By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 17, 2020 – After waiting through an extended delay to the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) public health emergency, Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing team finally got on track with a doubleheader race weekend as part of the WeatherTech Chicago Region SCCA June Sprints Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Bartz steered his Petty blue No. 33 SCCA F1600 Formula F machine to a pair of top-five finishes with a fifth-place showing in Saturday’s timed 25-minute opener and a podium third-place performance in Sunday’s 13-lap contest on the world-renowned 14-turn, four-mile Road America circuit.

“Saturday went well overall,” Bartz said. “We were able to finally get some clean laps and get off a pretty good lap qualifying us third for the race. The race was definitely an interesting one. The top five were all pretty much nose to tail throughout the entire race.

“It really was pretty much anyone’s race at the end there and unfortunately I just wasn’t able to put myself in a position on the last lap to get any better than fifth,” he said. “Overall, it was very fun race though and I was proud to run with the stiff competition that showed up.”

Bartz followed up his fifth-place run on Saturday by coming up two spots better in Sunday’s 20-car SCCA F1600 Formula F field to earn a spot on the podium following a fierce battle for third place with David Livingston Jr. in the closing laps.

“For Sunday’s race, I ended up starting a couple positions further back in the field in fifth,” Bartz said. “I was right up with the lead pack. Unfortunately, I ended up catching some slower traffic at very unfortunate places on the track, which lead to me losing the draft and losing touch with the lead pack.

“Dave in the No. 85 car and I had a great battle for the rest of the race,” he said. “It was definitely a back-and-forth race between us for the remainder of the race. I ended up being able to hold off a pass attempt from him in turn 12 on the last lap to hold onto third. Overall, it was a great result and I felt very proud to get on the podium with the high level of competition this weekend.”

Overall, the Plymouth, Wis. native was pleased with the season-opening performance at the team’s home track.

“For us, the June Sprints this year went very well compared to previous years,” Bartz said. “We have done a lot of work over the offseason and it definitely paid off. I feel as a team we definitely performed at a high level and will continue to build off of this good result. Hopefully, we get some even better results as the season continues.”

Bartz and Pure Energy Racing team is now set to travel just south of the Wisconsin border to the seven-turn, 1.95-mile Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, Ill. on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28.

“Our next race is at Blackhawk Farms Raceway on the last weekend of June,” Bartz said. “We should definitely be in for some good results as we recently tested there and dialed in the car. We are hoping to ride the good results from the June Sprints and bring home some victories.”

Sponsors for the 2020 Pure Energy Racing team include: CapN SHIELD, Harper Drain & Septic Service, Hoosier Tire and Pedal Down Promotions.

For more information on Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing team, contact Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, by phone at 920-323-7970 or by visiting 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.

2020 Pure Energy Racing Upcoming Schedule

June 27-28 – Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, Ill.

Aug. 15-16 – Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Oct. 9-11 – SCCA National Runoffs, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.

 

2020 Pure Energy Racing By The Numbers

Races – 2

Race Victories – 0

Top Five Finishes – 2

Top 10 Finishes – 2