [4]; 4. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.225 [5]; 5. 99-Sawyer Specht, 14.245 [2]; 6. 03-Dan White, 14.546 [7]; 7. 57M-Eric Michaels, 14.883 [1]; 8. (DNS) 24S-Jayden Schmidt, 14.883

Qualifying 2: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 14.003 [3]; 2. 79-Jim Schmidt, 14.187 [6]; 3. D1-Turk Letizia, 14.205 [2]; 4. 7X-Jesse Glenz, 14.234 [1]; 5. 19J-Justin Green, 14.390 [7]; 6. 97-Justin Schmidt, 14.541 [5]; 7. 89-Brad Mueller, 14.541 [4]; 8. 9Z-Jayme Zidar, 14.541 [8]

Qualifying 3: 1. 74-Mitch McGrath, 13.970 [4]; 2. 29-Spencer Diercks, 13.975 [2]; 3. 55B-Joe Bongiorno, 14.476 [7]; 4. 42-Paul Niznik, 14.565 [5]; 5. 9N-Tom Naeyaert, 14.588 [6]; 6. 10-Paul Parker, 14.679 [1]; 7. 54-Kevin Baldry, 15.197 [3]

 

AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS

A Main: 1. 0-Robbie Pribnow [4]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [5]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [3]; 4. 69-Bill Taylor [1]; 5. 09-Clayton Rossmann [6]; 6. 21H-TJ Haddy [7]; 7. 4-Alex Pokorski [8]; 8. 69S-TJ Smith [15]; 9. 3-Justin Erickson [13]; 10. 51-Chris Larson [2]; 11. 39K-Kurt Davis [9]; 12. 12P-JJ Pagel [10]; 13. 22B-Brandon Berth [11]; 14. 53A-Paul Pokorski [17]; 15. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [12]; 16. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [20]; 17. 16-Anthony Knierim [23]; 18. 11-Tony Wondra [14]; 19. 54-Randy Post [19]; 20. 24-Scott Conger [18]; 21. 55P-Brady Portschy [24]; 22. 46-Kevin Ruh [22]; 23. 14J-Joseph Hintz [16]; 24. 33-Josh Bilicki [21]

Heat 1: 1. 39K-Kurt Davis [1]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [4]; 3. 51-Chris Larson [2]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth [5]; 5. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [6]; 6. 24-Scott Conger [7]; 7. (DNF) 33-Josh Bilicki [8]; 8. (DNS) 16-Anthony Knierim

Heat 2: 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [1]; 2. 09-Clayton Rossmann [3]; 3. 0-Robbie Pribnow [2]; 4. 21H-TJ Haddy [4]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor [5]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz [6]; 7. 53A-Paul Pokorski [7]; 8. 46-Kevin Ruh [8]

Heat 3: 1. 3-Justin Erickson [2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [4]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra [1]; 4. 12P-JJ Pagel [3]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith [7]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [6]; 7. 54-Randy Post [5]; 8. 55P-Brady Portschy [8]

Qualifying 1: 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.363 [8]; 2. 16-Anthony Knierim, 13.633 [1]; 3. 51-Chris Larson, 13.683 [4]; 4. 39K-Kurt Davis, 13.724 [6]; 5. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.900 [3]; 6. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 13.936 [2]; 7. 24-Scott Conger, 14.004 [7]; 8. 33-Josh Bilicki, 14.709 [5]

Qualifying 2: 1. 21H-TJ Haddy, 13.380 [6]; 2. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 13.576 [4]; 3. 0-Robbie Pribnow, 13.635 [3]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.643 [1]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor, 13.694 [8]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 13.846 [7]; 7. 53A-Paul Pokorski, 13.986 [5]; 8. 46-Kevin Ruh, 15.160 [2]

Qualifying 3: 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.627 [5]; 2. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.845 [1]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.961 [4]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra, 14.096 [7]; 5. 54-Randy Post, 14.288 [3]; 6. 55P-Brady Portschy, 14.313 [8]; 7. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 14.356 [2]; 8. (DNS) 69S-TJ Smith, 14.356

 

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

A Main: 1. 53W-Dustin Weiss [12]; 2. 69-TJ Smith [8]; 3. 24K-Tyler Kulow [9]; 4. 14X-Will Sorce [11]; 5. 89-Brian Gilles [10]; 6. 93-Mavrick Ruh [2]; 7. 53B-Brad Weiss [7]; 8. 72E-Chad Espen [6]; 9. 95-Donny Kulow [13]; 10. 15-Derek Kaat [5]; 11. 41S-Scott Sohrweide [17]; 12. 23-Scott Kafka [4]; 13. 34-Steven Weber [3]; 14. 42-Jason Juech [16]; 15. 35-Jared Weiss [19]; 16. 54-Austin Yancey [1]; 17. 80-Luke Scholten [15]; 18. 9-Josh Koslowski [18]; 19. 23B-Trent Bogart [20]; 20. 52W-Jack Wiroll [14]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 89-Brian Gilles [5]; 2. 54-Austin Yancey [1]; 3. 72E-Chad Espen [3]; 4. 53W-Dustin Weiss [6]; 5. 95-Donny Kulow [4]; 6. 42-Jason Juech [2]; 7. 23B-Trent Bogart [7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 93-Mavrick Ruh [1]; 2. 14X-Will Sorce [5]; 3. 69-TJ Smith [4]; 4. 23-Scott Kafka [2]; 5. 52W-Jack Wiroll [3]; 6. 35-Jared Weiss [7]; 7. (DNF) 9-Josh Koslowski [6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 53B-Brad Weiss [3]; 2. 34-Steven Weber [1]; 3. 24K-Tyler Kulow [4]; 4. 15-Derek Kaat [2]; 5. 80-Luke Scholten [5]; 6. 41S-Scott Sohrweide [6]

 

SHEBOYGAN FLOORING B MODS

A Main: 1. 33H-Barrett Hummelmeier [2]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [10]; 3. 59S-Spencer Long [6]; 4. 96-Brian Konitzer [11]; 5. 32Z-Andy Welter [5]; 6. 19-Parker Glander [1]; 7. 9-Hunter Larson [15]; 8. 5X-Tony Gates [9]; 9. 66-Steve Lorier [7]; 10. 73-Rory Welch [4]; 11. 17-Brandon Knepprath [8]; 12. XV-Don Marquart [14]; 13. 69-Travis Kleindl [13]; 14. 89-Logan Brass [21]; 15. 25-Jim Fischer [16]; 16. 25S-Steve Ellis [18]; 17. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [19]; 18. 11B-Brad Buckman [3]; 19. 26-Ryan Pafford [12]; 20. 31W-Kelan Wolfe [17]; 21. (DNS) 29S-Scott Quarnstrom; 22. (DNS) 18-Miranda Sandholm

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 17-Brandon Knepprath [5]; 2. 11B-Brad Buckman [3]; 3. 32Z-Andy Welter [4]; 4. 26-Ryan Pafford [7]; 5. 69-Travis Kleindl [6]; 6. 25-Jim Fischer [1]; 7. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [2]; 8. (DNF) 18-Miranda Sandholm [8]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 5X-Tony Gates [5]; 2. 59S-Spencer Long [4]; 3. 73-Rory Welch [3]; 4. 19-Parker Glander [2]; 5. XV-Don Marquart [6]; 6. (DNF) 31W-Kelan Wolfe [7]; 7. (DNS) 29S-Scott Quarnstrom

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 33H-Barrett Hummelmeier [2]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [5]; 3. 66-Steve Lorier [4]; 4. 96-Brian Konitzer [6]; 5. 9-Hunter Larson [3]; 6. 25S-Steve Ellis [1]; 7. 89-Logan Brass [7]

Fundraiser established to assist injured racer Lance Fassbender

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 15, 2024 – A season that has been reluctant to fully accelerate finally kicked into gear as Plymouth Dirt Track Racing completed its second full racing program of the 2024 campaign out of seven scheduled attempts at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 15

In just the second 25-lap Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car A-main event of the 2024 season, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth put on a driving clinic en route to the initial main event victory of his 25^th season of racing.

Veteran Steven Weber of Plymouth earned a wire-to-wire triumph in the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National A-main.

Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls endured eight cautions to capture his first career A-main triumph in the time-shortened Sheboygan Flooring B Mod main event.

In the visiting 20-lap 106.5 The Buzz IRA Lightning Sprints A-main, Brian Strane Jr. of Paris, Wis. continued his stellar 2024 season by capturing another main event triumph in convincing fashion.

Behind the wheel of the Nick Daywalt-owned No. 66 machine, three-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Donny Goeden of Kewaskum emerged from semi-retirement to grab the lead on the drop of the green flag of the 25-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car main event from the pole.

Goeden, who was making just his fourth 360 Sprint Car start since his retirement from full-time racing competition after the 2016 season, proceeded to build a solid lead in the early stages of the event as outside front-row starter T.J. Haddy of Waupun gave chase in the runner-up spot.

Things started to get interesting when Goeden caught up to the rear of the field on lap 9. As the leaders bunched up in slower traffic, Ben Schmidt, who started 12^th, flexed his muscle by working both the high and low grooves of the fast and smooth racing surface to slip past sixth starter Brandon Berth of Cascade and secure third on lap 11.

One lap later, Schmidt swiped second from Haddy and gradually reeled in Goeden for the top spot. On lap 17, Schmidt pounced to lift the lead from Goeden’s possession after executing what proved to be the winning move in turn two.

Once out front, Schmidt was not to be denied as he stretched out a full straightaway advantage en route to his 23^rd career PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event victory and 43^rd career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main win. Schmidt’s triumph moved him into a tie with Danny Schlafer of Sussex for third place on the all-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory list.

Goeden held on to finish second, Alex Pokorski of West Bend stormed up from the eighth starting position to place third, Haddy claimed a career-best fourth-place showing and Berth rounded out the top five in the caution-free, non-stop, green-to-checkered flag race.

Polesitter Steven Weber outpowered octogenarian racer Dick Hed of Plymouth to take the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National A-main. Hed, who claimed a Sportsman division co-championship in 1966 and the 1969 Modified title at Plymouth, battled back along the high groove to challenge Weber for the top spot on lap 2.

The two veterans dueled side by side until Weber surged ahead on lap 4. With Weber holding down the top spot, 2010 and defending PDTR Grand National co-champion Brian Gilles of Plymouth moved up from his seventh starting spot and 11^th starter T.J. Smith of Greenville flew in to battle door to door with Gilles for third on lap 9.

One lap later, eighth starter Scott Kafka of Cleveland spun into the infield in turn two while Smith slowed before retiring to the pits with an apparent mechanical issue.

With Smith out of the picture, Gilles, who owns a grand total of seven Plymouth track championships in the Super Stock and Grand National ranks, moved in to challenge Weber for the top spot starting on lap 17, while 2022 PDTR Grand National champ Luke Scholten of Oostburg seized third after starting ninth.

The lone caution flag of the event was displayed when Mavrick Ruh of Elkhart Lake stopped along the front stretch on lap 20. Weber maintained the lead after the restart and motored away from the field to notch his fifth career PDTR Grand National A-main triumph.

Gilles finished second, Scholten wound up third, 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Sheboygan finished fourth after starting eighth and 2023 PDTR Grand National division co-champion Will Sorce of Franklin charged up from the 16^th starting spot to round out the top five.

Seven caution flags prompted the scheduled 25-lap B Mod main event to be shortened to 15 laps upon triggering the race’s 25-minute time limit.

Fourth starter Spencer Long maneuvered past rookie Parker Glander of Sheboygan Falls, who started second, to grab the lead on the opening circuit. Following the first two caution flags of the race, fifth starter Brandon Knepprath of Boltonville advanced to second on lap 3.

Following a flurry of five caution flags reeled off in rapid succession, Cole Thomas of Franklin moved in from his ninth starting spot to duel with fourth starter Rory Welch of Plymouth for the runner-up spot.

Thomas sealed second on lap 14 and was reeling in Long when Welch stopped along the front stretch to bring out the race’s seventh caution flag and invoke the race’s 25-minute time limit.

When the dust settled on an eventful main event, Long guided his No. 59s machine to victory lane for the first time in his career.

Thomas had to settle for second, Colten Van Hierden of Waupun moved up from the 10^th starting spot to place third, Knepprath came home fourth and Tony Gates of Chilton moved up six spots from his 11^th starting position to round out the top-five finishers.

In the visiting IRA Lightning Sprint main event, Tim Brannam of Holiday Hills, Ill. grabbed the initial lead from his outside front row starting position with fourth starter Jordan Funderburk of Wadsworth, Ill. and polesitter Ron Brannam of Barrington, Ill. giving chase.

By lap 5, Tim Brannam built up a full straightaway lead over Funderburk before Mark Heinert of Waukesha, who started eighth, passed Funderburk for second lap 8.

With the leaders moving through slower traffic, Heinert advanced his way in to challenge Tim Brannam for the lead before seventh starter Brian Strane Jr. bolted in to sweep around both Heinert and Brannam to grab the top spot on lap 12.

Over the final eight laps, Strane Jr. built up a big half-lap lead en route to his third IRA Lightning Sprints A-main victory of the 2024 campaign in three outings.

Heinert finished second, ninth starter Nick Petska of Spring Grove, Ill. placed third, Tim Brannam was fourth and Mike Neau of Pleasant Prairie advanced from the 10^th starting position to take fifth.

Two-time PDTR and five-time MSA champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee won the 12-lap PDTR-MSA B-main.

Will Sorce won the 12-lap Grand National B-main.

Alex Pokorski claimed the fast time award in PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car hot-lap-group qualifying with a 12.450-second lap.

Mike Neu earned fast qualifier honors in 106.5 The Buzz IRA Lightning Sprints qualifying with a lap of 13.515 seconds.

During PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car qualifying, 2005 MSA and 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett was transported to an area medical care center after suffering burns in a methanol fire.

A Go Fund Me fundraiser has been set up to help Lance and his family during his recovery. Donations can be made by visiting https://gofundme.com/f/help-lance-and-his-family-during-his-recovery.

The fourth event of the 2024 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Josfo Electric, attracted 86 total entries, including 27 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 23 Grand Nationals, 18 B Mods and 18 IRA Lightning Sprints.

Plymouth Dirt Track Racing action continues on Saturday, June 22 with the lone 2024 appearance of the Badger Midgets, which will serve as the evening’s featured guest division. The PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, Grand Nationals and B Mods will also be in action.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.

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

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

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

AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [12]; 2. 66-Donny Goeden [1]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski [8]; 4. 21H-TJ Haddy [2]; 5. 22B-Brandon Berth [6]; 6. 3-Justin Erickson [4]; 7. 11-Tony Wondra [5]; 8. 69-Bill Taylor [7]; 9. 0-Robbie Pribnow [13]; 10. 39-Kurt Davis [16]; 11. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [3]; 12. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [17]; 13. 33M-Josh Bilicki [9]; 14. 7L-Ellie Hensley [18]; 15. 69S-TJ Smith [15]; 16. 54-Randy Post [11]; 17. 53A-Paul Pokorski [19]; 18. 51-Chris Larson [14]; 19. 14J-Joseph Hintz [22]; 20. 24-Scott Conger [10]; 21. 30-Doug Wondra [20]; 22. 46-Steven Ruh [21]

B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 39-Kurt Davis [6]; 2. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [7]; 3. 7L-Ellie Hensley [4]; 4. 53A-Paul Pokorski [2]; 5. 30-Doug Wondra [8]; 6. 46-Steven Ruh [1]; 7. 14J-Joseph Hintz [9]; 8. 55P-Brady Portschy [10]; 9. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [3]; 10. (DNF) 12P-JJ Pagel [5]; 11. (DNS) 7-Lance Fassbender; 12. (DNS) 09-Clayton Rossmann

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 0-Robbie Pribnow [2]; 2. 66-Donny Goeden [4]; 3. 69S-TJ Smith [6]; 4. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 5. 51-Chris Larson [1]; 6. 39-Kurt Davis [5]; 7. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [7]; 8. 30-Doug Wondra [8]; 9. 55P-Brady Portschy [9]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 24-Scott Conger [1]; 2. 21H-TJ Haddy [2]; 3. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [3]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra [4]; 5. 54-Randy Post [5]; 6. 53A-Paul Pokorski [7]; 7. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [8]; 8. 7L-Ellie Hensley [9]; 9. (DNF) 09-Clayton Rossmann [6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 22B-Brandon Berth [2]; 2. 3-Justin Erickson [1]; 3. 69-Bill Taylor [3]; 4. 4-Alex Pokorski [4]; 5. 33M-Josh Bilicki [6]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz [8]; 7. 46-Steven Ruh [5]; 8. (DNF) 12P-JJ Pagel [7]; 9. (DNS) 7-Lance Fassbender

Qualifying 1: 1. 66-Donny Goeden, 12.802 [8]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.939 [7]; 3. 0-Robbie Pribnow, 13.035 [5]; 4. 51-Chris Larson, 13.038 [9]; 5. 39-Kurt Davis, 13.286 [3]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith, 13.304 [1]; 7. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.411 [2]; 8. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.613 [6]; 9. 55P-Brady Portschy, 14.536 [4]

Qualifying 2: 1. 11-Tony Wondra, 12.639 [7]; 2. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.749 [8]; 3. 21H-TJ Haddy, 12.777 [2]; 4. 24-Scott Conger, 12.850 [1]; 5. 54-Randy Post, 12.860 [6]; 6. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 12.923 [9]; 7. 53A-Paul Pokorski, 12.943 [5]; 8. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 13.089 [3]; 9. 7L-Ellie Hensley, 13.154 [4]

Qualifying 3: 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 12.450 [2]; 2. 7-Lance Fassbender, 12.506 [8]; 3. 69-Bill Taylor, 12.564 [1]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth, 12.608 [5]; 5. 3-Justin Erickson, 12.659 [4]; 6. 46-Steven Ruh, 12.734 [7]; 7. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 12.798 [9]; 8. 33M-Josh Bilicki, 12.848 [6]; 9. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.213 [3]

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

A Feature: 1. 34-Steven Weber [1]; 2. 89-Brian Gilles [7]; 3. 80-Luke Scholten [9]; 4. 24K-Tyler Kulow [8]; 5. 14X-Will Sorce [16]; 6. 53W-Dustin Weiss [10]; 7. 52W-Jack Wiroll [3]; 8. 5R-Nate Ruh [4]; 9. 95-Donny Kulow [6]; 10. 55-Tony Miller [13]; 11. 72E-Chad Espen [15]; 12. 53B-Brad Weiss [14]; 13. 42-Jason Juech [17]; 14. 58-Dave Holm [18]; 15. 23-Scott Kafka [5]; 16. 55S-Don Singer [19]; 17. 98G-Shawn Goetsch [20]; 18. (DNF) 93-Mavrick Ruh [12]; 19. (DNF) 69-TJ Smith [11]; 20. (DNF) 6-Dick Hed [2]

B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 14X-Will Sorce [1]; 2. 42-Jason Juech [3]; 3. 58-Dave Holm [2]; 4. 55S-Don Singer [5]; 5. 98G-Shawn Goetsch [6]; 6. 41-Mark Haskins [4]; 7. 23B-Trent Bogart [7]; 8. 54-Austin Yancey [8]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 34-Steven Weber [1]; 2. 52W-Jack Wiroll [2]; 3. 89-Brian Gilles [4]; 4. 93-Mavrick Ruh [6]; 5. 55-Tony Miller [3]; 6. 14X-Will Sorce [5]; 7. 41-Mark Haskins [7]; 8. 23B-Trent Bogart [8]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 24K-Tyler Kulow [4]; 2. 5R-Nate Ruh [2]; 3. 6-Dick Hed [1]; 4. 53W-Dustin Weiss [5]; 5. 53B-Brad Weiss [3]; 6. 58-Dave Holm [6]; 7. 55S-Don Singer [7]; 8. 54-Austin Yancey [8]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 80-Luke Scholten [4]; 2. 23-Scott Kafka [2]; 3. 95-Donny Kulow [3]; 4. 69-TJ Smith [5]; 5. 72E-Chad Espen [6]; 6. 42-Jason Juech [1]; 7. 98G-Shawn Goetsch [7]

SHEBOYGAN FLOORING B MODS

A Feature: 1. 59S-Spencer Long [3]; 2. 91-Cole Thomas [9]; 3. 66C-Colten Van Hierden [10]; 4. 17-Brandon Knepprath [5]; 5. 5X-Tony Gates [11]; 6. 66-Steve Lorier [6]; 7. 11B-Brad Buckman [12]; 8. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [1]; 9. 19-Parker Glander [2]; 10. 89-Logan Brass [18]; 11. 73-Rory Welch [4]; 12. 3-Travis Schmidt 8]; 13. 18-Miranda Sandholm [15]; 14. 25S-Steve Ellis [17]; 15. 9-Hunter Larson [7]; 16. 29S-Scott Quarnstrom [13]; 17. 31W-Kelan Wolfe [16]; 18. (DNS) 33H-Mark Hummelmeier

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 66-Steve Lorier [4]; 2. 91-Cole Thomas [5]; 3. 89-Logan Brass [6]; 4. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [2]; 5. 11B-Brad Buckman [3]; 6. 18-Miranda Sandholm [1]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 66C-Colten Van Hierden [5]; 2. 73-Rory Welch [3]; 3. 9-Hunter Larson [4]; 4. 19-Parker Glander [2]; 5. 29S-Scott Quarnstrom [1]; 6. (DNF) 31W-Kelan Wolfe [6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 59S-Spencer Long [2]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [4]; 3. 17-Brandon Knepprath [3]; 4. 5X-Tony Gates [5]; 5. 33H-Mark Hummelmeier [6]; 6. 25S-Steve Ellis [1]

106.5 THE BUZZ IRA LIGHTNING SPRINTS

A Feature (20 Laps): 1. 22S-Brian Strane Jr. [7]; 2. 55H-Mark Heinert [8]; 3. 18-Nick Petska [9]; 4. 74-Tim Brannam [2]; 5. 16-Mike Neau [10]; 6. 17-Jordan Funderburk [4]; 7. 18Q-Chris Quillman [3]; 8. 5S-Chad Stouthamer [14]; 9. 74M-Max Brannam [6]; 10. 14-Nate Kirchner [15]; 11. 87R-Josh Rehberg [5]; 12. 63-Jacob Irwin [18]; 13. 13-Tucker Richards [16]; 14. 01-Ron Brannam [1]; 15. 55X-Xander York [13]; 16. 23-Dominick Swierad [11]; 17. 00-Dakota Duncanson [17]; 18. 6-Jeff Schmidt [12]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 74M-Max Brannam [2]; 2. 55H-Mark Heinert [3]; 3. 16-Mike Neau [4]; 4. 17-Jordan Funderburk [1]; 5. 74-Tim Brannam [5]; 6. 55X-Xander York [7]; 7. 14-Nate Kirchner [8]; 8. 23-Dominick Swierad [6]; 9. 00-Dakota Duncanson [9]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 18-Nick Petska [4]; 2. 22S-Brian Strane Jr. [3]; 3. 87R-Josh Rehberg [2]; 4. 18Q-Chris Quillman [1]; 5. 01-Ron Brannam [5]; 6. 5S-Chad Stouthamer [7]; 7. 6-Jeff Schmidt [6]; 8. 13-Tucker Richards [8]; 9. (DNS) 63-Jacob Irwin

Qualifying: 1. 16-Mike Neau, 13.515 [15]; 2. 18-Nick Petska, 13.699 [8]; 3. 55H-Mark Heinert, 13.795 [3]; 4. 22S-Brian Strane Jr, 13.916 [2]; 5. 74M-Max Brannam, 14.000 [9]; 6. 87R-Josh Rehberg, 14.033 [7]; 7. 17-Jordan Funderburk, 14.238 [13]; 8. 18Q-Chris Quillman, 14.317 [14]; 9. 74-Tim Brannam, 14.570 [17]; 10. 01-Ron Brannam, 14.587 [6]; 11. 23-Dominick Swierad, 14.902 [11]; 12. 6-Jeff Schmidt, 15.009 [18]; 13. 55X-Xander York, 15.067 [16]; 14. 5S-Chad Stouthamer, 15.079 [12]; 15. 14-Nate Kirchner, 15.639 [1]; 16. 13-Tucker Richards, 16.386 [10]; 17. 00-Dakota Duncanson, 16.639 [4]; 18. (DNS) 63-Jacob Irwin