News - Page 17 of 32 - Pedal Down Promotions

Walter opens 2021 with rock solid Wilmot IRA run

Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team opened the 2021 season with a 12th-place finish with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, May 1. – Bruce Palla Mindz I Photography photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 5, 2021 – On an unseasonably warm early May night for racing, Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team turned up the heat in their own way by registering a respectable top-12 result in the team’s 2021 season debut with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Series at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, May 1.

Walter was among 28 IRA 410 Sprint Car drivers to register for the evening’s event on the tight and tricky third-mile clay oval located in southern Wisconsin on the Kenosha County Fairgrounds.

After qualifying 20^th with a lap of 14.803 seconds, Walter lined up seventh in the second IRA 10-lap heat race. The 17^th year Winged Sprint Car competitor worked his way up two spots to earn a spot in the 24-car A-main field with a fifth-place showing.

“The new car and fresh engine ran great throughout the night,” Walter said. “I started off the night with shaking off some driver rust in qualifying and missed the setup a bit. The heat race was a challenge. I started seventh and on the first lap had some issues in the cockpit and drove the entire race one-handed and unable to grab any tearoffs, but brought it home fifth, which was good enough to make the A.”

Walter then rolled off from the 14^th starting spot in the 30-lap A-main event and methodically worked his way up through the field to break into the top-10 and find himself running seventh in the closing stages of the race.

After a late caution bunched the field, Walter fell back several spots to finish 12^th in a race won by Carson Short.

“With extra time in the pits, we were able to make some changes to the car and it felt stellar in the A main,” Walter said. “We worked our way from 14^th to seventh and were looking for more. However, late-race mistakes by the driver cost us our first top-10 finish of the year. We’ll regroup and come out better for it in our next outing.”

Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team are scheduled to take to the road to compete in a weekly 410 Sprint Car event at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa this Saturday, May 8.

360 Sprints and 305 Pro Sprints will also be on the all-Sprint Car event card, which begins with hot laps at 6:45 p.m., qualifying at 7:15 p.m. and racing at 8 p.m.

Torque Racing sponsors for the 2021 season include Dlapa Construction, Brittany’s School of Dance, Sheboygan by Owner, SCA Inc., Cow Pies, Full Throttle Ink, Lakehouse Bar & Grill, Home Transitions, Oostburg Concrete Products, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Oostburg Concrete Products

The Torque Racing team is pleased to have Oostburg Concrete Products of Oostburg, Wis. on board as a sponsor.

In 1946, six partners joined hands to form Oostburg Concrete Products. The original owners purchased special equipment to manufacture a wide range of concrete items, which they used during the summer months for construction work.

Oostburg Concrete Products’ recent investment in equipment allows the company to pour concrete through most of the winter months.

One of the original owners, Gordon Veldboom Sr. became the sole owner in 1959. Today, the company is owned and operated by Gordon J. Veldboom Jr., his wife, Helen, and their son, John.

Oostburg Concrete Products offers a complete line of concrete and masonry services, including footings, poured concrete walls, concrete floors, driveways, sidewalks, flatwork, fireplaces and exterior brick in stone.

Oostburg Concrete Products crews cover a large territory, including jobs in Brown, Calumet, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago counties.

For more information or to inquire about services, call Oostburg Concrete Products at 920-564-3341.

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.

2021 Josh Walter-Torque Racing

By The Numbers

Total Events – 1

IRA events – 1

World of Outlaws events – 0

A-Main Victories – 0

B-Main Victories – 0

Top Five A-Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0

Dash Victories – 0

Dash Appearances – 0

2021 Josh Walter-Torque Racing

Tentative Upcoming Schedule

(Additional dates to be announced)

Saturday, May 8 – Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa (Weekly)

Saturday, May 22 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Wis. (IRA)

Friday, May 28 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)

Sunday, May 30 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis. (IRA)

May 5, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Mechanical woes stall top-five run for Pokorski Motorsports in PDTR opener

Paul Pokorski (4) races in front of Jack Vanderboom (U2) during the 2021 season-opening Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 1. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 4, 2021 – One week after competing in weather more appropriate for snowmobiles that Sprint Cars, the Wisconsin weather turned on a dime as Paul Pokorski and the Pokorski Motorsports team headed to Plymouth Wis. to compete in the 2021 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing season opener with temperatures hovering in the mid-80s Saturday, May 1 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds.

On a warm and windy evening, Pokorski was among a stout field of 31 PDTR 360 Sprint Car competitors signing in for the initial program of the 2021 PDTR campaign and third event of the young Midwest Sprint Car Association season.

The 2014 MSA Masters Series champion drew the second starting spot in the second PDTR 360 Sprint Car heat race and wasted little time in powering around polesitter Blake Wondra with an outside move in turn one on lap three to take the lead.

However, six laps later, Travis Arenz ducked under Pokorski to assume the lead. Arenz went on to post the victory in the 10-lap race, while Pokorski earned a runner-up finish to qualify solidly for the evening’s main event.

“The car was pretty good,” Pokorski said. “I made some set up changes to our starting point and the car got a little too tight to start. We were pretty good for the heat race, but we cut the sidewall off the right rear with about three to go and the car got tight over the last few laps as it lost air pressure.”

After the invert based on heat race passing points totals, Pokorski started the 25-lap A main from the third spot.

Pokorski held the third position in the early going until Arenz pulled off a slide job to take the third spot on lap 7. Following a caution flag on lap 8 for a spin involving Blake Wondra, Brandon McMullen worked past Pokorski on lap 10 as the 29-year open-wheel racing veteran settled into the fifth spot along the cushion of the dry slick racing surface.

Pokorski’s hopes for top-five run were dashed on lap 15 when he slowed and pulled into the infield of the third-mile clay oval when the motor began to misfire.

The three-time Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion was credited with a 22^nd place finish in a race won by Ben Schmidt.

“The car was really pretty good in the feature,” Pokorski said. “Early on, I was over driving the entry to turn one. Once I fixed that, I felt we were a solid top-five car. Then the engine started missing, just like it did at Beaver Dam Raceway a couple of weeks ago. The first time we thought it was a fuel issue, but now we suspect it was the magneto both times. After the race, we changed the magneto and we hope we’ve solved the problem.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team is set to compete in the first Midwest Sprint Car Association doubleheader of the 2021 season with Paul Pokorski behind the wheel of the familiar blue No. 4 machine on Friday, May 7 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis., along with the Wisconsin Wingless Sprint Car Series and Legends.

Pits will be open all day at Beaver Dam Raceway before being cleared at 3:15 p.m. when pit passes will be sold. Spectator gates will open at 4:30 p.m. with racing starting at 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday, May 8, the team will return to The Plymouth Dirt Track .at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. with Alex Pokorski making his 2021 season debut in the seat of the Pokorski Motorsports No. 4 machine and Paul Pokorski tentatively slated to make his first start in Spyder Akright’s No. 53A car.

Pit gates at Plymouth open at 2 p.m., the grandstand opens at 3:30 p.m. with hot laps at 4:30 p.m. and racing starting at 5 p.m.

“I’m looking forward to Friday night when I’ll be in the car at Beaver Dam Raceway,” Paul Pokorski said. “On Saturday at Plymouth, Alex will be done with college finals and he will take his first shot at racing the car this year. I may be in Spyder Akright’s car on Saturday night at Plymouth, but that depends on how the weekend flows.”

Sponsors and supporters for the 2021 Pokorski Motorsports team are Petersen Septic Systems, Quest Engineering Inc., Goeden Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hopf Farms, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Petersen Septic Systems

Pokorski Motorsports is pleased to have Petersen Septic Systems step into the role of primary sponsor for the 2021 racing season.

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

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

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

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

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

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

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

2021 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 3

MSA events – 3

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 0

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0

2021 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Friday, May 7 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, May 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 15 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 22 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Sunday, May 23 – Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wis.

May 4, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Schmidt, Ritchie, Kulow, Odekirk shine in PDTR opener

Former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove earned his 11th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main triumph in the 2021 season opener at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 1. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 1, 2021 – With unseasonably balmy temperatures greeting a strong contingent of racing-hungry fans and competitors, Plymouth Dirt Track Racing kicked off its 17^th season of sanctioning weekly racing action at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 1.

In A-main competition, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove held off the hard-charging duo of Travis Arenz of Sheboygan and two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, while skillfully working through heavy lapped traffic in the closing laps to capture the 25-lap 360 Kristine Hartmann Pleasantview Realty Sprint Car headliner.

Justin Richie of New London led flag-to-flag en route to victory in the 25-lap Sheboygan’s Country B93.7 Late Model main event, while Donny Kulow of Elkhart Lake endured six caution flags to claim the A-main win the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National main event and Kyle Odekirk of Plymouth captured the caution-filled, time-shortened 17-lap PDTR Cellcom B Mod A main.

Ben Schmidt seized the lead on the drop of the green flag of the 25-lap 360 Sprint Car A main from the pole before 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Justin Miller of Plymouth, who started second, used the high groove to power into the lead on lap 2.

Two laps later, Schmidt rebounded to regain the top spot with a nifty low move in turn two. On lap 6, Schmidt caught the back of the field and was poised to negotiate heavy lapped traffic when the lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 8 after Blake Wondra of Fond du Lac spun in turn two.

On the restart, Schmidt powered away from Miller and eighth starter Travis Arenz, who had worked his way into third. On lap 10, Arenz pulled off a slide job on the dry slick track surface to secure the runner-up spot.

Three laps later, Schmidt hit slower traffic, which allowed Arenz and 10^th starter Brandon McMullen, who had worked his way up to third, to close rapidly on the leader.

Dense lapped traffic proved to be challenging for the leaders over the second half of the race as Schmidt, Arenz and McMullen diced their way skillfully through the rear of the field in close quarters.

On lap 20, Arenz dove low in turn three to pull even with Schmidt for the top spot, however, the 21-year veteran refused to be denied as he fended off Arenz, while weaving his way through lapped cars over the final five laps en route to his 11^th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main victory and 28^th career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph.

Arenz had to settle for second, McMullen finished a close third, Miller placed fourth and Waupun’s Will Gerrits, worked his way up from the 13th starting spot, to place fifth.

After a complete restart following a spin involving Turk Letizia of Milwaukee and Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls on the initial start, Justin Ritchie led the 17-car Late Model A-main field to the green flag from the pole and quickly outpowered outside front row starter Dan Schlieper of Milwaukee, who was in the seat of the late Jim Letizia’s D7 car, to take the lead in turn one of the opening lap.

Ritchie wasted little time in building up a solid cushion over third starter Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha on lap 2. Two laps later, Charlie Schmidt of Cedar Grove, who started fifth, flexed his muscle by bolting past Scheffler to seize second in turn two.

On lap 5, the second and final caution flag appeared for Jacob Van Engen of Howards Grove, who spun in turn two. After the restart, Ritchie built up a big lead over Schmidt in the final 20 laps and never looked back en route to his third career PDTR Late Model A-main victory by a half-lap margin.

Schmidt finished a strong second, Scheffler placed third, four-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake finished fourth after starting eighth and three-time defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started sixth, rounded out the top five.

After a caution on the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National A main for Dave Holm of Chilton and Jeff Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake, Donny Kulow, who started on the pole and 82-year-old Dick Hed of Plymouth, who started second, dueled side by side over the first two laps before Kulow surged ahead along the low groove on lap 3.

On lap 5, fourth starter J.J. Pagel of Mount Calvary in the Bender Racing No. 89 entry worked past Hed to take second before the second caution flag appeared for a spin involving Maverick Ruh of Sheboygan Falls.

After another caution was displayed on lap 7 for a spin involving Derek Kaat of Plymouth, Pagel and Hed waged a heated battle for second before Pagel gained the spot and moved in two pressure Kulow for the lead on lap 10.

The fourth yellow came out on lap 13 when Derek Kaat spun along the front stretch. When the race resume, Pagel and Hed continued their battle for second with Pagel again surging ahead on lap 17.

Three laps later, 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth spun in turn four after contact with Hed, who was sent to the rear of field for the altercation.

Following the restart, seventh starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg charged in along the outside groove to pressure Pagel for second before the sixth and final caution was displayed on lap 23 when Jacob Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake made contact with the front stretch wall.

When the race resumed, Kulow maintained the top spot by holding firm to the low line on the way to his second career PDTR Grand National A-main victory.

Pagel finished second, Jeff Muehlbauer recovered from an opening lap spin to finish third, Scholten placed fourth and two-time PDTR Grand National champion Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis placed fifth after starting ninth.

After a five-car incident brought out the first of six caution flags on the opening lap, polesitter Kyle Odekirk raced into the lead on the drop of the green flag with second starter Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls and Jesse Cullen of Chilton, who started sixth, in tow.

The second yellow flag appeared on lap 3 when Patrick Hanson of Sheboygan Falls stalled near the turn three pit exit. On the restart, fifth starter Trevor Frank of Sheboygan began to make his presence felt as he slipped into third place. On lap 9, Cullen worked his way into second with a strong move along the cushion before back-to-back cautions for debris and a three-car incident in turn two on lap 11 slowed the pace again.

On the restart, Cullen and Frank waged an epic duel for second with Frank running low and Cullen sticking to the high line. The fifth caution appeared on lap 14 as the race neared the 25-minute time limit. On what proved to the final restart, Kulow again held is own by staying smooth down low, while Cullen fended off Frank for second before the race ended on lap 17 when the sixth yellow flag was displayed for a spin involving Rick Kretschmann of Sheboygan Falls in turn one.

Odekirk, who owns a pair of PDTR Late Model victories, earned his first career PDTR B Mod A-main win with Cullen placing second, Frank taking third, Shane Long finishing fourth and Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls, who started 17^th, placing fifth.

Brandon Berth of Cascade was victorious in the 15-lap 360 Sprint Car B Main and Spencer Long won the 12-lap B Mod B Main.

The season-opening PDTR racing program of the 2021 season, which was sponsored by Mayer Automotive, drew a total of 87 cars, including 31 360 Sprint Cars, 17 Late Models, 15 Grand Nationals and 24 B Mods.

PDTR action is scheduled to resume on Saturday, May 8 with action in the 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions

Grandstand gates open at 3:30 p.m. with hot laps at 4:30 p.m. racing at 5 p.m.

The new book “70 Years of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan and George Baumann of Waupun, covering every season of racing at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. from 1950 to 2020 will be available for purchase at every race during the 2021 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANTVIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Kurt Davis 2, Bill Taylor 3, Justin Miller 4, Tyler Tischendorf 5, Matt Rechek 6, Tony Wondra 7, Preston Ruh 8, Scott Conger (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, Kevin Karnitz 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Will Gerrits 4, Brandon McMullen 5, Cole Possi 6, Spyder Akright 7, Mike Yurmanovich 8, Chris Larson (DNS).

HEAT 3

1, Travis Arenz 2, Paul Pokorski 3, Justin Erickson 4, Jack Vanderboom 5, Blake Wondra 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Josh Teunissen 8, Katelyn Krebsbach.

HEAT 4

1, Tyler Davis 2, Tim Haddy 3, Austin Hartmann 4, Adam Miller 5, Lance Fassbender 6, Brandon Berth 7, Tommy Colburn (DNS).

B MAIN

1, Brandon Berth 2, Lance Fassbender 3, Tyler Brabant 4, Matt Recheck 5, Scott Conger 6, Blake Wondra 7, Spyder Akright 8, Cole Possi 9, Mike Yurmanovich 10, Tony Wondra 11, Josh Teunissen 12, Katelyn Krebsbach 13, Tommy Colburn 14, Preston Ruh 15, Chris Larson (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Ben Schmidt 2, Travis Arenz 3, Brandon McMullen 4, Justin Miller 5, Will Gerrits 6, Kevin Karnitz 7, Tim Haddy 8, Jack Vanderboom 9, Kurt Davis 10, Adam Miller 11, Justin Erickson 12, Lance Fassbender 13, Brandon Berth 14, Scott Conger 15, Austin Hartmann 16, Tyler Brabant 17, Matt Recheck 18, Bill Taylor 19, Tyler Davis 20, Blake Wondra 21, Tyler Tischendorf 22, Paul Pokorski.

SHEBOYGAN’S COUNTRY B93.7 LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Justin Schmidt 2, Charlie Schmidt 3, Dan Schlieper 4, Taylor Scheffler 5, Tim Buhler 6, Ron Stroika 7, Jon Bongiorno 8, Jim Schmidt 9, Chad Ludwigson.

HEAT 2

1, Brad Mueller 2, Sawyer Specht 3, Turk Letizia 4, Justin Ritchie 5, Brian Konitzer 6, Dan White 7, Jacob Van Engen 8, Donny Singer.

A MAIN

1, Justin Ritchie 2, Charlie Schmidt 3, Taylor Scheffler 4, Brad Mueller 5, Justin Schmidt 6, Tim Buhler 7, Joe Bongiorno 8, Jim Schmidt 9, Turk Letizia 10, Dan Schlieper 11, Dan White 12, Jacob Van Engen 13, Ron Stroika 14, Chad Ludwigson 15, Donny Singer 16, Brian Konitzer 17, Sawyer Specht.

OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Tyler Kulow 2, Brad Weiss. 3, J.J. Pagel 4, Dylan Struve 5, Dick Hed 6, Jeff Muehlbauer 7, Maverick Ruh 8, Jacob Muehlbauer.

HEAT 2

1, Don Sorce Jr. 2, Luke Scholten 3, Dave Holm 4, Derek Kaat 5, Donny Kulow 6, Steven Weber 7, Daryl Traber.

A MAIN

1, Donny Kulow 2, J.J. Pagel 3, Jeff Muehlbauer 4, Luke Scholten 5, Don Sorce Jr. 6, Steven Weber 7, Tyler Kulow 8, Brad Weiss 9, Dick Hed 10, Derek Kaat 11, Maverick Ruh 12, Dave Holm 13, Jacob Muehlbauer 14, Dylan Struve 15, Daryl Traber.

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Craig Gessner 2, Matthew Roehl 3, Rick Kretschmann 4, Gary Glander 5, Rory Welch 6, Patrick Hanson 7, Michael Gilson 8, Spencer Long 9, Christopher Gilson (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, Shane Long 2, Jesse Cullen 3, Phil Campanella 4, Will Garceau 5, Brendon Ostrowski 6, Justin Bauer 7, Logan See 8, Donny Singer.

HEAT 3

1, Kyle Odekirk 2, Steve Lorier 3, Trevor Frank 4, Dustin Wudstrack 5, Mark Hoeppner 6, Jon Fleury 7, Conrad Kaufert 8, Jim Fischer.

B MAIN

1, Spencer Long 2, Donny Singer 3, Jim Fischer 4, Patrick Hanson 5, Logan See 6, Christopher Gilson 7, Michael Gilson 8, Rory Welch 9, Conrad Kaufert.

A MAIN

1, Kyle Odekirk 2, Jesse Cullen 3, Trevor Frank 4, Shane Long 5, Spencer Long 6, Justin Bauer 7, Gary Glander 8, Will Garceau 9, Steve Lorier 10, Brendan Ostrowski 11, Donny Singer 12, Dustin Wudstrack 13, Jim Fischer 14, Rick Kretschmann 15, Mark Hoeppner 16, Matthew Roehl 17, Patrick Hanson 18, Craig Gessner 19, Phil Campanella 20. John Fleury (DQ).

May 2, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Up, down night yields top-15 result for Pokorski Motorsports at Gravity Park

Paul Pokorski turned in a 15th-place finish in the 25-lap Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton, Wis. on Saturday, April 24. – Joe Holz Photography

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 27, 2021 – On a frigid spring evening, which saw the temperatures dip into the high 30-degree range, Paul Pokorski and the Pokorski Motorsports team faced a considerable challenge in finding the hot set-up in Midwest Sprint Car Association action the tight quarter-mile Gravity Park Speedway bullring in Chilton, Wis. on Saturday, April 24.

Pokorski was among 29 drivers to sign in for the second event of the 2021 MSA season and second-ever MSA-sanctioned race contested at Gravity Park Speedway.

The 2014 MSA Masters Series champion opened the night on a solid note by steering the team’s 2020 Maxim to the second-fastest time of 12.500 seconds in the second heat race group qualifying session.

After a four-car invert based on group qualifying times, Pokorski lined up third in the second 10-lap MSA heat race. On the opening lap, four-time MSA champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh bolted around Pokorski to take third and relegate the 29-year veteran to fourth on the opening lap.

On lap 2, Sheboygan’s Travis Arenz worked past Pokorski to claim fourth. Four laps later, Pokorski regained the fourth spot when Arenz exited the track with an apparent mechanical issue.

Pokorski went on to place fourth in the heat race, which gave him the pole position for the 15-lap B main. The West Bend driver put together a strong performance in the B main, leading flag to flag to earn the 17^th starting spot in the 25-lap MSA main event.

The A main got off to a rough start when contact with Ken Schmick resulted in some front-end damage on the No. 4 car.

After a trip to the work area to fix the damage, Pokorski restarted 19^th and went to work in gradually working his way through the field. While struggling to find a comfort level in the heavy traffic that is a signature of racing at Gravity Park Speedway, Pokorski was able to advance four positions over the final 21 laps en route to a 15^th-place finish in a race won by Travis Arenz.

“The car was so, so in the heat race,” Pokorski said. “We struggled a bit in turns one and two. We made some changes for the B main to help that and the car was good.

“However, we didn’t make the right changes for the A and the tangle early on bent the front axle and made it worse,” he said. “It was not a great night, but not awful either. We have some work to do before this Saturday’s opener at Plymouth.”

Paul Pokorski is set to return to action behind the wheel of the familiar No. 4 Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car for the 2021 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing opener at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 1.

Pit gates open at 2 p.m., the grandstand opens at 3:30 p.m. with hot laps at 4:30 p.m. and racing starting at 5 p.m.

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Petersen Septic Systems

Pokorski Motorsports is pleased to have Petersen Septic Systems step into the role of primary sponsor for the 2021 racing season.

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

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

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

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

2021 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 2

MSA events – 2

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 0

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0

2021 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, May 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, May 7 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, May 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 15 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 22 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

April 27, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Arenz mounts inspiring charge to net MSA Gravity Park Speedway triumph

Travis Arenz of Sheboygan earned his 12th career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main victory at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton, Wis. on Saturday, April 24. – Joe Holz Photography

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 24, 2021 – On a night when misfortune hounded him in both qualifying and heat race action, Travis Arenz of Sheboygan turned it on when it mattered most as he charged from the second-to-last-row of the main event field to capture his first 25-lap Akright Auto Parts of Sheboygan Falls Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main victory of the 2021 season at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton, Wis. on Saturday, April 24.

On a cold and blustery late April evening, which was preceded by rain showers in the afternoon, a total of 29 360 Sprint Car competitors checked in for the second MSA event of the 2021 campaign.

In the 25-lap MSA headliner, five-time MSA champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag from the pole position, as third starter Justin Erickson of Plymouth slipped past MSA rookie outside front row starter Matt Rechek of Beaver Dam to assume second in the running order.

The race was slowed for the first of three occasions on lap 2 when Brandon Berth of Cascade spun in turn two. Davis again commanded the top spot on the restart before Oshkosh’s Ken Schmick flipped in turn three after contact with 2014 MSA Masters Series champion Paul Pokorski of West Bend to bring out the red flag.

Following the restart, Erickson started to flex his muscle as he closed the gap on Davis on lap 8, before four-time MSA champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, who started eighth, used the high groove to pass 2005 MSA champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett, who started fifth, for third place.

Two laps later, McMullen, who is racing a part-time MSA schedule this season, swept around Erickson to take over second as Arenz, who started 18^th after transferring through the B main, worked the high line to seize fourth on lap 13.

McMullen quickly reeled in Davis on lap 15 and used a daring move entering turn one to work his way into the lead with Arenz in tow as the leaders began to encounter slower traffic.

One lap later, Davis lost control and made hard head-on contact with the turn one wall after racing in dense traffic, which brought out another red flag. Davis was able to emerge from the grinding impact under his own power.

During the red flag clean-up, McMullen retreated to the work area to change a flat tire, which relinquished the lead to Arenz.

After the restart, Arenz darted away from Erickson to build up a full-straightway cushion by lap 20. Arenz, who failed to register a qualifying lap after making contact with the turn two wall and dropped out of his heat race with an apparent mechanical issue, cruised over the final five laps en route to his 12^th career MSA A-main win and first main event victory of the 2021 season.

Erickson held on to finish an MSA A-main career-best second, Rechek, who is a Modified and Midget racing veteran, continued his impressive rookie MSA season by recording an MSA 360 Sprint Car career-best third-place showing, Fassbender finished fourth and ninth starter Tyler Brabant of Waupun rounded out the top five.

Justin Erickson was the overall fastest qualifier for the event with a top lap of 12.034 seconds around the tight, well-prepared quarter-mile clay oval.

Heat race victories went to Justin Miller of Plymouth, Brandon McMullen, Brandon Berth and Lance Fassbender. Paul Pokorski was victorious in the 15-lap B Main.

The next Akright Auto Parts of Sheboygan Falls Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series returns to action on Saturday, May 1 for the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 2021 season opener at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. with racing to commence at 5 p.m.

The next Akright Auto Parts of Sheboygan Falls MSA traveling race is set for Friday, May 7 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. in conjunction with the Wisconsin Wingless Sprint Car Series and Legends.

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.

Midwest Sprint Car Association

Gravity Park Speedway

Chilton, Wis.

April 24, 2021

Overall Fast Qualifier – Justin Erickson 12.034 seconds.

Qualifying Heat 1 – 1, Ben Schmidt 13.015 2, Scott Conger 13.164 3, Justin Miller 13.388 4, Tim Haddy 13.402 5, Adam Miller 13.559 6, Tommy Colburn 13.805 7, Katelyn Krebsbach 14.897 8, Preston Ruh no time.

Qualifying Heat 2 – 1, Brandon McMullen 12.433 2, Paul Pokorski 12.500 3, Tyler Brabant 12.934 4, Blake Wondra 13.196 5, Tom Kreutz 13.235 6, Chris Larson 13.340 7, Travis Arenz no time.

Qualifying Heat 3 – 1, Tony Wondra 12.362 2, Tyler Tischendorf 12.419 3, Brandon Berth 12.568 4, Nick Daywalt 12.655 5, Tyler Davis 12,926 6, Matt Rechek 13.019 7, Ken Schmick 14.065.

Qualifying Heat 4 – 1, Justin Erickson 12.034 2, Will Gerrits 12.125 3, Lance Fassbender 12.126 4, Bill Taylor 12.129 5, Kurt Davis 12.347 6, Jack Vanderboom 12.381 7, Austin Hartmann 12.599.

HEAT 1

1, Justin Miller 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Tim Haddy 4, Scott Conger 5, Adam Miller 6, Tommy Colburn 7, Katelyn Krebsbach 8, Preston Ruh (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Tyler Brabant 3, Blake Wondra 4, Paul Pokorski 5, Chris Larson 6, Tom Kreutz 7, Travis Arenz.

HEAT 3

1, Brandon Berth 2, Nick Daywalt 3, Matt Rechek 4, Tyler Tischendorf 5, Ken Schmick 6, Tyler Davis 7, Tony Wondra.

HEAT 4

1, Lance Fassbender 2, Justin Erickson 3, Kurt Davis 4, Bill Taylor 5, Jack Vanderboom 6, Austin Hartmann 7, Will Gerrits.

B MAIN

1, Paul Pokorski 2, Travis Arenz 3, Adam Miller 4, Bill Taylor 5, Will Gerrits 6, Tony Wondra 7, Austin Hartmann 8, Katelyn Krebsbach 9, Tyler Davis 10, Tyler Tischendorf 11, Tom Kreutz 12, Tommy Colburn (DNS), 13, Preston Ruh (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Justin Erickson 3, Matt Rechek 4, Lance Fassbender 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Tim Haddy 7, Jack Vanderboom 8, Justin Miller 9, Bill Taylor 10, Scott Conger 11, Brandon Berth 12, Brandon McMullen 13, Chris Larson 14, Nick Daywalt 15, Paul Pokorski 16, Adam Miller 17, Ben Schmidt 18, Blake Wondra 19, Kurt Davis 20, Ken Schmick.

April 25, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Mueller shares story of son’s loss, renewed purpose and legislative mission in debut poetry book

Angel Mueller’s first book “Wheels Up – Grief to Peace” features poems inspired by her late son Dillon Mueller, who died in 2014 following an undiagnosed allergic reaction to a bee sting.

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 21, 2021 – After losing her 18-year-old son, Dillon, to an undiagnosed allergic reaction to a bee sting in 2014, Mishicot, Wis. resident Angel Mueller found comfort and clarity in writing religious-based poetry as a way to work through her grief.

Nearly seven years after Dillon’s passing, Mueller has released her debut poetry book “Wheels Up – Grief to Peace,” inspired by Dillon’s live-in-the-moment youthful vigor and uncanny ability to engage people through his dynamic personality. The book also chronicles Mueller’s complex process of dealing with the deep-seated feelings associated with her youngest son’s sudden death.

Published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis, Mueller’s first book release is designed to help others dealing with the loss of a loved one, provide a glimpse into Dillon’s short, but impactful life and continue the mission of Dillon’s Law by pursuing similar life-saving epinephrine legislation throughout the United States.

“The suffocating, unbearable pain of losing my 18-year-old son, Dillon, to an undiagnosed bee sting allergy is what led me to write these poems,” Mueller said. “They are more like prayers on paper, gifted to me by God. It was when I was emotionally at my worst, the urge to write came on strong. The poems in the book are in order as I wrote them so the reader will journey along with me from ‘Grief to Peace.’

“The tone of my poems start out very gloomy and dismal, expressing the indescribable gut-wrenching pain I was feeling,” she said. “Next comes the ‘aha’ moment and divine words of wisdom which comforted me. Every single poem will leave the reader feeling inspired and hopeful. These words came to me straight from Heaven, so quickly, that I grabbed whatever was close to write with and on, including napkins. The message is, ‘We are never alone.’ The tiniest bit of positivity or faith, whatever the reader wants to call it, can spark the slightest motivation to slowly lift ones foot to take the very next step. How we carry our burdens, and we all have them, can make the trip as easy or hard as we choose. We are ultimately, with God’s help, in charge of the destination. I chose peace.”

Angel Mueller of Mishicot, Wis. has released her first book “Wheels Up – Grief to Peace,” which features a collection of poems inspired by her late son, Dillon, who passed away at age 18 following an undiagnosed bee sting allergic reaction in 2014. – Photo by Paula E. Schoeffel

After engaging in various forms of writing as a hobby throughout her life, “Wheels Up – Grief to Peace” serves as a launching pad for what Mueller hopes will be a lengthy career as an author.

“I have written a little poetry prior to this mostly in the form of children’s stories to tell my kids at bedtime,” Mueller said. “I was always good at language arts and spelling, calling myself the ‘word girl’ before it was a real character. Telling made-up stories to our boys when they were small is a fond memory I will cherish forever.”

Mueller says the process of transforming her very raw and personal poems into a professional published book for public consumption included a substantial learning curve.

“The process leading to publication of these poems into book form was not an easy one for me,” she said. “For a few years, I had been daydreaming about turning these poems into a book, or even music. Sharing my poetry on Facebook and word-of-mouth lead me to Pedal Down Promotions. With their guidance, I took the steps necessary to convert my hurried writing, which looked like chicken scratch, into typed material. From there, I needed to proofread them several times, not so much to correct spelling errors, but to add necessary punctuation to ensure the reader feels the exact same emotion I was feeling at that moment. Revisiting these writings stirred up emotions with a peaceful intensity and a tear here and there, but I soon realized I am still Dillon’s mom and I still love and miss him every day.

“I also wanted to add pictures throughout the book to depict Dillon’s personality,” Mueller said. “These photos and Dillon deserve an honorable caption. This was grueling for me as I struggled with ‘self-imposed’ responsibility to make the ‘essence’ of Dillon palatable. I was reassured, through prayer, that it would all be ‘just right.’”

Mueller’s ultimate goal in releasing “Wheels Up – Grief to Peace” is to provide inspiration and renewed purpose to those that may be dealing with pain, grief and any form of loss in their lives.

“My main goal in publishing this book first and foremost is to offer hope to those who may feel there is no way out,” Mueller said. “Losing a child in the prime of their life to such an extraordinary event can throw anyone into a deep dark place with no life preserver available. This book of heartfelt, spiritually intuitive poetry is a life preserver I’m throwing to those who feel there is no way out of that dark place, no matter what circumstances put them there.

“The second goal in publishing this book is to open the eyes of every reader and their family and friends to the fact that allergies are real,” she said. “Allergies can be fatal. There is a common sense solution, easily delivered, at little cost, that has already been proven to save lives. Dillon’s Law NEEDS to be nationwide. Get trained. Carry epinephrine. Save a life. Let’s do it for Dillon.”

Through her drive, determination and talent for public speaking, Mueller is aiming to share her book with the public without rest until her mission is complete.

“Looking ahead I hope to promote this book across the state and the nation,” Mueller said. “Book signings and personal presentations are my goal. I hope to see this story offered in churches, libraries, clubs and support groups of all kinds. This is a story which needs to be told. My hope is that this topic of death, grief and healing and by divine intervention will open the flood gates to legislation across the country. The Amber Alert was our template. That was birthed from tragedy. This too can do the same. ‘Something good from something bad, it’s the only dream I ever had.’”

Mueller will hold a book launch party for “Wheels Up – Grief to Peace” on Saturday, May 22 at Port Sandy Bay, located at 6421 County Road O in Two Rivers from noon to 3:30 p.m. Mueller will be signing copies of the book, which will be available for purchase during the drop-in event.

“Wheels Up – Grief to Peace” is now available for purchase for $17 at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or by contacting Angel Mueller directly at brothersracing@live.com.

Additional information on Dillon’s Law can be found by visiting www.epifordilly.com.

For more information, contact Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, by phone at 920-323-7970 or by visiting www.pedaldownpromo.com.

April 21, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Mechanical gremlin cuts short promising opener for Pokorski Motorsports

Paul Pokorski (4) passes Al Schlafer (26) during the 2021 season-opening Midwest Sprint Car Association Jim Wipperfurth Memorial at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, April 17. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 20, 2021 – After showing plenty of speed in the early stages of the first night of the 29^th season of competition for the Pokorski Motorsports team, a mechanical malady spelled an early ending to the main event for veteran driver Paul Pokorski during the 2021 Midwest Sprint Car Association season-opening Jim Wipperfurth Memorial at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, April 17.

Pokorski was among 34 drivers to sign in for the 2021 MSA season opener at the Beaver Dam Raceway facility, which served as the birthplace of the Winged 360 Sprint Car division in Southeastern Wisconsin in 1996.

The 2014 MSA Masters Series champion opened the night behind the wheel of the team’s newly acquired 2020 Maxim by drawing the third starting spot in the first 10-lap heat race. Pokorski used a strong start to bolt underneath outside front row starter Bill Taylor to secure the second spot in the first turn of the opening lap.

Pokorski quickly settled into the runner-up spot behind race leader Tyler Davis, while Davis’ father, Kurt, moved into to briefly pressure Pokorski for second on lap 2. Pokorski maintained the second spot until the yellow flag appeared on lap 7 for the spinning car of Scott Conger in turn two.

On the restart, Pokorski pulled away from Kurt Davis and reeled in Tyler Davis in the closing laps before settling for second to secure a spot in the 25-lap A main.

“The car was pretty amazing for having never turned a lap in it until hot laps,” Pokorski said. “I was very happy with it in the heat race.”

Pokorski lined up ninth in the 22-car A-main field and fell back to 13^th in the running order along the inside groove in the early going. On lap 4, Pokorski moved up to the high groove and quickly worked his way into the top 10.

On lap 12, Adam Miller pulled off a slide job to take 10^th away from Pokorski in turn two. Second later, Pokorski fell off the pace and pulled into the infield with an apparent mechanical issue. Pokorski was credited with a 20^th place finish in the final running order in a race won by Ben Schmidt.

“In the A main, the engine began to stumble,” Pokorski said. “I’m reasonably sure it was just the main fuel shut off valve vibrating shut. It’s a minor gremlin and an easy fix, so we should be good to go this Saturday at Gravity Park.”

Paul Pokorski is set to return to action behind the wheel of the familiar No. 4 Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car for an MSA event at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton on Saturday, April 24. Sport Mods, 4-Cylinders and Street Stocks are also on the card.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m., the grandstand opens at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and racing starting at 6 p.m.

Sponsors and supporters for the 2021 Pokorski Motorsports team are Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hopf Farms, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Petersen Septic Systems

Pokorski Motorsports is pleased to have Petersen Septic Systems step into the role of primary sponsor for the 2021 racing season.

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

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

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

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

2021 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 1

MSA events – 1

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 0

B Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0

2021 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, April 24 – Gravity Park Speedway, Chilton, Wis.

Saturday, May 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, May 7 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, May 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, May 15 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

April 20, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Last-corner pass nets Schmidt MSA Jim Wipperfurth Memorial victory

2011 Midwest Sprint Car Association champion Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove earned his 27th career MSA A-main victory in the 2021 season-opening Jim Wipperfurth Memorial main event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, April 17. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 17, 2021 – Former Midwest Sprint Car Association champion Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove pulled off a thrilling last corner pass to outduel hard-charging Sheboygan competitor Travis Arenz and secure a 2021 season-opening victory in the 25-lap Akright Auto Parts of Sheboygan Falls Midwest Sprint Car Association Jim Wipperfurth Memorial A-main at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, April 17.

The first event of the 23^rd season of MSA series competition drew 34 entrants to Beaver Dam Raceway, which served as the birthplace of Winged 360 Sprint Car racing in Southeastern Wisconsin in 1996.

Polesitter Tim Haddy of Mayville, who has been racing Winged 360 Sprint Cars since the division’s inception at Beaver Dam Raceway in 1996, jumped into the lead on the drop of the green flag as fourth starter Ben Schmidt, who captured the 2011 MSA title, bolted into second and Travis Arenz moved up from his sixth starting spot to slide into third on the opening circuit.

On lap 3, Schmidt moved in to pressure Haddy for the top spot. Two laps later, Schmidt pulled off a slide job in turn two to briefly seize the lead before Haddy battled back along the fast middle groove to regain the top spot in turn four.

Haddy and Schmidt continued their side-by-side duel until Schmidt finally gained control of the lead exiting turn four on lap 7. Four laps later, Arenz made his presence felt as he worked the high groove to surge ahead of the low riding Haddy before the first of two caution flags was displayed for a spin involving Josh Teunissen in turn four on lap 12.

On the restart, five-time MSA champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee spun in turn two and collected Justin Miller of Plymouth, Jason Johnson of Campbellsport, Waupun’s Will Gerrits and MSA rookie Matt Rechek of Beaver Dam. Davis, Miller, Johnson and Rechek were able to continue, but Gerrits was done for the night.

When the race resumed, Arenz went to the cushion to challenge Schmidt, who was stuck to the middle line of the multi-groove third-mile facility. On lap 19, Arenz finally pounced as he bolted around Schmidt with a high move in turn two.

Two laps later, Arenz began to encounter heavy lapped traffic, which allowed Schmidt to cut the gap considerably. As Arenz was forced to deal with a pair of slower cars racing side-by-side just ahead of him, Schmidt moved to within striking distance on the white flag lap.

Schmidt used a huge run down the backstretch on the final lap to pull even with Arenz along the inside groove in turn three and sweep into the lead in turn four en route to his 27^th career MSA A-main victory.

Arenz had to settle for second, Haddy took third, two-time MSA champion Danny Schlafer of Sussex took third after starting eighth and 2005 MSA champ Lance Fassbender of Burnett charged up from the 15th starting spot to finish fifth.

Heat race victories went to Tyler Davis of South Milwaukee, Tim Haddy, Kevin Karnitz of West Bend and Danny Schlafer.

Austin Hartmann of Plymouth claimed his first career MSA race victory in the 15-lap B main.

The next race on the 2021 Akright Auto Parts of Sheboygan Midwest Sprint Car Association schedule is Saturday, April 24 at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton. The program will also feature Sport Mods, 4-Cylinders and Street Stocks.

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

Midwest Sprint Car Association

Beaver Dam Raceway

Beaver Dam, Wis.

April 17, 2021

HEAT 1

1, Tyler Davis 2, Paul Pokorski 3, Kurt Davis 4, Al Schlafer 5, Matt Rechek 6, Scott Conger 7, Preston Ruh 8, Bill Taylor 9, Tyler Tischendorf.

HEAT 2

1, Tim Haddy 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Nick Daywalt 4, Blake Wondra 5, Lance Fassbender 6, Spyder Akright 7, Ken Schmick 8, Justin Erickson (DNS) 9, Tom Kreutz (DNS).

HEAT 3

1, Kevin Karnitz 2, Will Gerrits 3, Jack Vanderboom 4, Josh Teunissen 5, Austin Hartmann 6, Chris Larson 7, Doug Wondra 8, Tommy Colburn.

HEAT 4

1, Danny Schlafer 2, Travis Arenz 3, Justin Miller 4, Jason Johnson 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Katelyn Krebsbach 7. Adam Miller 8, Mike Yurmanovich.

B MAIN

1, Austin Hartmann 2, Blake Wondra 3, Preston Ruh 4, Adam Miller 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Jason Johnson 7, Scott Conger 8, Chris Larson 9. Mike Yurmanovich 10, Spyder Akright 11, Tom Kreutz 12, Katelyn Krebsbach 13, Ken Schmick.

A MAIN

1, Ben Schmidt 2, Travis Arenz 3, Tim Haddy 4, Danny Schlafer 5, Lance Fassbender 6, Adam Miller 7, Jack Vanderboom 8, Kevin Karnitz 9, Matt Rechek 10, Kurt Davis 11, Justin Miller 12, Austin Hartmann 13, Blake Wondra 14, Tyler Davis 15. Jason Johnson 16, Josh Teunissen 17, Al Schlafer 18, Nick Daywalt 19, Will Gerrits 20, Paul Pokorski 21, Preston Ruh 22, Tyler Brabant.

April 18, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

New book brings history of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing to life

The new book “70 Years of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” by Dennis Darovich and George Baumann covers every season of racing action at the dirt track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. from 1950 through the 2020 season.

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 14, 2021 – Boasting a rich, colorful and sometimes even controversial history, the sport of dirt track racing is ripe for remembering fondly and treasuring thoroughly.

Drawing off the close competition, big personalities and heated rivalries that have formed the firm foundation the grassroots sport of dirt track racing, a new book titled “70 Years of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Covering the 1950 through 2020 Seasons” traces all the twists and turns of every season of racing action to date at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds dirt track facility in Plymouth, Wis.

Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Racing Historian Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, Wis. and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Historian George Baumann of Waupun, Wis. have teamed up to chronicle all of the vivid details through a season-by-season account, which features a total of 183 photos, 140 of which appear in color.

Additional highlights of the 246-page full-color book, published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis., include a chapter devoted to women in racing, final point standings for each season between 1950 to 2020, driver photograph identification pages and human interest stories.

“This book provides the definitive Plymouth dirt track racing history,” Darovich said. “It covers all of the years from 1950 and 2020, which makes it very comprehensive for anyone that has an interest in the history Plymouth track from way back in the beginning years all the way up until the 2020 season. It will be available at the track for purchase throughout the 2021 season. It is a must have for any stock car racing enthusiast.”

Plymouth Dirt Track Racing has thrown their full support behind the “70 Years of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Covering the 1950 through 2020 Seasons” book project with additional backing coming from Vintage Modified Stock Car, Partners in Success Networking Group, the family of Tom “T.J.” Ott and Klips & Tips of Plymouth.

“George and Dennis have done an excellent job of covering the history of racing in Plymouth,” Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Marketing and Promotions Director Bill Weinaug said. “I believe the fans will also enjoy the pictorial history as well.”

In addition to being on sale for $25 during 2021 racing events at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis., “70 Years of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Covering the 1950 through 2020 Seasons” is also available in e-book and paperback formats on barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. Premium color paperback editions of the book are available for purchase exclusively on amazon.com.

Additional information on Plymouth Dirt Track Racing and the upcoming 2021 PDTR racing season can be found at www.plymouthdtr.com.

For more information, contact Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, by phone at 920-323-7970 or by visiting www.pedaldownpromo.com.

April 14, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Father-son driving tandem set to guide Pokorski Motorsports in swan song season

Alex (left) and Paul (right) Pokorski will share the seat of the No. 4 Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car during the team’s final season of competition in 2021. – Pokorski Motorsports photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 6, 2021 – While the 2020 season was supposed to be the last go-around for the Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car team, the condensed campaign brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic enticed the team to add one more complete year of action to its extensive racing resume.

For the team’s 29th and last season operating as Pokorski Motorsports, 29-year open wheel racing veteran Paul Pokorski will once again share seat time with his 22-year-old son, Alex, who will be entering his second season of 360 Sprint Car competition.

The highlight of the shortened 2020 came on the opening night of the season at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. when Paul outdueled Tyler Brabant and Travis Arenz to park the familiar blue No. 4 car in victory lane for the 46th time in his career and 11th time behind the wheel of a 360 Sprint Car.

One week later, Alex jumped into the seat for the first time at The Plymouth Dirt Track to begin his rookie campaign in the 360 Sprint Car ranks.

Overall, the team competed in 18 total events in 2020 with one A-main victory, one B-main victory, one top-five A-main finish and three top-10 A-main finishes.

Paul competed in 10 events, racking up one A-main victory, one top-five A-main showing and three-top 10 A-main finishes.

“Overall, the season was fun,” Paul said. “It’s hard getting out of the car because I still have a passion for driving, but it’s also very satisfying to help your kids do something that they enjoy and excel at as well. I look forward to doing it again in 2021.”

Alex ran in eight events while qualifying for three A mains and earning one B-main victory during his rookie season in a 360 Sprint Car in 2020.

“The highlight of the 2020 season was definitely winning the B main at Plymouth,” Alex said. “In my go-karting career, I was used to being fast and contending to win races every week, so it felt good to finally be able to do that in a Sprint Car. The last night of the season would be a night I would re-do if I were able to do so. I think I could’ve been a lot better in the A main and would like to race against my dad again. For the 2021 season, I want to learn to run the cushion, be better on dry slick tracks and make A mains more consistently.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team ended up 24th in the final 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) point standings and 25th in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (PDTR) point standings.

“Over the winter we made some changes to a car we had to make it fit Alex better and to give him more head room for safety,” Paul said. “We also acquired 2020 Maxim chassis from another team to use as our primary car. Other than that, we just did the routine of cleaning things up and checking things out before putting them all back together.”

The team intends to race most of the MSA and PDTR 360 Sprint Car schedule in 2021.

“We will run the majority of the MSA events,” Paul said. “However, we’re not really racing for points. We are racing because we want to and because we want to support the MSA and the good things it is doing for Sprint Car racing.”

The 2021 campaign will begin with the Jim Wipperfurth Memorial event for the MSA Sprint Cars at the Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, April 17 with Paul set to be behind the wheel of the Pokorski Motorsports entry.

“We are planning on being ready for the MSA opener at Beaver Dam Raceway,” Paul said. “We’ve had pretty decent luck there over the years and I’m looking forward to what may be my last race there.

“As far as driving the car between Alex and myself, we plan to do it a lot like last year,” he said. “I’m going to drive the first three or four weeks and then once Alex is done with college finals, he’ll take over for the majority of the summer. If he can’t make it for some work-related reason, then I’ll drive myself. We will probably skip one or two events for family vacation time. Although at this point, we have no plans for that specifically.”

For those wondering if the final year of Pokorski Motorsports will include a pair of blue No. 4 cars on the track on the same night, Paul is generally non-committal at this point, while not ruling out the possibility.

Paul and Alex each competed in the 2020 MSA season finale at The Plymouth Dirt Track with both Pokorski Motorsports drivers qualifying for the A main.

“As far as Alex and myself both racing on the same night this year, if we still have two cars and two motors left coming down to the last two nights, we might try to work something out,” Pokorski said.

Sponsors for the 2021 Pokorski Motorsports team are Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hopf Farms, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation and Pedal Down Promotions.

“Many of our sponsors are back from last year,” Paul said. “Peterson Septic Systems stepped up big time and would be considered our primary sponsor for 2021.”

As Pokorski Motorsports embarks on its 29^th and final campaign, Paul is hoping for an enjoyable season for all involved with the long-running team.

“My hope is that we can make it through the season without any major setbacks, such as crashes or engine problems,” Paul said. “If we can race most of the nights and have fun doing it, I’ll consider that a success. In the fall, we will put everything up for sale and then start figuring out what’s next for 2022.”

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Petersen Septic Systems

Pokorski Motorsports is pleased to have Petersen Septic Systems step into the role of primary sponsor for the 2021 racing season.

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

Petersen Septic Systems is located at 7334 Nagel Road in Valders, Wis. For more information, call 920-323-2640 or 920-758-2626, email petersenseptic@gmail.com or visit http://www.petersensepticsystems.com.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

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

2020 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 18

MSA events – 17

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3

Heat Race Victories – 0

MSA points finish – 24^th

PDTR points finish – 25^th

2021 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, April 17 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis

Saturday, April 24 – Gravity Park Speedway, Chilton, Wis.

Saturday, May 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, May 7 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, May 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing, Plymouth Wis.

April 6, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

After unusual 2020, Walter looks forward to new season

Josh Walter and the Torque Racing 410 Sprint Car team will open the 2021 season with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Series on Saturday, April 24 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) March 17, 2021 – Following a shortened 2020 season, which featured a mix of impressive performances and disappointing mechanical setbacks, Josh Walter and the members of the Torque Racing team have turned their attention toward a promising 2021 season.

The team is currently putting together a tentative schedule of races for 2021, which will kick off with a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Sprint Car Series event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, April 24.

In addition to competing in several IRA events near its Plymouth, Wis. home base, the team is also planning to visit a few of dirt track racing’s most legendary tracks during the 2021 campaign.

“Where we decided to race last year was mostly on a whim with a few races set in stone,” Walter said. “That’s what we plan on doing again this year. All the races are on the calendar and we may end up shooting darts at it. We will be racing April 24^th at Beaver Dam Raceway, May 8^th at Knoxville Raceway, June 11^th at Williams Grove Speedway and June 12^th at Port Royal Speedway, weather permitting of course.

“We plan on running the local Plymouth shows, Dodge County and Antigo races too,” he said. “The rest of the schedule is up in the air.”

The annual Torque Racing Brat Fry will get things rolling for the season Saturday, March 20 at Lakehouse Bar and Grill, located at W6547 County Road C in Plymouth, Wis. on Crystal Lake, beginning at 11 a.m.

The brat fry will give fans and supporters the first look at the 2021 Josh Walter-Torque Racing 410 Sprint Car.

Due to COVID-19, the brat fry will include two 40 foot by 20 foot tents outside for those who’d like to distance themselves. Drive-thru orders will be accommodated as well.

Although their 2020 schedule turned out to be nothing like originally anticipated, Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team made the most of their limited racing opportunities by stringing together a number of impressive late-season performances in Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series action.

Walter originally planned to run several different “bucket list” tracks during the 2020 season, including Eldora Speedway in Ohio and Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, as well as Williams Grove Speedway and Port Royal Speedway in Pennsylvania, to go along with a handful of IRA events in Wisconsin. However, the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those ambitious plans and kept the team racing close to its Plymouth, Wis. home throughout the season.

In all, the team competed in 11 IRA, NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series sanctioned events in 2020, compiling three top-10 A-main finishes, one heat race victory, one dash victory and six dash appearances.

Walter ended up 24^th in the final IRA point standings after competing in nine of 20 events.

“Last year was a different year for everyone and it really benefitted our team,” Walter said. “Last year we started a little rough, but we really gathered things together the last half dozen nights or so. The team never gave up, but there was a point that we felt we were going about things a little wrong.

“We rallied at the end with the realization and recognition that if we want to win, we need to look at our team strengths and capitalize on those,” he said. “We took the stress out of our season during the last half, running where we wanted, when we wanted and without any outside bearing on our decisions. If our family had stuff going on, or if we just wanted to watch the races on Flo and have a team cook out and eliminate running a percentage of races or for points, we did that.”

After a nearly two-month delay to the start of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 restrictions, Walter opened the season with a NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Series doubleheader at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6.

Although he failed to qualify for the A main on either night, Walter used the two events as a test and tune session for the upcoming IRA season.

Due to some adverse weather conditions, the Torque Racing team was out of action for the next month before opening its 2020 IRA schedule at the 141 Speedway in Francis Creek on Sunday, July 5.

The evening proved to be an eventful one as Walter qualified sixth in the 29-car field and placed second in his heat race to earn a spot in an IRA dash and eventually the eighth starting spot in the 30-lap A main. After getting hit with a rock and contacting the wall and being involved in an incident in turn two in the early going, Walter battled back from the rear of the field to salvage a 15^th-place finish.

After turning in a 20^th-place finish in an IRA event at the Plymouth Dirt Track on July 18, Walter failed to advance out of the C main in the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions-IRA co-sanctioned Rayce Rudeen Foundation event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on July 30.

The following night, Walter made a late decision to compete with the IRA at the Langlade County Speedway in Antigo, where he qualified seventh and won the first IRA dash to earn the pole for the A main. However, an electrical issue prevented Walter’s 12W car from firing for the A main.

After nearly a month off, Walter returned to action with the IRA at Beaver Dam Raceway on Aug. 29, where he qualified sixth and finished 17^th after a late-race spin.

The highlight of the season came less than a week later, when Walter qualified second and came home a season-best seventh in an IRA A-main at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 4.

The team had planned to compete the following night in IRA action at The Plymouth Dirt Track, but a faulty push rod in the engine compartment detected during pre-race maintenance sidelined the team for the evening.

Walter then posted his second top-10 finish of the season with a ninth-place showing in an IRA event at the Outagamie Speedway in Seymour, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 11.

After placing 12^th in the IRA A-main at the Dodge County Fairgrounds on Friday, Sept. 25, Walter closed out the 2020 campaign with a solid eighth-place A-main finish in the season finale IRA event at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 26.

“The last half of the 2020 season has us excited for 2021,” Walter said. “We had some top-10 finishes and I believe we made the dash in six out of the last seven nights. Our qualifying and speed is there, but I feel I owe it to my team to race better and a little more aggressive.

“If I’m not racing for points, I really have nothing holding me back from being more aggressive,” he said. “However, I still need to drive smart and keep the car in one piece.”

Torque Racing sponsors for the 2020 season included JDV Lawncare, Brittany’s School of Dance, Sheboygan by Owner, Plymouth Tap, SCA Inc., Doug’s Quality Beef, Cow Pies, Full Throttle Ink, Lakehouse Bar & Grill, Home Transitions, Oostburg Concrete Products, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.

Additional information about the team’s 2021 tentative schedule and sponsors will be released in the coming weeks and throughout the season on the Torque Racing Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the Pedal Down Promotions website and social media pages.

Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Oostburg Concrete Products

The Torque Racing team is pleased to have Oostburg Concrete Products of Oostburg, Wis. on board as a sponsor.

Oostburg Concrete Products’ recent investment in equipment allows the company to pour concrete through most of the winter months.

One of the original owners, Gordon Veldboom Sr. became the sole owner in 1959. Today, the company is owned and operated by Gordon J. Veldboom Jr., his wife, Helen, and their son, John.

For more information or to inquire about services, call Oostburg Concrete Products at 920-564-3341.

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

Final 2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing

By The Numbers

Total Events – 11

IRA events – 9

World of Outlaws events – 2

A-Main Victories – 0

B-Main Victories – 0

Top Five A-Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 3

Heat Race Victories – 1

Dash Victories – 1

Dash Appearances – 6

IRA points finish – 24^th

2021 Josh Walter-Torque Racing

Tentative Upcoming Schedule

(Additional dates to be announced)

Saturday, April 24 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)

Saturday, May 8 – Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa (Weekly)

March 17, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Pedal Down Promotions to publish Verdegan’s ‘5-10-32’ book on McBride, Parker & Anvelink

Author Verdegan’s seventh book featuring Wisconsin Dirt Late Model Legends McBride, Parker and Anvelink to be released in December 2021

(Dunbar, Wis.) Jan. 21, 2021 – Motorsports author and Green Bay native Joe Verdegan has announced he’ll begin working on his seventh book titled “5-10-32 – McBride, Parker & Anvelink” which will feature the trio of northeastern Wisconsin dirt late model icons.

The book, hot on the heels of Verdegan’s 2020 best-selling book “The Reformatory – Tales From Green Bay’s Maximum-Security Prison” is set to be wrapped up and ready for release in December 2021. The book will be published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. This book will be the fourth that Verdegan has had published with Pedal Down Promotions.

All three drivers earned extremely popular fan followings beginning with McBride. The Shawano (Wisconsin) Speedster’s career began in 1965 at his home track Shawano Speedway. McBride would go on to battle in USAC stock car competition in the early 1970s and eventually would wind up dominating at his hometown half-mile, bagging five straight track titles in the 1980s and still winning frequently into the ’90s and into the 2000s era. McBride, who would wind up winning 13 track championships in all, was ushered into Shawano Speedway’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

Parker, from Kaukauna, Wisconsin began his career in drag racing after a stint in the military. It didn’t take long for the Eagle River native to explode onto the dirt late model scene. Parker began winning features and track titles frequently in the late 1970s and for the next few decades. Parker spread his wings in the 1980s chasing big-money specials throughout the United States, including the long-defunct National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA) circuit. After an estimated 450 feature wins at both the local and regional level and a pair of WISSOTA late model national crowns, Parker was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2006.

Anvelink, from the small town of Navarino, Wisconsin, won his first late model feature in 1977 and wasted little time becoming a consistent frontrunner and fan favorite in the years ahead at Shawano Speedway as well as nearby Seymour Speedway.

The “Navarino Nightmare” as he’s affectionately known has scored multiple feature wins and 13 track championships. Anvelink has also won some big races along the way, including the $5,000-to-win Legendary 100 at Cedar Lake Speedway in western Wisconsin and the $4,000-to-win Mid-Summer Classic at Shawano. Anvelink was a 2009 inductee into the Shawano Speedway Hall of Fame.

An exact date and location of this book launch is expected to be released sometime in November 2021.

For more details on “5-10-32 – McBride, Parker & Anvelink,” email Verdegan at jverdegan2@gmail.com or follow his website joeverdegan.com.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions contact publisher Jeff Pederson at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com or visit pedaldownpromo.com.

VERDEGAN’S PRIOR TITLES

2015 “Life In The Past Lane – a history of stock car racing in Northeast Wisconsin from 1950-1980”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2016 “Wisconsin International Raceway – Where The Big Ones Run”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2017 “Life In The Past Lane – The Next Generation”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2018 “The Bird & The Bear”

Publisher – Pedal Down Promotions

2019 “Racing In The 906”

Publisher – Pedal Down Promotions

2020 “The Reformatory – Tales From Green Bay’s Maximum-Security prison”

Publisher – Pedal Down Promotions

January 21, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Veteran coach Strusz shares lessons learned in ‘Essays on Coaching Athletes’ book

Gene Strusz, who coached for 32 years and served as an athletic administrator for 39 years at Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton Wis., is sharing many of the lessons he learned during his tenure in a new book titled “Essays on Coaching Athletes – Advice for Athletic Administrator and Coaches of All Sports.”

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) January 14, 2021 – During a career that spanned 39 years, former athletic administrator and coach Gene Strusz experienced firsthand the bountiful rewards and accompanying challenges of leading student-athletes and a staff of coaches in a high school setting.

After four decades of intense involvement in high school athletics at Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Wis., Strusz is sharing the many lessons he learned along the way in his new book “Essays on Coaching Athletes – Advice for Athletic Administrators and Coaches of All Sports.”

Published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis, Strusz’s second book is designed to serve as a reference tool for coaches and school athletic administrators.

“During my 39 years as athletic administrator and 32 years of coaching, certain topics, concerns, or buzz words entered the world of athletics,” Strusz said. “I often was called upon to make presentations to coaches, parents, athletes, booster clubs and others connected to school or community athletics. From time to time, I would write an essay to myself so I could digest and clarify my views concerning the issues surrounding athletics. These essays to myself allowed me to be a better coach, administrator and public speaker.

Gene Strusz, who served 39 years as an athletic administrator and coached for 32 years at Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Wis., has published his second book “Essays on Coaching Athletes – Advice for Athletic Administrators and Coaches of All Sports” through Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis.

“Being retired and staying home and safe during the COVID-19 restrictions of 2020 allowed me to do something I had wished to do but never had or took the time to do,” he said. “After completing my first book in 2020, ‘Morning Prayers for a Christian School,’ I knew my second book would center on athletics, the world in which I lived my entire life.”

Strusz, whose first book “Morning Prayers for a Christian School” was published in July 2020, says the process of writing a book on his experience as a coach and athletic administrator produced a wealth of ideas and concepts to share.

“Having written many essays to myself and having them stored on my computer, it was easy to create more essays on athletics,” Strusz said. “Within three minutes, I wrote a list of over 30 more topics on which I had experience, views, and/or opinions. Having worked with other athletic administrators, overseen coaches, presented to parent groups, coached athletes and received athletic administration certification, I found that there was almost no limit to the number of essays I could write from experience.”

Strusz wrote “Essays on Coaching Athletes” with the goal of helping the next generation of coaches and athletic administrators navigate the sometimes tricky path to success that lies before them on a daily basis.

“I have witnessed many coaches who improved the longer they coached,” Strusz said. “I passionately believe experience is the best teacher. As I wrote my essays, I realized how helpful my essays could be to athletic administrators and coaches. It is often said there is nothing new in athletics, we just borrow or steal ideas from others who do the same job as us. I hope readers can steal from me and not need to learn through failure. With too many failures, some coaches do not attain longevity in coaching.”

Beyond the realm of high school athletics, Strusz says the themes of the book are also designed to be of value to parents and coaches of all youth sports, as well as leaders in a variety of different professions.

“Even though my main target audience are coaches and athletic administrators, parents of athletes will also gain insights into the hows and whys of athletics,” Strusz said. “My experience came through my connection to high school athletics, but these essays apply to all levels of athletics, even t-ball and other youth sports. Some of my essays apply to any instructor, teacher, coach, boss, or administrator regardless of their field of work.”

“Essays on Coaching Athletes-Advice for Athletic Administrators and Coaches of All Sports” is now available for purchase for $15.95 at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or by contacting Gene Strusz directly at gstrusz67@gmail.com.

For more information, contact Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, by phone at 920-323-7970 or by visiting www.pedaldownpromo.com.

January 13, 2021 / by Jeff Pederson

Verdegan’s new GBCI prison book to launch Dec. 5 at Lenny’s Tap in Green Bay

“The Reformatory – Tales From Green Bay’s Maximum Security Prison” provides inside look behind the walls

(Green Bay, WI) – Author and Green Bay native Joe Verdegan has announced he’ll host the launch for his newest book “The Reformatory – Tales From Green Bay’s Maximum Security Prison” at a book signing Saturday, Dec. 5 at Lenny’s Tap located on Green Bay’s west side.

Verdegan worked at the 125-year-old Green Bay Correctional Institution for nearly 27 years, retiring in July 2020.

Through his book Verdegan shares tales from his interviews with more than 150 of his former co-workers.

“I’ve known Lenny’s Tap owner Marty Leonhard and it’s a well-respected pub that’s been on Broadway since 1975,” Verdegan said. “It’s a comfy establishment and will offer a great venue for us to launch this book.”

The signing will last from 12 p.m. through 4 p.m.

“We’re extending our hours for this event so we can have folks trickle in steadily all day long and do so in a safe manner,” Verdegan explained. “And for those who aren’t comfortable with that we totally understand and respect that. Folks can pre-order their copy of the book at joeverdegan.com.”

The GPS address for Lenny’s Tap is 431 North Broadway, Green Bay, WI 54303.

The book will be Verdegan’s third he’s authored which will be published through Pedal Down Promotions in Manitowoc, Wis.

This will be Verdegan’s sixth book he has penned. His other five titles all documented local and regional stock car racing history in Wisconsin and Michigan. All Verdegan’s other five titles will be for sale at this signing at the discounted price of just $15 per book.

For more details you can email Verdegan at jverdegan2@gmail.com. For more information on Pedal Down Promotions you can reach publisher Jeff Pederson at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com.

VERDEGAN’S PRIOR TITLES

2015 “Life In The Past Lane – a history of stock car racing in Northeast Wisconsin from 1950-1980”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2016 “Wisconsin International Raceway – Where The Big Ones Run”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2017 “Life In The Past Lane – The Next Generation”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2018 “The Bird & The Bear”

Publisher – Pedal Down Promotions

2019 “Racing In The 906”

Publisher – Pedal Down Promotions

November 13, 2020 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports negotiates rollercoaster transition season

Paul and Alex Pokorski shared driving duties for the No. 4 Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car throughout the 2020 season. – Pokorski Motorsports photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) Nov. 10, 2020 – The 2020 racing season was one unlike any other in the 28-year history of the Pokorski Motorsports team for a variety of reasons.

The season was supposed to be the curtain closer for team. However, the late start and shortened schedule brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Pokorski Motorsports co-driver Paul Pokorski to announce prior to the start of the 2020 racing season that the team would continue on in 2021.

With Paul and his 21-year-old son Alex set to split driving duties, the Pokorski Motorsports team opened the 2020 with a non-sanctioned 360 Sprint Car event at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton, Wis. on Saturday, May 23. However, a broken push rod in the engine compartment sidelined the team after qualifying.

Alex Pokorski wheeled the Doug Pietz-owned 4A car in the final 360 Sprint Car event of the 2020 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 26. – RC Custom Design photo

When the delayed 2020 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car campaign finally got underway on Saturday, June 6 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis., Paul Pokorski outdueled Tyler Brabant and Travis Arenz to park the familiar blue No. 4 car in victory lane for the 46^th time in his career and 11^th time behind the wheel of a 360 Sprint Car.

“Winning the feature on opening night at Plymouth was certainly a highlight of 2020,” Paul said. “It meant a lot to me and I think to everyone on the team to get a win. It was also the perfect highlight before handing it over Alex. Getting out of the car for the first few weeks was really nerve-racking. Even though Alex was doing a great job for a person with his experience, it’s still hard to watch. It got easier as the season went on, but as a parent and someone who is concerned about paying the bills, I don’t think the uneasiness of watching somebody else drive the car will ever go away.”

The following week at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 13, Paul Pokorski relinquished the driver’s seat to Alex and the father-son driving tandem shared time behind the wheel for the remainder of the season.

Alex capped his first night behind the wheel of a 360 Sprint with a sixth-place showing in the first 12-lap PDTR B main.

Alex’s second night in the driver’s seat saw him qualify 29^th out of 41 cars in an MSA event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, June 27. Pokorski went on to finish seventh in the first 12-lap B main on an ultra-dry racing surface.

Paul Pokorski earned his 46th career A-main victory during the opening night of the 2020 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car season at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 6. – RC Custom Design

Alex’s next race saw the team competing in an MSA event at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton on July 4 where he qualified 27^th out of 33 cars and ended up ninth in an accident-plagued B main contested on another very dry and tricky track surface.

On Friday, July 17, Paul returned to the driver’s seat for the MSA Hagar Nelson Memorial Race at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour, Wis. However, Paul’s night got off to a rough start as contact with another car in the first turn on the opening lap of his heat race forced the team to retire to the pit area. After the Pokorski Motorsports crew made the necessary changes, Paul started 14^th and placed 10^th in the 15-lap B main to miss transferring to the A main by four spots.

During the following night at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 18^th, Alex returned to the seat and returned a seventh-place finish in the second 12-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

Alex turned his first laps in a 360 Sprint Car A-main in a non-points PDTR 360 Sprint Car at The Plymouth Dirt Track event in conjunction the Rayce Rudeen Foundation Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series event on Thursday, July 30.

By virtue of his eighth-place finish in his heat race, Pokorski lined up 20^th in the 24-car 360 Sprint Car A-main field and moved up to finish 16^th.

Two nights later, Alex finished 10^th in the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B Main at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Aug. 1.

On Saturday, Aug. 8, Alex earned his first 360 Sprint Car race victory after starting second in the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

In his second PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main appearance, Alex lined up 17^th in the A main. A string of early-race incidents saw Pokorski move up to 13^th in the initial stages of the race. On lap 10, Pokorski looped his machine in turn four, which forced him to restart the race at the rear of the 18-car field.

Pokorski was holding his own on the ultra-fast racing surface before disaster struck on lap 20 when he was unable to avoid a hard collision with Tyler Davis, who had spun on the front stretch after jumping the thick turn-four cushion.

The hard impact resulted in heavy damage to the team’s primary 2016 Maxim. More importantly though, Alex emerged from the scary incident uninjured.

The Pokorski Motorsports crew converted over to the team’s backup 2011 J&J chassis with Paul Pokorski behind the wheel on Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track. After qualifying through the B main, Paul posted an 17^th-place finish in the team’s fourth A-main appearance of the season.

Paul was again in the seat for the PDTR Russ Scheffler Tribute Night event on Thursday, Aug. 27. However, rain washed out the A main after Pokorski had earned the 19^th starting spot in the event.

On Saturday, Aug. 29, Paul turned in the team’s second top-10 A-main finish of the season with a solid 10^th-place finish in an MSA event at Beaver Dam Raceway.

Paul backed that up with an eighth-place A-main showing at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 4. One night later at The Plymouth Dirt Track, Paul turned in a 12^th-place A-main finish.

Paul was behind the wheel for an MSA event at the Dodge County Fairgrounds on Friday, Sept. 24 before broken piston caused him in his heat race caused the team to retire from the remainder of the program.

“When I got back in the car at the end of the year, I thought we made some pretty good strides on improving are setups and we had another strong run at Dodge going until we either burned or broke a piston,” Paul said. “I was really disappointed we didn’t get to run the feature on that night.”

One night later was a landmark occasion in the history of the Pokorski Motorsports team as Alex returned to the driver’s seat in the Doug Pietz-owned 4A car, while Paul was again behind the wheel of the familiar Pokorski Motorsports 4 in the 2020 PDTR-MSA season finale at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Both Alex and Paul made the A main with Paul finishing 15^th and Alex coming home 20^th.

“The last night of racing was a stressful one for sure,” Paul said. “It was the first time we’d ever taken two cars to the track and on top of that, one of them was borrowed, so I was really hoping that Alex will keep it in one piece and we could return it to Doug Pietz in the same condition we got it.

“Doug really went out of his way to help us out in the make it possible to have both of us in a car on that final night,” he said. “That will be one of the nights that I will never forget. I was distracted for a moment on the opening lap of the feature as I started behind Alex and when I looked up through the field, I could see him and was paying more attention to what was happening with him than what I was doing. Luckily, that quickly went away and things got back to normal. I had a pretty good run and Alex did his job and kept the car in one piece and got some laps in.”

Overall, the team competed in 18 total events in 2020 with one A-main victory, one B-main victory, one top-five A-main finish and three top-10 A-main finishes.

Paul competed in 10 events, racking up one A-main victory, one top-five A-main showing and three-top 10 A-main finishes.

“The COVID-19 at situation did change our plans for 2021,” he said. “We’re going to give it another run in 2021, just like we did this year. We won’t make every show, but we will make most of them and it’ll be on a case-by-case basis as we decide who’s going to be in the car on what nights. It’s probably safe to say that Alex will fill the majority of them. We have the wheels in motion trying to find a new primary car to replace the one that got wrecked this year. We are also making some adjustments to our backup car to make sure Alex is comfortable when he gets into it, if need be. So, we’re well on our way to getting ready for 2021. It’ll be here before you know it.”

Alex ran in eight events while qualifying for three A mains and earning one B-main victory during his rookie season in a 360 Sprint Car in 2020.

“I didn’t have too many specific goals that I set for myself,” Alex said. “I just wanted to go out on the track and do my best. I was hoping to win either a heat race or B main, which I was able to do once this year. In the first night or two I was just feeling out how to drive the car and how to compete with the guys on the track. By the end of the year, I was making a few of the A mains. I think that was representative of the progress I was making and I was fairly happy with how the season turned out.

“The highlight was definitely winning the B main at Plymouth,” he said. “In my go-karting career, I was used to being fast and contending to win races every week, so it felt good to finally be able to do that in a Sprint Car. The last night of the season would be a night I would re-do if I were able to do so. I think I could’ve been a lot better in the A main and would like to race against my dad again. For next year, I want to learn to run the cushion, be better on dry slick tracks and make A mains more consistently.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team ended up 24^th in the final 2020 MSA point standings and 25^th in the PDTR point standings.

Sponsors for the 2020 Pokorski Motorsports team were Hopf Farms, Petersen Septic Systems, Quest Engineering Inc., Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation and The Cawley Company.

“Of course, we have to thank everyone who made the abbreviated season possible from Quest Engineering to Goeden’s Auto Body, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Goodwin Competition Racing Engines, Hopf Farms, Tisler Salvage and Novak’s Service Center, as well as all of the other sponsors and pit crew members that helped out during the 2020 season,” Paul said.

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Novak’s Service Center

Pokorski Motorsports would like to acknowledge the support of long-time sponsor Novak’s Service Center of Manitowoc, which is celebrating its 48^th year in business in 2020.

Novak’s Service Center is a locally-owned, second-generation, family-owned, five-bay auto repair center, which has been serving customers in the Lakeshore area since 1972.

Novak’s Service Center offers comprehensive auto repair services, including 4 x 4 services, brakes, car and truck care, domestic cars and trucks, electrical services, electronic services, engine and transmission, engine maintenance, expired warranty care, general service, heating and cooling services, import cars and trucks, quick lube services, tires, towing, transmission and undercar services.

Located at 1320 Washington St. in Manitowoc, Novak’s Service Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To schedule an appointment, call 920-684-5737 or visit www.novaks1320.com.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

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

2020 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 18

MSA events – 17

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3

Heat Race Victories – 0

MSA points finish – 24^th

PDTR points finish – 25^th

November 10, 2020 / by Jeff Pederson

Verdegan’s Green Bay prison book ‘The Reformatory’ now available for pre-order

New Pedal Down Promotions book publication due out in early December

(Allouez, Wis.) November 2 – Retired corrections officer and author Joe Verdegan has announced that his new book “The Reformatory – Tales From Green Bay’s maximum-security prison” is now available for pre-order at his website joeverdegan.com.

Verdegan worked as a correctional for nearly 27 years and has penned a book detailing his experiences that he and fellow staff encountered at the 125-year-old Green Bay Correctional Institution in Allouez, Wisconsin.

Fans who pre-order the book up until the books expected launch date of December 5 will be guaranteed shipment in time for the holidays. Pre-ordered book sales will be mailed out beginning the week of December 7.

Paypal is accepted at jverdegan2@gmail.com through the website or check or money order are also accepted to Joe Verdegan, N 18557 Maple Drive, Dunbar, Wisconsin 54119. The cost for the book is $25 with $8.00 for shipping and please include $1.10 for Wisconsin sales tax per book.

The book will be Verdegan’s third that has authored that will be published through Pedal Down Promotions in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

In 1993 Verdegan left his job as a news reporter at WOSH AM 1490 radio in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to embark upon a career with the state Department of Corrections. In his book Verdegan will take you from his start in the officer’s academy, through his short time working at Racine Correctional Institution and eventually winding up at GBCI, which was commonly referred to as “Gladiator School” because of the high number of inmate brawls staff had to respond to on almost a daily basis.

The book is written from his perspective and includes interviews and tales from more than 150 of his co-workers in his three decades inside the walls.

This will be Verdegan’s sixth book he has penned. His other five titles all documented local and regional stock car racing history in Wisconsin and Michigan.

An exact date and location of this book launch is expected to be released sometime in November.

For more details you can email Verdegan at jverdegan2@gmail.com. For more information on Pedal Down Promotions you can reach publisher Jeff Pederson at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com.

VERDEGAN’S PRIOR TITLES

2015 “Life In The Past Lane – a history of stock car racing in Northeast Wisconsin from 1950-1980”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2016 “Wisconsin International Raceway – Where The Big Ones Run”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2017 “Life In The Past Lane – The Next Generation”

Publisher – M and B Global Solutions

2018 “The Bird & The Bear”

Publisher – Pedal Down Promotions

2019 “Racing In The 906”

Publisher – Pedal Down Promotions

November 2, 2020 / by Jeff Pederson

Bartz caps 2020 season with podium finish at SCCA Runoffs

Jeff Bartz of Plymouth, Wis. posted a third-place showing in the SCCA F1600 Formula F national championship race held during the SCCA Runoffs at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. on Saturday, Oct. 10. – Fast Car Photos

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 14, 2020 – After a four-year hiatus, Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing team made an impressive return to the bright lights, big stage and white knuckle winner-take-all intensity of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Runoffs by turning in a third-place podium showing in the hotly contested F1600 Formula F national championship showcase event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Oct. 6-10.

Bartz, whose last taste of SCCA Runoffs action came back in 2016 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, geared his 2020 season schedule to peak for the crown jewel national title event.

The week’s activities kicked off with three days of qualifying at the team’s home track on Tuesday, Oct. 6, Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Thursday, Oct. 8.

“For qualifying, we started the week out strong and ended up on pole after the first day,” Bartz said. “On Wednesday, I was unable to get a draft with anyone and had some minor issues not allowing me to improve on my time, so we got shuffled back to fourth. On Thursday, it was a hectic session not allowing for many clean laps with a draft. I improved on my time, but not enough to move up any positions, so we ended up qualifying fourth overall for the race.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, Bartz rolled off fourth in the 13-lap, 52.624-mile SCCA F1600 Formula F national championship race, which was contested on the demanding 14-turn, 4.048-mile Road America layout. During the first half of the race, Bartz stayed in the lead pack, which saw multiple lead changes among five different drivers and numerous position swaps within the evenly-matched top-seven cars.

“Starting fourth for the race, I wanted to make sure I was aggressive enough at the start to at least get up into the top three or worst case be right at the end of the front pack of four,” Bartz said. “The draft is huge in our class especially at a track like Road America, so I wanted to make sure I was up in the front pack and hopefully fighting my way to the front of that pack.

“The early race strategy is always tricky as you want to be aggressive, but being too aggressive too early can leave you in a position to get shuffled back,” he said. “Therefore, in the early part of the race, I was trying to feel out my pace compared to everyone and stay up in the top three and ideally top two.”

After dropping back to sixth near the mid-way point of the race, Bartz clawed his way back to the front of the field to eventually seize the lead on lap 12. On the final lap, a huge surge from Tim Kautz of St. Charles, Ill., Simon Sikes of Martinez, Ga. and Robert Perona of Indianapolis, Ind. saw Bartz get shuffled back to fourth in the running order, during a mad scramble at the front of the field.

Kautz crossed the line first, followed by Sikes, Perona and Bartz. However, the results were later adjusted when SCCA officials penalized Kautz for passing under caution in the early stages of the race, which moved him back to seventh in the final results.

Kautz’s penalty gave Sikes the victory, while Perona took second and Bartz secured a third-place finish to equal his best previous performance at the SCCA Runoffs, which came in 2013 when he placed third during the most recent SCCRA Runoffs contested at Road America.

“Around the middle of the race, the battling up at the front intensified, thus slowing down the front pack and allowing the second pack to catch up with us,” Bartz said. “This was not ideal as unfortunately at this point in the race, I was at the tail end of the front pack in fourth place and vulnerable to losing positions from the group of racers that had caught up with us. I ended up falling back to sixth position at one point in the middle of the race and I was getting a bit nervous that I wouldn’t be able to catch back up to the lead pack.

“Luckily, I just kept my head down and was able to work my way back up to the front back within a couple of laps,” he said. “The last few laps of the race I was in a great position and established myself in the front pack of three. On the second to last lap, I had worked my way all the way up to the lead and Simon Sikes, the eventual winner after Tim Kautz got penalty for passing under yellow, pushed me around for a lap and I thought we would be able to get away from Tim. Tim had a big moment in one on the second to last lap where he almost spun out, but had an impressive recovery and ran us back down and was back in second place to start the final lap. I did not get the best run out of turn three as I was trying to push a bit too hard to try and keep ahead going into turn five and wound up getting passed by both Tim and Simon before reaching turn five. At this point I was back in third place and was able to mount a charge on the backside in turn 12, but unfortunately I had nowhere to go as they were two wide in front of me. Bob Perona had a great run through the carousel on the final lap and was able to get along side of me on the outside of turn 12 and won the drag race up the hill to turn 13, thus shuffling me back to fourth. I got a good run out of turn 14, but Bob made his car just wide enough to not leave me an easy lane to try and draft by him before the finish line.”

After the race, Bartz spoke about how a different strategy during the decisive final lap may have yielded a better result.

“If I could go back to the last lap, I would have hopefully gotten a better run out of turn three to put myself in a position to hold off for at least second place in turn five,” Bartz said. “If I could have done that, I could have hopefully been there more at the end, but it was such a crazy race that anything could have happened on that last lap.”

Check out Jeff Bartz’s helmet cam video from the SCCA Runoffs F1600 Formula F national championship race.

Just as he has been in every event during the 2020 season, Bartz displayed plenty of speed while racing among the leaders throughout the Pure Energy Racing team’s final race of the year. In fact, Bartz turned the fastest lap of the race with a time of 2:24.268 for an average speed of 101.012 miles per hour behind the wheel of his Van Diemen RF00 Honda.

All in all, the Plymouth, Wis. driver was pleased with how his 2020 season played out.

“Overall, even though we didn’t finish as high as I wanted to in the runoffs this year, we still ended up getting on the podium after the penalty to Tim was processed,” Bartz said. “There was some very stiff competition at the runoffs this year and at multiple events we ran with some up and coming drivers that are looking to climb the ranks and some crafty veterans. We ended up building on each weekend over the course of the season and really hit our stride late in the season.

“I am very pleased with how the season went overall and thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said. “I think we have made some major improvements this year that along with some updates we have planned for the winter will allow us to be even more competitive next year.”

Bartz, who has tallied over 100 race victories in his karting and SCCA racing career, competed in four events and eight total races during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

Overall, Bartz captured one race victory in the Cat in the Kettle Majors at Road America on Aug. 16, while tallying four top-five showings and seven top-10 finishes in eight races during the 2020 campaign.

Bartz credits the support of his sponsors and pit crew members for helping the team to upgrade its equipment and stay highly competitive throughout the 2020 season.

“I would like to thank all my sponsors for the season, David Hobbs Honda, Mayville Limestone, Subway and Harper Drain and Septic,” Bartz said. “Without their support and help, this year wouldn’t have been possible. I also need to thank Bart Wolf and Wolf Motorsports for their help all offseason and during the season. They were able to help us with a lot of issues we had during some weekend and we wouldn’t have been able to run as well as we did without their help. I also need to thank my crew, Scotty, Fuzzy and Dave for all their help this season, I could not have done it without them.

“Finally, I’d like to thank my parents for helping me financially and supporting me as much as they can with all of this,” he said. “Racing is not a cheap sport and I couldn’t do it without the financial support from my parents and the help from my dad on organizing the team.”

Looking ahead to the 2021 season, Bartz is aiming to test his skill at the next level by entering more Formula Race Promotions (FRP) pro racing events.

“For next year, with the amount of updates we have done, we will be looking to put the car and my development to the test and run more FRP F1600 pro races,” Bartz said. “These events have tons of track time, great competition, and are at a number of tracks I haven’t had the chance to drive yet. Getting up to speed against the tough competition will no doubt be a challenge, but learning new tracks and racing against competition like that will only further enhance and refine my driving and the development of the car.

“I will be looking to secure enough money to run as many FRP events as possible, while still running some SCCA races like the June Sprints at Road America,” he said. “I am looking forward to next year and hopefully we will be out at the track early and often throughout the season.”

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.

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

2020 Pure Energy Racing By The Numbers

Races – 8

Race Victories – 1

Top Five Finishes – 4

Top 10 Finishes – 7

October 14, 2020 / by Jeff Pederson

Bartz takes aim at SCCA Runoffs national title

Jeff Bartz of Plymouth, Wis. is set to compete for a SCCA Runoffs national title in the F1600 Formula F division Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9:15 a.m. at Road America in Elkhart Lake. – Pure Energy Racing photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 5, 2020 – A most unusual 2020 racing season will draw to a close in high-stakes fashion for Plymouth, Wis. driver Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing team as they shoot for a F1600 Formula F national championship in the crown jewel SCCA Runoffs this Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Saturday, Oct. 10 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Bartz, who has enjoyed a solid 2020 campaign with one race victory, three top-five showings and six top-10 finishes to his credit in seven SCCA F1600 Formula F events, has been clearly focused on bringing his best effort to the table for the 57th annual SCCA Runoffs.

“The SCCA Runoffs are a winner-take-all single championship race that will decide who is the national champ for each SCCA class,” Bartz said. “Competitors come from all across the country for the event. It is a weeklong event with multiple qualifying sessions throughout the week and then a single race on the weekend. This year the schedule is we have a qualifying session each day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Then I race at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday October 10^th.”

Bartz is hoping his previous experience both in the SCCA Runoffs and at Road America, the team’s home track, will pay dividends in the biggest SCCA race of the year.

“The event rotates tracks each year,” Bartz said. “They had five years in a row when it was at Road America back in 2009 through 2013. Since then, it has been moving around the country and going to a new track each year. Some of the notable tracks in recent years have been Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway.

“The last time the runoffs were at Road America in 2013, we finished on the podium in third place,” he said. “The 2013 season was a breakthrough season for me as we finally were able to have a good showing at the runoffs with the previous years, 2011 and 2012, being a bit of a disappointment due to mechanical issues and the growing pains of setting up a new car. In 2013 we were able to have a strong showing late in the year and get on the podium against some very stiff competition. The most recent runoffs I ran was in 2016 at Mid-Ohio. Unfortunately, mechanical issues plagued us in that event and we ended up finishing in seventh place.”

Bartz, who has tallied over 100 race victories in his karting and SCCA racing career, is riding high after winning his most recent SCCA F1600 Formula F event at Road America during the Cat in the Kettle Majors on Aug. 16.

“This year we have made some major updates to the car and have been steadily progressing over the season,” Bartz said. “We are going into the event on a high note with the last race I ran at Road America, the CAT in the Kettle Majors in August, ending up in a victory. The competition and racing will be very close and intense, but I believe we are very prepared and feel confident I can fight for the victory. “

Bartz credits the support of sponsors David Hobbs Honda and Mayville Limestone with helping the Pure Energy Racing team upgrade its equipment to make a run at a SCCA national tile.

“I have to acknowledge sponsors David Hobbs Honda and Mayville Limestone, which have come on and been instrumental in the progress we have been able to make on the car late in the season,” Bartz said. “Without their help, we would definitely not be as prepared as we are for this race.”

For those unable to attend Bartz’s SCCA Runoffs F1600 Formula F race on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9:15 a.m., the race will be broadcast live at https://www.scca.com/pages/runoffs-live-video.

Sponsors for the 2020 Pure Energy Racing team include: David Hobbs Honda, Mayville Limestone, CapN SHIELD, Harper Drain & Septic Service, Kearney Driver Development, Hoosier Tire and Pedal Down Promotions.

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

Oct. 6-10 – SCCA National Runoffs, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.

2020 Pure Energy Racing By The Numbers

Races – 7

Race Victories – 1

Top Five Finishes – 3

Top 10 Finishes – 6

October 4, 2020 / by Jeff Pederson

Walter caps 2020 on high note in IRA finale

Josh Walter posted a 12th-place showing in the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Rick Schmidt Memorial A main at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 25. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 30, 2020 – A season that began a bit on the rocky side, closed out on the rock solid side for Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team with a strong top-10 A-main showing at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 26. during a doubleheader weekend to conclude the 2020 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association season.

The team’s final race weekend of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign began with a return trek to the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam. Wis. on Friday, Sept. 25 for the IRA 410 Sprint Car Series Rick Schmidt Memorial Race at the sprawling half-mile facility.

The 15^th-year Sprint Car racer opened the event by qualifying ninth in the 25-car IRA field with a lap of 17.214 seconds.

Walter then lined up second in the third IRA eight-lap heat race where he settled into second behind polesitter Kyle Schuett and held the position throughout the race to finish second.

Walter, who recorded a season-best seventh-place showing in his last appearance at Dodge County on Sept. 4, rolled off 12^th in the 25-lap IRA A-main. The initial start was aborted when Jereme Schroeder stopped in turn two on the opening circuit.

On lap 2, Walter slipped to 13^th before Jeremy Schultz powered past Walter on lap 15 to move the Plymouth racer back to 14^th in the running order on the lightning fast track surface.

On lap 20, Walter battled back to pass Dave Uttech exiting turn four to move back to 13^th. The second caution flag of the race appeared on lap 21 when Scotty Thiel slowed along the backstretch.

Following the restart, Walter engaged in a duel with Robbie Pribnow for 13^th. After Pribnow moved past Walter on lap 22, but Walter came back to return the favor to regain 13^th.

One lap later, Walter advanced to 12^th when Danny Schlafer retired from the race. Walter went on to finish 12^th in the event, which was won by Bill Balog.

One night later at The Plymouth Dirt Track for the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships, Walter qualified 12^th in the 29-car field with a lap of 12.176 seconds.

After starting on the pole of the third IRA heat race, Walter bolted away from outside front row starter Jeremy Schultz and led every lap en route to his first 10-lap heat race victory of the 2020 season and third career IRA heat race win to earn a spot in the dash.

After lining up third in the first four-lap IRA dash, Walter held the third position throughout the event to secure the fifth starting spot in the 30-lap IRA A main.

Walter ran sixth in the early going of the caution-plagued IRA A-main before dropping to seventh when Jeremy Schultz snuck by on lap 18. After the fifth IRA caution period on lap 22, Walter was running seventh before Scotty Neitzel swept around the Plymouth racer to move him back to eighth in the running order.

The sixth and final caution flag appeared on lap 29 when Scotty Thiel spun while racing for the lead in turn four. After Walter restarted seventh with a green-white-checkered flag scenario in place, Travis Arenz snuck past on the final lap to drop Walter back to eighth at the finish line in a race won by Bill Balog.

The eighth-place showing was Walter’s third top-10 A-main finish of the 2020 campaign.

“It turned out to a very different season that we originally planned, due to COVID-19,” Walter said. “We were originally going to do some travelling to some bucket-list tracks in Pennsylvania and race at Eldora Speedway this year. With the start of season delayed due to the pandemic, we decided to stick close to home and run the IRA events that fit in our personal schedule.

“We had a rough start to the season with a couple of mechanical issues and a few on-track incidents as well,” he said. “After all that settled down, the results really improved and we were able to pick up three top-10 finishes, a dash win. a heat race win and we qualified well in most of the races, so I’m pretty happy with that.”

Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Oostburg Concrete Products

The Torque Racing team is pleased to have Oostburg Concrete Products of Oostburg, Wis. on board as a sponsor for the 2020 season.

Oostburg Concrete Products’ recent investment in equipment allows the company to pour concrete through most of the winter months.

One of the original owners, Gordon Veldboom Sr. became the sole owner in 1959. Today, the company is owned and operated by Gordon J. Veldboom Jr., his wife, Helen, and their son, John.

Oostburg Concrete Products crews cover a large territory, including jobs in Brown, Calument, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago counties.

For more information or to inquire about services, call Oostburg Concrete Products at 920-564-3341.

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

2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing By The Numbers

Total Events – 11

IRA events – 9

World of Outlaws events – 2

A-Main Victories – 0

B-Main Victories – 0

Top Five A-Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 3

Heat Race Victories – 1

Dash Victories – 1

Dash Appearances – 6

September 30, 2020 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports doubles its pleasure in 2020 MSA season finale

Alex Pokorski (4A) and Paul Pokorski (4) race side by side in the 2020 season-ending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car 25-lap A main, during the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 26. – JW’s Car and Racing Photos

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) Sept. 29, 2020 – Since debuting in 1993, the Pokorski Motorsports team has enjoyed many firsts over the course of a highly successful tenure competing in the sport of open-wheel racing on dirt tracks throughout the state of Wisconsin.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, the team enjoyed another landmark occasion as the father-son driving tandem of Paul and Alex Pokorski each competed in in separate 360 Sprint Car entries in the same racing program as the team’s 2020 season drew to a close at the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

After sharing driving duties of the Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car with his father during the 2020 season, the younger Pokorski jumped at the opportunity to wheel the Doug Pietz-owned 4A car, while the elder Pokorski also competed in the team’s familiar blue No. 4 car in the final race of the season at Plymouth.

With 31 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars signed in for the program, Paul started eighth in the first 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race.

The 28-year veteran maintained the eighth spot on the fast and tacky track surface until lap 7 when he worked past Chris Larson into seventh in turn four. On the final lap, Paul slipped past Bill Taylor on the final lap to finish sixth.

Paul then lined up fourth in the 15-lap 360 Sprint Car B main with a spot in the 22-car A-main field on the line. After dropped to fifth on lap five, Tyler Davis ducked under the high-riding Pokorski on lap 7 to fall to sixth. Preston Ruh closed on Pokorski along the low line on lap 11. However, Pokorski moved to the low line on lap 12 and held the sixth spot over the final three laps to secure a berth in the season-ending A main.

Paul Pokorski finished 15th in the 2020 season-ending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car 25-lap A Main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 26. – JW’s Car and Racing Photos

After starting 22^nd in the 25-lap A main, Paul worked the high line in the early going to work his way up through the field. By lap 17, Pokorski had advanced to 16^th in the running order as the rapidly changing track surface had begun to slick off considerably.

On lap 23, Pokorski powered past Tyler Brabant to secure 15^th, which is where he finished in the race, which was won by Will Gerrits.

After a motor issue ended the team’s night early in an MSA event at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 24, Pokorski was pleased to have an incident-free close to the 2020 season after spending extra time on Saturday changing motors in the No. 4 car.

“Saturday was a long day,” Paul Pokorski said. “The motor swap took longer than I anticipated, but went reasonably smoothly. We got to the track with plenty of time. However, it was a bit difficult for me. I thought it was stressful enough for me to watch Alex in our car, but it was really stressful to watch him in a borrowed car.

“I can’t thank Doug Pietz enough for giving Alex the chance to run some laps and end the season on a positive note,” he said. “We struggled a bit in the heat race, made it a little better for the B main and took a big swing for the A main and it was much better. After all this time, I’m still learning. In the end, I was not thrilled, but we went in the right direction.”

The 2014 MSA Masters Series champion enjoyed the opportunity to race side by side with Alex for the first time in the early stages of the A main.

“I was happy to be able to race with Alex,” Paul Pokorski said. “I was hoping to get to race with him at some point, I just didn’t foresee it happening this way. Again, can’t thank Doug enough. I was very happy that we both had so much support to make it work. The crew responded well. Everyone did anything they could do or were asked to do. We are blessed.”

Alex Pokorski (4A) turned in a 20th-place showing in the 2020 season-ending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 26. – JW’s Car and Racing Photos

Alex Pokorski opened his first race behind the wheel of the Doug Pietz-owned 4A car from the third starting spot in the fourth 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race.

On the opening lap, Tyler Tischendorf worked around Pokorski to seize third. However, Alex battled back to regain third with a nice low pass in turn three on lap 2. Pokorski held the third spot throughout the race to earn a spot in the 25-lap A main.

After starting 12^th, Alex dropped to 21^st in the running order on lap 9. Pokorski, who was competing in his third career 360 Sprint Car A main, stayed smooth and steady over the course of the 25-lap event to come home 20^th in the race.

“I was excited to be back behind the wheel,” Alex Pokorski said. “Being in Doug’s car didn’t really change anything about how I drove it. The heat race wasn’t my smoothest race by any stretch, but the car was pretty fast and I had a good starting spot that I was able to hold on to.

“For the A main we made some changes to the car and they didn’t quite work like we hoped,” he said. “I started on the outside, but I was a bit hesitant to try to run the cushion because I’ve never done it before. I ended up having to run through the middle for the first few laps and that’s not the place to be on a dry slick track. When I was able to get to the bottom, I felt more comfortable and was able to do a little better. It never feels good when you go backwards, but sometimes it happens.”

Alex savored the opportunity to race side-by-side with his father in an A-main event.

“The laps I was racing next to my dad were cool,” Alex Pokorski said. “I have never gotten to race him competitively before. I was always something I’ve wanted to do, so I have to thank Doug Pietz for giving me the chance to do it.

“Unfortunately, my dad beat me on this occasion,” he said. “I’m glad he did well though after starting from the back. Next year my dad and I are hoping to do something similar to what we did this year with splitting seat time, but nothing is set in stone as of right now.”

On Friday, Sept. 25, Paul Pokorski competed in the Midwest Sprint Car Association Fuzzy Fassbender Memorial event at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis.

With 24 MSA 360 Sprint Car signed in for the event, Pokorski started fourth in the first eight-lap heat race. Pokorski passed Scott Conger in turn two on the opening lap to take third and was closing rapidly on the second-place car of Brandon Berth and leader Tyler Davis when the car began to slow on the final lap.

With smoke billowing from the engine compartment, Pokorski pulled into the infield with a broken piston and was credited with a seventh-place finish in the race.

The engine issue forced the team to scratch from the remainder of the program and prompted an engine change in the No. 4 car for the 2020 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car season finale at Plymouth on Saturday, Sept. 26.

“Any time the night is cut short, it is disappointing, but especially at Dodge County,” Paul Pokorski said. “It is such a unique place and we only go a few times a year. The car felt good in the heat race. I was having fun and was starting to think we were going to have a shot at winning it. Then it went up in smoke.”

After competing in a COVID-19-shortened, 17-event season in 2020, Paul Pokorski is looking forward to returning for what he hopes will be a full season of racing in 2021.

“Our only plan for certain at this point is to do it all again, hopefully free of COVID-19 or other restrictions, next year,” Paul Pokorski said. “I can’t wait. For us, 2021 starts now.”

Sponsors for the 2020 Pokorski Motorsports team are Hopf Farms, Petersen Septic Systems, Quest Engineering Inc., Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation and The Cawley Company.

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Novak’s Service Center

Pokorski Motorsports would like to acknowledge the support of long-time sponsor Novak’s Service Center of Manitowoc, which is celebrating its 48^th year in business in 2020.

Novak’s Service Center is a locally-owned, second-generation, family-owned, five-bay auto repair center, which has been serving customers in the Lakeshore area since 1972.

Located at 1320 Washington St. in Manitowoc, Novak’s Service Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To schedule an appointment, call 920-684-5737 or visit www.novaks1320.com.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.

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

2020 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 17

MSA events – 16

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3

Heat Race Victories – 0

September 29, 2020 / by Jeff Pederson