Alex Pokorski posts Plymouth-best runner-up showing in Cole Possi tribute race

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Alex Pokorski racked up his fourth podium finish of the 2023 with a second place showing in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 24. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 27, 2023 – For the second straight week, Alex Pokorski kept his No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team machine locked at the front of the field on the way to a second place finish in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association Cole’s Last Lap Tribute main event Saturday, June 24 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

The evening honored the memory of PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car driver Cole Possi, who passed away in March. Members of the Upper Michigan-based Possi Racing team, family members, friends and supporters gathered at The Plymouth Dirt Track for the special event.

In addition, Cole’s father, Earl, a former 360 Sprint Car competitor, strapped into Cole’s No. 39 to compete in the 22-car PDTR-MSA field.

Pokorski, who earned a third place podium finish in the June 17 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A main at Plymouth, opened the night by qualifying eighth overall and fourth in his heat race group with a lap of 13.137 seconds.

After the West Bend, Wis. driver started on the pole of the second 10-lap PDTR-MSA heat race, outside front row starter Lance Fassbender used the preferred outside lane to power into the lead in turn two of the opening lap. Pokorski recovered in the closing stages of the race to move within striking distance of Fassbender before settling for a second place finish.

After the heat passing points were tallied and the inversion draw was completed, Pokorski rolled off from the pole position in the 25-lap PDTR-MSA A main. Rookie T.J. Haddy got the initial jump from his outside front row starting spot to relegate Pokorski to second on the first lap.

Following a lap 2 caution, Ben Schmidt maneuvered past Pokorski to push the fourth-year 360 Sprint Car competitor to third. Through the ebb and flow of three more caution flags, Pokorski dueled back and forth with Brandon Berth for second place before finally seizing the runner-up spot for good on lap 17 when Berth pushed high in turn two.

Pokorski reeled in Schmidt in the closing laps as the leaders worked through slower traffic. However, Pokorski was unable to mount a serious challenge for the top spot as he posted a Plymouth Dirt Track-best second place finish, which marked his fourth podium showing, sixth top-five and ninth top-10 finish of the 2023 campaign.

“We had another solid night all around,” Pokorski said. “It would’ve been nice to start on the outside lane for the start and a number of restarts in the feature. If we had maybe one or two more laps in the A main, I may have had a shot at winning. Regardless, I’m happy to be on the podium for two weeks running!”

Pokorski’s father, Paul, also entered his third PDTR-MSA event of the 2023 season behind the wheel of Spyder Akright’s 53A car. Paul opened the night strong by qualifying fourth overall and first in the second heat race grouping with a lap of 12.913 seconds.

Paul Pokorski (53A) and Alex Pokorski (4) were both in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car field for the third time during the 2023 season on Saturday, June 24 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

After starting and finishing fourth in the second 10-lap PDTR-MSA heat race, Paul started from the 10th position in the 25-lap main event. The 31-year veteran endured four caution flags and the demands of a challenging, undulating track surface to post a 14th place A-main finish.

“The car was pretty good in qualifying,” Paul Pokorski said. “The last lap felt really good and I was very pleased with the result. We didn’t free the car up enough for the heat or the feature and it was a little bit of a handful. We’ll keep working at it this week and see if we can strike a better balance when I get back in the car this Saturday at Plymouth.”

Both Alex and Paul Pokorski will be in action with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, July 1 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. for an all-open wheel program featuring the third 2023 Plymouth Dirt Track appearance of the 2023 season from the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, along with the IRA Lightning Sprints.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. hot laps set at 5:30 p.m. racing to follow.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2023 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Countryside Designs, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Homestead Auto, Cedar Valley Hunt Club, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Mulch Express of Wisconsin

The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team is excited to welcome Mulch Express of Wisconsin as a brand new sponsorship partner for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Based in Newton, Wis., Mulch Express of Wisconsin was founded in 2000 out of a desire to help control the cost and efficiency of installing mulch, bark, soil and playground chips. Over the course of the past 23 years, the specialty landscaping company has found its niche as the to-go mulching provider for municipalities, school districts, commercial businesses and residences throughout Northeastern Wisconsin.

In addition, Mulch Express of Wisconsin has proudly served one of the top motorsports facilities in the world as the official mulch provider of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. over the past two seasons.

As a former Wisconsin-based 360 Sprint Car competitor, Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team for the remainder of the 2023 Sprint Car campaign.

“We have a strong connection to Sprint Car racing after several years of competing in the 360 Sprint Car division with the number Gr8 car,” Wetenkamp said. “We feel Alex Pokorski is a good, up-and-coming 360 Sprint Car driver and a great individual to represent our Wisconsin-based specialty landscaping company.”

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-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto

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

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

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

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

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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, July 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 15 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Sunday, July 16 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 10
A Main Victories – 1
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 6
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 9
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 10
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
2023 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
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2023 to be inducted July 15

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 26, 2023 – Eleven drivers, five track workers, car owners and mechanics, along with three racing families will be inducted into the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame, during the Class of 2023 induction ceremony, during the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Saturday, July 15.

In recognition of the spirit of competition and outstanding achievements taking place at the Plymouth racing facility over the past 73 years, the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Committee is dedicated to recognizing those individuals that have exemplified dirt track racing at the highest level since the track’s inception in 1950.

The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2023 will be recognized during an induction ceremony at intermission of the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 15, which will feature 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals, B Mods and a special appearance from the Vintage Modifieds.

The list 11 drivers set to be inducted with the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2023 includes Steve Edler, Frankie Heimerl, Woody Klug, Hal Kulow, Gary Laack, Ron Luedtke, John and Rodney Michaels, Ken Painter, Jim Pitzen and Scott Vollbrecht.

Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2023 inductees in the Dedication to Racing category are track workers Donna Bader, Beth and Tom Breher and Evie Robel, along with car owner and mechanic Glenn Haddy.

In addition, the Akright, Ruh and Wondra families will be inducted to the Plymouth Wall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023 in the Racing Families category.

The names of each Class of 2023 inductee will be permanently etched on the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame, located underneath the grandstands at The Plymouth Dirt Track racing facility.

In the event of inclement weather on Saturday, July 15, a make-up date for the Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2023 Induction Ceremony has been set for Saturday, July 22.

Family members of 2023 Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame inductees are encouraged to attend the induction event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 15. Those wishing to attend are asked to contact Ken Schulz in advance at kenschulz91@gmail.com.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with Late Model and 360 Sprint Car qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 15.

The Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame is made possible through the generous support of Goeden Auto Body of Kewaskum, Advanced Dental of Plymouth, Meyer Motors of Plymouth and Competition Specialists of Campbellsport.

To make a financial donation, contributions designated for “Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame” can be sent to Sheboygan County Fair Office; 229 Fairview Drive; Plymouth, WI 53073.

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.

Schmidt, Sorce, Warner, Winkel excel as PDTR honors the late Cole Possi

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Former champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth earned his 18th career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory Saturday, June 24 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 24, 2023 – On a night dedicated to reflecting on the life of late 360 Sprint driver Cole Possi, three repeat A-main winners returned to victory lane and a new name joined the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing main event victory list Saturday, June 24 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

Prior to the start of the racing program, the members of the Possi Racing team, including family and friends, who for many years traveled regularly from Upper Michigan to compete in the 360 Sprint Car division at The Plymouth Dirt Track, gathered in front of the grandstand to remember Cole, who passed away in March, with Cole’s Last Lap ceremony. In addition, Cole’s father Earl, who notched six PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victories during his racing career, strapped into the seat of Cole’s No. 39 car to compete in the 360 Sprint Car portion of the racing program in his memory.

2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth earned his second straight Akright Auto PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2023 season in the 25-lap main event.

In the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National main event, Will Sorce of Franklin collected his second A-main victory of the 2023 campaign.

Two-time PDTR B Mod champ Tim Warner of Malone executed a thrilling last lap, final corner pass to notch his third PDTR Next Step Insurance B Mod A-main victory of the 2023 campaign in the 25-lap A main.

Austin Winkel of Sheboygan Falls racked up his first career A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in the 25-lap 106.5 The Buzz Wisconsin Racing Legends Dirt Series headliner

In the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main, rookie T.J. Haddy of Waupun used his outside front row starting position to vault past polesitter Alex Pokorski of West Bend and grab the lead on the opening lap.

On lap 2, the first of four caution flags appeared when rookie Ryan Sawusch of Lake Villa, Ill. spun in turn four. Following the restart Ben Schmidt, who started third,  vaulted past Pokorski into second in turn two before using the low groove to seize the top spot from Haddy exiting turn four.

Pokorski ducked low to work his way past Haddy into second in turn one on lap 4 before the caution flag appeared on lap 5 when Haddy spun into the turn four wall to bring out the second caution of the race.

On lap 6, fourth starter Brandon Berth of Cascade used the high line to power past the low riding Pokorski into second. One lap later, the third caution flag was displayed to the field when Chris Larson of Franksville collided with the turn four wall.

The restart saw Pokorski work the high groove to vault his way into second as Schmidt pulled away to build a solid lead cushion. The 24-year veteran was closing in on the rear of the field when the fourth caution flag came out on lap 11 for Sawusch’s second spin of the race in turn three.

A large contingent of Possi Racing team members, family and supporters gathered at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. for Cole’s Last Lap event held in memory of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car driver Cole Possi of Rock, Mich., who passed away in March. Cole’s father Earl competed in Cole’s No. 39 PDTR 360 Sprint Car during the racing program on Saturday, June 24. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Berth used the preferred outer lane to take second from Pokorski in turn two as Schmidt again bolted away from his pursuers. The 2011 Midwest Sprint Car Association champion caught slower traffic on lap 15 and two laps later Pokorski regained second when Berth washed up high along the undulating cushion.

Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, who started ninth, moved into third on lap 18. Pokorski began to reel in Schmidt as the leader wound their way through lapped traffic.

However, the fourth-year driver fell just short at the finish line as Schmidt collected his second straight and third overall PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and fourth MSA main event triumph of the 2023 season, along with his 18th career PDTR and 36th career MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main win.

“I raced against Earl [Possi] for a lot of years and I raced with Cole [Possi] for several years too,” Schmidt said. “This wins means a lot. I want to thank the Possi Family for coming and doing this event tonight in Cole’s memory, the fans for coming out to support us, the sponsors on this car and my crew for giving me a great car every night.”

Pokorski placed second, McMullen was third, rookie Logan Julien of Oconomowoc, who started fifth, placed fourth and Berth rounded out the top five.

As an extra Cole’s Last Lap event bonus, third place A-main finisher Brandon McMullen and ninth place finisher Justin Erickson of Plymouth each picked up $139 dollars courtesy of Goeden Auto Body. Also, rookie Tristan Koenings of Van Dyne collected $339 courtesy of Shufflebotham Tree Service in Cole Possi’s memory.

In the 25-lap Grand National main event, outside front row starter Donny Kulow of Plymouth grabbed the lead on the opening lap with 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Sheboygan, who started fourth, moving into second.

Will Sorce of Franklin collected his sixth career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National main event triumph at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 24.  – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Tyler Kulow moved in to challenge Donny Kulow for the lead on lap 3 before seizing the top spot along the high groove in turn two on lap 4. Meanwhile, Will Sorce, who started third, moved past Donny Kulow into second lap 8 and quickly set his sights on the lead.

After racing in close quarters with Tyler Kulow for the top spot for several laps, Sorce swept into the lead with a high move in turn one on lap 12. As Sorce pulled away from Tyler Kulow, the lone caution flag of the event appeared on lap 19 when Don Singer of Waldo and Dick Hed of Plymouth collided and spun in turn four.

Sorce controlled the restart and maintained the top spot over the final six laps en route to his sixth career PDTR Grand National A-main triumph.

Tyler Kulow placed second, fifth starter Steven Weber of Plymouth took third, Donny Kulow wound up fourth and six-time overall Plymouth Dirt Track Super Stock and Grand National champion Brian Gilles of Plymouth placed fifth after starting 12th.

Hunter Larson of Oshkosh jumped into the lead of the 25-lap B Mod A main from the pole position with outside front row starter Jesse Cullen of Chilton in tow. On lap five, Tim Warner, who started fifth, worked the high groove to pass third starter Steve Lorier of Sheboygan for third in turn three.

Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod champion Tim Warner of Malone notched his division-leading 10th career PDTR B Mod A-main win Saturday, June 24 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

Three laps later, Cullen closed in to pressure Larson for the lead before Warner worked his way in to make it a three-way battle for the top spot on lap 16. As the leaders encountered lapped traffic, Cullen attempted a high move to pull even with Larson on lap 19. However, Larson fended off the challenge to retain the top spot.

On lap 21, Warner seized second from Cullen before pounding the cushion to challenge Larson on lap 23. During the final lap, Warner unleashed a big run along the outer groove, while Larson was stuck behind slower traffic down low, to steal the victory in turn four and nip Larson at the checkered flag.

The crowd-pleasing final corner victory in the caution-free race was Warner’s division-leading 10th career PDTR B Mod A-main triumph.

Larson had to settle for second, Lorier took third, Cascade’s Barry Maas, who started third, finished fourth and sixth starter Travis Schmidt of Plymouth wound up fifth.

Austin Winkel of Sheboygan Falls racked up his first career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A-main victory in the Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 24. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Polesitter Kim Clover of Waupun led the opening lap of the 20-lap Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series before the first of two caution flags came out on lap 2 for a spin involving Hayden Schmuhl of Beaver Dam.

On the restart, Austin Winkel moved into second along the outside line. Winkel quickly closed in on Clover before shooting past Clover into the lead with a low move in turn three on lap 5.

Winkel then built up a half-lap lead over eighth starter Ryan Sullivan of Waupun on lap 12. The second and final caution slowed the pace on lap 14 when Matt Gritt of Plymouth spun in turn four.

Winkel again bolted away from the field on the way to his first career Legends A-main triumph in the second Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series A main to ever be contested at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Sullivan finished second, Dallas Ross of Reeseville, who started third, placed third, Mike Mueller of Waupun took fourth after starting fourth and seventh starter Eric Blumer of Sun Prairie rounded out the top five.

Logan Julien earned fast qualifier accolades in the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car division with a top lap of 12.853 seconds.

The seventh event of the 2023 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Mayer Automotive, drew a total of 76 cars, including 22 360 Sprint Cars, 19 B Mods, 19 Wisconsin Dirt Racing Legends Series cars and 16 Grand Nationals.

The next race program at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 1 will feature an all-open wheel event, including the third 2023 appearance of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, along with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars and IRA Lightning Sprints.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m., hot laps are set at 5:30 p.m. with qualifying and racing to follow.

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 Main (25 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [1]; 3. 98-Brandon McMullen [9]; 4. 85J-Logan Julien [5]; 5. 22B-Brandon Berth [4]; 6. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [16]; 7. 69-Bill Taylor [7]; 8. 69S-TJ Smith [11]; 9. 3-Justin Erickson [8]; 10. 7-Lance Fassbender [6]; 11. 66T-Tristan Koenings [14]; 12. 20-Robbie Pribnow [12]; 13. 12P-JJ Pagel [19]; 14. 53A-Paul Pokorski [10]; 15. 11-Tony Wondra [17]; 16. 54-Randy Post [20]; 17. 21H-TJ Haddy [2]; 18. 38-Jordan Miklas [21]; 19. 53-Shane Wenninger [13]; 20. 39-Earl Possi [18]; 21. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [22]; 22. 51-Chris Larson [15]

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 69-Bill Taylor [2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [1]; 3. 22B-Brandon Berth [4]; 4. 53-Shane Wenninger [3]; 5. 51-Chris Larson [5]; 6. 11-Tony Wondra [6]; 7. 12P-JJ Pagel [7]; 8. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [8]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 7-Lance Fassbender [2]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [1]; 3. 98-Brandon McMullen [3]; 4. 53A-Paul Pokorski [4]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith [6]; 6. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [7]; 7. 54-Randy Post [5]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 3-Justin Erickson [2]; 2. 21H-TJ Haddy [1]; 3. 85J-Logan Julien[4]; 4. 20-Robbie Pribnow [3]; 5. 66T-Tristan Koenings [5]; 6. 39-Earl Possi [6]; 7. 38-Jordan Miklas [7]

Qualifying 1 (5 Laps): 1. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.294 [6]; 2. 53-Shane Wenninger, 13.345 [3]; 3. 69-Bill Taylor, 13.370 [7]; 4. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.424 [4]; 5. 51-Chris Larson, 13.509 [5]; 6. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.528 [2]; 7. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.918 [1]; 8. 55S-Ryan Sawusch, 13.918 [8]

Qualifying 2 (5 Laps): 1. 53A-Paul Pokorski, 12.913 [5]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen, 13.060 [1]; 3. 7-Lance Fassbender, 13.105 [7]; 4. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.132 [6]; 5. 54-Randy Post, 13.526 [2]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith, 13.528 [3]; 7. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.579 [4]

Qualifying 3 (5 Laps): 1. 85J-Logan Julien, 12.853 [5]; 2. 20-Robbie Pribnow 12.896 [2]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson, 12.910 [6]; 4. 21H-TJ Haddy, 12.973 [4]; 5. 66T-Tristan Koenings, 13.163 [1]; 6. 39-Earl Possi, 13.257 [3]; 7. 38-Jordan Miklas, 14.947 [7]

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

A Main: 1. 14X-Will Sorce [3]; 2. 24K-Tyler Kulow [4]; 3. 34-Steven Weber [5]; 4. 95-Donny Kulow [2]; 5. 89-Brian Gilles [12]; 6. 72E-Chad Espen [6]; 7. 53W-Dustin Weiss [10]; 8. 7A-Todd Ascherien [8]; 9. 54-Matt Yancey [13]; 10. 14-Seth Westimayer [7]; 11. 6-Dick Hed [11]; 12. 23-Scott Kafka [9]; 13. 55-Don Singer [1]; 14. 5C-Collin Skindzeleski [14]; 15. 03-Timothy Warner [16]; 16. (DNS) E85-Justin Pearson

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 72E-Chad Espen [2]; 2. 14X-Will Sorce [1]; 3. 24K-Tyler Kulow [4]; 4. 53W-Dustin Weiss [3]; 5. 7A-Todd Ascherien [6]; 6. 89-Brian Gilles [5]; 7. 54-Matt Yancey [7]; 8. 5C-Collin Skindzeleski [8]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 34-Steven Weber [2]; 2. 95-Donny Kulow [1]; 3. 55-Don Singer [3]; 4. 14-Seth Westimayer [4]; 5. 23-Scott Kafka [6]; 6. 6-Dick Hed [7]; 7. 03-Timothy Warner [8]; 8. (DNF) E85-Justin Pearson [5]

NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS

A Main: 1. 03W-Tim Warner [5]; 2. 9L-Hunter Larson [1]; 3. 66-Steve Lorier [4]; 4. 22M-Barry Maas [3]; 5. 3-Travis Schmidt [6]; 6. 17S-Shane Long [7]; 7. 73-Rory Welch [13]; 8. 29S-Tim Sheppard [9]; 9. 84-Mark Hoeppner [14]; 10. 9R-Matthew Roehl [11]; 11. 17-Brandon Knepprath [10]; 12. 19-Parker Glander [15]; 13. 59S-Spencer Long [8]; 14. 8-Jesse Cullen [2]; 15. 54-Michael Strean [16]; 16. 70JR-Jason Schilling [12]; 17. 19B-Jimmy Berkevich [18]; 18. (DNS) 25-Jim Fischer; 19. (DNS) 62-James Rautmann

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 03W-Tim Warner [5]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [1]; 3. 59S-Spencer Long [3]; 4. 29S-Tim Sheppard [4]; 5. 9R-Matthew Roehl [6]; 6. 54-Michael Strean [2]; 7. (DNS) 62-James Rautmann

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 19B-Jimmy Berkevich [2]; 2. 22M-Barry Maas [4]; 3. 17-Brandon Knepprath [1]; 4. 17S-Shane Long [6]; 5. 70JR-Jason Schilling [5]; 6. 25-Jim Fischer [3]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 66-Steve Lorier [2]; 2. 8-Jesse Cullen [3]; 3. 9L-Hunter Larson [4]; 4. 84-Mark Hoeppner [1]; 5. 73-Rory Welch [5]; 6. 19-Parker Glander [6]

106.5 THE BUZZ WISCONSIN LEGENDS RACING DIRT SERIES

A Main (20 Laps): 1. 88-Austin Winkel [6]; 2. 43S-Ryan Sullivan [8]; 3. 87-Dallas Ross [3]; 4. 95M-Mike Mueller [4]; 5. 6E-Eric Blumer [7]; 6. 5G-Matt Gritt [11]; 7. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl [2]; 8. 117-Adam Zellmer [5]; 9. 51-Tim Franz [14]; 10. 7F-Lilly Fassbender [12]; 11. 27B-Brandon Breitkreutz [16]; 12. 7A-Brady Ascherien [17]; 13. 1K-Kim Clover [1]; 14. 76W-Mark Wellman [13]; 15. 44M-Jordan Miklas [15]; 16. 52K-Kacey Korsmo [10]; 17. (DNS) 8W-Michael Weber; 18. (DNS) 64M-Griffin McGrath; 19. (DQ) 19J-Nick Johnson [9]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 6E-Eric Blumer [6]; 2. 52K-Kacey Korsmo [5]; 3. 43S-Ryan Sullivan [3]; 4. 87-Dallas Ross [4]; 5. 5G-Matt Gritt [1]; 6. 7F-Lilly Fassbender [2]; 7. 27B-Brandon Breitkreutz [7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 88-Austin Winkel [4]; 2. 8W-Michael Weber [6]; 3. 1K-Kim Clover [3]; 4. 7A-Brady Ascherien [1]; 5. 64M-Griffin McGrath [5]; 6. 51-Tim Franz [2]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl [2]; 2. 95M-Mike Mueller [3]; 3. 117-Adam Zellmer [4]; 4. 19J-Nick Johnson [6]; 5. 76W-Mark Wellman [1]; 6. 44M-Jordan Miklas [5]

Hartmann fills notebook in Beaver Dam Outlaws twinbill, targets IRA Fairbury tilt

Austin Hartmann posted a pair of 20th place finishes in NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series competition at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 21, 2023 – Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team took advantage of an opportunity to race with and learn from the best of the best in the Winged 410 Sprint Car world, during a pair of NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Series events at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17.

With 22 World of Outlaws 410 Sprint Cars checked in on Friday, June 16, Hartmann clocked in 17th overall with a lap of 11.966 seconds around the third-mile high-banked clay oval.

Hartmann lined up sixth in the second 10-lap heat race and held the spot along the low groove of the lightning-fast track surface to register a sixth place showing.

After rolling off 17th in the 30-lap World of Outlaws main event, Hartmann clung to the inside lane of the fast and tacky track surface throughout the duration of the race to post a 20th place finish in a race won by Gio Scelzi.

With 24 cars checked in for the $20,000-to-win Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial two-night weekend finale, Hartmann again qualified 17th with a lap of 11.798 seconds.

The fourth-year Sprint Car competitor started sixth and finished seventh in the second 10-lap heat race before lining up 20th in the in the 40-lap main event. Hartmann stayed consistent throughout the main event to secure a second-straight 20th place A-main showing in a race won by Sheldon Haudenschild.

“We’re close I feel, but we’re still learning,” Hartmann said. “I’m excited to make some changes for the IRA race at Fairbury this upcoming weekend.”

The Plymouth, Wis. driver is set to resume the 2023 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series schedule for the $7,000-to-win IRA-Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) co-sanctioned Bill Waite Jr. Memorial Classic at Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, Ill. on Saturday, June 24.

The Fairbury American Legion Speedway program on Saturday, June 24 will also feature FALS Cup DIRTcar Late Models and DIRTcar Modifieds.

Pit gates open at 12 p.m. with spectator gates opening at 2 p.m., followed by hot laps/qualifying at 6 p.m. and racing at 7:15 p.m.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team recently debuted a new website, which can be accessed at https://www.team87a.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 sponsorship partners for the 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team include Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Competition Specialists, Schmidt’s Landscaping, Feldmann Sales & Service, Holler n Hills, Steinpreis Trucking, KSI Supply Inc., Quasius Construction, SwitchGear Brewing LLC, TheD8Dispensary, AF Inc., Hopf Farms, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Berryman Racing Shocks and Maxim Chassis.

The 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Eric Bergschultz, Parker Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseQuasius Construction

The Austin Hartmann – 87A Hartmann Racing team is thrilled to have Quasius Construction on board as a partnership partner for the 2023 season.

Located at 1202 North Eighth St. in Sheboygan, Wis., Quasius Construction is a construction services company and contracting firm utilizing general construction, construction management and design build delivery systems.

To contact Quasius Construction, call 920-457-5585, email info@quasius.com or visit quasius.com.

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

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

Austin Hartmann – 87A Hartmann Racing
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Friday, June 24 – Fairbury American Legion Speedway, Fairbury, Ill. (IRA-MOWA)
Saturday, July 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)
Friday, July 8 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis. (World of Outlaws)

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 16
IRA Events – 12
World of Outlaws Events – 2
All Star Events – 4
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 6
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 10
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 2
Dash Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Pokorski registers third 2023 MSA podium showing at Plymouth Dirt Track

Alex Pokorski (4) duels with Brandon McMullen (98) in Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car competition at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 20, 2023 – Alex Pokorski’s breakout season behind the wheel of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team 360 Sprint Car continued in Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association competition on Saturday, June 17 as the fourth-year racer racked up his third A-main podium finish of the 2023 season.

Pokorski came out of the box strong by timing in second in the 25-car PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car field with a qualifying lap of 13.114 seconds.

The West Bend, Wis. driver then started third in the third PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car heat race and bolted past the owner of his No. 4 Akright Auto machine, Spyder Akright of Sheboygan Falls, on the opening lap to slide into second in the running order. By lap 8, Pokorski had cut the gap behind leader Bill Taylor significantly before settling for second.

After starting the 25-lap PDTR-MSA A main on the outside of the front row, Pokorski outpowered 2021 and 2022 PDTR and MSA champion Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls, who started on the pole, to seize the lead in turn one of the opening lap.

The first of four caution flags appeared on lap 2 when rookie Hayden Johnson stopped in turn four. On the restart, Arenz attempted to steal the lead away from Pokorski with a slide job in turn two. However, Pokorski was able to work around Arenz’s attempt and maintain the top spot.

However, the race was slowed again later in the same lap when Spyder Akright, Tommy Colburn and Bill Taylor made contact in turn two. Arenz again attempted a slide job on Pokorski on the ensuing restart. However, he slipped up high near the wall and collided with the high riding Pokorski, resulting in Arenz spinning in turn two before collecting the third place car of Tony Wondra to bring out the third caution flag of the race.

Despite some slight front-end damage from the contact, Pokorski controlled the ensuing restart before the fourth caution appeared when Colburn stopped in turn four on lap 5. A single-file restart saw 2011 PDTR and MSA champion Ben Schmidt get a big run and slide past Pokorski to take over the top spot in turn four on lap 6.

Two laps later, Pokorski felt pressure from another former champion, four-time MSA and two-time PDTR champ Brandon McMullen, who worked the low groove to pull even for second on lap 8. Pokorski and McMullen dueled side by side for the next 10 laps before McMullen finally gained the spot to push Pokorski back to third.

Pokorski maintained the third position over the final seven laps to notch his third MSA-PDTR A-main podium, fifth top-five and eighth top-10 main event finish in nine A mains during the 2023 campaign in a race won by Ben Schmidt.

“The car was solid all night long,” Pokorski said. “We just needed a little bit more to get a fast time in qualifying one of these nights as we ended up second quick again. There was a lot of tight racing at the start of the feature and things got a little too tight early on. Travis [Arenz] attempted a couple short slide jobs and the second one did not leave me any space. For a second, I thought we might be pushed into the wall, but we were able to get out of that situation with only minor damage.

“Once the race restarted, it was fun to race with Ben [Schmidt] and Brandon [McMullen],” he said. “They got the better of me this week, but maybe we will get them next week. The A main was fun overall, and we got a top-three finish, which was a good points night.”

Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team will be in action with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, June 24 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

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

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2023 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Countryside Designs, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Homestead Auto, Cedar Valley Hunt Club, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Mulch Express of Wisconsin

The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team is excited to welcome Mulch Express of Wisconsin as a brand new sponsorship partner for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Based in Newton, Wis., Mulch Express of Wisconsin was founded in 2000 out of a desire to help control the cost and efficiency of installing mulch, bark, soil and playground chips. Over the course of the past 23 years, the specialty landscaping company has found its niche as the to-go mulching provider for municipalities, school districts, commercial businesses and residences throughout Northeastern Wisconsin. In addition, Mulch Express of Wisconsin has proudly served one of the top motorsports facilities in the world as the official mulch provider of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. over the past two seasons.

As a former Wisconsin-based 360 Sprint Car competitor, Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team for the remainder of the 2023 Sprint Car campaign.

“We have a strong connection to Sprint Car racing after several years of competing in the 360 Sprint Car division with the number Gr8 car,” Wetenkamp said. “We feel Alex Pokorski is a good, up-and-coming 360 Sprint Car driver and a great individual to represent our Wisconsin-based specialty landscaping company.”

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-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto

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

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

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

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

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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, June 24 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.                        
Saturday, July 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 9
A Main Victories – 1
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 5
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 8
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 9
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Award – 0

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
2023 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 – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Schmidt, Waelti, Pearson, Warner claim PDTR A-main triumphs

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth collected his 17th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory in the 25-lap A main at The Plymouth Dirt in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 17. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 17, 2023 – Two former track champions joined two first-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing winners in victory lane in PDTR A-main competition at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 17.

Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who claimed the 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car championship, secured his second Akright Auto PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2023 season in the 25-lap main event.

Sun Prairie’s Brandon Waelti racked up his first career A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in the 25-lap 106.5 The Buzz Badger Midget headliner

In the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive 25-lap Grand National main event, Justin Pearson of Horicon posted his first career PDTR A-main triumph.

Two-time PDTR B Mod champ Tim Warner of Malone nailed down his second PDTR Next Step Insurance B Mod A-main victory of the 2023 campaign in the 25-lap A main.

In the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main, outside front row starter Alex Pokorski of West Bend bolted into the lead along the high groove with 2021 and 2022 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls, who started on the pole, settling into second.

The first of four caution flags appeared on lap 2 when rookie Hayden Johnson of Campbellsport stopped in turn four.

On the ensuing restart, the second caution flag flew when Spyder Akright of Sheboygan Falls, Tommy Colburn of New Berlin and Bill Taylor of Boltonville spun in turn two.

Another caution flag was displayed to the field on the next restart when Arenz and Pokorski collided in turn two after Arenz attempted a slide job, which resulted in Arenz’s car spinning to a stop before Campbellsport’s Tony Wondra, who had been running third, was collected in the incident.

After the third restart of the race, Ben Schmidt, who started sixth, pulled off a slide job to slip past rookie Logan Julien of Oconomowoc, who started fifth, and assumed the runner-up spot as Pokorski held down the lead.

The fourth and final caution flag of the event appeared on lap 5 when Colburn stopped in turn four.

Following a single-file restart, Schmidt wrestled the top spot away from Pokorski with a low move in turn four on lap 6. Meanwhile, Pokorski began to feel pressure from two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen, who started 10th beginning on lap 8.

The cushion-pounding Pokorski and the low-riding McMullen dueled side by side and back and forth over the next 10 laps as the leaders weaved their way through slower traffic.

On lap 18, McMullen finally surged into the runner-up spot along the low groove. Schmidt skillfully worked his way through lapped traffic over the final seven laps to secure his 17th career PDTR,  35th career Midwest Sprint Car Association and third overall MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main triumph of the 2023 season.

“It is awesome to get this win,” Schmidt said. “This car is a dream to drive and I can’t thank my crew enough for what they do.”

McMullen finished second, Pokorski wound up third, Julien took fourth and PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car rookie T.J. Smith of Greenville placed fifth after starting ninth.

Polesitter Eric Blumer of Sun Prairie outpowered Matt Recheck of Beaver Dam to surge into the lead on the drop of the green flag from his outside front row starting spot in the 25-lap Badger Midget A main.

Brandon Waelti of Sun Prairie earned his first career A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in the 25-lap Badger Midgets A main on Saturday, June 17. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

On lap 3, Adam Taylor of Wheatefield, Ind., who started eighth, used the outside groove to take over second. One lap later, Taylor bolted past Blumer into the lead along the front stretch.

As Taylor extended his lead at the front of the field, ninth starter Brandon Waelti of Sun Prairie worked his way into second on lap 9 along the high groove in turn two.

By lap 13, Taylor had built up a full straightaway cushion over Waelti as the leaders maneuvered their way through the rear of the field. The lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 22 when Parker Jones of Blue Mounds stopped in turn four and Jace Sparks of Crystal Lake, Ill. stalled along the back stretch.

Following the restart, Waelti unreeled off a slide job to take over the top spot in turn two before Taylor attempted to regain the lead with a slide job of his own in turn four. However, Waelti was able to execute a crossover move to maintain the lead.

Waelti held on over the final two laps to secure his third Badger Midget A-main victory of the 2023 season and his first career main event triumph at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

“The track was really racy,” Waelti said. “I’ve only been here a couple of times, but it was a lot of fun tonight. Adam Taylor got a really good job and was way ahead, so that caution near the end really helped us. Hopefully, the fans had a great time watching the race tonight.”

Taylor finished second, Todd Kluever of Sun Prairie finished third after starting 10th, 11th starter Cody Weisensel of Sun Prairie placed fourth and Blumer rounded out the top five.

Justin Pearson of Horicon notched his first career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 25-lap Grand National main event victory on Saturday, June 17 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

In the 25-lap PDTR Grand National A main, 83-year-old Dick Hed of Plymouth, who started on the pole, grabbed the lead on the opening lap. The first of three caution flags was displayed on lap 4 when Don Singer of Waldo spun in turn two.

On the restart, the second caution flag came out when Noah Wachowiacz of West Allis spun in turn two. Following a single file restart, third starter Dustin Weiss of Iron Ridge ducked under Hed to assume the lead in turn one.

After the third and final caution flag appeared on lap 13 for an incident involving Josh Pierce of Fredonia and Scott Kafka of Cleveland, Weiss maintained the lead while eighth starter Justin Pearson began to mount his charge to the front along the high line.

Two laps after seventh starter Nick Schumacher of Eagle seized second, Pearson powered into third on lap 19 before surging past Schumacher into second on lap 20. Following a brief side-by-side duel with Weiss, Pearson grabbed the lead with a high move in turn two on lap 23.

Pearson went on to post his first career PDTR Grand National A-main victory, Schumacher finished second, Weiss was third, Hed wound up fourth and fourth starter Donny Kulow of Plymouth rounded out the top five.

Polesitter Travis Schmidt of Plymouth grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap B Mod main event before two-time PDTR B Mod champion Tim Warner, who started fourth, moved in second in turn four.

On lap 7, second starter Jonathon Baumann of Sheboygan worked the outside lane to challenge Warner for second. One lap later, Warner charged along the inside groove to power past Schmidt into the lead in turn two with Baumann following into second.

The first of five caution flags appeared on lap 13 when Colten Van Hierden of Waupun spun in turn four. Another caution appeared on the next two restart attempts when Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn two and Hunter Larson of Oshkosh and Jim Fischer collided in turn three.

Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod champion Tim Warner of Malone earned his division leading ninth career PDTR B Mod A-main triumph at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 17.  – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Following the restart, Warner pulled out to a half-straightaway cushion over Baumann on lap 15. Two laps later, sixth starter Jeff Steenbergen of Johnson Creek inched past Baumann into second.

The fourth caution flag appeared on lap 19 when Rory Welch of Grafton spun in turn two on lap 19. The fifth caution came out two laps later when Spencer Long spun in turn four.

Steenbergen hounded Warner over the final four laps but was unable to unseat Warner from the top spot. Warner went on to claim his second PDTR B Mod A-main victory of the 2023 season, while moving to sole possession of the top spot on the all-time PDTR B Mod main event victory list with his ninth career A main triumph.

Steenbergen finished second, Baumann placed third, third starter Steve Lorier of Sheboygan finished fourth and Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls, who started eighth, placed fifth.

Katelyn Krebsbach of Cascade was the top qualifier in the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car division with a fast lap of 12.943 seconds.

Todd Kluever earned Badger Midgets fast qualifier honors with a lap of 13.665 seconds around the third mile semi-banked clay oval.

The sixth event of the 2023 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by JosFo Electric, drew a total of 85 cars, including  25 360 Sprint Cars, 20 Badger Midgets, 20 Grand Nationals and 20 B Mods.

The next race program at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 24 will feature the first 2023 appearance from the Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series along with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, Grand Nationals and B Mods.

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

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 Main (25 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [6]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen [10]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski [2]; 4. 85J-Logan Julien [5]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith [9]; 6. 30-Doug Wondra [14]; 7. 22B-Brandon Berth [7]; 8. 54-Randy Post [11]; 9. 2-Chris Clayton [20]; 10. 51-Chris Larson [18]; 11. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [21]; 12. 7-Lance Fassbender [23]; 13. 66T-Tristan Koenings [13]; 14. 69-Bill Taylor [3]; 15. 54G-Scott Grissom [16]; 16. 12P-JJ Page l[22]; 17. 21H-TJ Haddy [19]; 18. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [17]; 19. 53-Shane Wenninger [8]; 20. 1-Tommy Colburn [15]; 21. 25T-Travis Arenz [1]; 22. 11-Tony Wondra [4]; 23. 53A-Spyder Akright [12]; 24. 44-Hayden Johnson [24]; 25. (DNS) 3-Justin Erickson

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth [2]; 3. 25T-Travis Arenz [5]; 4. 54-Randy Post [6]; 5. 44-Hayden Johnson [9]; 6. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [1]; 7. 54G-Scott Grissom [7]; 8. 21H-TJ Haddy [8]; 9. (DNF) 7-Lance Fassbender [4]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 11-Tony Wondra [2]; 2. 85J-Logan Julien [5]; 3. 69S-TJ Smith [4]; 4. 98-Brandon McMullen [6]; 5. 1-Tommy Colburn [3]; 6. 12P-JJ Pagel [1]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra [8]; 8. 2-Chris Clayton [7]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 69-Bill Taylor [2]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [3]; 3. 53A-Spyder Akright [1]; 4. 53-Shane Wenninger [7]; 5. 66T-Tristan Koenings [5]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [4]; 7. 51-Chris Larson [6]; 8. (DNS) 3-Justin Erickson

Qualifying 1 (5 Laps): 1. 7-Lance Fassbender, 13.706 [8]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.811 [1]; 3. 22B-Brandon Berth, 14.005 [4]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 14.263 [3]; 5. 25T-Travis Arenz, 14.294 [2]; 6. 54-Randy Post, 14.342 [7]; 7. 44-Hayden Johnson, 14.442 [9]; 8. 54G-Scott Grissom, 14.645 [5]; 9. 21H-TJ Haddy, 14.833 [6]

Qualifying 2 (5 Laps): 1. 69S-TJ Smith, 13.389 [7]; 2. 1-Tommy Colburn, 13.430 [4]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.569 [2]; 4. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.573 [6]; 5. 85J-Logan Julien, 13.612 [3]; 6. 98-Brandon McMullen, 13.616 [5]; 7. 2-Christopher Clayton, 13.834 [1]; 8. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.848 [8]

Qualifying 3 (5 Laps): 1. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.943 [4]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.114 [3]; 3. 69-Bill Taylor, 13.225 [2]; 4. 53A-Spyder Akright, 13.231 [1]; 5. 53-Shane Wenninger, 13.250 [8]; 6. 66T-Tristan Koenings, 13.524 [5]; 7. 51-Chris Larson, 13.536 [6]; 8. (DNF) 3-Justin Erickson, 13.892 [7]

 

106.5 THE BUZZ BADGER MIDGET SERIES

Advance Fastening Supply A Main (25 Laps): 1. 3W-Brandon Waelti [9]; 2. 5X-Adam Taylor [8]; 3. 55-Todd Kluever [10]; 4. 20-Cody Weisensel [11]; 5. 68-Eric Blumer [1]; 6. 38-Matt Rechek [2]; 7. 19E-Daltyn England [12]; 8. 15C-RJ Corson [5]; 9. 29-Harrison Kleven [14]; 10. 9S-Mike Stroik [7]; 11. 59-Kyle Koch [3]; 12. 98-Jordan Nelson [4]; 13. 45-Trey Weishoff [19]; 14. 53M-Miles Doherty [16]; 15. 28-Jim Fuerst [18]; 16. 17-Nick Kilian [20]; 17. 41-Parker Jones [6]; 18. 40-Jace Sparks [17]; 19. 2-Kyle Stark [15]; 20. 1W-Robby Wirth [13]

Simpson Race Products Simpson Race Products Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 5X-Adam Taylor [7]; 2. 41-Parker Jones [5]; 3. 38-Matt Rechek [1]; 4. 55-Todd Kluever [8]; 5. 15C-RJ Corson [3]; 6. 19E-Daltyn England [6]; 7. 29-Harrison Kleven [2]; 8. 53M-Miles Doherty [4]; 9. 28-Jim Fuerst [9]; 10. 17-Nick Kilian [10]

Auto Meter Auto Meter Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 3W-Brandon Waelti [8]; 2. 68-Eric Blumer [1]; 3. 59-Kyle Koch [2]; 4. 9S-Mike Stroik [7]; 5. 98-Jordan Nelson [3]; 6. 20-Cody Weisensel [5]; 7. 1W-Robby Wirth [9]; 8. 2-Kyle Stark [6]; 9. (DNF) 40-Jace Sparks [4]; 10. (DNS) 45-Trey Weishoff

Schoenfeld Headers Schoenfeld Headers Qualifying (3 Laps): 1. 55-Todd Kluever, 13.665 [5]; 2. 3W-Brandon Waelti, 13.833 [13]; 3. 5X-Adam Taylor, 13.899 [18]; 4. 9S-Mike Stroik, 14.064 [6]; 5. 19E-Daltyn England, 14.075 [9]; 6. 2-Kyle Stark, 14.115 [14]; 7. 41-Parker Jones, 14.237 [4]; 8. 20-Cody Weisensel, 14.318 [8]; 9. 53M-Miles Doherty, 14.369 [17]; 10. 40-Jace Sparks, 14.527 [7]; 11. 15C-RJ Corson, 14.532 [11]; 12. 98-Jordan Nelson, 14.543 [20]; 13. 29-Harrison Kleven, 14.644 [12]; 14. 59-Kyle Koch, 14.767 [10]; 15. 38-Matt Rechek, 14.782 [19]; 16. 68-Eric Blumer, 15.191 [3]; 17. 1W-Robby Wirth, 15.193 [1]; 18. 28-Jim Fuerst, 15.595 [16]; 19. 45-Trey Weishoff, 15.976 [2]; 20. 17-Nick Kilian, 16.445 [15]

 

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

A Main (25 Laps): 1. E85-Justin Pearson [8]; 2. 47-Nick Schumacher [7]; 3. 53W-Dustin Weiss [3]; 4. 6-Dick Hed [1]; 5. 95-Donny Kulow [4]; 6. 89-Brian Gilles [14]; 7. 24K-Tyler Kulow [11]; 8. 54-Matt Yancey [2]; 9. 80-Luke Scholten [10]; 10. 16-Will Schumacher [9]; 11. 72E-Chad Espen [13]; 12. 5C-Collin Skindzeleski [16]; 13. 55-Don Singer [17]; 14. 187-Noah Wachowiacz [19]; 15. 23-Scott Kafka [15]; 16. 22-Randy Dent [18]; 17. 34-Steven Weber [5]; 18. 13-Josh Pierce [6]; 19. 6B-Vince Bartolotta [12]; 20. (DNS) 14X-Will Sorce

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 47-Nick Schumacher [1]; 2. 54-Matt Yancey [2]; 3. 95-Donny Kulow [5]; 4. 80-Luke Scholten [7]; 5. 72E-Chad Espen [6]; 6. 5C-Collin Skindzeleski [3]; 7. 55-Don Singer [4]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 13-Josh Pierce [1]; 2. 6-Dick Hed [2]; 3. 53W-Dustin Weiss [5]; 4. 24K-Tyler Kulow [7]; 5. 89-Brian Gilles [6]; 6. 14X-Will Sorce [4]; 7. 187-Noah Wachowiacz [3]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. E85-Justin Pearson [3]; 2. 16-Will Schumacher [2]; 3. 34-Steven Weber [6]; 4. 6B-Vince Bartolotta [4]; 5. 23-Scott Kafka [5]; 6. 22-Randy Dent [1]

NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 03W-Tim Warner [4]; 2. 62-Jeff Steenbergen [6]; 3. 70-Jonathon Baumann [2]; 4. 66-Steve Lorier [3]; 5. 17S-Shane Long [8]; 6. 3-Travis Schmidt [1]; 7. 29S-Tim Sheppard [9]; 8. 22M-Barry Maas [12]; 9. 66C-Colten Van Hierden [14]; 10. 17-Brandon Knepprath [13]; 11. 73-Rory Welch [11]; 12. 84-Mark Hoeppner [10]; 13. 19-Parker Glander [18]; 14. 12D-Chris Gilson [20]; 15. 59S-Spencer Long [15]; 16. 28-Rob Szemborski [19]; 17. 9L-Hunter Larson [5]; 18. 25-Jim Fischer [16]; 19. 12T-Tim Thrun [17]; 20. (DQ) 1K-Elijah Koenig [7]

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 9L-Hunter Larson [1]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [3]; 3. 66-Steve Lorier [6]; 4. 17-Brandon Knepprath [2]; 5. 59S-Spencer Long [4]; 6. 66C-Colten Van Hierden [7]; 7. 12T-Tim Thrun [5]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 03W-Tim Warner [1]; 2. 1K-Elijah Koenig [2]; 3. 29S-Tim Sheppard [3]; 4. 84-Mark Hoeppner [4]; 5. 22M-Barry Maas [6]; 6. 25-Jim Fischer [5]; 7. 12D-Chris Gilson [7]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 62-Jeff Steenbergen [3]; 2. 17S-Shane Long [1]; 3. 70-Jonathon Baumann [6]; 4. 73-Rory Welch [4]; 5. (DNF) 28-Rob Szemborski [2]; 6. (DNF) 19-Parker Glander [5]

Arenz racks up two top-five IRA showings at Sycamore, Angell Park

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions 

Travis Arenz picked up a pair of top-five finishes in Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car doubleheader competition at Sycamore Speedway in Maple Grove, Ill. on Saturday, June 10 and Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, June 11. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 14, 2023 – Following a tough weekend of competition against talent-laden national touring Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series fields, Travis Arenz and the Travis Arenz Motorsports team returned to Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series competition in impressive fashion by notching a pair of top-five showings during a doubleheader weekend of action at Sycamore Speedway in Maple Grove, Ill. on Saturday, June 10 and Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, June 11.

In his first visit to the Sycamore Speedway, Arenz quickly found the Illinois speed plant to his liking by ripping off the sixth fastest qualifying lap in the 28-car field with a lap of 13.141 seconds.

After starting third in the third eight-lap IRA heat race, the Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver placed fourth. Arenz then lined up on the pole of the second four-lap dash and raced to victory to secure the second starting spot in the 30-lap IRA main event.

Arenz jumped out to the lead along the extreme high line of the ultra-slick Sycamore Speedway racing surface on the opening lap of the 30-lap IRA A main. On lap 2, Jordan Goldesberry used the low lane to sweep past Arenz into the lead.

One lap later, Blake Nimee ducked low to relegate the 2021 and 2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion to third in the running order. After a pair of caution flags on lap 5 for a Scotty Neizel spin in turn two and lap 10 when Goldesberry made contact with a slower car and spun in turn four while leading.

With Goldesberry out of contention for the win, Arenz restarted second behind Nimee and retained the spot until the third caution of the race appeared for another spin involving Scotty Neitzel in turn two on lap 20. Following the final restart, Arenz stuck to the low line as rubber down conditions set in on the one-lane track surface and went on to earn his first IRA podium finish of the 2023 season and equal his career-best IRA A-main showing with a second place finish behind race winner Blake Nimee.

“I thought Sycamore was a really neat track,” Arenz said. “I enjoyed it a lot. It was huge to be able to qualify sixth quick. I finally had a good draw, which set us up with a decent track in qualifying.

“I was able to draw the pole starting position for the second dash, which was what I hoped for based on the condition of the track at this point,” he said. “So, being able to win the dash and start on the front row of the feature was huge. Overall, it was a great night of racing with a podium finish.”

On Sunday, June 11, Arenz qualified 10th in the 31-car field with a lap of 12.278 seconds around the third-mile Angell Park Speedway clay oval. After starting on the pole in the first IRA heat race, Arenz wound up second after rookie Brenham Crouch slipped past in the early going.

Arenz began the 30-lap IRA A main from the 11th starting position and gradually worked his way to the front. After a pair of cautions in the opening laps, Arenz restarted seventh on lap 11. Nine laps later, Arenz advanced into the top five and moved in to challenge Zach Hampton for fourth on lap 24.

Two more caution flags bunched the pack in the closing laps as Arenz held strong to record a fifth place showing to earn his fifth top-five A-main finish of the 2023 season in a race won by Bill Balog.

“Angell Park started with our old ways of drawing bad and qualifying towards the back of the field,” Arenz said. “We were able to transfer to the feature from the heat, but did not make the dash. Overall, the car was decent and we went forward for a top 5 in the main event.”

With the IRA off this weekend, the team’s racing plans are undetermined. For updates, check the Travis Arenz Motorsports Facebook and Twitter pages. 

All 2023 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events will be streamed live on FloRacing.

The 2023 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation, Inc, Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Pallet Works, DW Fence, Little Bears Tree Service LLC, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Myhre Construction LLC, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen Sales and Humphrey’s Turner Hall Bar & Grill, Carbliss Hand Crafted Cocktails, Amy Bruechert Reality, Cornwell Tools-Paul Epping, Advanced Engine Concepts, Inc., Duehring’s Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, HRP Wings and Behling Racing Equipment.

The 2023 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consists of pit crew members Greg Piedot, Jerrod Gamb, Emily Stadler, Cameron Fritz, Bobby Bonelli and Trevor Hittman (public relations).

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

Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – DW Fence

Travis Arenz Motorsports is pleased to have DW Fence on board as a sponsorship partner for the team’s rookie season of competition with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series.

Located at 140 East Rawson Ave. Suite 207 in Oak Creek, Wis., DW Fence in a fence and gate contractor, which installs residential and commercial fences, while striving to provide 100 percent customer satisfaction through free estimates, in-house financing and an eight-year labor warranty, including materials.

To contact DW Fence, call 262-880-2780, email dustin@dwfence.com or visit http://Dwfence.com/.

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

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

Travis Arenz Motorsports
Upcoming 2023 Schedule

Saturday, June 24 – Fairbury Speedway, Fairbury, Ill. (IRA)
Saturday, July 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)

Travis Arenz Motorsports
410 Sprint Car
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 13
IRA Events – 12
All Star Events – 3
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 5
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 7
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 8
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 9
Heat Race Victories – 2
B Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 2
Dash Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Travis Arenz Motorsports
360 Sprint Car
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total MSA-PDTR Events – 1
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Heat Race Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Hartmann earns IRA Sycamore top 10, looks forward to Beaver Dam Outlaws weekend  

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Austin Hartmann recorded a ninth place showing in a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association main event at Sycamore Speedway in Maple, Grove Ill. on Saturday, June 10. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 14, 2023 – Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing punched in another smooth, consistent and workmanlike effort during a doubleheader weekend of Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series action highlighted by a ninth place showing at Sycamore Speedway in Maple Grove, Ill. on Saturday, June 10 and a 12th place finish at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, June 11.

With 28 IRA 410 Sprint Cars on hand, Hartmann opened the program at Sycamore Speedway by qualifying 13th with a lap of 13.479 seconds. In the first IRA eight-lap heat race, Hartmann started fifth and finished third to earn a berth in the 30-lap main event.

After rolling off 11th in the IRA headline event, the 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Rookie of Year Award winner endured three caution flags and exercised patience on a one-lane rubber-down racing surface to notch his third top-10 A-main finish of the 2023 season with a solid ninth place showing in a race won by Blake Nimee.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team then traveled to Angell Park Speedway on Sunday, June 11 for the IRA’s second 2023 appearance at the venerable third-mile clay oval facility.

Hartmann started the night by qualifying 12th in the 31-car field with a lap of 12.362 seconds. He followed that up with a third place showing after starting on the pole in the third 10-lap IRA heat race.

After starting the 30-lap main event 12th, Hartmann dropped back to 16th in the early going before settling down and gradually working his way back up through the pack. Following four caution flag periods, including two for single-car flips in turn three, Hartmann advanced to 12th on lap 23.

Hartmann held on over the final seven laps to secure his sixth top-15 main event finish of the 2023 campaign in a race won by Bill Balog.

With the Bumper to Bumper IRA 410 Sprint Car Series sitting idle, Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team will take on the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws 410 Sprint Car Series for a doubleheader weekend of competition at the 13th annual Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17.

Hartmann made his first career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-main start during the Saturday portion of the Outlaws doubleheader weekend in 2022.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m. with grandstand gates opening at 4 p.m., followed by hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. on both nights.

The Wisconsin Legend Dirt Racing Series and Minnesota 600cc Winged Micro Sprints will be in action both nights.

“I thought our efforts this weekend as a team were big,” Hartmann said. “Eric [Bergschultz] busted his butt and we had a fast car both nights.”

With the Bumper to Bumper IRA 410 Sprint Car Series sitting idle, Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team will take on the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws 410 Sprint Car Series for a doubleheader weekend of competition at the 13th annual Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17.

Hartmann made his first career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-main start during the Saturday portion of the Outlaws doubleheader weekend in 2022.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m. with grandstand gates opening at 4 p.m., followed by hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. on both nights.

The Wisconsin Legend Dirt Racing Series and Minnesota 600cc Winged Micro Sprints will be in action both nights.

“We’re very excited for this weekend with the Outlaws,” Hartmann said. “Our goal is to make the show both nights.”

The 87A Hartmann Racing team recently debuted a new website, which can be accessed at https://www.team87a.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 sponsorship partners for the 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team include Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Competition Specialists, Schmidt’s Landscaping, Feldmann Sales & Service, Holler n Hills, Steinpreis Trucking, KSI Supply Inc., Quasius Construction, SwitchGear Brewing LLC, TheD8Dispensary, AF Inc., Hopf Farms, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Berryman Racing Shocks and Maxim Chassis.

The 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Eric Bergschultz, Parker Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseKSI Supply

The Austin Hartmann – 87A Hartmann Racing team is thrilled to have KSI Supply on board as a partnership partner for the 2023 season.

KSI Supply is the Midwest’s leading feed storage supplier and the largest distributor in North America for Klerk’s Agricultural Plastic. Headquartered in Plymouth, Wis. at N6111 County OJ in Plymouth with dealers located across the United States and Canada. KSI Supply is a family-owned business dedicated to providing for farmers’ feed preservation and storage needs for over 25 years.

KSI Supply offers some of the widest and longest bunker covers available, along with high performance silage bags, grain bags, bale wrap, net wrap, baler twine, and more.

To contact KSI Supply, call 920-449-5361, email office@ksi-team.com or visit http://ksisupply.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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Friday, June 16 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (World of Outlaws)
Saturday, June 17 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (World of Outlaws)
Friday, June 23 – Jacksonville Speedway, Jacksonville, Ill. (Weekly)
Friday, June 24 – Fairbury Speedway (IRA)

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 14
IRA Events – 10
World of Outlaws Events – 0
All Star Events – 4
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 6
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 8
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 2
Dash Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Alex Pokorski posts seventh top-10 showing of 2023 MSA campaign  

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Alex Pokorski collected a seventh-place showing in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 10. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 13, 2023 – Alex Pokorski steered the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team 360 Sprint Car to his seventh top-10 A-main showing in eight attempts with a seventh place finish in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 10.

With 19 MSA 360 Sprint Cars on hand, Pokorski started off strong by turning in the second fastest overall qualifying lap and top lap time in his heat race group by touring the third-mile clay oval in 12.467 seconds.

The fourth-year competitor lined up fourth in the first 10-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car heat race and passed rookie Logan Julien along the high groove on the opening lap to settle into third. Pokorski maintained the position the rest of the way to post a third place finish.

The West Bend, Wis. driver then rolled off fifth in the 25-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car main event before falling back to seventh on lap 3. Three laps later, Brandon McMullen moved Pokorski back to eighth.

The recent first-time MSA A-main winner at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. regrouped to pass 360 Sprint Car rookies T.J. Smith and Tristan Koening to assume sixth on lap 13. In the closing laps, Ben Schmidt used the outside groove to push Pokorski back to seventh when the checkered flag fell in a race won by Tony Wondra.

“We were fast in qualifying,” Pokorski said. “We just need to get one more spot better one of these times. I think we have been second in qualifying two or three times now. The heat race went well and got us into the feature invert. I started fifth, so it was a bit disappointing to go back two spots in the main event. I felt the car was pretty good. I just needed to figure out the best lines sooner. Overall, it was a solid night.”

The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, June 17 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., which will feature the Badger Midgets, along with the Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with Late Model and 360 Sprint Car qualifying set at 5:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2023 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Countryside Designs, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Homestead Auto, Cedar Valley Hunt Club, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Mulch Express of Wisconsin

The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team is excited to welcome Mulch Express of Wisconsin as a brand new sponsorship partner for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Based in Newton, Wis., Mulch Express of Wisconsin was founded in 2000 out of a desire to help control the cost and efficiency of installing mulch, bark, soil and playground chips. Over the course of the past 23 years, the specialty landscaping company has found its niche as the to-go mulching provider for municipalities, school districts, commercial businesses and residences throughout Northeastern Wisconsin. In addition, Mulch Express of Wisconsin has proudly served one of the top motorsports facilities in the world as the official mulch provider of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. over the past two seasons.

As a former Wisconsin-based 360 Sprint Car competitor, Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team for the remainder of the 2023 Sprint Car campaign.

“We have a strong connection to Sprint Car racing after several years of competing in the 360 Sprint Car division with the number Gr8 car,” Wetenkamp said. “We feel Alex Pokorski is a good, up-and-coming 360 Sprint Car driver and a great individual to represent our Wisconsin-based specialty landscaping company.”

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-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto

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

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

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

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

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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

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

Saturday, June 24 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 8
A Main Victories – 1
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 4
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 7
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 8
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Award – 0

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
2023 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 – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

McGrath outduels Casey to capture Plymouth Super Six Late Model Series thriller

Wondra captures PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event triumph in 31st season

Former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champion Mitch McGrath of Waukesha earned his 14th career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A-main victory in the 25-lap Super Six Late Model Series main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 10. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 10, 2023 – With a light mist falling on the multi-groove racing surface, 2014 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champion Mitch McGrath of Waukesha emerged from a heated duel with Terry Casey of New London to notch his first main event triumph of the 2023 season in the rain-shortened 25-lap 106.5 The Buzz Super Six Late Model Series A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 10.

In the non-stop 25-lap Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association main event, 31-year racing veteran Tony Wondra of Campbellsport collected his first A-main victory of the 2023 campaign in flag-to-flag fashion.

The Grand National and B Mod A-main events were cancelled due to rain.

After a spin by Bill Edler of Howards Grove drew a caution flag on the initial start, Terry Casey jumped into the lead on the opening lap of the scheduled 30-lap Super Six Late Model Series headliner with third starter Justin Ritchie of New London moving into second along the inside groove.

On lap three the second caution of the event appeared when five-time defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland slowed along the back stretch.

Utilizing the outside lane Mitch McGrath, who started second, moved around Ritchie in turn four on lap 3 to take over second. Five laps later, four-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake ducked low to work past Ritchie into third, while sixth starter Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha assumed fourth one lap later.

As the high riding Casey approached the rear of the field, McGrath cut the gap along the inside line of the third-mile clay oval. With Casey mired in dense lapped traffic, McGrath used the low groove to pull even for the lead on lap 18.

The two highly successful veteran drivers mounted an intense battle over the next six laps, exchanging lanes multiple times in the closing laps. On lap 23, McGrath used a big run along the back stretch to move ahead of Casey in turn three.

However, Casey battled back to attempt a slide job in turns one and two, which saw him push high on the increasing wet track surface. As Casey moved up the track in turn two, McGrath ducked low to regain the top spot entering the back stretch.

McGrath held the top spot over the next two circuits until the third yellow flag was displayed on lap 26 when Andy Jones of Princeton, Minn. spun on the back stretch.

With the light rain shower making the racing surface too wet to resume the race, the yellow and checkered flags were displayed simultaneously to give McGrath his 14th career PDTR Late Model A-main victory worth $1,500, as he became the third different driver to claim a 2023 Super Six Late Model Series A-main victory in as many races.

Casey had to settle for second, Mueller placed third, Scheffler wound up fourth and seventh starter Jayme Zidar of Hales Corners finished fifth.

With the only Ford engine in the field, Tony Wondra outpowered polesitter Tristan Koenings of Van Dyne to grab the lead on the drop of the green flag in the 25-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car main event as fourth starter Brandon Berth of Cascade moved into second and outside third row starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend used a strong start to catapult into third along the cushion.

Tony Wondra of Campbellsport notched his third career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A-main victory in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 10. – RC Custom Design photo

On lap 10, Wondra began to work his way through thick lapped traffic, which allowed Berth to cut into the lead. Nine laps later, Berth used the inside groove to briefly go side-by-side with the cushion-riding Wondra.

However, Wondra quickly pulled away to regain a solid lead, while Karnitz charged in to wrestle second place away from Berth with a well-executed slide job in turn four on lap 23 with two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, who started 10th, taking over third on lap 24.

Wondra, who began his racing career in the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified division at The Plymouth Dirt Track in 1993, went on to notch his third career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, eighth overall Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph and his first MSA A-main win since Sept. 18, 2021 at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton, Wis.

Karnitz placed second, McMullen finished third, Berth was fourth and 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who start seventh, rounded out the top five.

Turk Letizia of Milwaukee won the 12-lap Late Model B main.

Brad Mueller earned Late Model fast qualifier honors with a lap of 13.202 seconds around the third mile semi-banked clay oval.

Ben Schmidt was the top qualifier in the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car division with a lap of 12.336 seconds.

The fifth event of the 2023 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Pit Stop Pizza, drew a total of 82 cars, including 24 Late Models, 22 Grand Nationals, 19 360 Sprint Cars and 17 B Mods.

The next race program at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 17 will feature the second 2023 appearance from the Badger Midgets, along with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car and Badger Midgets qualifying set at 5:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

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 SUPER SIX LATE MODEL SERIES

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 74-Mitch McGrath [2]; 2. 42-Terry Casey [1]; 3. 89-Brad Mueller [5]; 4. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [6]; 5. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [7]; 6. 70-Justin Ritchie [3]; 7. 22-Charlie Schmidt [12]; 8. 8R-Billy Rezutek [9]; 9. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [19]; 10. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [16]; 11. 173-Andy Jones [8]; 12. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [10]; 13. 24-Turk Letizia [17]; 14. 77-Bill Edler [11]; 15. 42N-Paul Niznik [18]; 16. 19J-Justin Green [14]; 17. 99-Sawyer Specht [15]; 18. 99M-Mike Mullen [4]; 19. 97-Justin Schmidt [13]; 20. 57M-Eric Michaels [20]

B Main (12 Laps): 1. 24-Turk Letizia [1]; 2. 42N-Paul Niznik [4]; 3. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [3]; 4. 57M-Eric Michaels [2]; 5. 54-Kevin Baldry [7]; 6. 5X-Chad Ludwigson [6]; 7. 44-Wayne Freimund [5]; 8. (DNS) 3-Brett Swedberg

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 74-Mitch McGrath [1]; 2. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [2]; 3. 77-Bill Edler [3]; 4. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [6]; 5. 99-Sawyer Specht [4]; 6. 19J-Justin Green [7]; 7. 44-Wayne Freimund [5]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 70-Justin Ritchie [1]; 2. 99M-Mike Mullen [3]; 3. 173-Andy Jones [4]; 4. 8R-Billy Rezutek [6]; 5. 24-Turk Letizia [2]; 6. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [5]; 7. (DNF) 5X-Chad Ludwigson [7]; 8. (DNS) 3-Brett Swedberg

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 42-Terry Casey [2]; 2. 89-Brad Mueller [3]; 3. 22-Charlie Schmidt [1]; 4. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [8]; 5. 97-Justin Schmidt [5]; 6. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [4]; 7. 42N-Paul Niznik [6]; 8. 57M-Eric Michaels [9]; 9. (DNF) 54-Kevin Baldry [7]

Qualifying 1: 1. 77-Bill Edler, 14.182 [6]; 2. 9Z-Jayme Zidar, 14.207 [5]; 3. 74-Mitch McGrath, 14.332 [1]; 4. 99-Sawyer Specht, 14.344 [3]; 5. 44-Wayne Freimund, 15.264 [8]; 6. 55B-Joe Bongiorno, 15.383 [4]; 7. 70-Justin Ritchie, 36.986; 8. 54-Kevin Baldry, 37.404; 9. 3-Brett Swedberg, 37.404 [2]; 10. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 37.404 [7]

Qualifying 2: 1. 99M-Mike Mullen, 13.633 [5]; 2. 24-Turk Letizia, 13.662 [4]; 3. 70-Justin Ritchie, 13.761 [1]; 4. 173-Andy Jones, 13.860 [8]; 5. 24S-Jayden Schmidt, 14.071 [7]; 6. 8R-Billy Rezutek, 14.435 [3]; 7. 19J-Justin Green, 14.504 [6]; 8. 54-Kevin Baldry, 14.509 [2]

Qualifying 3: 1. 89-Brad Mueller, 13.202 [5]; 2. 42-Terry Casey, 13.498 [7]; 3. 22-Charlie Schmidt, 13.559 [2]; 4. 9N-Tom Naeyaert, 13.781 [4]; 5. 97-Justin Schmidt, 13.858 [6]; 6. 42N-Paul Niznik, 13.930 [8]; 7. 5X-Chad Ludwigson, 14.095 [3]; 8. 57M-Eric Michaels, 14.821 [1]

AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 11-Tony Wondra [2]; 2. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [6]; 3. 98-Brandon McMullen [10]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth [4]; 5. 35-Ben Schmidt [7]; 6. 7-Lance Fassbender [8]; 7. 4-Alex Pokorski [5]; 8. 85J-Logan Julien [12]; 9. 69S-TJ Smith [3]; 10. 66T-Tristan Koenings [1]; 11. 53-Shane Wenninger [13]; 12. 51-Chris Larson [14]; 13. 16-Anthony Knierim [9]; 14. 30-Doug Wondra [18]; 15. 69-Bill Taylor [15]; 16. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [11]; 17. 44-Hayden Johnson [19]; 18. 53A-Spyder Akright [16]; 19. 54-Randy Post [17]

Heat 1: 1. 16-Anthony Knierim [3]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth [4]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski [1]; 4. 85J-Logan Julien [2]; 5. 44-Hayden Johnson [7]; 6. 53A-Spyder Akright [5]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra [6]

Heat 2: 1. 7-Lance Fassbender [3]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [1]; 3. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [4]; 4. 69S-TJ Smith [5]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor [2]; 6. 53-Shane Wenninger [6]

Heat 3: 1. 98-Brandon McMullen [2]; 2. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [1]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra [3]; 4. 51-Chris Larson [4]; 5. 66T-Tristan Koenings [6]; 6. 54-Randy Post [5]

Qualifying 1 (10 Laps): 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 12.467 [6]; 2. 85J-Logan Julien, 12.498 [5]; 3. 16-Anthony Knierim, 12.579 [1]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth, 12.590 [2]; 5. 44-Hayden Johnson, 12.689 [7]; 6. 53A-Spyder Akright, 13.027 [4]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.195 [3]

Qualifying 2 (10 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.336 [5]; 2. 69-Bill Taylor, 12.561 [1]; 3. 7-Lance Fassbender, 12.566 [3]; 4. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.590 [6]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith, 12.816 [4]; 6. 53-Shane Wenninger, 12.944 [2]

Qualifying 3 (10 Laps): 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 12.623 [6]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen, 12.709 [3]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra, 12.808 [2]; 4. 51-Chris Larson, 13.005 [4]; 5. 54-Randy Post, 13.281 [5]; 6. 66T-Tristan Koenings, 13.443 [1]

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS

A Main (25 Laps): Rained Out

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 14X-Will Sorce [3]; 2. 13-Joshua Pierce [7]; 3. 5C-Collin Skindzeleski [1]; 4. 6-Dick Hed [2]; 5. 47-Nick Schumacher [5]; 6. 67-Jeff Storm [4]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 89-Matt Loehr [1]; 2. 80-Luke Scholten [3]; 3. 34-Steven Weber [2]; 4. 95-Donny Kulow [4]; 5. 19S-Aaron Stolp; 6. 55-Don Singer [6]; 7. 6B-Vince Bartolotta [5]; 8. 55X-Dylan Sveom [7]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 24K-Tyler Kulow [2]; 2. 72E-Chad Espen [4]; 3. 54-Matt Yancey [3]; 4. 53W-Dustin Weiss [5]; 5. 23-Matt Loehr [1]; 6. 41-Mark Haskins [6]; 7. 22-Randy Dent [7]

NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS

A Main (25 Laps): Rained Out

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 22M-Barry Maas [2]; 2. 03W-Tim Warner [5]; 3. 66-Steve Lorier [3]; 4. 59S-Spencer Long [4]; 5. 17-Brandon Knepprath [1]; 6. 54-Michael Strean [6]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 3-Travis Schmidt [3]; 2. 9L-Hunter Larson [5]; 3. 84-Mark Hoeppner [4]; 4. 19-Parker Glander [6]; 5. 25-Jim Fischer [2]; 6. (DNF) 29S-Tim Sheppard [1]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 17S-Shane Long [1]; 2. 73-Rory Welch [3]; 3. 70-Jonathon Baumann [4]; 4. 89R-Kolton Roehl [5]; 5. (DNF) 28-Rob Szemborski [2]

Hartmann faces nation’s best during All Stars weekend, eyes IRA Sycamore-Angell Park twinbill

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team competed in a pair of Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association co-sanctioned events at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2 and The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 3. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 7, 2023 – Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing faced off against many of the top 410 Winged Sprint Car drivers and teams in the country and came away with a full book of notes to implement down the road, during a lucrative Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car doubleheader weekend of action at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2 and The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 3.

With 33 All Star-IRA Sprint Car competitors checked in at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway on Friday, June 2 for the inaugural Gib Wiser Classic to kick off the All Star-IRA weekend double dip, Hartmann began the night by qualifying 28th with a lap of 17.979 seconds around the “horsepower half mile.”

The Plymouth, Wis. driver lined up eighth and finished eighth in the third eight-lap All Star-IRA heat race. In the 12-lap All Star-IRA B main, Hartmann started eighth and came home eighth to miss out on transferring to the 25-lap A main.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team then returned to its home track – The Plymouth Dirt Track for the second time in 2023 for the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation event on Saturday, June 3.

The fourth-year Sprint Car competitor qualified 24th in the 41-car field with a lap of 12.195 seconds around the semi-banked third-mile clay oval.

Hartmann started sixth in the second All Star-IRA heat race and fell to seventh on lap two when Jack Vanderboom slipped past. The second-year IRA 410 Sprint Car racer wound up seventh in the race to move on to the B main.

Hartmann started 11th in the 12-lap All Star-IRA B main needing to advance to fourth or better to move on to the Rayce Rudeen Foundation main event. The 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Award winner used a strong start to move up to ninth on lap 2 before a spin involving Dave Uttech and Sye Lynch allowed Hartmann to restart the race in the seventh spot.

Hartmann moved up to sixth in the running order on lap 3 and maintained the spot over the final nine laps to finish six.

A special provisional starting position in the 35-lap Rayce Rudeen A main was granted to Hartmann, which allowed him to roll off 25th in the prestigious race.

Hartmann ran the first several laps of the main event before falling a lap down to the leaders and pulling into the infield with a 25th place finish.

“We struggled a lot last weekend, but this team will keep digging and working towards better finishes,” Hartmann said.

Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team will return to action with another doubleheader weekend of Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car action kicking off with the team’s first visit to Sycamore Speedway in Maple Grove, Ill. on Saturday, June 10 with IRA Lightning Sprints and Badger Midgets also on the card.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m., spectator gates are set to open at 6 p.m. with hot laps and qualifying at 6:30 p.m. and opening ceremonies slated for 7:30 p.m.

The team will wrap up the weekend with the IRA’s second appearance of the 2023 season at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. for the Norm Nelson Classic also featuring the Badger Midgets on Sunday, June 11.

Pit gates open at 1:30 p.m., followed by spectator gates at 4 p.m. with hot laps and qualifying at 5 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 6 p.m.

The 87A Hartmann Racing team recently debuted a new website, which can be accessed at https://www.team87a.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 sponsorship partners for the 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team include Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Competition Specialists, Schmidt’s Landscaping, Feldmann Sales & Service, Holler n Hills, Steinpreis Trucking, KSI Supply Inc., Quasius Construction, SwitchGear Brewing LLC, TheD8Dispensary, AF Inc., Hopf Farms, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Berryman Racing Shocks and Maxim Chassis.

The 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Eric Bergschultz, Parker Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseSteinpreis Trucking

The Austin Hartmann – 87A Hartmann Racing team is pleased to welcome Steinpreis Trucking, located at N8445 Dairyland Drive in Sheboygan, Wis., as a sponsorship partner for the 2023 season.

To contact Steinpreis Trucking, call 920-627-2052.

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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, June 10 – Sycamore Speedway, Maple Park, Ill. (IRA)
Saturday, June 11 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis. (IRA)
Friday, June 16 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (World of Outlaws)
Saturday, June 17 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (World of Outlaws)

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 12
IRA Events – 10
World of Outlaws Events – 0
All Star Events – 4
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 4
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 6
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 2
Dash Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Arenz turns valuable A-main laps in All Star-IRA doubleheader test against nation’s best  

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Travis Arenz turned in a 20th place finish in the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Rayce Rudeen Foundation 410 Sprint Car event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 3. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 6, 2023 – Competing as rookie with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car has brought a whole new set of nightly challenges for two-time Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car champion Travis Arenz and the members of the Travis Arenz Motorsports during the 2023 season.

Nine races into his first full-time season of 410 Sprint Car competition, Arenz faced his toughest competition yet as the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions brought its national touring 410 Sprint Car Series to the area for a lucrative doubleheader weekend of action kicking off with the inaugural $8,000-to-win Gib Wiser Classic the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2 in conjunction with the IRA Sprints and concluding on Saturday, June 3 with the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

Arenz qualified 24th in the 33-car field with a lap of 17.800 seconds at the Dodge County Fairgrounds “horsepower half mile” on Friday, June 2.

The Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver lined up seventh in the fourth eight-lap All Star-IRA heat race and moved past All Stars regular Conner Morrell to take sixth on lap 2, which is where he finished the race, one spot out of an A-main transfer spot.

Arenz started fourth in the 12-lap All Star-IRA B main needing to finish fourth or better to transfer in the 24-car A main field. Fighting an ill-handling race car, Arenz slipped back to fifth as former IRA champion Scotty Neitzel worked past in the early going of the race.

In the latter stages of the race, Arenz moved to within striking distance of the fourth place car of Jack Vanderboom. However, he was unable to pull off the pass and finished one spot out of an A-main transfer position with a fifth place showing.

Arenz returned the familiar surroundings of the Travis Arenz Motorsports team’s home track for the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation All Star-IRA event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 3.

Arenz qualified 32nd in the 41-car field with a lap of 12.552 seconds around the third-mile clay oval. He then rolled off sixth and finished seventh in the eight-lap fifth heat race.

After starting ninth in the 12-lap B main, Arenz worked his way up to fifth to fall just one spot short of an automatic A main berth. However, Arenz was added to the A main field when Hunter Custer was forced to scratch from the event.

In the 35-lap Rayce Rudeen Foundation main event, Arenz started 24th and maneuvered his way up to finish 20th among one of the deepest and most talented Winged 410 Sprint Car A main fields ever assembled at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

“With knowing who was going to compete in this weekend’s All-Star shows, my goals were to qualify good and make the show,” Arenz said. “The car did not feel good at Dodge. I couldn’t keep the front end on the ground and it would get tight in the middle of the corner. I was fighting the car all night.

“We regrouped for Saturday at Plymouth and started fresh,” he said. “I still didn’t qualify where I would like to be to set us up for a heat race position to get in a dash. I was also unable to transfer to the A main through the B main, but there was a scratch that put us in the show. We scrambled to get the set up changed and rolled out 24th and finished 20th.”

The Travis Arenz Motorsports Team will return to action with another doubleheader weekend of Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car action kicking off the team’s first visit to Sycamore Speedway in Maple Grove, Ill. on Saturday, June 10 with IRA Lightning Sprints and Badger Midgets also on the card.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m., spectator gates are set to open at 6 p.m. with hot laps and qualifying at 6:30 p.m. and opening ceremonies slated for 7:30 p.m.

The team will wrap up the weekend with the IRA’s second appearance of the 2023 season at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. for the Norm Nelson Classic also featuring the Badger Midgets on Sunday, June 11.

Pit gates open at 1:30 p.m., followed by spectator gates at 4 p.m. with hot laps and qualifying at 5 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 6 p.m.

All 2023 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events will be streamed live on FloRacing.

The 2023 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation, Inc, Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Pallet Works, DW Fence, Little Bears Tree Service LLC, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Myhre Construction LLC, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen Sales and Humphrey’s Turner Hall Bar & Grill, Carbliss Hand Crafted Cocktails, Amy Bruechert Reality, Cornwell Tools-Paul Epping, Advanced Engine Concepts, Inc., Duehring’s Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, HRP Wings and Behling Racing Equipment.

The 2023 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consists of pit crew members Greg Piedot, Jerrod Gamb, Emily Stadler, Cameron Fritz, Bobby Bonelli and Trevor Hittman (public relations).

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

Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – PalletWorks LLC

Travis Arenz Motorsports is pleased to have PalletWorks LLC on board as a sponsorship partner for the team’s rookie season of competition with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series.

Located at N5826 County Road M in Plymouth, Wis., PalletWorks LLC is a wood container and pallet manufacturing company, specializing in packing and crating materials.

To contact PalletWorks LLC, call 920-467-2600.

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

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

Travis Arenz Motorsports
Upcoming 2023 Schedule

Saturday, June 10 – Sycamore Speedway, Maple Park, Ill. (IRA)
Saturday, June 11 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis. (IRA)
Saturday, June 24 – Fairbury Speedway, Fairbury, Ill. (IRA)

Travis Arenz Motorsports
410 Sprint Car
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 11
IRA Events – 10
All Star Events – 3
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 3
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 5
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 6
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 7
Heat Race Victories – 2
B Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Travis Arenz Motorsports
360 Sprint Car
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total MSA-PDTR Events – 1
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Heat Race Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Alex Pokorski joins MSA A-main winners club during successful tripleheader weekend  

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions  

Alex Pokorski and the members of the Akright Auto Racing Team celebrate Pokorski’s first career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main victory at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2. – RC Custom Design photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 6, 2023 – Nearly three years after making his debut behind the wheel of a 360 Sprint Car, Alex Pokorski etched his name into the record books as a Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series A-main winner at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2 to kick off a highly successful MSA tripleheader weekend of competition for his No. 4 Spyder Akright-owned Akright Auto Racing Team.

With 21 MSA 360 Sprint Cars signed in, Pokorski qualified 14th overall and sixth in his group with a lap of 20.435 seconds around the huge half-mile Dodge County Fairgrounds clay oval.

After starting sixth in the first eight-lap MSA heat race, the West Bend, Wis. driver slipped past Bill Taylor to take over fifth. On lap 3, Pokorski powered around Justin Erickson to take over the fourth spot along the backstretch, which is where he finished the race.

The fourth-year 360 Sprint Car driver, who is now in his second full season of competition for the Akright Auto Racing Team, bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag of the 20-lap MSA main event from the pole with rookie Logan Julien, who started second, in tow.

By lap 4, Pokorski, who began his 360 Sprint Car racing career at The Plymouth Dirt Track on June 13, 2020, had built up a full straightaway cushion before reaching lapped traffic on lap 6. Four-time MSA champion Brandon McMullen, who started third, moved into second lap 9 and began to reel in Pokorski.

Alex Pokorski acknowledges the crowd after winning his first career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2. – RC Custom Design photo

However, Pokorski hit his stride over the second half of the race to extend his lead to a half lap over McMullen. Pokorski, who was making only his second official career start at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway, cruised over the final few laps to secure his first career MSA 360 Sprint Car Series A main victory.

Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team returned to action on Saturday, June 3 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. as the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – MSA 360 Sprint Cars ran in support of the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series Rayce Rudeen Foundation event.

In addition, Paul Pokorski made his second start of the 2023 season in the seat of Spyder Akright’s 53A car.

Alex opened the night by qualifying fifth overall in the 25-car field with a lap of 13.020 seconds. Paul qualified 21st overall with a lap of 13.689 seconds.

After starting fourth in eight-lap PDTR-MSA heat race one, Alex moved past Bill Taylor at the start to take third. On lap 2, Chris Clayton briefly took third place away from Alex in turn three. However, Alex battled back to regain third with a low move in turn four, which is where he finished the race.

Alex Pokorski collected his first career Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series A-main victory at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2. – RC Custom Design photo

Paul started seventh in the third eight-lap PDTR-MSA heat race and took sixth by passing 360 Sprint Car rookie T.J. Smith on lap one. The 31-year veteran moved in to pressure rookie Logan Julien for fifth before settling for a sixth place finish.

After starting seventh in the 25-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A main, Shane Wenninger slipped past to drop Alex to eighth on lap 2. Alex then used the preferred inside groove to pass Ben Schmidt on lap 3 before working his way past Robbie Pribnow for sixth on lap 14.

Nine laps later, the red flag appeared when race leader Justin Erickson flipped after making contact with a lapped car. Alex restarted fifth and held the position through another late caution flag on lap 24 to secure a fifth place finish in a race won by Brandon McMullen.

Paul started 14th and patiently worked his way up through the field along the low line. On lap 22, Paul moved around Nick Daywalt to assume 11th. After Justin Erickson’s flip and ensuing contact, which dropped Ben Schmidt out of the race, Paul restarted ninth on lap 23 and held on the rest of the way to earn a ninth place showing and his first top-10 finish of the 2023 season.

“Every night I drive the 53A car, my attitude is a bit different than when I was racing full-time,” Pokorski said. “The focus is having fun. Wrecking is no fun. So, I’m being careful not to drive too hard or make poor decisions. That being said, I was a bit frustrated with my qualifying and heat race efforts. I felt better in the feature.

“Patient was the approach in the feature,” he said. “I tried to stay down in the groove, which was right around the bottom, and wait for opportunities. Anyone that was trying to run the middle to the top seemed to be losing spots. I made that mistake the week before. In the end, we moved forward and overall, I was pretty happy with the result.”

The following night, Alex and the team headed to Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. for the team’s first of two scheduled 2023 MSA 360 Sprint Car Series appearances at the historic circle-shaped track.

After qualifying eighth overall in the 20-car MSA field, Alex started on the outside of the front row in the first 10-lap MSA heat race. Pokorski got the jump on polesitter Doug Wondra of Oakfield to lead the opening lap. The 24-year-old driver then proceeded to build up a sizeable advantage on the way to his second heat race victory of the 2023 season.

Pokorski rolled off fifth in the 25-lap MSA 360 Sprint Car A main and struggled to find a comfortable line and grip on the tricky Angell Park Speedway racing surface before registering a 10th place finish in a race won by Ben Schmidt to cap off the rare MSA tripleheader weekend.

“At Dodge County, it took a few laps for me to get the feel of the car there,” Alex Pokorski said. “By the time the heat race started, I had figured it out fairly well and was able to race well.

“The plan going into the feature was to give myself a chance to win and stay in contention towards the end of the race,” he said. “That’s usually the goal when you start up toward the front. I ended up leading the whole way, so it worked out pretty well. It felt great to finally get a feature win and get that monkey off my back. It was a great start to the weekend, which we followed with fifth and 10th place finishes at Plymouth and Sun Prairie, respectively. I think I could’ve done better at Sun Prairie, but overall, it was a really good weekend.”

The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, June 10 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., which will feature the third race in the 2023 PDTR Super Six Late Model Series, along with the Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with Late Model and 360 Sprint Car qualifying set at 5:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2023 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Countryside Designs, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Homestead Auto, Cedar Valley Hunt Club, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase Mulch Express of Wisconsin

The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team is excited to welcome Mulch Express of Wisconsin as a brand new sponsorship partner for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Based in Newton, Wis., Mulch Express of Wisconsin was founded in 2000 out of a desire to help control the cost and efficiency of installing mulch, bark, soil and playground chips. Over the course of the past 23 years, the specialty landscaping company has found its niche as the to-go mulching provider for municipalities, school districts, commercial businesses and residences throughout Northeastern Wisconsin. In addition, Mulch Express of Wisconsin has proudly served one of the top motorsports facilities in the world as the official mulch provider of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. over the past two seasons.

As a former Wisconsin-based 360 Sprint Car competitor, Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team for the remainder of the 2023 Sprint Car campaign.

“We have a strong connection to Sprint Car racing after several years of competing in the 360 Sprint Car division with the number Gr8 car,” Wetenkamp said. “We feel Alex Pokorski is a good, up-and-coming 360 Sprint Car driver and a great individual to represent our Wisconsin-based specialty landscaping company.”

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-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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, June 10 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 17 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 24 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 7
A Main Victories – 1
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 4
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 6
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 7
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Award – 0

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
2023 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 – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Schmidt seals first career Angell Park victory in MSA headliner

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Former Midwest Sprint Car Association champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth claimed his 34th career Akright Auto MSA main event victory in the 25-lap A main at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, June 4. – MSA Sprints photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 4, 2023 – As one of the most accomplished drivers in the history of the Midwest Sprint Car Association, 2011 MSA and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth headed into the first of two scheduled 2023 Akright Auto MSA 360 Sprint Car Series appearances at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. with something to prove.

Of Schmidt’s 33 previous MSA 360 Sprint A-main victories and three IRA 410 Sprint Car main event triumphs, none of them had come during his many appearances at Angell Park Speedway.

However, that changed when the checkered flag fell on Schmidt’s flag-to-flag 25-lap MSA A-main victory, during an all-open wheel racing program at the venerable 87-year-old third-mile clay oval on Sunday, June 4.

The 24th-year driver outpowered four-time MSA champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh to take the lead on the drop of the green flag from the pole position. By lap 6, Schmidt caught the back of the field and began the process of skillfully weaving his way through lapped traffic.

McMullen was unable to make up much ground on Schmidt until the final five laps when Schmidt found himself bottled up behind a gaggle of slower cars, which were dueling for position in side-by-side fashion.

McMullen closed the gap to within five cars lengths in a sea of lapped traffic on the final circuit, but Schmidt was too strong as he held on to record his 34th career MSA A-main victory, second MSA main event win of the 2023 season and first career A-main triumph at Angell Park Speedway in the caution-free race.

“I’ve been coming here for years in both a 410 and 360 Sprint Car but had never been able to get to victory lane before,” Schmidt said in victory lane. “This is definitely a bucket list track for me to get a win at. I finally got one at ‘The Prairie.’ This is so awesome.”

McMullen placed second, third starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend finished third, Brandon Berth of Cascade placed fourth after starting seventh and Boltonville’s Bill Taylor charged up from 10th at the start to finish five.

Brandon Berth set a new Angell Park Speedway 360 Sprint Car qualifying record with a fast lap of 13.665 seconds.

Heat race victories went to 2008 MSA champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett and West Bend’s Alex Pokorski.

The sixth MSA event of the 2023 season drew a field of 20 MSA 360 Sprint cars.

The next race for the MSA 360 Sprint Cars is this Saturday, June 10 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., which will also include the third race of the 2023 PDTR Super Six Late Model Series, along with the PDTR Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with Late Model and 360 Sprint Car qualifying set at 5:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

For more information on the 2023 Midwest Sprint Car Association season, visit www.msasprints.com or check out the Midwest Sprint Car Association Facebook page.

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

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

 

Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association
Angell Park Speedway
Sun Prairie, Wis.
June 4, 2023

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [1]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen [2]; 3. 63-Kevin Karnitz [3]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth [7]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor [10]; 6. 7-Lance Fassbender [6]; 7. 11-Tony Wondra [4]; 8. 69S-TJ Smith [9]; 9. 85J-Logan Julien [16]; 10. 4-Alex Pokorski [5]; 11. 21H-Tim Haddy [11]; 12. 66-Tristan Koenings [13]; 13. 1-Tommy Colburn [15]; 14. 12P-JJ Pagel [12]; 15. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [8]; 16. 51-Chris Larson [17]; 17. 44-Hayden Johnson [18]; 18. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [14]; 19. 30-Doug Wondra; 20. 6K-Kurt Davis (DNS)

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 7-Lance Fassbender [2]; 2. 63-Kevin Karnitz [3]; 3. 35-Ben Schmidt [4]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra [8]; 5. 21H-Tim Haddy [5]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith [9]; 7. 66-Tristan Koenings [7]; 8. 12P-JJ Pagel [10]; 9. (DNF) 1-Tommy Colburn [1]; 10. 85J-Logan Julien [6]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 4-Alex Pokorski [2]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen [3]; 3. 22B-Brandon Berth [4]; 4. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [5]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor [6]; 6. 44-Hayden Johnson [9]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra [1]; 8. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [8]; 9. 6K-Kurt Davis (DNS); 10. 51-Chris Larson (DNS)

Qualifying 1: 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.676 [3]; 2. 63-Kevin Karnitz, 13.742 [1]; 3. 7-Lance Fassbender, 13.844 [4]; 4. 1-Tommy Colburn, 13.887 [10]; 5. 21H-Tim Haddy, 13.997 [8]; 6. 85J-Logan Julien, 14.146 [7]; 7. 66-Tristan Koenings, 14.212 [2]; 8. 11-Tony Wondra, 14.233 [9]; 9. 69S-TJ Smith, 14.417 [5]; 10. 12P-JJ Pagel, 14.721 [6]

Qualifying 2: 1. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.665 [1]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen, 13.859 [6]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski, 14.009 [2]; 4. 30-Doug Wondra, 14.231 [9]; 5. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 14.354 [4]; 6. 44-Hayden Johnson, 14.356 [8]; 7. 69-Bill Taylor, 14.480 [5]; 8. 51-Chris Larson, 14.573 [3]; 9. 55S-Ryan Sawusch, 18.585 [10]; 10. 6K-Kurt Davis [7]

McMullen proves advantageous in securing second 2023 PDTR 360 Sprint Car victory

Abreu collects first All Stars-IRA Rayce Rudeen Foundation 410 Sprint Car race win

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh and members of the McMullen Racing Enterprises crew earned their all-time division-leading 29th career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 3, 2023. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 3, 2023 – Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh benefitted from race leader Justin Erickson’s late-race misfortune to earn his second Akright Auto PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2023 season in the 25-lap main event Saturday, June 3 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.

In the fifth annual Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Presented by Mobile 1 – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series Rayce Rudeen Foundation A-main, Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif. pocketed the $26,000-to-win first place prize in leading all 35 laps of the richest 410 Sprint Car race in the state of Wisconsin in 2023.

Polesitter Brandon McMullen jumped into the lead on the drop of the green flag of the 25-lap PDTR – Midwest Sprint Car Association main event with outside front row starter Justin Erickson of Plymouth in tow.

On lap 3, Erickson moved in to pressure McMullen for the top spot as the leaders began to catch the rear of the field. Two laps later, Erickson bolted underneath McMullen in heavy lapped traffic to assume the top spot in turn three on lap 5.

Erickson continued to set a torrid pace at the front of the field as he sliced his way through dense lapped traffic over the next 18 laps. On lap 17, fifth starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend moved in to slip past McMullen to take over second along the preferred low groove.

As Karnitz and McMullen engaged in a heated back-and-forth duel for the runner-up spot, Erickson built up a half lap lead on lap 20. One lap later, McMullen regained the runner-up spot with a low move in turn two.

Two laps later, disaster struck for Erickson when contact with a lapped car sent him flipping on the frontstretch, which brought out a red flag on lap 23. Erickson’s misfortune saw McMullen regain the lead on the ensuing single-file restart.

Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh earned his second PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory of the 2023 season in the 25-lap main event Saturday, June 3 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

McMullen held tight to the inside line with Karnitz trailing as the field took the white flag. However, a caution flag flew when 360 Sprint Car rookies Tristan Koenig of Van Dyne and T.J. Smith of Greenville made contact in turn four.

After a single-file green-white-checkered flag restart, McMullen maintained the top spot en route to his all-time division-leading 29th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main triumph, 41st career Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car main event victory and second PDTR and third overall MSA 360 Sprint main event win of the 2023 season.

“Justin [Erickson] had a great car tonight,” McMullen said. “He was better than us. I’m not sure what happened to him, but it ended up working to our benefit. It was a challenging night and the feature was a pretty crazy race for us, but we’ll take it.”

Karnitz had to settle for second, Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum charged up from the ninth starting spot to finish third, 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett placed fourth after starting third and Alex Pokorski of West Bend, who started seventh, rounded out the top five.

In the 35-lap All Star-IRA Rayce Rudeen Foundation 410 Sprint Car main event, Rico Abreu jumped into the lead from the pole with outside front row starter Brent Marks of Myerstown, Pa. emerging from an early-race duel with third starter Lachlan McHugh of Gold Coast Queensland, Australia to gain control of second on lap 4.

On lap 6, two-time defending Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions champion Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind., who started fourth, vaulted into third. Two laps later, the high-riding Abreu caught the back of the field and continued to ride the high groove through lapped traffic.

Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif. collected his 12th career Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series A-main victory in the 35-lap Rayce Rudeen Foundation main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 3. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Abreu pasted his machine primarily to the extremely high cushion, which was just off of the outside retaining wall, over the next 18 laps before a red flag was displayed when 2022 IRA champion Jordan Goldesberry of Springfield, Ill. flipped on the frontstretch, after making contact with J.J. Hickle of Quilcene, Wash.

On the restart, Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, Pa., who started sixth, ducked under Marks to assume second as two of the leading members of the famed Pennsylvania Posse waged an intense battle for second with contact made between the two in turn two on slide job attempts from both drivers on consecutive laps.

Marks eventually emerged with the second spot. In the closing laps, Abreu adjusted his line to run the bottom of the track in turns one and two and the top in turns three and four, which proved to seal the victory as he went on to notch his 12th career Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions A-main triumph, fifth overall victory of the 2023 season and first Rayce Rudeen Foundation event win.

“The track was really technical,” Abreu said in victory lane. “We struggled at the beginning of the night and we just got better as we went. We had a lot of the best drivers in the country racing here tonight, so it was definitely tough. I tried to make consistent laps in the A main. I moved to the bottom a few times in traffic, but the pace was so slow down low that I felt I had to get back up to the top.

“Later on in the race, I went to running low in one and two and high in three and four and I think doing that is what won us the race,” he said. “I have to thank the Rudeen family for putting this event on and everyone for coming out and supporting it. Some of the best race fans in the country are right here in Wisconsin. I always enjoy coming back here to race.”

Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif. notched his first Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Rayce Rudeen Foundation A-main win in the 35-lap 410 Sprint Car main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 3. – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

Marks finished second, former USAC Sprint Car, Midget and Silver Crown champion Chris Windom of Canton, Ill. moved up from the fifth starting spot to finish third, Macri placed fourth and Courtney rounded out the top five.

Jordan Goldesberry won the 12-lap All Star-IRA B main.

Tyler Courtney earned All Star-IRA 410 Sprint Car fast qualifier honors with a lap of 11.660 seconds around the third mile semi-banked clay oval.

Two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee was the fastest qualifier in the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car division with a lap of 12.693 seconds.

The fourth event of the 2023 PDTR campaign drew a total of 66 cars, including 41 All Star-IRA 410 Sprint Cars and 25 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars.

The next race program at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 10 will feature the third race in the 2023 PDTR Super Six Late Model Series, along with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, Grand Nationals and B Mods.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with Late Model and 360 Sprint Car qualifying set at 5:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

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 Main (25 Laps): 1. 98-Brandon McMullen [1]; 2. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [5]; 3. 53-Shane Wenninger [9]; 4. 7-Lance Fassbender [3]; 5. 4-Alex Pokorski [7]; 6. 20-Robbie Pribnow [4]; 7. 11-Tony Wondra [11]; 8. 85J-Logan Julien [13]; 9. 53A-Paul Pokorski [14]; 10. 66-Nick Daywalt [6]; 11. 22B-Brandon Berth [12]; 12. 2-Christopher Clayton [10]; 13. 6K-Kurt Davis [16]; 14. 51-Chris Larson [25]; 15. 69S-TJ Smith [22]; 16. 54-Randy Post [24]; 17. 30-Doug Wondra [21]; 18. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [17]; 19. 21H-TJ Haddy [19]; 20. 66T-Tristan Koenings [20]; 21. 3-Justin Erickson [2]; 22. 35-Ben Schmidt [8]; 23. 12P-JJ Pagel [15]; 24. 69-Bill Taylor [18]; 25. 92-Kevin Seidler [23]

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 20-Robbie Pribnow [1]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen [2]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski [4]; 4. 2-Christopher Clayton [5]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor [3]; 6. 12P-JJ Pagel [7]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra [6]; 8. 66T-Tristan Koenings [9]; 9. 51-Chris Larson [8]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [1]; 2. 7-Lance Fassbender [3]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra [2]; 4. 53-Shane Wenninger [5]; 5. 6K-Kurt Davis [4]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [6]; 7. 21H-TJ Haddy [7]; 8. 54-Randy Post [8]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 66-Nick Daywalt [1]; 2. 3-Justin Erickson [2]; 3. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth [4]; 5. 85J-Logan Julien [5]; 6. 53A-Paul Pokorski [7]; 7. 69S-TJ Smith [6]; 8. 92-Kevin Seidler [8]

Qualifying 1: 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 12.907 [7]; 2. 69-Bill Taylor, 13.034 [4]; 3. 98-Brandon McMullen, 13.118 [6]; 4. 20-Robbie Pribnow, 13.149 [8]; 5. 2-Chris Clayton, 13.263 [9]; 6. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.564 [3]; 7. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.659 [5]; 8. 51-Chris Larson, 13.892 [1]; 9. 66T-Tristan Koenings, 14.118 [2]

Qualifying 2: 1. 6K-Kurt Davis, 12.693 [1]; 2. 7-Lance Fassbender, 12.976 [2]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.194 [3]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.225 [7]; 5. 53-Shane Wenninger, 13.265 [4]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 13.441 [6]; 7. 21H-TJ Haddy, 13.686 [5]; 8. 54-Randy Post [8]

Qualifying 3: 1. 22B-Brandon Berth, 12.735 [1]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.842 [8]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson, 12.897 [2]; 4. 66-Nick Daywalt, 12.957 [3]; 5. 85J-Logan Julien, 13.317 [7]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith, 13.471 [6]; 7. 53A-Paul Pokorski, 13.689 [4]; 8. 92-Kevin Seidler, 14.112 [5]

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

Tezos A Main (35 Laps): 1. 24R-Rico Abreu [1]; 2. 19-Brent Marks [2]; 3. 4-Chris Windom [5]; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri [6]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [4]; 6. 69K-Lance Dewease [15]; 7. 71-Buddy Kofoid [11]; 8. 25M-Lachlan McHugh [3]; 9. 26-Zeb Wise [16]; 10. 11-Cory Eliason [13]; 11. 1-Brenham Crouch [10]; 12. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [12]; 13. 45-Tim Shaffer [7]; 14. 70-Scotty Thiel [17]; 15. 17B-Bill Balog [9]; 16. 23-Russel Borland [19]; 17. 97-JJ Hickle [18]; 18. 49-Josh Schneiderman [8]; 19. 9P-Parker Price Miller [14]; 20. 25T-Travis Arenz [24]; 21. 10W-Mike Reinke [23]; 22. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [22]; 23. U2-Jack Vanderboom [20]; 24. 65-Jordan Goldesberry [21]; 25. 87A-Austin Hartmann [25]

Classic Ink USA B Main (12 Laps): 1. 65-Jordan Goldesberry [1]; 2. 29C-Hunter Custer [3]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [4]; 4. 10W-Mike Reinke [5]; 5. 25T-Travis Arenz [9]; 6. 87A-Austin Hartmann [11]; 7. 26R-Preston Ruh [14]; 8. 28M-Conner Morrell [7]; 9. 4K-Kris Spitz [6]; 10. 24-Scott Conger [15]; 11. 2W-Scott Neitzel [13]; 12. 21-Will Gerrits [18]; 13. 10V-Kurt Davis [10]; 14. 99-Tyler Brabant [17]; 15. 16-Anthony Knierim [16]; 16. 68-Dave Uttech [2]; 17. 29-Sye Lynch [8]; 18. 39V-William Huck [20]; 19. 88-Christopher Flick [19]; 20. (DNS) 79-Blake Nimee; 21. (DNS) 25-Danny Schlafer

Elliotts Custom Trailers and Carts Dash (6 Laps): 1. 24R-Rico Abreu [1]; 2. 19-Brent Marks [3]; 3. 25M-Lachlan McHugh [4]; 4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [7]; 5. 4-Chris Windom [9]; 6. 39M-Anthony Macri [8]; 7. 45-Tim Shaffer [6]; 8. 49-Josh Schneiderman [2]; 9. 17B-Bill Balog [5]

Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 49-Josh Schneiderman [3]; 2. 1-Brenham Crouch [1]; 3. 45-Tim Shaffer [4]; 4. 97-JJ Hickle [6]; 5. 68-Dave Uttech [2]; 6. 28M-Conner Morrell [5]; 7. 26R-Preston Ruh [8]; 8. 99-Tyler Brabant [7]; 9. 39V-William Huck [9]

CSI Shocks Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [4]; 2. 11-Cory Eliason [5]; 3. 69K-Lance Dewease [2]; 4. U2-Jack Vanderboom [7]; 5. 29C-Hunter Custer [3]; 6. 65-Jordan Goldesberry [1]; 7. 87A-Austin Hartmann [6]; 8. 21-Will Gerrits [8]

All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 25M-Lachlan McHugh [1]; 2. 71-Buddy Kofoid [2]; 3. 19-Brent Marks [4]; 4. 23-Russel Borland [3]; 5. 4K-Kris Spitz [5]; 6. 10V-Kurt Davis [6]; 7. 24-Scott Conger [7]; 8. 88-Christopher Flick [8]

Kistler Racing Products Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 4-Chris Windom [3]; 2. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [2]; 3. 26-Zeb Wise [1]; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri [4]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [5]; 6. 29-Sye Lynch [6]; 7. 79-Blake Nimee [7]; 8. 16-Anthony Knierim [8]

Mobile 1 Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 17B-Bill Balog [1]; 2. 9P-Parker Price Miller [2]; 3. 70-Scotty Thiel [3]; 4. 24R-Rico Abreu [4]; 5. 10W-Mike Reinke [5]; 6. 25T-Travis Arenz [6]; 7. 2W-Scott Neitzel [7]; 8. (DNS) 25-Danny Schlafer

Hercules Tire Qualifying: 1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 11.660 [15]; 2. 45-Tim Shaffer, 11.732 [1]; 3. 19-Brent Marks, 11.762 [19]; 4. 25M-Lachlan McHugh, 11.909 [22]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri, 11.910 [30]; 6. 1-Brenham Crouch, 11.924 [2]; 7. 65-Jordan Goldesberry, 11.940 [10]; 8. 68-Dave Uttech, 11.948 [4]; 9. 69K-Lance Dewease, 11.959 [13]; 10. 26-Zeb Wise, 11.961 [29]; 11. 71-Buddy Kofoid, 11.967 [25]; 12. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg, 11.976 [28]; 13. 24R-Rico Abreu, 11.978 [34]; 14. 49-Josh Schneiderman, 11.990 [3]; 15. 4-Chris Windom, 11.998 [31]; 16. 17B-Bill Balog, 12.000 [37]; 17. 29C-Hunter Custer, 12.012 [17]; 18. 28M-Conner Morrell, 12.026 [5]; 19. 97-JJ Hickle, 12.048 [8]; 20. 11-Cory Eliason, 12.110 [12]; 21. 23-Russel Borland, 12.126 [18]; 22. 9P-Parker Price Miller, 12.168 [36]; 23. 70-Scotty Thiel, 12.194 [40]; 24. 87A-Austin Hartmann, 12.195 [16]; 25. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 12.236 [33]; 26. 29-Sye Lynch, 12.246 [32]; 27. 10W-Mike Reinke, 12.288 [39]; 28. 79-Blake Nimee, 12.350 [26]; 29. 16-Anthony Knierim, 12.364 [27]; 30. 4K-Kris Spitz, 12.367 [23]; 31. U2-Jack Vanderboom, 12.430 [11]; 32. 25T-Travis Arenz, 12.552 [35]; 33. 10V-Kurt Davis, 12.617 [20]; 34. 99-Tyler Brabant, 12.668 [9]; 35. 2W-Scott Neitzel, 12.680 [41]; 36. 26R-Preston Ruh, 12.708 [6]; 37. 24-Scott Conger, 12.769 [21]; 38. 21-Will Gerrits, 12.849 [14]; 39. 88-Christopher Flick, 13.020 [24]; 40. 39V-William Huck, 13.991 [7]; 41. 25-Danny Schlafer, 59.999 [38]

Alex Pokorski claims first career MSA A-main triumph in non-stop Dodge County run

Alex Pokorski earned his first career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main victory in the 20-lap MSA main event at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2, 2023. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 2, 2023 – Fourth-year competitor Alex Pokorski of West Bend continued his family’s winning tradition as he claimed his first career Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series A-main victory in the 20-lap Gib Wiser Classic main event at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2.

Pokorski, who is currently in his second full season of MSA competition for the Spyder Akright-owned Akright Auto Racing Team, jumped into the lead of the MSA A main from the pole position.

By lap 4, Pokorski had built up a full straightaway cushion over the second place car of 14-year-old MSA rookie Logan Julien of Oconomowoc. Two laps later, Pokorski caught the rear of the field and began to weave his way through lapped traffic on the sprawling “horsepower” half-mile racing surface.

As Pokorski continued his command of the race, four-time MSA champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, who started third, slipped past Julien to assume the runner-up spot.

McMullen briefly cut into Pokorski’s lead gap entering the second half of the race. However, Pokorski flipped the switch into overdrive in the closing stages of the race to open up a huge half-lap lead over McMullen on the way to his first career MSA main event win in the caution-free race.

Pokorski, whose father, Paul, earned the 2014 Midwest Sprint Car Association Masters Series championship and has recorded nine MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main victories among his 46 overall career main event triumphs, was thrilled to join his dad in the MSA A-main winner’s club.

“I had no idea how big of a lead I had or who was behind me,” Pokorski said. “It feels great to get this win. I feel like it is a big weight off my chest. I never really had an opportunity to race here before. I took about five laps last year and pulled off. I really like racing at this track. I enjoy the speed and, overall, it’s a fun track to race on.

“It’s cool to win an A main considering that my dad [Paul Pokorski] has won 46 of them,” he said. “I have a lot of work to do and will need to race a really long time to even think about that.”

McMullen finished second, fourth starter Robbie Pribnow of Lomira placed third in his second start of the 2023 season, Julien wound up a career-best fourth and 2011 MSA champ Ben Schmidt of Plymouth placed fifth after starting seventh.

“Qualifying really put us behind tonight and made it pretty difficult for us to get back into a position to win,” McMullen said. “Congratulations to Alex Pokorski and his team on their first A-main victory. They’ve been doing a really good job this year.”

“It is great to come back and be competitive right away,” Pribnow said. “We still have a ways to go to get past of the guys ahead of us, especially Brandon [McMullen], who is good everywhere. Congratulations to Alex Pokorski and his team for getting their first win.”

MSA eight-lap heat race victories went to Kevin Karnitz of West Bend and 2005 MSA champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett.

Robbie Pribnow registered the fastest overall MSA 360 Sprint Car qualifying lap of the night with a time of 19.679 seconds on the half-mile clay oval.

The fifth Akright Auto MSA 360 Sprint Car Series racing event of the 2023 campaign drew a field of 21 entrants to the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway.

On Saturday, June 3, the MSA 360 Sprint Car teams will head to The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. to run in support of another Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car challenge race, featuring the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation event.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m., followed by spectator gates at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and qualifying and racing to follow.

The MSA tripleheader weekend closes on Sunday, June 4 with the series’ first of two scheduled 2023 appearances at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis., which will also include the Badger Midgets and Wisconsin WingLESS Sprint Cars.

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

For more information on the 2023 Midwest Sprint Car Association season, visit www.msasprints.com or check out the Midwest Sprint Car Association Facebook page.

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

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

 

Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association
Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway
Beaver Dam, Wis.
June 2, 2023

A Main (20 Laps): 1. 4-Alex Pokorski [1]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen [3]; 3. 20-Robbie Pribnow [4]; 4. 85J-Logan Julien [2]; 5. 35-Ben Schmidt [7]; 6. 6K-Kurt Davis [12]; 7. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [6]; 8. 11-Tony Wondra [11]; 9. 2-Chris Clayton [8]; 10. 3-Justin Erickson [20]; 11. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [9]; 12. 51-Chris Larson [13]; 13. 1-Tommy Colburn [17]; 14. 69-Bill Taylor [14]; 15. 12P-JJ Pagel [15]; 16. 66T-Tristan Koenings [18]; 17. 53A-Spyder Akright [21]; 18. 21H-TJ Haddy [19]; 19. 7-Lance Fassbender [5]; 20. 69S-TJ Smith [10]; 21. 92-Kevin Seidler [16]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [1]; 3. 85J-Logan Julien [4]; 4. 4-Alex Pokorski [6]; 5. 2-Chris Clayton [7]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith [8]; 7. 69-Bill Taylor [5]; 8. 51-Chris Larson [9]; 9. 12P-JJ Pagel [10]; 10. 92-Kevin Seidler [11]; 11. 3-Justin Erickson [3]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 7-Lance Fassbender [2]; 2. 20-Robbie Pribnow [4]; 3. 98-Brandon McMullen [5]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra [3]; 5. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [6]; 6. 1-Tommy Colburn [1]; 7. 6K-Kurt Davis [7]; 8. 53A-Spyder Akright [10]; 9. 66T-Tristan Koenings [8]; 10. 21H-TJ Haddy [9]

Qualifying 1: 1. 85J-Logan Julien 19.855 [7]; 2. 3-Justin Erickson, 20.052 [1]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 20.112 [6]; 4. 35-Ben Schmidt, 20.139 [8]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor, 20.240 [9]; 6. 4-Alex Pokorski, 20.435 [3]; 7. 2-Chris Clayton, 20.625 [2]; 8. 69S-TJ Smith, 20.711 [4]; 9. 51-Chris Larson, 20.774 [10]; 10. 12P-JJ Pagel, 21.237 [11]; 11. 92-Kevin Seidler [5]

Qualifying 2: 1. 20-Robbie Pribnow, 19.679 [6]; 2. 11-Tony Wondra, 19.998 [9]; 3. 7-Lance Fassbender, 20.010 [4]; 4. 1-Tommy Colburn, 20.095 [8]; 5. 98-Brandon McMullen, 20.133 [5]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 20.332 [7]; 7. 6K-Kurt Davis, 20.387 [2]; 8. 66T-Tristan Koenings, 20.434 [1]; 9. 21H-TJ Haddy, 20.600 [3]; 10. 53A-Spyder Akright, 21.542 [10]

Mulch Express of Wisconsin returns with second Plymouth All Star-IRA Gr8 Challenge

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(NEWTON, WIS.) June 1, 2023 – For the second consecutive year, Mulch Express of Wisconsin will contribute bonus money for the annual Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Shootout event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. with the second annual Gr8 Challenge presented by Mulch Express of Wisconsin this Saturday, June 3.

The Gr8 Challenge presented by Mulch of Express of Wisconsin will offer a $100 reward to the leader of lap 8 of the $26,000-to-win Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Rayce Rudeen Foundation A-main event and a total bonus of $500 if the driver that leads lap 8 goes on to win the A-main event.

The sixth appearance of Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Series at The Plymouth Dirt Track third-mile clay is expected to draw a stellar field of top national and regional Sprint Car drivers, including two-time defending All Star champion and current points leader Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind., 2022 IRA champ and current IRA points leader Jordan Goldesberry of Springfield, Ill. and two-time defending Plymouth All Star race winner and 10-time IRA champion Bill Balog of Hartland, Wis.

In addition, National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Lance Dewease of Fayetteville, Pa., 2022 national Winged 410 Sprint Car A-main victory leader Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, Pa. and 2022 national Winged 410 Sprint Car prize money leader Brent Marks of Myerstown, Pa. are expected to make their first career visits to The Plymouth Dirt Track, while Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Calif. has also indicated that he will be in attendance at The Plymouth Dirt Track to vie for the $26,000 first place prize.

“We are happy to again have Mulch Express of Wisconsin to be involved in this event at The Plymouth Dirt Track,” Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp said. “This year’s event will bring even more of the top Sprint Car drivers in the country and region to our area with the Rayce Rudeen Foundation race returning to Plymouth for the first time since 2020. 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. We are looking forward to another great night of Sprint Car racing.”

Bill Balog captured last year’s Mulch Express of Wisconsin Gr8 Challenge by leading lap 8 and going on to win the All Star-IRA A main.

Along with the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions and Bumper to Bumper 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 4:30 p.m. with on-track action and hot laps slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Advance tickets are available at My Race Pass.

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.

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.

Arenz nets top five at 141 Speedway to cap successful IRA weekend double dip  

Photo caption Travis Arenz posted a pair of top-10 showings, including a fifth-place finish at 141 Speedway, during a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series doubleheader weekend at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, May 27 and 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Sunday, May 28.  – JW’s Car and Raccing Photos

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions 

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 31, 2023 – Travis Arenz steered his 25T Travis Arenz Motorsports machine to his third straight top-10 main event finish of the 2023 season, including an eighth place tally at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot on Saturday, May 27 and a strong fifth place showing at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Sunday, May 28, during a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Memorial Day doubleheader weekend of 410 Sprint Car competition.

Arenz kicked off the weekend by qualifying 16th out of 34 entries at Wilmot Raceway on Saturday, May 27 with a 13.400-second tour of the three-eighths mile semi-banked clay oval.

After starting on the pole of the fourth 10-lap IRA heat race, Arenz led the first six laps of the event before a caution appeared on lap 7. Following the restart, Josh Schneiderman slipped past to relegate the Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver to a second place finish.

The 2021 and 2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion rolled off 12th in the 30-lap A main and gradually worked his way up through the field passing Brenham Crouch, Mike Reinke and Danny Schlafer to take over eighth on lap 10.

After the lone caution flag of the event appeared on lap 16 for a spin involving Will Gerrits, Arenz passed Danny Schlafer to assume seventh on lap 20. With two laps to go, Josh Schneiderman slipped past Arenz to move him back to eighth, which is where he finished in a race won by Blake Nimee.

“I drew a 68 out of 70, which put us second to last out for qualifying,” Arenz said. “We are pretty consistent at qualifying mid-pack, so I’m trying to figure out how to be faster. Our times during hot laps and heat races have typically been faster than when we qualify, so we’re trying to figure out the disconnect.

“We were pleased with a top-10 finish and bringing the car home in one piece, but we are always wanting to get on the podium,” he said. “

Arenz began the 141 Speedway program on Sunday, May 28 by earning the ninth fastest qualifying lap in the 26-car field with a lap of 11.618 seconds around the third-mile semi-banked egg-shaped clay oval.

The 2016 141 Speedway Northern Sport Mod champion jumped into the lead on the opening lap of the third eight-lap IRA heat race from his outside front row starting position. Arenz then went on to post his second IRA heat race victory of the 2023 campaign and secure his first IRA dash berth of the current season.

After starting fourth and placing third in the second four-lap IRA dash, Arenz earned the sixth starting position in the 30-lap IRA main event. Arenz stayed smooth and consistent in the early going of the A main by maintaining sixth place, until Mike Reinke moved past to shuffle the IRA rookie contender back to seventh on lap 8.

Several laps later, Arenz powered his way past Scotty Neitzel and Kyle Schuett to break into the top five. Arenz endured the second caution flag of the race on lap 27 to secure a fifth place showing, which marked his third top-five A-main finish of the 2023 campaign, in a race won by Jordan Goldesberry.

“As for 141, there’s a few goals we want every night out racing – be as fast as possible during qualifying, make a dash and move forward in the A-main,” Arenz said. “It is huge to be in a dash and extremely important as the dashes make up the first 10 spots in an A-main. I am learning that track position is huge.

“In the A-main, we started sixth and it was awesome to have more than one competitive line of racing,” he said. “You could tiptoe around the bottom or run the high side. This helped a lot when getting into lapped traffic and not losing a lot of momentum getting around cars. We finished fifth and as a rookie it’s pretty cool to be running alongside the top contenders and be competitive.”

The Travis Arenz Motorsports Team will return to action with a doubleheader weekend of action kicking off this Friday, June 2 at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. for the first annual Gib Wiser Classic Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series co-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car challenge event.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m., spectator gates are set to open at 5 p.m. with warm ups at 6 p.m. and hot laps, qualifying and racing to follow with opening ceremonies slated for 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, June 3, the team will head to The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. for the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series co-sanctioned event.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m., followed by spectator gates at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and qualifying and racing to follow.

The Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars will also be on the all-Sprint Car card on both nights.

“Each week is a new week of racing,” Arenz said. “It starts in the shop every night going over all the equipment. We look at last year’s notes to see what worked and what we may have changed and we go out like any night of racing.”

All 2023 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events will be streamed live on FloRacing.

The 2023 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation, Inc, Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Pallet Works, DW Fence, Little Bears Tree Service LLC, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Myhre Construction LLC, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen Sales and Humphrey’s Turner Hall Bar & Grill, Carbliss Hand Crafted Cocktails, Amy Bruechert Reality, Cornwell Tools-Paul Epping, Advanced Engine Concepts, Inc., Duehring’s Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, HRP Wings and Behling Racing Equipment.

The 2023 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consists of pit crew members Greg Piedot, Jerrod Gamb, Emily Stadler, Cameron Fritz, Curtiss Humphrey, Alex Wesenburg, Tony Fox and Trevor Hittman.

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

Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig

Travis Arenz Motorsports is pleased to have Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig on board as a sponsorship partner for the team’s rookie season of competition with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series.

Located at N3590 County Road S in Cascade, Wis., Craig Ladwig and Dave Kilpatrick founded Premier Insurance Solutions in 2003 with the goal of giving their customers premier crop insurance service. Over the past 20 years, Premier Insurance Solutions has grown into an agency featuring 13 agents with over 175 years of combined experience, who specialize in crop insurance, servicing policies across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Michigan, and Kansas.

Craig Ladwig has sold and serviced MPCI crop insurance since 1996, forming Premier Insurance Solutions in 2003. Craig strives to provide all of his customers with the best possible service and knowledge in the industry as Premier Insurance Solutions celebrates 20 years in business in 2023.

For more information, contact Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig via phone at 920-528-8336, by email at info@premierinsurancesolutions.com or by visiting https://premierinsurancesolutions.com/.

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

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

Travis Arenz Motorsports
Upcoming 2023 Schedule

Friday, June 2 – Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA-All Stars)
Saturday, June 3 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA-All Stars)
Saturday, June 10 – Sycamore Speedway, Maple Park, Ill. (IRA)
Saturday, June 11 – Angell Park, Sun Prairie, Wis. (IRA)

Travis Arenz Motorsports
410 Sprint Car
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events –9
IRA Events – 8
All Star Events – 1
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 3
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 5
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 6
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 6
Heat Race Victories – 2
B Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 1
Dash Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Travis Arenz Motorsports
360 Sprint Car
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total MSA-PDTR Events – 1
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Heat Race Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Hartmann builds speed, consistency in Wilmot-141 IRA twinbill

Austin Hartmann turned in a pair of top-15 finishes in Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series competition at Wilmot Raceway on Saturday, May 27 and 141 Speedway on Sunday, May 28. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 31, 2023 – Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing team strung together a pair of rock solid top-15 A-main performances in Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series Memorial Day weekend doubleheader action at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, May 27 and 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Sunday, May 28.

With 34 IRA Sprint Car competitors checked in at Wilmot Raceway to kick off the IRA weekend double dip, Hartmann opened up strong by qualifying fourth overall with a lap of 13.068 seconds on the three-eighths mile semi-banked oval.

After starting third in the second eight-lap IRA heat race, Hartmann fell back to forth on the start when Mike Reinke snuck past. On lap 2, Hartmann used the outside line to power past Ion Stear to regain third.

During the final two laps, Hartmann felt pressure from Kurt Davis. However, he held off the veteran driver’s challenge to secure an A-main transfer spot with a third place showing.

The Plymouth, Wis. driver started the 30-lap IRA A main 11th and dropped to 12th by lap 3. Hartmann stayed smooth and consistent along the low line of the tricky racing surface to steer clear of any trouble for the remainder of the race on the way to a 12th place showing in a race won by Blake Nimee.

“Wilmot went alright I’d say,” Hartmann said. “The track was pretty good in qualifying, but it was split qualifying, so that kind of put us behind in the heat races for not being at least third quick. I got a bad start and hung up behind another car in the heat race, but managed a third place finish.

“I don’t believe we really learned anything for future races at Wilmot, as the track wasn’t the best at feature time,” he said.

The 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Award winner qualified 12th in the 26-car field at 141 Speedway with a lap of 11.680 seconds on the third-mile semi-banked egg-shaped clay oval on Sunday, May 28.

After lining up on the pole of the first eight-lap IRA heat race, Hartmann fell back to second when outside front row starter Travis Arenz powered into the lead in turn one of the opening lap. Following a caution flag on lap 3, Jordan Goldesberry moved in to move Hartmann back to third three laps later, which is where he finished to earn an A-main transfer spot.

Hartmann started the 30-lap IRA A main 11th and used a strong start along the low groove to vault his way up to eighth on lap 5. After Brenham Crouch and Danny Schlafer moved past, Hartmann settled into the 10th spot on lap 15.

Over the second half of the race, Hartmann got shuffled back three more spots as the dominant groove moved to the top line of the track. Hartmann held on in the closing laps to finish 13th in a race won by Jordan Goldesberry.

“Sunday at 141 was kind of the same thing in qualifying,” Hartmann said. “The track progressed better as more cars hit it. We managed 12th quick in qualifying, which meant we had to win our heat race to make the dash. The car was good, I just made a few driver mistakes, resulting in a third place finish.

“The feature went great,” he said. “We’re getting better for features. Now we need to focus on having the car better later on in the race.”

Austin Hartmann and the 87A Hartmann Racing Team will return to action with a doubleheader weekend of action kicking off this Friday, June 2 at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. for the first annual Gib Wiser Classic Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series co-sanctioned 410 Sprint Car challenge event, which will pay $8,000 to the winner.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m., spectator gates are set to open at 5 p.m. with warm ups at 6 p.m. and hot laps, qualifying and racing to follow with opening ceremonies slated for 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, June 3, the 87A Hartmann Racing team will head to The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. for the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series co-sanctioned event.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m., followed by spectator gates at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and qualifying and racing to follow.

The Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars will also be in competition for both all-Sprint Car events at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway and The Plymouth Dirt Track.

“I’m very excited for this weekend,” Hartmann said. “I hope we can put on a great show for the fans and come up with some good results.”

The 87A Hartmann Racing team recently debuted a new website, which can be accessed at https://www.team87a.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 sponsorship partners for the 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team include Kristine Hartmann of Pleasant View Realty, Shufflebotham Tree Service, Competition Specialists, Schmidt’s Landscaping, Feldmann Sales & Service, Holler n Hills, Steinpreis Trucking, KSI Supply Inc., Quasius Construction, SwitchGear Brewing LLC, TheD8Dispensary, AF Inc., Hopf Farms, RC Custom Design, Hepfner Racing Products, Berryman Racing Shocks and Maxim Chassis.

The 2023 87A Hartmann Racing team consists of Hunter Annis, Eric Bergschultz, Parker Annis, Karlee Hartmann, Andrew Shufflebotham and Kristine Hartmann.

87A Hartmann Racing Sponsor ShowcaseHoller n Hills Bar & Grill

The Austin Hartmann – 87A Hartmann Racing team is pleased to welcome Holler n Hills Bar & Grill as a sponsorship partner for the 2023 season.

Located at 5837 South Business Drive in Sheboygan, Wis., offers a variety of sandwiches, entrees, appetizers and drink options. In addition, Holler n Hills features live music, karaoke and special events on selected evenings.

To contact Holler n Hills, call 920-783-8005, email hollernhills3@gmail.com or visit the Holler n Hills Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hollernhills/.

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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Friday, June 2 – Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA-All Stars)
Saturday, June 3 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA-All Stars)
Saturday, June 10 – Sycamore Speedway, Maple Park, Ill. (IRA)
Saturday, June 11 – Angell Park, Sun Prairie, Wis. (IRA)

Austin Hartmann 87A Hartmann Racing
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 10
IRA Events – 8
World of Outlaws Events – 0
All Star Events – 2
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 2
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 4
Top 20 A Main Finishes – 6
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 2
Dash Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0

Alex Pokorski picks up third top 10 of 2023 MSA season at Wilmot Raceway

Alex Pokorski turned in a ninth place finish in the 25-lap Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series A main at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, May 27. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 30, 2023 – One week after some bad luck slipped a speed bump into a fast start to their 2023 season, Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team bounced back with a solid ninth place showing in an Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series A-main event at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, May 27.

The West Bend, Wis. driver opened the program by laying down the 11th fastest qualifying lap in the 23-car MSA field with a time of 14.133 seconds around the three-eighths mile semi-banked clay oval.

After lining up fifth in the third 10-lap MSA heat race, Pokorski fell back to sixth on the opening lap before passing Bill Taylor to regain fifth on lap 2. The fourth-year 360 Sprint Car competitor then held on over the final eight laps to secure a fifth place showing.

In the 25-lap MSA main event presented by Adonnis Waterproofing and Foundation Repair, Pokorski started 14th and worked his way up to 11th on lap 3. On lap 6, passed Chris Larson to break into the top 10.

Six laps later, the lone caution flag of the event flew when Chris Larson spun in turn four. On the restart, Pokorski worked his way past rookie Logan Julien to take ninth. Pokorski maintained the ninth spot over the final six laps to nail down his third top-10 finish of the 2023 MSA season in a race won by Brandon McMullen.

“The car was solid all night long,” Pokorski said. “I needed to adjust my line in qualifying to get into the top four for the group. Qualifying fifth put us behind for the night, and we had to chase it a bit to get a top-10 feature finish. It was tough to get spots, and I had to get the elbows up to fight for the bottom a couple times.”

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with a tripleheader weekend of action kicking off this Friday, June 2 at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. for the first annual Gib Wiser Classic, which will also include a Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car challenge event.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m., spectator gates are set to open at 5 p.m. with warm ups at 6 p.m. and hot laps, qualifying and racing to follow with opening ceremonies slated for 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, June 3, the team will head to The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. to run in support of another Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car challenge race, featuring the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation event.

Paul Pokorski is also scheduled to make his second start of the season behind the wheel of Spyder Akright’s No. 53 360 Sprint Car at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 3.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m., followed by spectator gates at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and qualifying and racing to follow.

The team will cap off an MSA tripleheader weekend on Sunday, June 4 with the series’ first of two scheduled 2023 appearances at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis., which will also include the Badger Midgets and Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Cars.

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

“This upcoming weekend will be challenging with three races at three different tracks, but I’m looking forward to it,” Pokorski said.

Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2023 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Countryside Designs, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Homestead Auto, Cedar Valley Hunt Club, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase Mulch Express of Wisconsin

The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team is excited to welcome Mulch Express of Wisconsin as a brand new sponsorship partner for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Based in Newton, Wis., Mulch Express of Wisconsin was founded in 2000 out of a desire to help control the cost and efficiency of installing mulch, bark, soil and playground chips. Over the course of the past 23 years, the specialty landscaping company has found its niche as the to-go mulching provider for municipalities, school districts, commercial businesses and residences throughout Northeastern Wisconsin. In addition, Mulch Express of Wisconsin has proudly served one of the top motorsports facilities in the world as the official mulch provider of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. over the past two seasons.

As a former Wisconsin-based 360 Sprint Car competitor, Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team for the remainder of the 2023 Sprint Car campaign.

“We have a strong connection to Sprint Car racing after several years of competing in the 360 Sprint Car division with the number Gr8 car,” Wetenkamp said. “We feel Alex Pokorski is a good, up-and-coming 360 Sprint Car driver and a great individual to represent our Wisconsin-based specialty landscaping company.”

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-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
2023 Upcoming Schedule

Friday, June 2 – Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway, Beaver Dam, Wis.
Saturday, June 3 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Sunday, June 4 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 4
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 2
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 4
Heat Race Victories – 1
Fast Qualifier Award – 0

Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
2023 Season
By The Numbers

Total Events – 1
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
Heat Race Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0