Bartz rallies from adversity to capture SCCA Cat Majors victory at Road America

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

The Pure Energy Racing team celebrates a F1600 Formula F victory in the SCCA Cat in the Kettle Majors race two at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. on Sunday, Aug. 16. Pictured left to right are Tammy Feldman, Brian “Fuzzy” Feldman, Jeff Bartz and Tom Bartz. 

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 19, 2020 – After enduring two trying days filled with multiple mechanical maladies, Plymouth, Wis. driver Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing reversed course by roaring to a victory in SCCA F1600 Formula F race two on Sunday, Aug. 16, during the SCCA Cat in the Kettle Majors at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Aug. 14-16.

Bartz and his Pure Energy Racing team were plagued by mechanical gremlins during test day on Friday, which kept their Petty blue No. 33 machine off the track for the majority of the day.

“This weekend turned out to be a major test of patience and willpower as we started the weekend on the test day on Friday with multiple issues,” Bartz said. “Due to us putting in a new engine this weekend, we unfortunately spent much of the weekend working to get the car running properly. Clutch issues and cooling issues left us with only a half a lap completed on the test day Friday. After working from sun up until sun down, we finally got the issues resolved.”

Once the mechanical issues were sorted out, Bartz was able to turn a few laps in the first of the weekend’s two SCCA F1600 Formula F races on Saturday, Aug. 15 before encountering another setback.

“On Saturday we began the day with qualifying and with little to no track time the day prior, this session doubled as a shakedown to verify nothing was wrong or loose and the first test of the new engine,” Bartz said. “Overall, for the first session of the weekend we ended up a respectable fourth in qualifying. I was confident we would be able to move up to the front during the race on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, an oil pressure sensor failure caused me to retire from the race early due to not wanting to damage the engine,” he said. “We were able to verify later that day that the sensor itself was just bad and the engine had normal oil pressure. With the all good on that front, I looked forward to redeeming myself on a tough weekend so far on Sunday.”

Through all the trials and tribulations thrown their way on Friday and Saturday, Bartz and Pure Energy Racing team turned things around in a big way on Sunday.

“For Sunday morning’s race, due to us posting no times in the race, we ended up starting fifth,” Bartz said. “I ended up having a great start and was able to work my way up to the lead by halfway through the first lap. From there, I was able to put my head down and drive to a commanding victory.

“All in all, it was definitely a character-building weekend,” he said. “With all the work we had done over the weekend, the win on Sunday felt that much more satisfying.”

As one of the showcase race weekends of the SCCA season, Bartz was thrilled with the victory on Sunday leading into the crown jewel SCCA National Runoffs at Road America in October.

“The Cat Majors is an SCCA majors tour race where the best of the amateur racers in the U.S. come to compete,” Bartz said. “It is similar to the June Sprints with the only major difference being that the June Sprints is a public event while the Cat Majors weekend is a private SCCA-only event. It still draws the same level of talent, although this specific weekend we did not have any pro teams show up to compete.

“This year my performance definitely was better than in previous years,” Bartz said. “We have been working hard over the offseason and during the season to keep improving the car and are definitely starting to see the results come from that hard work. I believe the engine was a key factor in our performance this weekend and it will definitely help our efforts this year at the SCCA Runoffs at Road America in October. David Hobbs Honda came on board as a sponsor recently and helped us pay for this engine, so I owe my results this past weekend to their support.”

Bartz, who has tallied over 100 race victories in his karting and SCCA racing career, and his Pure Energy Racing team will now use a nearly two-month break from racing to prepare for the prestigious SCCA National Runoffs at the team’s home track.

Jeff Bartz raced to victory in F1600 Formula F race 2 on Sunday, Aug. 16, during the SCCA Cat in the Kettle Majors at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Aug. 14-16. 

“Our next race is the winner-take-all SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America October 9-11,” Bartz said. “This is the race we have been preparing for all season and I feel as though we have prepared ourselves well to be able to compete for my end goal for the season, which is to win the runoffs. All the pieces are coming together and I am very excited to compete with some great competition from all across the country.”

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

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

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

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

2020 Pure Energy Racing Upcoming Schedule

Oct. 9-11 – 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

Paul Pokorski searches for speed at Plymouth in back-up car

Paul Pokorski of West Bend returned to action behind the wheel of the Pokorski Motorsports team’s backup car in Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car action at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 15. – JW’s Car and Racing Photos

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 18, 2020 – After nearly a month away from the driver’s seat, 28-year veteran Paul Pokorski was back behind the wheel of the Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car for a Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Pokorski, who was one of 30 PDTR 360 Sprint Car competitors to check in for the evening, spent the majority of the night fine tuning the team’s backup 2011 J&J chassis, which was pressed into action following a hard accident in A-main action at Plymouth with Alex Pokorski behind the wheel of the team’s primary 2016 Maxim on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Despite heavy contact with Tyler Davis, Alex Pokorski was uninjured in the accident. However, the car suffered significant damage, which has forced the team to switch to its backup chassis for the remainder of the 2020 season. The younger Pokorski was originally scheduled to drive the car at Plymouth on Aug. 15, but work commitments prevented him from doing so, which provided the elder Pokorski with an opportunity to return to action.

After lining up fifth in the first 10-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car heat race, Pokorski dropped to sixth at the mid-way stage of the race when Brandon Berth slipped underneath the 2014 Midwest Sprint Car Association Masters Series champion.

Pokorski held on to place sixth in the heat race, which left him to qualify for the A-main through the B main. After starting third in the 15-lap B main, Pokorski settled into third in the running order and maintained the position throughout the race to earn the 19th starting spot in the 25-lap A main.

“We definitely had a busy few days this week trying to get a car ready to go for Saturday night,” Pokorski said. “It worked out pretty well in the end, but it wasn’t without its problems. This car is a different brand and design then what we had been running, so it took some different things to make it work.

“We were too tight in the heat race and needed to work on that,” he said. “We made some improvements for the B, but it still wasn’t great.”

Starting near the back of the A-main field, Pokorski ran the bottom of the dry slick track surface in the early stages of the race before moving up to his familiar high line near the middle of the race.

Sticking to the cushion, Pokorski picked up two spots in the final stages of the race to secure a 17th place finish in a caution-free event won by Travis Arenz.

“We blew a radiator hose off as we were on the scales following the B, so that didn’t leave us a lot of opportunity to make changes before the A,” Pokorski said. “The car wasn’t horrible, but just didn’t have the speed we needed. We will continue to work on it and make some significant changes for our next outing.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team will be taking next weekend off for a family event before returning to action with a tripleheader weekend of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car action beginning Thursday, Aug. 27 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. for the rescheduled PDTR Russ Scheffler Tribute Night program, continuing as support for the Dirt Kings Late Model Tour headliner at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Friday, Aug. 28 and closing out with an MSA headline event at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 29.

“We are taking off next week for a family celebration of life,” Pokorski said. “The team and I are really looking forward to the upcoming three-race stretch coming up the following week with two events at Plymouth and one at Beaver Dam.”

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 48th 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.

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

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

 

2020 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule.

Thursday, Aug. 27-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, Aug. 28-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, Aug. 29-Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Friday, Sept. 4 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis.

Saturday, Sept. 5 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

2020 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 11

MSA events – 10

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1

Heat Race Victories – 0

Arenz, Schmidt, Kulow, Warner reign supreme in PDTR main event action

Point leader Travis Arenz (25T) topped 2017 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh (98) to capture his four career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 15, 2020 – The second night of a Plymouth Dirt Track Racing doubleheader weekend saw some familiar faces park their machines in A-main victory lane Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

PDTR 360 Sprint Car point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan notched his third 25-lap A-main victory of the 2020 season. Two-time defending PDTR Late Model champ Justin Schmidt of Cleveland notched his second 25-lap main event win of the season. Defending PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth collected his first main event win of 2020, while defending PDTR B Mod champ Tim Warner of Fond du Lac claimed his third A-main triumph of the 2020 campaign.

In the 25-lap PDTR Sprint Car headliner, 28-year veteran Tony Wondra of Campbellsport jumped out to the early lead from the pole position while 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh grabbed second on the opening lap.

On lap 6, McMullen ventured up the high groove of the dry slick racing surface to wrestle the top spot away from Wondra. Two laps later, Arenz who started fifth, dove under Wondra to take second.

As the leaders encountered lapped traffic on lap 14, Arenz rapidly closed the gap on McMullen before pouncing with a low move in turn one on lap 15 to take the top spot from the high-riding McMullen.

Once in front, Arenz extended his lead steadily, while skillfully maneuvering his way through lapped traffic to collect his fourth career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, 10th career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph and third A-main win of the 2020 season in the non-stop, caution-free race.

McMullen had to settle for second, outside front row starter Justin Erickson of Plymouth finished third, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove, who started eighth, placed fourth and Wondra rounded out the top five.

Two-time defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland notched his 12th career PDTR Late Model A-main victory on Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

PDTR Late Model point leader Turk Letizia of Waukesha grabbed the lead of the 25-lap A main from the pole on the opening circuit with 2016 PDTR Late Model champion and second starter Tim Buhler of Greenbush second and fourth starter Mark Rose of Dorchester in third.

The lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 3 after rookie Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn three. On the restart, Justin Schmidt moved up from his third starting spot to challenge Rose for third.

Schmidt secured the third spot on lap 4, while Justin Reed of Camp Point, Ill., who started sixth, followed in fourth on lap 6. As the laps wound down with Letizia still leading, Schmidt hit his stride using the high groove to power around Buhler into second on lap 21 in heavy lapped traffic.

With Letizia boxed in behind the slower car of Ted Dolhun Sr. of Franklin on lap 22, Schmidt worked the high line past Letizia into the lead. Once in the lead, Schmidt continued to deal with dense lapped traffic, which allowed Buhler to close slightly over the final circuits.

However, Schmidt held on to notch his 12th career PDTR Late Model A-main victory. Buhler placed second, Letizia finished third, Reed wound up fourth and fifth starter Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha was fifth.

Polesitter Tyler Kulow and outside front row starter Brad Weiss of West Bend dueled side-by-side for the lead during the first two laps of the 25-lap PDTR Grand National A main before Kulow finally surged ahead around the inside groove exiting turn four on lap 2.

On lap 5, fourth starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg and two-time PDTR Grand National champion Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis battled for third in close quarters before Sorce Jr. gained the top with a high move in turn two on lap 7.

Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth earned his eighth career PDTR Grand National A-main triumph Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

Four laps later, eighth starter Aaron Stolp of Milwaukee slipped into third, while Sorce Jr. cut the lead cap on Kulow on lap 16. On lap 23, Stolp took second and pushed hard for the lead over the final two seconds.

Kulow held on to secure his eighth PDTR Grand National A-main victory by a slim one-car length margin over the hard-charging Stolp, who placed second. Sorce Jr. finished third, third starter Steven Weber of Plymouth placed fourth and 81-year-old Dick Hed of Plymouth, who started sixth, finished fifth in the non-stop race.

Polesitter Brandon Knepprath of Kewaskum led the first four laps of the 25-lap B Mod A main before defending PDTR B mod champion Tim Warner of Fond du Lac moved in from his sixth starting spot to pressure Knepprath from the top spot.

On lap 5, Warner worked the high groove to bolt past the low-riding Knepprath in turn four. With Warner in the lead, the action was hot and heavy behind him as eighth starter Barry Maas of Cascade, Brendon Ostrowski of Milwaukee, who starter second, and Justin Bauer of Sheboygan Falls, who started fourth, waged a three-wide duel for third on lap 8.

Bauer emerged with the third position along the inside line before the first of four caution flags appeared on lap 9 for a spin in turn three involving rookie Trevor Frank of Sheboygan.

On the restart, Bauer vaulted his way into second with the high-riding Maas following into third. The second caution was displayed on lap 15 when rookie Jim Fischer of Oostburg spun in turn four.

Bauer and Maas engaged in a spirited battle for second starting on lap 15, which lasted for most of the remainder of the race with Bauer working the low groove and Maas riding the outside lane.

Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod champ Tim Warner of Fond du Lac posted his sixth career PDTR B Mod main event victory on Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – Shawn Mueller Photography

Two more caution flags appeared on lap 18 for a spin involving Phil Campanella of Sheboygan Falls and Rory Welch of Grafton on lap 21.

With less than five laps to go, the final restart the lined up single file per PDTR rules with Bauer surging ahead of Maas for second on lap 21. As the laps wound down, Bauer cut the gap on Warner.  However, Warner proved to be too tough as he cruised to his sixth career PDTR B Mod A-main victory.

Bauer placed second, Maas wound up third, Knepprath took fourth and seventh starter Steve Lorier of Sheboygan placed fifth.

Adam Miller of Plymouth won the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

The ninth PDTR racing program of the 2020 season, which was sponsored by Hidden Dreams Livestock, drew a total of 74 cars, including 30 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, 15 Late Models, 14 Grand Nationals and 15 B Mods.

PDTR will resume on Saturday, Aug. 22 with 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod action at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

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

For all remaining 2020 PDTR races, Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan Falls will have his new book “RPM – The Golden Era of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” for sale under the grandstand.

A portion of the money collected from the sale of the book will be donated to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing.

 

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANTVIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Tyler Tischendorf 2, Tony Wondra 3, Justin Erickson 4, Brandon Berth 5, Josh Teunissen 6, Paul Pokorski 7, Doug Wondra 8, Jordan Paulsen.

HEAT 2

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Kurt Davis 3, Travis Arenz 4, Anthony Knierim 5, Blake Wondra 6, Chris Clayton 7, Scott Conger 8, Andy Glewen.

HEAT 3

1, Jack Vanderboom 2, Nick Daywalt 3, Tyler Brabant 4, Kevin Karnitz 5, Justin Miller 6, Bill Taylor 7, Chris Larson.

HEAT 4

1, Ben Schmidt 2, Tim Haddy 3, Lance Fassbender 4, Adam Miller 5, Preston Ruh 6, Austin Hartmann 7, Mike MacFarlane.

B MAIN

1, Adam Miller 2, Blake Wondra 3, Paul Pokorski 4, Chris Clayton 5, Josh Teunissen 6, Bill Taylor 7, Preston Ruh 8, Scott Conger 9, Jordan Paulsen 10, Chris Larson 11, Doug Wondra 12, Mike MacFarlane 13, Austin Hartmann 14, Andy Glewen.

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Justin Erickson 4, Ben Schmidt 5, Tony Wondra 6, Tim Haddy 7, Lance Fassbender 8, Kurt Davis 9, Jack Vanderboom 10, Kevin Karnitz 11, Justin Miller 12, Adam Miller 13, Tyler Tischendorf 14, Brandon Berth 15, Anthony Knierim 16, Tyler Brabant 17, Paul Pokorski 18, Nick Daywalt 19, Blake Wondra 20, Bill Taylor 21, Chris Clayton 22, Josh Teunissen.

 

GASROOT PROJECT LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Justin Reed 2, Tim Buhler 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Charlie Schmidt 5, Eric Michaels 6, Jim Schmidt 7, Donny Singer 8, Sawyer Specht.

HEAT 2

1, Taylor Scheffler 2, Turk Letizia 3, Mark Rose 4, Jim Letizia 5, Ted Dolhun Sr. 6, Justin Green 7, Chad Ludwigson.

A MAIN’

1, Justin Schmidt 2, Tim Buhler 3, Turk Letizia 4, Justin Reed 5, Taylor Scheffler 6, Mark Rose 7, Jim Schmidt 8, Charlie Schmidt, 9, Justin Green 10, Jim Letizia 11, Eric Michaels 12, Ted Dolhun Sr. 13, Chad Ludwigson 14, Sawyer Specht 15, Donny Singer

 

KLIPS N TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Aaron Stolp 2, Luke Scholten 3, Tyler Kulow 4, Brad Weiss 5, Donny Kulow 6, Paul Perronne 7, Derek Kaat.

HEAT 2

1, Don Sorce Jr. 2, Dick Hed 3, Steven Weber 4, Jeff Muehlbauer 5, Eric Lingford 6, Darryl Traber 7, Joe Brenner.

A MAIN

1, Tyler Kulow 2, Aaron Stolp 3, Don Sorce Jr. 4, Steven Weber 5, Dick Hed 6, Luke Scholten 7, Brad Weiss 8, Donny Kulow 9, Darryl Traber 10, Eric Lingford 11, Paul Perronne 12, Jeff Muehlbauer 13, Derek Kaat 15, Joe Brenner.

 

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Craig Gessner 2, Barry Maas 3, Justin Bauer 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Brendan Ostrowski 6, Trevor Fank 7, Jonathan Hitsman 8, Rory Welch.

HEAT 2

1, Tim Warner 2, Steve Lorier 3, Patrick Hanson 4, Jim Fischer 5, Gary Glander 6, Donny Singer 7, Phil Campanella.

A MAIN

1, Tim Warner 2, Justin Bauer 3, Barry Maas 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Steve Lorier 6, Gary Glander 7, Jonathan Histman 8, Trevor Frank 9, Craig Gessner 10, Donny Singer 11, Jim Fischer 12, Phil Campanella 13, Patrick Hanson 14, Rory Welch 15, Brendon Ostrowski.

Glenz claims first Dirt Kings win in wild Diamond 42

Jesse Glenz of Fall Creek earned his first career Dirt Kings Late Model Tour A-main victory and second career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model main event triumph in the Diamond 42 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Friday, Aug. 14.  – Dirt Kings photo

Scholten, Schmidt earn first PDTR A-main wins of 2020

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 14, 2020 – Jesse Glenz of Fall Creek, the hottest Dirt Late Model driver in Western Wisconsin, made the long trek to the eastern side of the state pay off to the tune of a $4,200 pay day as he claimed his first Dirt Kings Late Model Tour A-main victory and fifth main event win of the 2020 campaign in an eventful third annual Diamond 42 headliner at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Friday, Aug. 14.

In other non-points PDTR action, Luke Scholten of Oostburg steered the Bender Racing No. 89 car to his first main event victory of the 2020 season in the 25-lap Klips N Tips Grand National A main, while Travis Schmidt of Waldo notched is initial A-main victory of the season in the 25-lap Cellcom B Mod main event.

In a rare appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track, Jesse Glenz, who started second, bolted into the lead of the 42-lap Diamond 42 Dirt Kings Late Model Tour A-main event along the high groove on the opening lap, while third starter Mike Mullen of Seymour ducked low to assume second on the initial circuit.

The first of sixth cautions appeared on lap 3 when Zack Kessler of Plymouth spun in turn two. Following the restart, sixth starter Justin Reed of Camp Point, Ill. rode the high groove of the fast and tacky racing surface into third place on lap 4 before the second caution appeared on lap 5 for a spin involving Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee and Ron Berna of Abrams in turn four.

On the restart, Reed used a high move to power his way past Mullen into second on lap 5 before Mullen battled back to regain the runner-up spot along the low groove on lap 9. Meanwhile, Glenz pulled away to a solid lead before lapped traffic made things very interesting starting on lap 16 when Mullen dove low to pull even with Glenz in heavy lapped traffic.

One lap later, the high-riding Reed joined in to make it a three-way duel for the top spot as moved into second lap 18 and powered around Glenz into the lead on lap 19. On lap 20, Mullen briefly grabbed the top spot down low before Reed battled back to regain the lead on lap 21.

On lap 28, two-time and defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started 11th, worked his way into fourth along the outside groove. On lap 29, 2014 PDTR Late Model champ Mitch McGrath of Waukesha moved into fourth just as Schmidt moved around Glenz into second.

The third caution appeared on lap 30 when McGrath made contact with Glenz, which sent Glenz spinning in turn three. However, Dirt Kings officials ruled the caution to be inadvertent as Glenz did not stop on the track and both drivers maintained their spots in the running order.

On the restart, Glenz regained second, while McGrath moved into third as Schmidt dropped back after hitting the turn two wall. Just as Glenz was trimming the gap on Reed the fourth caution appeared on lap 37 when Dirt Kings point leader Brett Swedberg of Shawano spun in turn four.

Glenz changed his line to work the middle and high groove of the multi-groove track on the restart to work his way around Reed into the lead in turn two on lap 38. Glenz then pulled away from the rest of the pack as McGrath moved into third on lap 39.

One lap later, the fifth caution appeared when Reed spun in turn two after contact with McGrath as the two battled for second. On the restart, the sixth and final caution flag was displayed when four-time PDTR Late Model track champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake spun in turn two.

On the restart, McGrath moved into second, while three-time Dirt Kings Late Model Tour champion Nick Anvelink of Navarino, who started ninth, made his presence felt by moving into third and challenging McGrath for the runner-up spot.

On the final circuit, McGrath and Anvelink collided while dueling for second, which sent Anvelink into the turn two tire barrier, while McGrath was disqualified from the race for rough driving and subsequently issued a suspension from all Dirt Kings Tour events for the remainder of the 2020 season due to his conduct throughout the program.

Glenz pulled away over the final two laps to notch his first career Dirt Kings Late Model Tour victory, second career PDTR Late Model A-main victory, third straight main event triumph and fifth overall A-main win of 2020.

“I’m super stoked to be in victory lane at Plymouth as it has been a few years since our last victory here,” Glenz said. “Justin Reed was kind of hugging the bottom on that restart and I tried rolling through the middle and then worked up to the top to get by him. I’m super happy with this victory.”

Schmidt placed a strong second after starting in the middle of the pack.

“That caution with about 12 to go hurt us,” Schmidt said. “We were really going pretty good before that. I didn’t really know exactly where I was running for a while until I looked at the scoreboard and saw myself second. This was a really good run for us. We’ve kind of struggled over the past few weeks, so it feels good to get a good finish tonight.”

Ritchie worked his way up from his 13th starting spot to place third.

“It was pretty hairy out there with a lot of guys making some crazy moves,” Ritchie said. “I hope it was a good show for the fans because it was really something to watch from my seat.”

Ron Berna, who started 22nd, recovered from an early race spin to finish fourth and fourth starter Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha placed fifth in the Diamond 42, which was run in honor of Late Model driver “Diamond” Jim Letizia’s 42nd year in racing.

Luke Scholten of Oostburg drove the Bender Racing No. 89 car to his 13th career Plymouth Dirt Track Grand National A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth on Friday, Aug. 14 – C-Marq Photography

Defending PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth jumped out to the lead of the 25-lap Grand National A main from the pole as fourth starter Luke Scholten worked the high groove into second on the opening lap.

On lap 7, Scholten closed in to challenge Kulow for the top spot along the low groove. Kulow and Scholten dueled side by side for multiple laps until Scholten finally surged ahead in turn four on lap 14.

The lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 21 when Donny Singer of Waldo and Steven Wirtz of Milwaukee stopped in turn four.

Scholten used a strong restart to pull away from Kulow over the final four laps en route to his 13th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory to move into a tie for second place on the division’s all-time main event win list with two-time PDTR Grand National champ Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis.

Roger Lee of Wind Lake placed third after starting sixth, seventh starter Donny Kulow of Elkhart Lake finished fourth and 2008 PDTR Grand National champ Matt Yancey of Sheboygan placed fifth after starting fifth.

Tim Lange of Dousman led the opening circuit of the 25-lap B Mod A main from the second starting spot. On lap 4, polesitter Donny Singer of Waldo moved in to challenge Lange for the top spot. Two laps later, Singer assumed the top spot in turn one just as fourth starter Justin Bauer of Sheboygan Falls moved into second and sixth starter Barry Maas of Cascade moved into third.

Travis Schmidt of Waldo claimed his third career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod A-main victory at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth on Friday, Aug. 14. -RC Custom Design photo

On lap 11, Maas powered around Bauer to claim second and moved in to pressure Singer for the top spot on lap 13 before the first of two caution flags appeared on lap 13 when Bauer spun in turn two.

On the restart, eighth starter Travis Schmidt ducked low to work underneath Maas into second on lap 15. Five laps later, Schmidt snuck under Singer for the lead as Maas also got around Singer into second on lap 20.

The final caution flag appeared on lap 22 when Steve Lorier of Sheboygan spun in turn two. On the restart, Schmidt pulled away from Maas to claim his third career PDTR B Mod A-main victory by a three-car length margin over Maas, who finished second. Singer held on to take third, third starter Brandon Knepprath of Kewaskum placed fourth and Bauer recovered from his lap 13 spin to place fifth.

Jim Schmidt of Cleveland won the first 12-lap Dirt Kings Late Model B main, while Joel Bennett won the second 12-lap Dirt Kings Late Model B main.

The event attracted a total of 56 cars, including 34 Dirt Kings/PDTR Late Models, 11 Grand Nationals and 11 B mods.

Main event trophies were sponsored by Recognition Race Products.

For all remaining 2020 PDTR races, Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan Falls will have his new book “RPM – The Golden Era of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” for sale under the grandstand.

A portion of the money collected from the sale of the book will be donated to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing.

 

DISCOUNT SHOP TOWELS DIRT KINGS LATE MODEL TOUR DIAMOND 42

PRO POWER RACING ENGINES HEAT 1

1, Jesse Glenz 2, Paul Parker 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Troy Springborn 5, Joe Bongiorno 6, Ron Berna 7, Tim Buhler 8, Brett Swedberg 9, Lukas Postl.

MUELLER’S SALES AND SERVICE HEAT 2

1, Taylor Scheffler 2, Brad Mueller 3, Justin Reed 4, Kevin Eder 5, Chris Engels 6, Justin Green 7, Derek Janke 8, Kyle Raddant 9, Joel Willman.

WEHRS MACHINE AND RACING PRODUCTS HEAT 3

1, Mike Mullen 2, Aaron Wickersheim 3, Zack Kessler 4, Joel Bennett 5, Jim Schmidt 6, Ron Stroika 7, Mitch McGrath 8, Buddy Hanestad.

DISCOUNTSHOPTOWELS.COM HEAT 4

1, Rick Hanestad 2, Nick Anvelink 3, Justin Ritchie 4, Mark Rose 5, Turk Letizia 6, Tom Naeyaert 7, Charlie Schmidt 8, Jim Letizia.

KIRKPATRICK LAW OFFICE B MAIN 1

1, Jim Schmidt 2, Chris Engels 3, Ron Berna 4, Tom Naeyaert 5, Charlie Schmidt 6, Lukas Postl 7, Derek Janke.

KIRKPATRICK LAW OFFICE B MAIN 2

1, Joel Bennett 2, Mitch McGrath 3, Turk Letizia 4, Tim Buhler 5, Brett Swedberg 6, Ron Stroika 7, Jim Letizia 8, Justin Green.

A MAIN

1, Jesse Glenz 2, Justin Schmidt 3, Justin Ritchie 4, Taylor Scheffler 5, Ron Berna 6, Troy Springborn 7, Paul Parker 8, Aaron Wickersheim 9, Jim Schmidt 10, Nick Anvelink 11, Joel Bennett 12, Joe Bongiorno 13, Turk Letizia 14, Justin Reed 15, Brad Mueller 16, Kevin Eder 17, Brett Swedberg 18, Mike Mullen 19, Mark Rose 20, Chris Engels 21, Rick Hanestad 22, Zack Kessler 23, Mitch McGrath.

 

KLIPS N CLIPS GRAND NATIONAL

Heat 1

1, Luke Scholten 2, Tyler Kulow 3, Matt Yancey 4, Donny Kulow 5, Donny Singer 6, Paul Perronne.

Heat 2

1, Steven Wirtz 2, Daryl Traber 3, Roger Lee 4, Dave Holm 5, Matt Schlehlein.

A Main

1, Luke Scholten 2, Tyler Kulow 3, Roger Lee 4, Donny Kulow 5, Matt Yancey 6, Daryl Traber 7, Steven Wirtz 8, Donny Singer 9, Dave Holm 10, Paul Perronne 11, Matt Schlehlein (DNS).

CELLCOM B MOD

Heat 1

1, Barry Maas 2, Jason Schilling 3, Brandon Knepprath 4, Tim Lange 5, Donny Singer 6, Jim Fischer

Heat 2

1, Travis Schmidt 2, Steve Lorier 3, Justin Bauer 4, Brian Wieland 5, Rory Welch

A Main

1, Travis Schmidt 2, Barry Maas 3, Donny Singer 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Justin Bauer 6, Jim Fischer 7, Brian Wieland 8, Steve Lorier 9, Tim Lange 10, Jason Schilling 11, Rory Welch.

 

Alex Pokorski experiences highs of first Sprint Car win, lows of nasty wreck at Plymouth

Rookie Alex Pokorski of West Bend poses in victory lane after earning his first career victory behind the wheel of a Sprint Car in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car B main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8. – JW’s Car and Racing Photos

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 11, 2020 – The sport of auto racing can best be described as one of the most rewarding, yet humbling endeavors a person can choose to take part in.

Rookie 360 Sprint Car driver Alex Pokorski can attest to this description as he experienced the joys of visiting victory lane for the very first time behind the wheel of a Sprint Car before feeling the devastating lows of being involved in a hard crash later in the night during a Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8.

With 30 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars checked in to the pit area, Pokorski opened his seventh night driving the No. 4 Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car, by lining up fifth in the first PDTR 360 Sprint Car heat race.

After losing a spot on the opening lap, Pokorski moved back up to fifth on lap 2 when Shane Wenninger dropped out of the race while running near the front of the field. Pokorski held down the fifth spot over the remainder of the 10-lap race, which was contested on a lightning fast and tacky racing surface.

“In the heat race the car felt pretty good, but we were lacking a bit of bite from the center of the corner out,” Pokorski said.

Pokorski then lined up second for the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main and quickly jumped into the lead by outpowering polesitter Bill Taylor on the drop of the green flag.

The West Bend, Wis. driver wasted no time in bolting away from the field and skillfully working his way through lapped traffic to post his first career 360 Sprint Car race victory in the B main event and secure the 17th starting spot in the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main.

“The B main was a lot of fun and the car was hooked up really well,” Pokorski said. “The start went very well and then it was just about being smooth until I got to lap traffic. The lap cars were all spaced out enough, so I didn’t get held up at all. It felt good to get the first win and know that I can be fast in a Sprint Car. It’s something I’ve always dreamed about doing, so it was special.”

After lining up 17th in the A main, a string of early-race incidents saw Pokorski move up to 13th 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 A main was not so great,” Pokorski said. “Tyler [Davis] had spun and was sitting sideways in the middle of the frontstretch. I came out of the corner on the gas and as soon as I saw him, I jammed on the brakes, but I still hit him really hard. The chassis is bent beyond repair I think, so we will be using an older chassis for the rest of this year.”

While the team’s primary 2016 Maxim chassis was badly damaged, Pokorski emerged from the heavy impact uninjured.

“I don’t have any injuries or even bruises,” Pokorski said. “The night was definitely a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The win was amazing. The crash was very upsetting. It totaled our best chassis, among other things, and with my dad winding down his racing career, I don’t think we will be getting a new one.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team is scheduled to return to action with its backup 2011 J&J chassis on Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

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

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 48th 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.

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

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

 

2020 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule.

Saturday, Aug. 15-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Thursday, Aug. 27-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, Aug. 28-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, Aug. 29-Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

 

2020 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 10

MSA events – 9

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1

Heat Race Victories – 0

 

 

 

McMullen, Scheffler, Sorce Jr., Warner claim PDTR main event victories

Former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh collected his 19th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 8, 2020 – The second night of a jam-packed seven-race August schedule featured plenty of close competition in producing 2020 repeat winners in three of the four Plymouth Dirt Track Racing A-main events at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8.

In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty 360 Sprint Car main event, 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh claimed his second A-main victory of the season at Plymouth. Waukesha’s Taylor Scheffler picked up his second 25-lap Gasroots Project Late Model A main triumph of the 2020 campaign. Two-time PDTR Grand National champion Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis scored his first A-main victory of the 2020 season in the 25-lap Klips N Tips Grand National main event. In the 25-lap Cellcom B Mod A main, defending PDTR B Mod champion Tim Warner of Fond du Lac secured his second main event victory of the 2020 campaign.

In the Sprint Car A main, polesitter Tyler Davis of South Milwaukee jumped out to the lead on lap 1 before a red flag was displayed on lap 2 when outside front row starter Tyler Tischendorf of Waupaca spun in turn two and collected rookie Austin Hartmann of Plymouth, who flipped his machine. The incident forced Hartmann to retire from the event, while Tischendorf was able to continue.

On the ensuing restart attempt, Tim Haddy of Waupun spun in turn two and collected Bill Taylor of Kewaskum and Tischendorf. Both Haddy and Taylor were unable to continue in the race.

When the race resumed, 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth worked past Davis to assume the lead in turn two on lap 3. Meanwhile, third starter Brandon McMullen moved past Davis into second on lap 6 and quickly set his sets on the leader.

Three laps later, McMullen rode the high groove to perfection on the lightning fast and tacky track surface to sweep around Miller into the lead. One lap later on lap 10, the third caution flag was displayed when Tyler Davis spun in turn two at the same time as rookie Alex Pokorski of West Bend spun to a stop in turn four.

On the ensuing restart, Miller and current PDTR 360 Sprint Car point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan, who started sixth, collided before Miller stopped in turn one with suspension damage to bring out the fourth caution flag.

The damage was enough to force Miller out of the race while Arenz was sent to the rear of the field for his involvement in the yellow flag incident. Seventh starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend made his presence felt on the restart has he moved into second while 19th starter Nich Melis of Plymouth worked his way into third on lap 12.

McMullen began to catch the rear of the field on lap 17, which he sliced through expertly to extend his lead over Karnitz. On lap 20, Tyler Davis spun on the frontstretch before Alex Pokorski made hard contact with Davis to bring out a red flag for the fifth and final stoppage of the race. Both drivers emerged from the heavy impact uninjured, but were done for the night.

McMullen again pulled away on the final restart and cruised over the final five laps to his 19th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 27th Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph of his career by a full-straightaway margin. Karnitz finished second, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove finished third after starting 12th, Melis placed fourth and Arenz rebounded from restarting 17th following a lap 10 collision with Justin Miller to place fifth.

Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha notched his fifth career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model A main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8. – RC Custom Design photo

Outside front row starter Taylor Scheffler, who was steering the 15s car formerly raced by his father, Rick Scheffler, outdueled 2016 PDTR Late Model champ Tim Buhler of Greenbush, who started second, to grab the lead of the 25-lap Late Model A main in turn four of the opening lap.

Scheffler extended his lead over Buhler in the early stages of the race before the first of two caution flags was displayed on lap 8 for debris on the frontstretch from Sheboygan Falls rookie driver Chad Ludwigson’s car.

Two laps later, another caution was displayed when Charlie Schmidt of Cedar Grove spun in turn two. On the restart, Scheffler again pulled away while fifth starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee and sixth starter Justin Ritchie of New London waged a heated duel for fourth place. Following a six-lap, side-by-side battle, Ritchie finally secured the fourth-place position from Letizia.

Scheffler hit lapped traffic on lap 17, which he negotiated successfully over the final eight laps en route to his fifth career PDTR Late Model A-main victory. Buhler held on for second, fourth starter Jim Schmidt of Cleveland placed third, Ritchie finished fourth and Turk Letizia rounded out the top five.

In the 25-lap Grand National A main, Don Sorce Jr. used the high groove to outduel defending PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth, who started on the pole, to take the top spot in turn two on the opening lap.

As Sorce Jr. held down the top spot, third starter Aaron Stolp of Milwaukee moved into third on lap six before passing Kulow for second four laps later. On lap 14, Stolp bolted in to pressure the low riding Sorce Jr. for the lead along the outside groove.

Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National champion Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis claimed his 13th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8. -RC Custom Design photo

The lone caution of the race appeared on lap 15 when Darryl Traber spun in turn four. On the restart, Kulow battled back along the outside groove to regain second on lap 16.

Four laps later, sixth starter Steven Weber of Plymouth used a low move to work past Stolp before tracking down Kulow for second on the final lap. At the front of the field, it was all Sorce Jr. has he rolled to his 13th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory to move into sole possession of second place on the division’s main event win list.

Weber finished second, Stolp placed third, Kulow was fourth and 81-year-old Dick Hed of Plymouth wound up fifth after starting seventh.

Outside front row starter James Rautmann of Howards Grove led the opening two laps of the 25-lap B Mod A main before third starter Kyle Odekirk of Plymouth moved in to take over the top spot on lap 3.

The first of two caution flags was displayed on lap 5 when Brandon Knepprath of Kewaskum, Patrick Hanson of Sheboygan Falls and Kassi Krause of Chilton spun in turn two. Following the restart, sixth starter Brian Wieland of Sheboygan Falls moved in to challenge Odekirk for the top spot along the inside groove.

Two laps later, fifth starter Jason Schilling of Greenfield, 10th starter Travis Arenz, who was subbing for Cascade’s Barry Maas, and Chilton’s Jesse Cullen, who started 12th, battled three wide for third place with Arenz securing the position.

On lap 12, Wieland made contact with Odekirk as the two drivers were dueling for the lead. However, Odekirk was able to maintain control of the top spot before the second and final caution flag came out on lap 14 when Justin Bauer of Sheboygan Falls stopped on the frontstretch.

On the restart, Tim Warner moved in from his seventh starting spot to take over second along the high groove. One lap later, Warner pulled even with the low riding Odekirk. After dueling with Odekirk side-by-side for two laps, Warner finally surged ahead in turn four on lap 17.

Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod champion Tim Warner of Fond du Lac picked up his fifth career PDTR B Mod A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8. – RC Custom Design photo

Once out front, Warner pulled away to notch his fifth career PDTR B Mod A main victory by a half-straightaway margin. Odekirk placed second, Arenz was third, Cullen placed fourth and Wieland rounded out the top five.

Rookie Alex Pokorski claimed his first career 360 Sprint Car race victory in the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

The eighth PDTR racing program of the 2020 season, which was sponsored by Cellcom, drew a total of 82 cars, including 30 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, 17 Late Models, 14 Grand Nationals and 21 B Mods.

Next weekend will feature a doubleheader at the Plymouth Dirt Track with the Dirt Kings Late Model Tour Diamond 42 scheduled for Friday, Aug. 14 featuring a first-place payout of $4,200. The PDTR Grand National and B Mod divisions will also run a non-points program with hot laps scheduled at 5:30 p.m. with racing to follow at 6 p.m.

One night later, the PDTR 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions will be in action on Saturday, Aug. 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

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

For all remaining 2020 PDTR races, Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan Falls will have his new book “RPM – The Golden Era of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” for sale under the grandstand.

A portion of the money collected from the sale of the book will be donated to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing.

 

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANTVIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Travis Arenz 2, Justin Miller 3, Nick Daywalt 4, Doug Wondra 5, Alex Pokorski 6, Brandon Berth 7, Scott Armstrong 8, Shane Wenninger.

HEAT 2

1, Tyler Davis 2, Scott Conger 3, Tyler Tischendorf 4, Bill Taylor 5, Preston Ruh 6, Kevin Seidler 7, Tyler Brabant 8, Lance Fassbender.

HEAT 3

1, Kevin Karnitz 2, Austin Hartmann 3, Tony Wondra 4, Will Gerrits 5, Josh Teunissen 6, Justin Erickson 7, Chris Clayton.

HEAT 4

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Kurt Davis 3, Ben Schmidt 4, Tim Haddy 5, Anthony Knierim 6, Nich Melis 7, Blake Wondra.

B MAIN

1, Alex Pokorski 2, Brandon Berth 3, Nich Melis 4, Anthony Knierim 5, Bill Taylor 6, Josh Teunissen 7, Justin Erickson 8, Blake Wondra 9, Tyler Brabant 10, Kevin Seidler 11, Lance Fassbender 12, Chris Clayton 13, Scott Armstrong 14, Shane Wenninger (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Kevin Karnitz 3, Ben Schmidt 4, Nich Melis 5, Travis Arenz 6, Kurt Davis 7, Brandon Berth 8, Nick Daywalt 9, Will Gerrits 10, Anthony Knierim 11, Scott Conger 12, Preston Ruh 13, Tony Wondra 14, Doug Wondra 15, Josh Teunissen 16, Tyler Davis, 17, Alex Pokorski 18, Justin Miller 19, Tyler Tischendorf 20, Austin Hartmann 21, Tim Haddy 22, Bill Taylor.

 

GASROOT PROJECT LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Jim Schmidt 2, Tony Peterson 3, Brad Mueller 4, Justin Schmidt 5, Taylor Scheffler 6, Joe Bongiorno 7, Justin Green 8, Chad Ludwigson 9, Donny Singer.

HEAT 2

1, Justin Ritchie 2, Turk Letizia 3, Jim Letizia 4, Tim Buhler 5, Charlie Schmidt 6, Jake Van Engen 7, Sawyer Specht 8, Billy Rezutek (DNS).

A MAIN’

1, Taylor Scheffler 2, Tim Buhler 3, Jim Schmidt 4, Justin Ritchie 5, Turk Letizia 6, Brad Muller 7, Justin Schmidt 8, Joe Bongiorno 9, Justin Green 10, Jim Letizia 11, Billy Rezutek 12, Charlie Schmidt 13, Tony Peterson 14, Donny Singer 15, Chad Ludwigson 16, Sawyer Specht 17, Jake Van Engen (DNS).

 

KLIPS N TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Dick Hed 2, Derek Kaat 3, Luke Scholten 4, Aaron Stolp 5, Donny Kulow 6, Matt Schlehlein 7, Dylan Struve.

HEAT 2

1, Steven Weber 2, Jeff Muehlbauer 3, Don Sorce Jr. 4, Tyler Kulow 5, Brad Weiss 6, Darryl Traber 7, Paul Perronne.

A MAIN

1, Don Sorce Jr. 2, Steven Weber 3, Aaron Stolp 4, Tyler Kulow 5, Dick Hed 6, Luke Scholten 7, Jeff Muehlbauer 8, Donny Kulow 9, Darryl Traber 10, Brad Weiss 11, Matt Schlehlein 12, Paul Perronne 13, Derek Kaat 14, Dylan Struve (DNS).

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Craig Gessner 2, Brian Weiland 3, Steve Lorier 4, Donny Singer 5, Trevor Frank 6, Kassi Krause 7, Rory Welch.

HEAT 2

1, Jason Schilling 2, James Rautmann 3, Kyle Odekirk 4, Jesse Cullen 5, Gary Glander 6, Brendan Ostrowski 7, Brandon Knepprath.

HEAT 3

1, Travis Arenz 2, Tim Sheppard 3, Tim Warner 4, Justin Bauer 5, Jonathan Hitsman 6, Patrick Hanson 7, Jim Fischer.

A MAIN

1, Tim Warner 2, Kyle Odekirk 3, Travis Arenz 4, Jesse Cullen 5, Brian Wieland 6, Tim Sheppard 7, Donny Singer 8, Gary Glander 9, Steve Lorier 10, Brendan Ostrowski 11, James Rautmann 12, Rory Welch 13, Kassi Krause 14, Brandon Knepprath 15, Jason Schilling 16, Justin Bauer 17, Craig Gessner 18, Trevor Frank 19, Jonathan Hitsmann 20, Patrick Hanson 21, Jim Fischer (DNS).

Walter shows speed, but bad luck lingers in IRA action

Josh Walter competes in the second annual Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, July 30. -RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 5, 2020 – After being hounded by adversity through the first four races of the 2020 season, Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team displayed plenty of speed to run at the front of the pack, but the sour luck remained during a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series doubleheader at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, July 30 and Langlade County Speedway in Antigo, Wis. on Friday, July 31.

On July 30, Walter took a short trip down the road from his Plymouth shop to compete in the second annual Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champoins-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association co-sanctioned Rayce Rudeen Foundation $26,000-to-win event at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

Walter opened the highest paying Winged 410 Sprint Car race in Wisconsin history by timing in 31st in the 41-car field with a lap of 12.632 seconds around the third-mile clay oval.

After starting sixth in the fourth 10-lap heat race, Walter lost power shortly after the drop of the green flag and rolled to a stop in turn three on the opening lap. Walter went briefly to the work area before retiring from the race with an apparent fuel-pickup issue.

Following some quick repairs, Walter started third in the 10-lap C main needing to finish in the top two positions in order to transfer to the back of the B main.

Walter held down third throughout the majority of the race until the final lap when Sean Rayhall powered past him along the high groove to drop Walter to fourth at the finish line.

“We thought it was an electrical issue in the heat race, so we put in a different mag box,” Walter said. “Later we found out at that the fuel pump came disconnected from the power steering pump just enough to not notice and not turn the pump.

“Unfortunately, after encountering various issues in our previous IRA events at 141 Speedway and Plymouth earlier in the month, our very rough start the season continued with the All Stars,” he said.

While not originally on the team’s schedule, a last-minute decision sent Walter and his Torque Racing team to Northern Wisconsin the following night for a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association event at the half-mile Langlade County Speedway in Antigo, Wis.

After opening the event by qualifying seventh in the 20-car field with a lap of 17.398 seconds, Walter lined up second in the first IRA heat race.

On lap one, Walter drifted high, which allowed Bill Balog and Scotty Neitzel to move past, while Walter dropped to fourth in the running order. Walter held his position over the final nine laps to place fourth in the race.

Walter then used a favorable dash draw to roll off second in the first IRA four-lap dash. The 15th-year Plymouth driver got the jump on the start to take the lead into turn one and he pulled away from polesitter Dave Uttech to win the first dash and earn the pole position for the 20-lap A main in commanding fashion.

Walter’s high hopes for starting the A main pole were quickly dashed when his 12W car rolled to a stop along the backstretch shortly after being pushed off for the A main. Walter went to the work area before attempting a second push off.

However, the car again did not fire and Walter was forced to retreat to his pit area. He was scored 20th in the race.

“We believe what happened before the A main at Antigo was our older backup mag box failing that we had switched to on Thursday,” Walter said. “There’s no way of knowing when an electrical issue will occur. Most times they briefly show signs of failure and stop working like a battery going dead. However, the mag box showed no issue all night until after two or three laps idling around before we lined up for the A.

“It was just another heartbreaking night for this season, but this one feels worse,” he said. “There’s not much you can do about these things when they happen. We just need to stay positive and look at how well the night was going, instead of how bad it ended. We need to keep in mind it could have always been a lot worse.”

Walter and the members of the Torque Racing team are planning to take most of the remainder of the month of August off to prepare for a potentially very busy September.

“Our next race will be Saturday, August 29th at Beaver Dam Raceway,” Walter said. “After that, our season will look to get pretty busy and hopefully, I can find some consistency with our new car. Our highly tentative schedule will continue Friday, September 4th at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Saturday, September 5th at Plymouth, Sunday, September 6th at 141 Speedway, Friday, September 11th at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour, Saturday, September 19th at Beaver Dam Raceway, Friday, September 25th at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam and Saturday, September 26th at Plymouth.”

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

Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Full Throttle Ink

The Torque Racing team is pleased to have Full Throttle Ink in Sheboygan Falls on board as a sponsor for the 2020 season.

Full Throttle Ink is Sheboygan County’s premier tattoo, piercing, and apparel shop, located at 501 North Main (Highway 32) in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Under the direction of owner Jeff Klug, Full Throttle Ink features a 1,100-square foot state-of-the-art tattoo and piercing parlor, as well as a a complete line of 1940s and 1950s-themed high-end hot-rod style clothing.

Full Throttle Ink, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., also offers Motorcult Apparel, Lucky 13 Apparel and Klug’s personal line of Sheboygan County-exclusive apparel.

To book a tattoo or piercing appointment, call 920-467-2215 or email fullthrottleink@hotmail.com.

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

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

 

2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing Tentative Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, Aug. 29 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)

Friday, Sept. 4 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)

Saturday, Sept. 5 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)

Sunday, Sept. 6 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis. (IRA)

 

2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing By The Numbers

Total Events – 6

IRA events – 4

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 – 1

Dash Appearances – 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex Pokorski gets first taste of Sprint Car A-main action  

Rookie 360 Sprint Car driver Alex Pokorski of West Bend recorded a 16th-place finish in his first A-main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, July 30. -RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 4, 2020 – After a week away from the race track, rookie driver Alex Pokorski and Pokorski Motorsports team returned to action with the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars in a supporting role to the second annual Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race on Thursday, July 30 at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

The PDTR 360 Sprint Car portion of the program, which drew 27 cars, featured a modified format with no B main and the A main lineup set straight up by passing points with no inversion.

After starting eighth in the second 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race, Pokorski spun in turn two on lap 2 before restarting the race at the rear of the nine-car field. Pokorski held his position for the majority of the race before moving up to eighth a when Lance Fassbender slowed and dropped out the race on lap 8.

“During the heat race, I felt okay in the car, but it was a little touchy when I had to race close to other drivers,” Pokorski said. “Using the brake or changing my line threw the car off a bit.”

By virtue of his eighth place finish in his heat race, Pokorski lined up 20th in the 24-car 26-lap 360 Sprint Car A-main field.

On lap 6, Pokorski moved up to 19th in the running order before moving around Blake Wondra with a high move in turn four on lap 13. On lap 19, Pokorski lost control and spun, which dropped him back to 22nd when the race resumed.

Pokorski found his groove on the restart to work past Preston Ruh, Mike Decker, Tyler Brabant and Chris Larson over the final seven laps en route to a 16th-place finish in his first career 360 Sprint A main, which was won by Kurt Davis.

“For the A main, we made some adjustments and the car felt really good,” Pokorski. “It was a lot of fun getting to race my way up a few spots and being able to compete in an A main. When I spun, I was mad at myself, but I was able to recover most of or all of the spots I lost in the last few laps. That was the best night I have had so far and I was happy with the results.”

Two days later on Saturday, Aug. 1, Pokorski returned to the driver’s seat for a PDTR 360 Sprint Car event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

With 32 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars checked in for the night, Pokorski started sixth in the first 10-lap heat race. Pokorski got high on the lightning fast racing surface on the opening laps, which dropped him to eighth in the running order.

Due to the fast and tacky track conditions, passing was at a premium during heat race action and Pokorski finished the race in eighth place.

After starting 12th in the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main, Pokorski moved up to 11th when Blake Wondra spun into the infield on the opening lap. The race was slowed for two red flags involving flips by rookies Mike MacFarlane on lap 5 and Scott Armstrong on lap 13.

After restarting 11th on lap 13, Pokorski moved up one spot over the final two laps to record a 10th-place finish.

“Saturday’s track was very wet and fast all night long,” Pokorski said. “I’ve never experienced a track like that for a race, so it took me a bit to figure out how to drive it. Passing was very difficult. It was hard to make up any ground on people after a few laps under green because everyone could just keep their foot on the floor the whole way around. The B main and heat race were both very similar in that aspect.

“Looking forward, I want to get better at heavy race tracks and become more consistent,” Pokorski said. “I am back at school working already, but luckily I can still make it back for a few more Saturdays to race.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team is scheduled to return to action on Saturday, Aug. 8 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

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

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 – Quest Engineering Inc.

Pokorski Motorsports would like to welcome back Quest Engineering of Richfield, Wis. as a sponsor for the 2020 racing season.

Quest Engineering focuses solely on full overlay cabinetry and complimenting custom products, including kitchen, bath, closets, garage, entertainment and commercial casework projects.

Quest’s skilled team of customer advocates, product specialists, engineers, production managers and operations team rely on a continuous improvement philosophy to pave the road to success.

Founded as a contract wood products fabricator in West Bend by brothers Chris and Todd Lefeber in 2001, Quest operated on mostly manual machines until adding CNC equipment and parametric engineering software to its repertoire in 2006.

In late 2008, Quest Engineering made the move from a direct sales to a dealer sales model with an increased focused on its capacity as a manufacturer. Quest moved from its original facility in West Bend to a newly renovated production facility in Richfield in fall 2012.

In May 2015, working with equipment, software, and special service vendors, Quest expanded with the addition of a second manufacturing plant. Housing a flexible casework production cell, a custom fabrication cell and a small warehouse, a new facility in Jackson was opened, featuring a design center and showroom.

“Quest Engineering came on board with Pokorski Motorsports in 2018 and we are excited to have them back for their third season with us,” Pokorski said. “Quest is a local manufacturer of quality cabinets and we encourage our fans to check out their line of products.”

Pokorski Motorsports invites you to contact Quest Engineering Inc. by phone at 262-334-4949 or by visiting www.questcabinets.com.

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

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

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

2020 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule.

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

Saturday, Aug. 15-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Thursday, Aug. 27-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Friday, Aug. 28-Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, Aug. 29-Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis.

2020 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 9

MSA events – 8

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1

Heat Race Victories – 0

Arenz, Letizia, Weber, Maas pedal to PDTR A-main triumphs

Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan claimed his second A-main victory of the 2020 season on Pedal Down Promotions Night at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 1. -RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 1, 2020 – On one of the most pleasant nights for racing of the 2020 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing season, three of the most polished veteran drivers in the pit area, as well as a rising star in the Sprint Car ranks rolled to A-main victories on Pedal Down Promotions Night at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

PDTR 360 Sprint Car point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan racked up his second A-main victory of the 2020 campaign in the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty 360 Sprint Car main event. Milwaukee veteran Turk Letizia noted his first A-main victory in six years in the 25-lap Gasroots Project Late Model A main. Eighteen-year veteran Steven Weber of Plymouth claimed the victory in the 25-lap Klips N Tips Grand National A main and Cascade veteran Barry Maas earned his first career PDTR B Mod main event win in the 25-lap Cellcom B Mod A main.

In the 360 Sprint Car headliner, outside front row starter Tony Wondra of Campbellsport jumped into the lead on the drop of the green flag before Adam Miller of Plymouth flipped in turn four on the opening lap to bring out a red flag.

Following a complete restart, Wondra again grabbed the lead while two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee, who started third, moved into second with the fifth-starting Arenz bolting into third on the opening circuit.

While Wondra led, Arenz moved in to challenge the high-riding Davis along the low line on lap 4. On lap 5, Tyler Davis of South Milwaukee and Anthony Knierim of Franksville collided in turn two to bring out a caution.

On the restart, Jack Vanderboom of Dousman and Doug Wondra of Campbellsport got together in turn three, which sent Vanderboom flipping on lap 5.

Davis pulled off an impressive low move in turn four on lap 6 to wrestle the lead away from Wondra. Meanwhile, 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh was using the high groove to vault into second from his sixth starting spot on lap 7.

McMullen continued to ride the high groove of the lightning fast track surface to pressure Davis for the top spot. On lap 9, McMullen surged ahead of Davis along the outside groove. McMullen maintained a solid cushion as the leaders encountered slower traffic on lap 13.

Two laps later, Arenz moved into second before Tyler Tischendorf of Waupaca spun in turn two on lap 16. On the restart, Arenz ducked underneath McMullen to assume the top spot on lap 17 exiting turn one.

After that, Arenz moved up to the high line and pulled away from McMullen, who worked both the bottom and top of the track in an attempt to reel in the leader over the next nine laps.

Just as the leaders were about to catch the back of the field, the checkered flag flew with Arenz claiming his third career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main victory and ninth overall Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph.

McMullen wound up second, Davis was third, 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett took fourth after starting eighth and 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove charged up from his 16th starting spot to take fifth.

Polesitter Justin Ritchie of New London seized the lead in turn of the opening lap of the 25-lap Late Model A main. On lap 2, Letizia used a big run on the frontstretch to dive under Ritchie for the lead in turn one. As Letizia encountered lapped traffic on lap 8, Ritchie began to close.

Turk Letizia of Milwaukee notched his first Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model A-main victory since the 2014 season on Pedal Down Promotions Night at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 1. – RC Custom Design photo

On lap 12, Ritchie moved to withing striking distance in heavy lapped traffic before making contact with Letizia along the front stretch, which caused Ritchie to spin into the infield and bring out the first of four caution flags.

One lap later, Ted Dolhun Sr. of Franklin spun in turn two to bring out the second caution of the race. On the restart, two-time defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started fifth, moved in to challenge Letizia for the top spot along the low line on lap 14.

Meanwhile, the racing behind Letizia and Schmidt was hot and heavy as Mike Mullen of Seymour, who started ninth, and 2016 PDTR Late Model champ Tim Buhler of Greenbush, who started seventh, dueled side by side for third place on lap 21.

The third caution appeared on lap 22 when Mullen spun in turn three. On the restart, Ritchie, Eric Michaels of Cleveland and Charlie Schmidt of Cedar Grove collided exiting turn four to bring out the fourth and final caution.

On the restart, Letizia held strong to pull away from Schmidt over the final four laps en route to his third career PDTR Late Model A-main victory and first main event win at Plymouth since 2014.

Schmidt was second, four-time PDTR Late Model champ Brad Mueller of Random Lake, who started fourth, placed third, Buhler took fourth and 2017 PDTR B Mod champion Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls placed fifth in his first ever night behind the wheel of his father Glen Blanke’s 4B Late Model after starting 15th.

Outside front row starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg grabbed the lead on lap 1 with Steven Weber, who started on the pole, sliding into second. On lap 3, Weber pulled into challenge Scholten for the top spot before the first of two caution flags was displayed on lap 4 for a spin involving Dylan Struve of Plymouth.

Following the restart, Weber moved in to pressure Scholten for the top spot and he continued to hound the leader for the next 14 laps. After sizing Scholten up patiently lap after lap, Weber finally pounced entering turn one on lap 18 to seize the lead.

Steven Weber of Plymouth collected his second career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National A-main victory on Pedal Down Promotions Night at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 1. – RC Custom Design photo

Two laps later, Weber hit lapped traffic, who allowed Scholten to stay in contention for the win. The second and final caution appeared on lap 20 when Paul Perronne stopped in turn one.

Following a single-file restart with five laps to go, Weber stayed tied to the inside lane of the track and fended off Scholten’s advances to notch his second career PDTR Grand National A-main victory.

Scholten placed second, two-time PDTR Grand National champion Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis finished third after starting sixth, Aaron Stolp of Milwaukee charged up from the 11th starting spot to place fourth and 2019 PDTR Grand National champ Tyler Kulow of Plymouth finished fifth after starting ninth.

In the 25-lap B Mod A main, rookie outside front row starter Trevor Frank of Sheboygan grabbed the lead from the start. The first of three cautions appeared on lap four when Steve Lorier of Sheboygan stopped in turn three.

On the restart, fourth starter Jesse Cullen of Chilton moved up from his fourth starting spot to take second with a move along the high line before polesitter Brandon Knepprath of Kewaskum battled back to challenge for the runner-up spot.

The second caution appeared on lap 10 when Patrick Hanson of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn four. Two laps later, defending PDTR B Mod champ Tim Warner of Fond du Lac and Cullen made contact, which sent Cullen spinning in turn four to bring out the third caution flag.

On lap 13, Maas, who started sixth, began to make his presence felt as he moved into second along the high groove. One lap later, Maas, who owns one career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, worked the inside groove to work past Frank for the lead with a nifty low move in turn three.

Former Winged Super Modified and 360 Sprint Car competitor Barry Maas of Cascade rolled to his first career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 1. – RC Custom Design photo

Knepprath wasn’t finished though, as he worked around Frank and closed on Maas over the final circuits. On lap 23, Knepprath ducked under Maas and stayed within striking distance all the way to the checkered flag before Maas, a former Winged Super Modified racer at Plymouth, prevailed by a one-car margin to seize his first career PDTR B Mod A main victory.

Knepprath recorded a career-best second-place finish, Warner placed third, Frank equaled his career-best A-main finish by placing fourth and 11th starter Gary Glander of Sheboygan Falls placed fifth.

Jack Vanderboom won the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

The seventh PDTR racing program of the 2020 season drew a total of 80 cars, including 32 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, 16 Late Models, 17 Grand Nationals and 15 B Mods.

The PDTR 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions will next be in action on Saturday, Aug. 8 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

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

For all remaining 2020 PDTR races, Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan Falls will have his new book “RPM – The Golden Era of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” for sale under the grandstand.

A portion of the money collected from the sale of the book will be donated to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANTVIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Tony Wondra 2, Lance Fassbender 3, Anthony Knierim 4, Chris Clayton 5, Ben Schmidt 6, Jack Vanderboom 7, Mike Decker 8, Alex Pokorski.

HEAT 2

1, Shane Wenninger 2, Travis Arenz 3, Scott Conger 4, Justin Miller 5, Austin Hartmann 6, Scott Armstrong 7, Will Gerrits 8, Tyler Brabant.

HEAT 3

1, Bill Taylor 2, Kurt Davis 3, Adam Miller 4, Josh Teunissen 5, Tyler Tischendorf 6, Brandon Berth 7, Tim Haddy 8, Blake Wondra.

HEAT 4

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Justin Erickson 3, Doug Wondra 4, Tyler Davis 5, Preston Ruh 6, Kevin Karnitz 7, Kevin Seidler 8, Mike MacFarlane.

B MAIN

1, Jack Vanderboom 2, Kevin Karnitz 3, Brandon Berth 4, Josh Teunissen 5, Tyler Tischendorf 6, Tim Haddy 7, Austin Hartmann 8, Preston Ruh 9, Mike Decker 10, Alex Pokorski 11, Scott Armstrong 12, Blake Wondra 13, Kevin Seidler 14, Mike MacFarlane 15, Will Gerrits (DNS) 16, Tyler Brabant (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Kurt Davis 4, Lance Fassbender 5, Ben Schmidt 6, Tony Wondra 7, Justin Miller 8, Justin Erickson 9, Brandon Berth 10, Kevin Karnitz 11, Bill Taylor 12, Scott Conger 13, Chris Clayton 14, Tim Haddy 15, Josh Teunissen 16, Tyler Tischendorf 17, Shane Wenninger 18, Doug Wondra 19, Tyler Davis 20, Anthony Knierim 21, Jack Vanderboom 22, Adam Miller.

 

GASROOT PROJECT LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Brad Mueller 2, Joe Bongiorno 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Eric Michaels 5, Ted Dolhun Sr. 6, Sawyer Specht 7, Chad Ludwigson 8, Donny Singer.

HEAT 2

1, Turk Letizia 2, Justin Ritchie 3, Charlie Schmidt 4, Tim Buhler 5, Mike Mullen 6, Jared Siefert 7, Kevin Baldry 8, Justin Green.

A MAIN’

1, Turk Letizia 2, Justin Schmidt 3, Brad Mueller 4, Tim Buhler 5, Justin Green 6, Ted Dolhun Sr. 7, Charlie Schmidt 8, Eric Michaels 9, Eric Michaels, 10, Joe Bongiorno 11, Sawyer Specht 12, Justin Ritchie 13, Kevin Baldry 14, Chad Ludwigson 15, Jared Siefert 16, Mike Mullen.

 

KLIPS N TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Don Sorce Jr. 2, Brad Weiss 3, Derek Kaat 4, Jeff Muehlbauer 5, Tyler Kulow 6, Jim Rohrbeck 7, Dave Holm 8, Dick Hed 9, Paul Perronne.

HEAT 2

1, Steven Wirtz 2, Luke Scholten 3, Steven Weber 4, Donny Kulow 5, Aaron Stolp 6, Matt Yancey 7, Dylan Struve 8, Who Racing.

A MAIN

1, Steven Weber 2, Luke Scholten 3, Don Sorce Jr. 4, Aaron Stolp 5, Tyler Kulow 6, Steven Wirtz 7, Jeff Muehlbauer 8, Dick Hed 9, Matt Yancey 10, Donny Kulow 11, Who Racing 12, Dylan Struve 13, Jim Rohrbeck 14, Brad Weiss 15, Paul Perronne 16, Dave Holm 17, Derek Kaat.

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Jason Schilling 2, Tim Warner 3, James Rautmann 4, Jesse Cullen 5, Trevor Frank 6, Jonathan Hitsman 7, Patrick Hanson 8, Jim Fischer.

HEAT 2

1, Phil Campanella 2, Barry Maas 3, Steve Lorier 4, Rory Welch 5, Brandon Knepprath 6, Gary Glander 7, Donny Singer.

A MAIN

1, Barry Maas 2, Brandon Knepprath 3, Tim Warner 4, Trevor Frank 5, Gary Glander 6, Jason Schilling 7, Jesse Cullen 8, Jonathan Hitsman 9, Donny Singer 10, Rory Welch 11, Patrick Hanson 12, James Rautmann 13, Phil Campanella 14, Steve Lorier 15, Jim Fischer.

Larson continues historic season with Rayce Rudeen Foundation All Star triumph

Kyle Larson of Elk Grove, Calif. picked up his 11th Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions A-main victory of the 2020 season and 26th overall victory on dirt of the year in the Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, July 30th. – Ricky Bassman photo

Davis moves to top of all-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main win list

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 30, 2020 – The hottest Sprint Car driver in the world, Kyle Larson of Elk Grove, Calif., paid his first visit to The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. for the second annual Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions-Interstate Racing Association Rayce Rudeen Foundation $26,000-to-win event on Thursday, July 30 and promptly shined over a stellar field to claim his sixth straight A-main victory in All Star Series competition and his 26th overall triumph on dirt during the 2020 season in the highest-paying Winged Sprint Car race in Wisconsin history.

In the companion, non-points Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty 26-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main, two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee nipped the hard-charging Travis Arenz of Sheboygan by mere feet to claim his second overall Midwest Sprint Car Association main event victory of the 2020 campaign and first A-main victory of the year at Plymouth.

All eyes were on Larson throughout the night as his has been a dominant force everywhere he has raced this season whether in the 410 Winged Sprint Car ranks with the All Star Circuit of Champions and World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series or with the USAC Midget Series, with victories coming in droves for the 28-year-old racing phenom.

After laying down the fastest qualifying lap of the night with a circuit of 11.459 seconds around the third-mile clay oval, Larson placed fourth in the fourth 10-lap heat race and won the second four-lap dash to start on the outside of the front row for the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation 35-lap A main.

The race got off to a rough start as Austin McCarl of Altoona, Iowa flipped into the turn two catch fence on the initial start and Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind. spun in turn four on the second start attempt.

When the race finally got under way, polesitter Gio Scelzi of Fresno, Calif. bolted into the lead with Larson following in second and Gio’s brother Dominic Scelzi of Fresno, Calif., who started third, settling into third in the early going.

With Gio Scelzi running the cushion, Larson worked the low and middle groove to reel in the leader on lap 6. On lap 7, the leaders encountered heavy lapped traffic, which allowed Larson to close even further.

On lap 12, Larson pounced as he pulled off a well-executed slide job in turn four to wrestle the led away from Gio Scelzi. Meanwhile, Kerry Madsen of St. Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia, who started seventh, was marching his way to the front of the pack along the high groove.

On lap 14, Madsen worked his way into fourth before charged past Dominic Scelzi into third on lap 16 and eventually powering around Gio Scelzi for second in thick lapped traffic.

As Larson appeared to be biding his time in getting around the slower car of Tyler Courtney for a number of laps, Madsen closed to within two car lengths of Larson on lap 22. However, once Larson cleared Courtney on lap 24, he quickly pulled away from Madsen to build up a quarter-straightaway cushion on lap 26.

Larson, who has six NASCAR Cup Series victories to his credit, skillfully worked his way through lapped traffic over the final nine laps to score his 20th career All Star Series victory and his 11th triumph in 17 All Star starts in 2020 in the third-ever All Star event to be contested at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

“This feels really good,” Larson said in victory lane. “I had to earn it for sure. The track was extremely technical and a lot of fun. The curb was just not going anywhere and it was getting trickier and trickier to run. The lappers were all so even that I couldn’t get by for the longest time, but I was able to follow Sunshine [Tyler Courtney] past a few guys, so that helped.

“I was just making a lot of mistakes, but the track was tough, so I didn’t know how close second was to me,” he said. “Once I got past Tyler though, I felt like I got a good rhythm going again and lapped some pretty decent cars there toward the end. We just had a really good car tonight. It’s not often that you get to chase this kind of money in Sprint Cars, especially this year, so thanks to the Rudeen family and what they’ve done for this race. It’s really cool.”

Madsen, who appeared that he might overtake Larson for the lead in the middle stages of the race, finished a full straightaway behind in second at the finish.

“We had a great race car and we were really running Kyle down for the lead,” Madsen said after the race. “I was trying to be patient and pick my spots, but it just didn’t turn out to be our night.”

Gio Scelzi placed third after a strong run in the early laps of the race.

“I felt pretty good in the early going running the top then Kyle got past me on the bottom, which surprised me because I didn’t think the bottom would be that good,” Gio Scelzi said. “I just have to do a better job in these races. Third is not bad, but we want to win.”

Dominic Scelzi came home fourth and fourth starter Cory Eliason of Visalia, Calif. placed fifth.

Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee moved into sole possession of first place on the all-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main win list by capturing his 24th division main event win at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, July 30. – RC Custom Design photo

In the 26-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main, 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Justin Miller of Plymouth, who started on the pole, second starter Kurt Davis and fourth starter Adam Miller of Plymouth dueled three-wide for the entire first lap before Justin Miller surged ahead in turn one on lap 2.

One lap later, Davis ventured up to the high groove to challenge Miller for the top spot. Miller and Davis battled side by side over the next three circuits before Miller eventually regained control of the lead just as the leaders hit slower traffic on lap 10.

Meanwhile, current PDTR 360 Sprint Car point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan, who started fifth, vaulted into third on lap 15 before surging past Davis into second on lap 18.

One lap later, rookie Alex Pokorski of West Bend spun in turn two to bring out the first of three caution flags. On the restart, Davis bolted back up to the high line to power around Arenz into second before surging past Miller into the lead in turn four on lap 20.

The second caution flag appeared on lap 21 when Adam Miller and Matt Vandevere of Zion, Ill. spun in turn four. One lap later, the third and final caution flag flew when Tyler Davis of South Milwaukee spun in turn two.

On the restart, Arenz charged in to apply heavy pressure along the high line as Davis switched to the inside lane. On the final lap, Arenz pulled even with Davis entering turn one. Davis battled back to regain the top spot going into turn three.

Arenz didn’t back down as he reeled in Davis in the final corner and pulled alongside heading the checkered flag. However, Davis held on to nip Arenz by a half-car length to secure his 24th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main victory and record 62nd career MSA main event win. The triumph pushed Davis past Danny Schlafer of Sussex and to sole possession of first place on the all-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main win list.

Arenz placed second, 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh moved up from his sixth starting spot to finish third, Justin Miller finished fourth and seventh starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum placed fifth.

The sixth PDTR racing program of the 2020 season drew a total of 68 cars, including 41 All Star Circuit of Champions-Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Cars and 27 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars.

The PDTR 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions will be in action on Saturday, Aug. 1 with trophies sponsored by Pedal Down Promotions.

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

For all remaining 2020 PDTR races, Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan Falls will have his new book “RPM – The Golden Era of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” for sale under the grandstand.

A portion of the money collected from the sale of the book will be donated to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing.

ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS-INTERSTATE RACING ASSOCIATION 410 SPRINT CARS

 QUALIFYING

1, Kyle Larson 11.450 2, Gio Scelzi 11.575 3, Dominic Scelzi 4, Kerry Madsen 11.682 5, Cory Eliason 11.707 6, Tyler Courtney 11.720 7, Cale Thomas 11.760 8, Aaron Reutzel 11.764 9, Sam Haftertepe Jr. 11.791 10, Scotty Thiel 11.850 11, Parker Price-Miller 11.850 12, Terry McCarl 11.878 13, Jeremy Schultz 11.878 14, Josh Baughman 11.917 15, Hunter Schuerenberg 11.922 16, Zeb Wise 11.941 17, Paul McMahan 11.979 18, Skylar Gee 12.006 19, Austin McCarl 12.012 20, Greg Wilson 12.041 21, Bill Balog 12.087 22, Russel Borland 12.115, 23, Mike Reinke 12.125 24, Dave Uttech 12.149 25, Gerard McIntrye 12.185, 26, Jake Blackhurst 12.246 27, Shane Stewart 12.291 28, Robbie Pribnow 12.445 29, Todd King 12.46 30, Scotty Neitzel 12.520 31, Josh Walter 12.632 32, Sean Rayhall 12.697 33, Matt Vandevere 12.731 34, Danny Schlafer 12.739 35, Kris Spitz 12.739 36, John Fahl 12.778 37, Scott Biertzer 12.956 38, Bryce Schmitt 12.988 39, Hunter Custer 13.198 40, Wayne Modjeski 13.288 41, Paige Polyak no time.

HEAT 1

1, Paul McMahan 2, Josh Baughman 3, Cory Eliason 4, Scotty Thiel 5, Russel Borland 6, Dave Uttech 7, Mike Reinke 8, Shane Stewart 9, John Fahl.

HEAT 2

1, Zeb Wise 2, Hunter Schuerenberg 3, Cale Thomas 4, Gio Scelzi 5, Greg Wilson 6, Gerard McIntyre Jr. 8, Hunter Custer 9, Bryce Schmitt.

HEAT 3

1, Austin McCarl 2, Aaron Reutzel 3, Scotty Neitzel 4, Kerry Madsen 5, Danny Schlafer 6, Scott Biertzer 7, Sean Rayhall 8, Wayne Modjeski.

HEAT 4

1, Jake Blackhurst 2, Parker Price-Miller 3, Dominic Scelzi 4, Kyle Larson 5, Robbie Pribnow 6, Matt Vandevere 7. Josh Walter 8, Paige Polyak (DNS).

HEAT 5

1, Jeremy Schultz 2, Terry McCarl 3, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 4, Skylar Gee 5, Bill Balog 6, Tyler Courtney 7, Todd King 8, Kris Spitz.

C MAIN

1, Mike Reinke 2, Todd King 3, Sean Rayhall 4, Josh Walter 5, Kris Spitz 6, Hunter Custer 7, Wayne Modjeski 8, John Fahl 9, Bryce Schmidt 10, Paige Polyak (DNS), 11, Shane Stewart (DNS).

B MAIN

1, Tyler Courtney 2, Bill Balog, 3, Greg Wilson 4, Danny Schlafer 5 Russel Borland 6, Robbie Pribnow 7, Gerard McIntyre Jr. 8, Dave Uttech 9, Mike Reinke 10, Matt Vandevere 11, Todd King 12, Scott Biertzer.

DASH 1

1, Gio Scelzi 2, Dominic Scelzi 3, Zeb Wise 4, Kerry Madsen 5, Jake Blackhurst 6, Sam Hafertepe Jr.

DASH 2

1, Kyle Larson 2, Cory Eliason 3, Austin McCarl 4, Paul McMahan 5, Cale Thomas 6, Jeremy Schultz.

A MAIN

1, Kyle Larson 2, Kerry Madsen 3, Gio Scelzi 4, Dominic Scelzi 5, Cory Eliason 6, Paul McMahan 7, Zeb Wise 8, Parker Price-Miller 9, Cale Thomas 10, Josh Baughman 11, Aaron Reutzel 12, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 13, Skylar Gee 14, Tyler Courtney 15, Jeremy Schultz 16, Bill Balog 17, Scotty Thiel 18, Scotty Neitzel 19, Greg Wilson 20, Jake Blackhurst 21, Terry McCarl 22, Hunter Schuerenberg 23, Danny Schlafer 24, Austin McCarl.

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Justin Miller 2, Jack Vanderboom 3, Shane Wenninger 4, Brandon McMullen 5, Will Gerrits 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Doug Wondra 8, Austin Hartmann 9, Kevin Seidler.

HEAT 2

1, Kurt Davis 2, Tony Wondra 3, Kevin Karnitz 4, Travis Arenz 5, Tim Haddy 6, Mike Decker 7, Bill Taylor 8, Alex Pokorski 9, Lance Fassbender.

HEAT 3

1, Ben Schmidt 2, Adam Miller 3, Tyler Davis 4, Nick Daywalt 5, Matt Vandevere 6, Blake Wondra 7, Chris Larson 8, Preston Ruh 9, Scott Armstrong.

A MAIN

1, Kurt Davis 2, Travis Arenz 3, Brandon McMullen 4, Justin Miller 5, Shane Wenninger 6, Ben Schmidt 7, Kevin Karnitz 8, Jack Vanderboom 9, Tony Wondra 10, Nick Daywalt, 11, Bill Taylor 12, Will Gerrits 13, Tyler Brabant 14, Adam Miller 15, Tim Haddy 16, Alex Pokorski 17, Matt Vandevere 18, Blake Wondra 19, Mike Decker 20, Preston Ruh 21, Chris Larson 22, Tyler Davis 23, Austin Hartmann 24, Doug Wondra.

Rogler explores adult medieval fantasy world with ‘Rendered Soul’

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

“Rendered Soul” by Bob Rogler has been released by publisher Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis.

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 28, 2020 – Nearly six months after the release of his debut novel “Heart of Light Book One-Madea’s Fate,” Bob Rogler is back with his second book “Rendered Soul,” geared to adult readers with a medieval fantasy adventure setting serving as the backdrop for the fast-paced heroes-versus-villains storyline.

Published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis, Rogler’s second novel features a world filled with magic and monsters, good versus evil, dark against the light. In other words, a place where anything is possible.

“‘Rendered Soul’ take place in a magical realm called the Northrend,” Rogler said. “It is same world which is part of the Madea’s Fate Trilogy and my first fantasy novel ‘Heart of Light Book One-Madea’s Fate.’”

While the Madea’s Fate Trilogy is directed at young adult readers, Rogler is quick to point out that “Rendered Soul” is much more graphic in nature and designed for an adult audience.

“‘Rendered Soul’ is written for adults in mind,” Rogler said. “There are disturbing scenes and descriptions of violence, which set the backdrop for the evil committed by the villain Bëtenoir. Yet, the balance can be restored. It is in eight that the goddess Selorain blesses those devoted to her. Not only with another chance at life, but with the ability to protect those who cannot stand for themselves.”

Rogler says “Rendered Soul” provides a fantasy adventure reading experience that offers a bit of something for every reader to enjoy, especially those that relish the complex eternal conflict between good and evil.

“The Northrend is a vast realm defined by only one’s imagination,” Rogler said. “Darkness and light forever seek dominance in a world where love or hate gives rise to heroes and villains.”

Bob Rogler has released his second fantasy novel “Rendered Soul,” published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis.

Rogler, who is the head custodian at Manitowoc Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, Wis, is a resident of School Hill, Wis. where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, son, Logan and daughter, Gabrielle.

“Rendered Soul” is now available for purchase for $20 at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or by contacting Bob Rogler directly at rogler50@yahoo.com, along with Rogler’s first book “Heart of Light Book One-Madea’s Fate,” which was released in February 2020.

Additional retail outlets where “Rendered Soul” can be purchased, along with book signings and appearances will be announced soon on the Heart of Light Facebook page, as well as the Pedal Down Promotions website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram social media pages in the near future.

Readers are encouraged to write a review of “Rendered Soul” on Amazon.com and Goodreads.

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.

Arenz, Mueller, Stolp, Lorier secure PDTR A-main triumphs

Travis Arenz of Sheboygan claimed his second career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory Saturday, July 25 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – C-Marq Photography

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 25, 2020 – Another hot and humid evening for racing produced some even steamier action on the track as Plymouth Dirt Track Racing staged its fifth racing program of the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds third-mile clay oval in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 25.

Point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan claimed his first A-main victory of the season in the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty 360 Sprint Car A main, four-time PDTR Late Model track champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake racked up his A-main first victory of the season in the 25-lap Gasroots Project Late Model main event, Aaron Stolp of Milwaukee notched his second straight Klips N Tips 25-lap Grand National A-main triumph and Sheboygan’s Steve Lorier rolled to his initial A-main win of the 2020 campaign in the time limit-shortened 22-lap B Mod A main.

Polesitter Brandon Berth of Cascade of grabbed the lead on the drop of the green flag in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main, while 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth worked the low groove to pass outside front row starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum for second on lap 2.

Berth held a sold cushion over Miller before the first of two caution flags appeared on lap 5 when Waldo’s Chris Clayton spun in turn three. On the restart, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove, who started fourth, used the high groove to challenge the low-riding Miller for second on lap 6.

One lap later, Tim Haddy of Waupun spun in turn two to bring out the second and final caution flag of the race. When the race resumed, Schmidt again worked the high groove to pass Miller for second on lap 7, while two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee, who started fifth, also pounded the high line to move into third on lap 8.

By lap 12, Berth had built up a half-straightaway cushion over Schmidt. Two laps later, 11th starter Travis Arenz used the preferred low line to work underneath Miller into third before quickly setting his sights on the leaders.

Berth began to encounter slower traffic on lap 16, which allowed Schmidt and Arenz to close the gap significantly. On lap 18, Arenz dove under Schmidt for second before using another low move in turn one on lap 19 to wrestle the lead away from Berth in heavy lapped traffic.

Arenz then pulled away over the final six laps to secure his second career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and eighth career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event win by a half-straightaway margin.

After the race, Arenz was penalized for passing below the infield track tires, which resulted in the loss of points and pay. Despite the penalty, Arenz was still credited with the victory.

“I was told by an MSA/PDTR official that I was the race winner, but I am getting third-place pay and points because I advanced a spot earlier in the race with the left front over the tires,” Arenz said. “The reason they gave me the win was because there were a lot of other cars passing below the tires tonight and not just me. It’s not how I want to win. I really wish we had a two-lane track like last week. Unfortunately, the bottom was so fast, it made it difficult to pass.”

Berth came home second to record a career-best 360 Sprint Car A main showing, Schmidt finished third, Miller wound up fourth and 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh worked his way up from the 10th starting spot to round out the top five.

In his first appearance of the year at the Plymouth Dirt Track, polesitter Tony Peterson of Mukwonago seized the lead on the opening lap, while outside front row starter Brad Mueller slipped into second.

Four-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake earned his 21st career PDTR Late Model A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 25. – C-Marq Photography

The lone caution of the race appeared on lap 2 when Eric Michaels of Cleveland spun to a stop in turn four. On the restart, Mueller began to reel in Peterson along the low line, while 2014 PDTR Late Model champion Mitch McGrath of Waukesha, who started fifth, worked the high groove to secure third on lap 6. After Mueller, Peterson and McGrath went into turn four on lap 6 three wide for the lead, Mueller emerged as the race leader in turn on lap 7 with McGrath sliding into second.

On lap 9, Mark Rose of Dorchester, who started eighth, passed Peterson to assume third. As McGrath continued to stick primarily to the high grove in an attempt to track down the low-riding Mueller, the leaders hit slower traffic starting on lap 19.

With lapped cars racing in the preferred low groove, Mueller had to slow his pace a bit, which allowed McGrath to close in the final five laps. However, Mueller held off McGrath’s advances by three car lengths to secure his 21st career PDTR Late Model A-main victory.

McGrath had to settle for second, Rose placed third, fourth starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee finished fourth and New London’s Justin Ritchie charged from his 16th starting spot to place fifth.

Outside front row starter Aaron Stolp outpowered 2008 PDTR Grand National champ Matt Yancey of Sheboygan, who started on the pole, to pace the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National main event.

On lap 3, the first of three caution flags appeared when Steven Weber of Plymouth and defending PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth spun in turn two.

On the restart, third starter Derek Kaat of Plymouth, two-time PDTR Grand National champ Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis, who started fifth, and eighth starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg dueled three wide in turn three on lap 4 for third with Scholten taking over the third spot.

Two laps later, the second caution appeared when Jeff Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake stopped along the frontstretch. On the restart, Scholten when high to seize second on lap 7. Three laps later, Sorce Jr. maneuvered past Yancey to gain third in the running order.

Aaron Stolp of Milwaukee claimed his second consecutive Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 25. -C-Marq Photography

With Stolp in clear command at the front of the field, Sorce Jr. closed on Scholten over the final 10 laps, but he could not pull off the pass.

Stolp went on to secure his second career and second consecutive PDTR Grand National A main victory by a half-straightaway margin over Scholten. Sorce Jr. was third, Yancy placed fourth and Kaat completed the top five.

Polesitter Steve Lorier outpowered outside front row starter Jason Schilling of Greenfield to lead the opening lap of the B Mod A main before fourth starter Jesse Cullen of Chilton seized second on lap 2.

The first of six caution flags appeared on lap 3 when Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn two. Two laps later a red flag appeared when Rory Welch of Grafton, Jesse Jakubowski of Sheboygan Falls, James Rautmann of Howards Grove and David McCutcheon made hard contact near the backstretch wall.

On the restart, Cullen and Schilling waged a heated duel for second before the third caution period on lap 7 when Patrick Hansen of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn three. When the race resumed, sixth starter Elijah Koenig of Beaver Dam made his presence felt as he moved in third on lap 7 and then advanced to second in turn two on lap 8.

One lap later, Koenig was quickly closing on Lorier for the lead, while defending PDTR B Mod champ Tim Warner of Fond du Lac worked up from his fifth starting spot into third on lap 9.

The fourth caution flag appeared on lap 10 when Patrick Hanson spun again in turn four. Following the restart, Warner and Koenig waged a torrid battle for second, which culminated with Koenig seizing control on the runner-up spot on lap 13.

Steve Lorier of Sheboygan raced to his second career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 25. – C-Marq Photography

The fifth caution flag was presented on lap 16 when Gary Glander of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn four. On the restart, Koenig charged in to pressure Lorier for the top spot along the low line. Koenig pulled alongside Lorier for the lead on lap 22 when the sixth caution was displayed for a three-car incident in turn two, which brought the race to an end due to the 25-minute per A-main race time limit.

Lorier secured his second career PDTR B Mod A-main victory with Koenig finishing second and Warner in third. Schilling ended the race in fourth, but was disqualified after failing to meet the minimum weight requirement following the race. Rookie Trevor Frank of Sheboygan, who started third, earned a career-best fourth-place finish and Cullen rounded out the top five.

Preston Ruh of Elkhart Lake won the PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

The fifth PDTR racing program of the 2020 season, which was sponsored by Hopf Farms, drew a total of 86 cars, including 31 360 Sprint Cars, 17 Late Models, 15 Grand Nationals and 23 B Mods.

This week will feature two events in three days at The Plymouth Dirt Track as the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions joins with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series for the second annual Rayce Rudeen Foundation event on Thursday, July 30 and the regular PDTR program presented by Pedal Down Promotions is set to take place two nights later on Saturday, Aug. 1.

The July 30 event, which was rescheduled from May 26, will feature the highest-paying Winged 410 Sprint Car race in Wisconsin history as a cool $26,000 will go to the winner. The large purse is expected to attract a stellar field featuring many of the country’s top Sprint Car drivers.

Last season Australian standout James McFadden captured the victory aboard retired NASCAR star Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 machine in the first All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car A-main at the Plymouth facility since 1995. The July 30 all-Sprint Car event will also feature the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars.

Among the drivers expected to compete are retired All Star Series owner and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ohio, who won last year’s Rayce Rudeen event at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa as well as an IRA event at The Plymouth Dirt Track last Aug. 31, two-time defending All Star Series point champ Aaron Reutzel of Clute, Texas, two-time All Star Series champion Greg Wilson of Benton Ridge, Ohio and nine-time IRA champ Bill Balog of Hartland, along with All Star and IRA series regulars Cory Eliason of Visalia, Calif., Jeb Wise of Angola, Ind., Paul McMahan of Nashville, Tenn., two-time IRA champion Scotty Neitzel of Beaver Dam, former IRA champ Jeremy Schultz of Beaver Dam, former IRA champ Jake Blackhurst of Hanna City, Ill. and Russel Borland of Kewaskum.

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

The PDTR 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions will be in action on Saturday, Aug. 1 with trophies sponsored by Pedal Down Promotions.

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

For all remaining 2020 PDTR races, Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan Falls will have his new book “RPM – The Golden Era of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” for sale under the grandstand.

A portion of the money collected from the sale of the book will be donated to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing.

 

KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANTVIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Justin Miller 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Travis Arenz 4, Mike Decker 5, Preston Ruh 6, Scott Conger 7, Bill Taylor 8, Nich Melis.

HEAT 2

1, Shane Wenninger 2, Anthony Knierim 3, Kevin Karnitz 4, Chris Clayton 5, Tyler Tischendorf 6, Lance Fassbender 7, Scott Armstrong 8, Blake Wondra

HEAT 3

1, Brandon Berth 2, Tyler Davis 3, Brandon McMullen 4, Tim Haddy 5, Doug Wondra 6, Justin Erickson 7, Nick Daywalt 8, Austin Hartmann.

HEAT 4

1, Kurt Davis 2, Adam Miller 3, Davey Ray 4, Will Gerrits 5, Tony Wondra 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Josh Teunissen (DNS).

B MAIN

1, Preston Ruh 2, Justin Erickson 3, Nick Daywalt 4, Lance Fassbender 5, Tony Wondra 6, Bill Taylor 7, Doug Wondra 8, Tyler Brabant 9, Blake Wondra 10, Scott Armstrong 11, Mike Decker 12, Scott Conger 13, Austin Hartmann 14, Nich Melis (DNS) 15, Josh Teunissen (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Brandon Berth 3, Ben Schmidt 4, Justin Miller 5, Brandon McMullen 6, Kurt Davis 7, Justin Erickson 8, Tyler Davis 9, Lance Fassbender 10, Will Gerrits 11, Anthony Knierim 12, Davey Ray 13, Nick Daywalt 14, Tyler Tischendorf 15, Kevin Karnitz 16, Tony Wondra 17, Christ Clayton 18, Tim Haddy 19, Bill Taylor 20, Preston Ruh 21, Adam Miller 22, Shane Wenninger.

GASROOTS PROJECT LATE MODELS

HEAT 1

1, Mitch McGrath 2, Jim Schmidt 3, Eric Michaels 4, Ted Dolhun Sr. 5, Sawyer Specht 6, Charlie Schmidt 7, Billy Rezutek 8, Justin Ritchie 9, Joe Bongiorno.

HEAT 2

1, Turk Letizia 2, Brad Mueller 3, Tony Peterson 4, Mark Rose 5, Justin Schmidt 6, Tim Buhler 7, Kevin Baldry 8, Chad Ludwigson.

A MAIN

1, Brad Mueller 2, Mitch McGrath 3, Mark Rose 4, Turk Letizia 5, Justin Ritchie 6, Justin Schmidt 7, Jim Schmidt 8, Charlie Schmidt, 9, Tim Buhler 10, Joe Bongiorno 11, Ted Dolhun Sr. 12, Kevin Baldry 13, Billy Rezutek 14, Tony Peterson 15, Eric Michaels 16, Sawyer Specht 17, Chad Ludwigson.

KLIPS N TIPS GRAND NATIONALS

HEAT 1

1, Luke Scholten 2, Don Sorce Jr. 3, Steven Weber 4, Derek Kaat 5, Brett Wenzel 6, Paul Perronne 7, Eric Lingford 8, Brad Weiss.

HEAT 2

1, Donny Kulow 2, Dick Hed 3, Aaron Stolp 4, Matt Yancey 5, Tyler Kulow 6, Jeff Muehlbauer 7, Ross Rate.

A MAIN

1, Aaron Stolp 2, Luke Scholten 3, Don Sorce Jr. 4, Matt Yancey 5, Derek Kaat 6, Dick Hed 7, Steven Weber 8, Donny Kulow 9, Brett Wenzel 10, Brad Weiss 11, Eric Lingford 12, Paul Perronne 13, Ross Rate 14, Jeff Muehlbauer 15, Tyler Kulow.

CELLCOM B MODS

HEAT 1

1, Steve Lorier 2, Jesse Cullen 3, Tim Thrun 4, Justin Bauer 5, Craig Gessner 6, Andy Welter 7, Jesse Jakubowski 8, Travis Schmidt.

HEAT 2

1, Tim Warner 2, James Rautmann 3, Barry Maas 4, Spencer Long 5, Gary Glander 6, Jim Fischer 7, Rory Welch 8, David McCutcheon.

HEAT 3

1, Elijah Koenig 2, Jason Schilling 3, Trevor Frank 4, Patrick Hanson 5, Phil Campanella 6, Andy Singer 7, Jonathan Hitsman.

A MAIN

1, Steve Lorier 2, Elijah Koenig 3, Tim Warner 4, Trevor Frank 5, Jesse Cullen, 6, Justin Bauer 7, Jonathan Hitsman 8, Tim Thrun 9, Andy Welter 10, Spencer Long 11, Rory Welch 12, David McCutcheon 13, Craig Gessner 14, Andy Singer 15, Gary Glander 16, Jim Fischer 17, Phil Campanella 18, Barry Maas 19, Patrick Hanson 20, James Rautmann 21, Jesse Jakubowski 22, Travis Schmidt (DNS), 23, Jason Schilling (DQ).

Walter aims to regroup after tough Plymouth IRA outing

Plymouth’s Josh Walter returned to his hometown track-The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. for a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series event on Saturday, July 18. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 22, 2020 – Josh Walter and members of the Plymouth, Wis.-based Torque Racing team hoped some local knowledge and past success would be just what the doctor ordered as they joined the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 18.

Walter was one of a total of 23 IRA 410 Sprint Car teams to check in for the all-Sprint Car event, which was held in conjunction with the Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series and IRA Lightning Sprints.

Competing at his hometown track, the night got off to a rocky start for Walter as he drifted high in turn two and made contact with the backstretch wall on his first of two qualifying laps. The 15th-year driver recovered on the second qualifying circuit to record a lap of 13.118 seconds, which was good for 20th in the 23-car field.

“We had another awful night,” Walter said. “The car was a bit bent after the incidents we had at our previous race at 141 Speedway on July 5th. We tried something to compensate set-up wise and the car was just too tight in qualifying.”

Walter lined up seventh in the second IRA heat race and held his position throughout the 10-lap event.

“We were able to make some more adjustments to get the car to get around the track better in the heat race,” Walter.

In the 30-lap IRA A main, Josh rolled off 20th and quickly moved up to the high groove to advance to 18th on lap 3. The first yellow flag appeared on lap 17 when IRA rookie Jack Routson spun in turn two.

On the restart, Walter moved up two more spots to 15th and continued to work his way gradually through the field when Routson spun again in turn four on lap 20.

As the yellow was displayed, Walter caught the cushion and spun to stop in turn two. The incident was enough to end Walter’s night as he was credited with a 20th-place finish in a race won by Bill Balog.

“For feature time, we were able to adjust the car further to compensate for the bent chassis,” Walter said. “We were making gains until a caution came out and I needed to lift for the yellow when I was running the cushion.

“Right as I lifted for the yellow, my right rear tire dug into the cushion and threw the car toward the wall, ending our night,” he said.

After the tough outing at Plymouth, Walter and the Torque Racing team will be taking some time to regroup and secure a new chassis before scheduling a return to the track.

“We plan to get a new chassis and get back on the track yet this summer,” Walter said. “We will be going through every component of the car with a fine tooth comb and checking that there are no engine or driveline issues before we get back out. We will be sure to let everyone know through our Torque Racing social media pages on Facebook and Twitter as soon as we know when and where we plan to return.”

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

Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Sheboygan by Owner, Home Transitions

Sheboygan by Owner was created in 2003 to give sellers of real estate in Sheboygan, Calumet and Manitowoc Counites an avenue to sell their own home, while having a presence on the internet and access to real estate partners at a low flat fee rate, which allows them to keep more money in their own pockets.

Sheboygan by Owner also gives buyers a quick glance at “for sale by owner” properties at the convenience of their homes/phones without having to call on every home they drive by or hear about.

“Home buyers can search the web to see what the homes have to offer, and then call on only the ones they have an interest in, saving them both time and money,” said Allison Smith of Sheboygan by Owner.

Smith is thrilled to be involved with sponsoring Josh Walter and Torque Racing for the 2020 racing season.

“This a great opportunity to both help Josh and his racing team and to have another avenue to promote our business,” Smith said.

For more information and to view Sheboygan by Owner properties, visit www.sheboyganbyowner.com

Home Transitions began in 2002 as a referral and buyer-only real estate company. By 2008, it blossomed into a full-service real estate company serving customers located mainly in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties, while reaching out to other outlying areas upon request.

“Home Transitions works best on referrals and the goal is to make the home buying and selling transition go smoothly for all parties,” Smith said.

For more information and to view Home Transitions properties, visit www.hometransitions.us

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

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

2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing Upcoming Schedule

To Be Announced

 

2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing By The Numbers

Total Events – 4

IRA events – 2

A-Main Victories – 0

B-Main Victories – 0

Top Five A-Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0

Pokorski Motorsports looks to bounce back

Alex Pokorski (4) duels with Nich Melis (9) during Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car competition at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouuth, Wis. on Saturday, July 18. -RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 21, 2020 – The first Midwest Sprint Car Association doubleheader race weekend of the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season provided plenty of challenges and learning experiences as 28-year veteran Paul Pokorski and rookie Alex Pokorski took turns behind the wheel of the blue No. 4 360 Sprint Car on back-to-back nights.

On Friday, July 17, Paul Pokorski returned to the seat for the first time since winning his 46th career A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on June 6 for an MSA event at Outagamie Speedway Powered by EWSC Racing in Seymour, Wis.

A strong field of 34 MSA Sprint Cars checked in for the second annual Dave “Hagar” Nelson Memorial Race in honor of the longtime Pokorski Motorsports and MSA supporter, who passed away on July 5, 2019.

After lining up sixth in the first 10-lap MSA heat race, Pokorski attempted to maneuver around the car of rookie Scott Armstrong in turn one of the opening lap when the two cars made contact causing Pokorski to spin. The damage forced Pokorski out of the race as he was credited with an eighth-place finish in the event.

The contact resulted in a bent front axle, broken shocks and front wing damage to Pokorski’s car. The Pokorski Motorsports crew then went to work to make all of the necessary changes to get the 2014 MSA Masters Series champion back on the track to start 14th in the 15-lap MSA B main.

On lap 6, Pokorski used the high groove to work around Blake Wondra into 13th before passing Tom Kreutz for 12th on lap 7. Four laps later, the West Bend driver ducked under Chris Larson along the low groove to take over 11th.

Pokorski continued to charge on the final lap as he worked around Preston Ruh to claim 10th place, which was four spots out of an A-main transfer position.

Paul Pokorski wheels around Outagamie Speedway Powered by EWSC Racing in Seymour, Wis. during the second annual Midwest Sprint Car Association Dave “Hagar” Nelson Memorial Race event on Friday, July 17. -RC Custom Design photo

On Saturday night, Alex Pokorski was in the cockpit for his second outing at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. and fourth overall MSA event of the 2020 campaign.

With 36 PDTR/MSA Sprint Cars on hand, Pokorski drew the third starting spot in the third 10-lap heat race. In his fourth night of MSA competition as a rookie, Alex Pokorski was permitting to keep his starting spot for the heat race rather than starting at the rear of the field as he had to do for the first three nights of the 2020 MSA/PDTR 360 Sprint Car season.

Fighting a set up that did not suit his comfort level, Pokorski fell back to fourth on the opening circuit before dropping to seventh on lap 4. Pokorski then held on over the final six circuits to finish seventh.

“I was happy to start up farther in the field for the heat race,” Alex Pokorski said. “The track conditions were different than anything else I had raced on previously. It had a mix of tacky spots and slick areas.

“We also had a different set up in the car than usual, so it was quite a handful for me,” he said.

In the 12-lap second PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main, Pokorski started eighth and maintained the spot in the early stages of the race before working past Tyler Brabant along the low groove to take over seventh on lap 7. One lap later, Pokorski spun in turn one to bring out the lone caution flag of the race.

After restarting at the rear of the field in ninth, Pokorski was able to pass Scott Armstrong and Tyler Brabant over the final four laps to secure a seventh-place finish.

“The track was very fast in the B main and I felt a lot better than in the heat,” Alex Pokorski said. “The track started to slick off in turns 1 and 2 and I overcooked it a little on entry when I spun. That was a little frustrating, but the restart was pretty fun because the field was bunched up again and I was able to get back past a car or two.”

After four nights of action, Pokorski will be searching to continue to improve when he gets back behind the wheel.

“This week we found a set up that I didn’t like for the heat, but it was good to try it and learn from it,” Alex Pokorski said. “I also was able to try my first slide job this week and that worked out well. I’m slowly making progress. Hopefully, I can start finishing closer to the front in the next few races.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team is scheduled to take the upcoming weekend off to attend a family function.

The team will be back on Thursday, July 30 at The Plymouth Dirt Track with Paul Pokorski behind the wheel when the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars join with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series for the second annual $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation event.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and qualifying and racing to follow. Flo Racing will also present the action live via pay per view.

Alex Pokorski will then return to the seat for a Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Saturday, Aug. 1 presented by Pokorski Motorsports team sponsor Pedal Down Promotions.

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

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 – Quest Engineering Inc.

Pokorski Motorsports would like to welcome back Quest Engineering of Richfield, Wis. as a sponsor for the 2020 racing season.

Quest Engineering focuses solely on full overlay cabinetry and complimenting custom products, including kitchen, bath, closets, garage, entertainment and commercial casework projects.

Quest’s skilled team of customer advocates, product specialists, engineers, production managers and operations team rely on a continuous improvement philosophy to pave the road to success.

Founded as a contract wood products fabricator in West Bend by brothers Chris and Todd Lefeber in 2001, Quest operated on mostly manual machines until adding CNC equipment and parametric engineering software to its repertoire in 2006.

In late 2008, Quest Engineering made the move from a direct sales to a dealer sales model with an increased focused on its capacity as a manufacturer. Quest moved from its original facility in West Bend to a newly renovated production facility in Richfield in fall 2012.

In May 2015, working with equipment, software, and special service vendors, Quest expanded with the addition of a second manufacturing plant. Housing a flexible casework production cell, a custom fabrication cell and a small warehouse, a new facility in Jackson was opened, featuring a design center and showroom.

“Quest Engineering came on board with Pokorski Motorsports in 2018 and we are excited to have them back for their third season with us,” Pokorski said. “Quest is a local manufacturer of quality cabinets and we encourage our fans to check out their line of products.”

Pokorski Motorsports invites you to contact Quest Engineering Inc. by phone at 262-334-4949 or by visiting www.questcabinets.com.

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

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

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

2020 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule.

Thursday, July 30 – The Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, Aug. 1 – The Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

Saturday, Aug. 8 – The Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.

2020 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 7

MSA events – 6

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1

Heat Race Victories – 0

Former teacher Strusz pens debut book ‘Morning Prayers for a Christian School’

Former Fox Valley Lutheran High School teacher, administrator and football coach Gene Strusz has released his first book “Morning Prayers for a Christian School.” – Pedal Down Promotions cover image

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 20, 2020 – After spending four decades sharing weekly prayers as a teacher and administrator at a Christian high school, new author Gene Strusz has compiled these prayers as part of a recently released debut book “Morning Prayers for a Christian School.”

Published by Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc, Wis, Strusz’s first book is designed to assist Christian school leaders who deliver daily prayers. The prayers are both chronological following the school calendar and topical fulfilling the needs for specific prayers.

During his calling at Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton, Wis., Strusz was assigned to open Wednesday mornings with prayer. Over the years, he rewrote, improved, and reused many of his prayers.When Fox Valley Lutheran’s assistant principal asked Strusz if he could pass along his three-ring binder of mornings prayers upon his retirement, the initial idea to write “Morning Prayers for a Christian School” was born.

“At that time, the prayers had rewrites and scribblings surrounding them,” Strusz said. “They were not ready to be passed on to the assistant principal. Soon after retirement, I began placing my previous written prayers into a book. When I reached the midpoint of writing, I set it aside for a couple of years.

“Recently, while staying home and safe from COVID-19, I was given time to complete this book of prayers,” he said. Strusz is aware of how Christian school teachers and administrators often are required to perform many duties each day, including reading prayers.

“I compiled these prayers into this book to help those responsible for delivering the morning prayer,” Strusz said. “It gives them ready to use prayers based on the truths of Holy Scripture. These prayers were written to an audience of high school students, but most prayers are appropriate for fifth grade and above.

“With a Bible passage and introduction accompanying each prayer, a classroom teacher could use each of these prayers as the basis for developing a brief devotion,” he said. Looking to the future, Strusz is aiming to use the release of “Morning Prayers for a Christian School” as a launching pad for additional book projects.

“Having been a coach and athletic administrator, I have completed a book titled, ‘Essays for Coaching Athletes – Advice for Coaches and Athletic Administrators.’ It will be published in the fall of 2020,” Strusz said.

Gene Strusz, pictured with his wife, Marilyn, has published his first book “Morning Prayers for a Christian School.”

“Morning Prayers for a Christian School” is now available for purchase for $10.99 at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or by contacting Gene Strusz directly at gstrusz67@gmail.com.“Morning Prayers for a Christian School” is currently available at three bookstores in the Fox Valley area, including St. Patrick’s Gifts and Books, 972 West Northland Ave. in Appleton, The Carpenter, 120 East Main St. in Little Chute and The Book Store, 293 West Northland Ave. in Appleton.

Additional retail outlets where the book can be purchased, as well as book signings and appearances will be announced on the Pedal Down Promotions website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram social media pages in the near future.

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.

 

Balog outduels Thiel in Plymouth IRA thriller

Nine-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association champion Bill Balog (17B) of Hartland races in close quarters for the lead with Scotty Thiel (64) of Sheboygan in the 30-lap IRA 410 Sprint Car Series A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. – RC Custom Design photo

McMullen, Stear claim A-main victories

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 18, 2020 – Nine-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association champion Bill Balog of Hartland showcased his considerable skill behind the wheel of a 410 Winged Sprint Car by outmaneuvering Sheboygan’s Scotty Thiel in a heart-pumping, back-and-forth battle over the final five circuits on the way to his third IRA A-main victory of the 2020 season in the 30-lap headliner Saturday, July 18 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

Former PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh captured his third A-main victory of the 2020 campaign in the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car main event, while Ion Stear of Hebron, Ill. notched a wire-to-wire victory in the 20-lap Interstate Racing Association Lightning Sprints A main.

In the 30-lap IRA 410 Sprint Car Series headliner, Balog grabbed the lead on the opening lap from the pole position, while Thiel, who started on the outside of the front row, settled into second.

Balog built up a solid half-straightaway lead in the early going before the leaders encountered lapped traffic on lap 8, which allowed Thiel to close the gap drastically.

On lap 11, Balog found himself boxed in behind a pair of slower cars along the inside groove, which allowed Thiel to use the outside line of the well-prepared, multi-groove track surface to power into the lead in turn one on lap 12.

Once out front, Thiel pulled away to a full straightaway cushion over Balog until the first of five caution flags was displayed for a spin in turn two involving IRA rookie Jack Routson of Waterman, Ill. on lap 17. Three laps later, Routson spun again in turn four right in front of Thiel, who had to take evasive action to avoid getting collected.

Thiel again bolted away to a big lead on the ensuing restart and had built up another full straightaway advantage over Balog when a red flag was displayed when Matt Vandevere of Zion, Ill. flipped in turn two on lap 25.

On the restart, Thiel again held the advantage over Balog, while two-time IRA champion Scotty Neitzel of Beaver Dam, who started third, moved low to duel with USAC Sprint Car standout Chase Stockon of Fort Branch, Ind., who started fifth, for third.

The fourth caution period came on lap 26 when Scott Biertzer of West Bend stopped in turn two. Balog pulled off what proved to be the winning move on the restart has he ripped off a well-executed slide job in turn two to wrestle the lead away from Thiel, who battled back in turn four to briefly regain the top spot. However, Balog charged back in turn two on the following lap to take the lead for good.

The final caution flag appeared on lap 27 when Todd Daun of Pleasant Prairie spun in turn two. Thiel tried to execute a slide job of his own in turn two on the ensuing restart. However, Balog held strong along the high groove to maintain the top spot.

Thiel was not done yet as he utilized the low line on the final circuit to nearly pull even with Balog in turn four. However, Balog held on to nip Thiel at the finish line by one car length en route to his 116th career IRA A-main victory.

“I got stuck in the middle there with the lapped cars twice and got boxed in,” Balog said. “He [Thiel] was able to get around and then he set out on a pretty good pace to build up a big lead. I didn’t think we would get him, honestly. We were just a little too tight for most of the race.

“On that restart, I just pulled the wing back and slid him in turn two and it worked out,” he said. “On the last lap, I actually saw his front wheel coming out of turn four and that was pretty intense. It was a great race. Those kind of races are what we are here to do.”

Despite leading much of the race, Thiel had to settle for second.

“That was probably the most fun I’ve had racing with Bill,” Thiel said. “We really pushed each other to the limits. On that second to last caution, I think he timed out what I had been doing on the previous restarts and pulled off that slider to get the lead. I tried fighting back and continued to push hard, but I also wanted to race clean. We just have to improve a little bit to get one spot better and beat the 17B next time.”

Stockon, who is a non-wing regular on the USAC National Sprint Car tour, turned a solid third-place showing in his first appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

“This a first-time experience for me here at this track,” Stockon said. “We had a good race car tonight. I’m not that used to running with wings and these guys race hard and clean. It was a fun 30 laps.”

Neitzel placed fourth and former IRA champion Jeremy Schultz placed fifth after starting seventh.

Former track champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh claimed his third main event victory of the 2020 season in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 18. – RC Custom Design photo

In the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main, polesitter Tim Haddy of Waupun took the lead on the opening lap with outside front row starter Scott Conger of Eagle slipping into second with fourth starter Brandon McMullen third.

On lap 4, McMullen used the high line to power around Conger into second. Haddy began to encounter slower traffic on lap 10, which allowed McMullen to reel in Haddy considerably.

Three laps later, McMullen dove low to slip underneath the high-riding Haddy for the lead in turn two. The three-time Midwest Sprint Car Association champion wasted no time in building up a solid lead along the middle to low grooves.

Haddy remained within striking distance in the second half of the race and drew within two car lengths of McMullen on the final circuit. However, McMullen held on to secure his 18th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 26th career MSA main event triumph to move into sole possession of third place on the all-time MSA win list and fourth on the all-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main win list in the caution-free, non-stop race.

“Tim was really good in clean air early in the race, but I could tell when we got to the lapped cars that with the air getting taken off the wing, he was getting a little tight,” McMullen said. “I tried to work the middle and through the bottom and it worked out for us tonight.”

Haddy finished second, Travis Arenz of Sheboygan, who started seventh, placed third, third starter Anthony Knierim of Franksville placed fourth and Conger rounded out the top five.

In the 20-lap IRA Lightning Sprints A main, Ion Stear took the lead on the drop of the green flag from the pole. Starting on lap 6, Stear worked skillfully through lapped traffic to extend his lead.

The first of two red flags appeared on lap 11 when Andrew Kiedrowski of Union Grove flipped in turn one. Following the restart, Mark Heinert of Oak Creek, who started second, moved in to pressure Stear, while fifth starter Nick Petska of Spring Grove, Ill. worked his way into third on lap 15.

On lap 18, Heinert brought out another red flag when he flipped following contact with a slower car in turn two. Following a green-white-checkered flag restart, Stear held strong to secure the victory.

“The car felt real good throughout the race,” Stear said. “This place usually gets dry slick, but it was a really good racing surface tonight.”

Petska placed second, C.J. Malueg of Johnsburg, Ill. finished third after starting sixth, defending IRA Lightning Sprints champ Mike Neau of Pleasant Prairie finished fourth after starting third and Jeff Schmidt of Slinger placed fifth after starting fourth.

Sean Rayhall of Woodstock, Ga. earn the fast qualifier award in IRA 410 Sprint Car Series time trails with a lap of 12.146 seconds. Balog and Thiel won the two IRA four-lap dashes to earn front row starting spots in the A main.

The all-Sprint Car program attracted a total field of 75 cars, including 23 IRA 410 Sprint Cars, 36 PDTR/MSA 360 Sprint Cars and 16 IRA Lightning Sprints.

Next Saturday, July 25 The Plymouth Dirt Track will host its 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m.

BUMPER TO BUMPER IRA 410 SPRINT CARS

QUALIFYING

1, Sean Rayhall 12.146 2, Scotty Thiel 12.152 3, Joey Moughan 12.193 4, Bill Balog 12.267 5, Chase Stockon 12.273 6, Todd King 12.273 7, Jake Blackhurst 12.292 8, Jeremy Schultz 12.465 9, Jordan Goldesberry 12.511 10, Dave Uttech 12.664 11, Russel Borland 12.734 12, Scotty Neitzel 12.748 13, Scott Biertzer 12.811 14, Matt Vandevere 12.819 15, Jack Routson 12.839 16, Robbie Pribnow 12.927 17, Kris Spitz 13.065 18, Wayne Modjeski 13.072 19, Todd Daun 13.076 20, Josh Walter 13.118 21, Johnny Fahl 13.248 22, Chris Larson 13.742 23, Hunter Custer 15.537.

HEAT 1

1, Jake Blackhurst 2, Bill Balog 3, Dave Uttech 4, Robbie Pribnow 5, Scott Biertzer 6, Sean Rayhall 7, Todd Daun 8, Chris Larson.

HEAT 2

1, Scotty Thiel 2, Chase Stockon 3, Jeremy Schultz 4, Russel Borland 5, Matt Vandevere 6, Kris Spitz 7, Josh Walter 8, Hunter Custer.

HEAT 3

1, Scotty Neitzel 2, Jordan Goldesberry 3, Joey Moughan 4, Jack Routson 5, Todd King 6, Wayne Modjeski 7, Johnny Fahl 8,

DASH 1

1, Bill Balog 2, Scotty Neitzel 3, Chase Stockton 4, Jeremy Schultz 5, Jake Blackhurst.

DASH 2

1, Scotty Thiel 2, Jordan Goldesberry 3, Sean Rayhall 4, Todd King 5, Joey Moughan.

A MAIN

1, Bill Balog 2, Scotty Thiel 3, Chase Stockon 4, Scotty Neitzel 5, Jeremy Schultz 6, Joey Moughan 7, Jordan Goldesberry 8, Jake Blackhurst 9, Todd King 10, Dave Uttech 11, Robbie Pribnow 12, Kris Spitz 13, Wayne Modjeski 14, Johnny Fahl 15, Chris Larson 16, Todd Daun 17, Scott Biertzer 18, Matt Vandevere 19, Hunter Custer 20, Josh Walter 21, Jack Routson 22, Sean Rayhall 23, Russel Borland.

KRISTINE HARTMANN REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS

HEAT 1

1, Ben Schmidt 2, Justin Erickson 3, Matt Vandevere 4, Justin Miller 5, Lance Fassbender 6, Nick Daywalt 7, Blake Wondra 8, Preston Ruh 9, Scott Armstrong.

HEAT 2

1, Will Gerrits 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Jack Vanderboom 4, Tony Wondra 5, Scotty Neitzel 6, Bill Taylor 7, Mike Decker 8, Austin Hartmann 9, Adam Miller.

HEAT 3

1, Scott Conger 2, Anthony Knierim 3, Shane Wenninger 4, Brandon Berth 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Nich Melis 7, Alex Pokorski 8, Tyler Davis 9, Kevin Seidler.

HEAT 4

1, Travis Arenz 2, Tim Haddy 3, Kevin Karnitz 4, Tyler Tischendorf 5, Chris Clayton 6, Josh Teunissen 7, Kurt Davis 8, Ken Schmick 9, Doug Wondra.

B MAIN 1

1, Brandon Berth 2, Tyler Tischendorf 3, Preston Ruh 4, Blake Wondra 5, Mike Decker 6, Kevin Seidler 7, Austin Hartmann 8, Doug Wondra 9, Ken Schmick 10, Josh Teunissen (DNS).

B MAIN 2

1, Kurt Davis 2, Nick Daywalt 3, Chris Clayton 4, Tyler Davis 5, Bill Taylor 6, Nich Melis 7, Alex Pokorski 8, Tyler Brabant 9, Scott Armstrong 10, Adam Miller (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Tim Haddy 3, Travis Arenz 4, Anthony Knierim 5, Scott Conger 6, Justin Miller 7, Will Gerrits 8, Ben Schmidt 9, Justin Erickson 10, Kurt Davis 11, Shane Wenninger 12, Scotty Neitzel 13, Lance Fassbender 14, Tony Wondra 15, Tyler Tischendorf 16, Kevin Karnitz 17, Matt Vandevere 18, Brandon Berth 19, Jack Vanderboom 20, Nick Daywalt 21, Chris Clayton 22, Preston Ruh.

IRA LIGHTNING SPRINTS

HEAT 1

1, Ion Stear 2, Mark Heinert 3, C.J. Maleug 4, Jeff Schmidt 5, Shawn McGill 6, Bob Jeziorski 7, Max Brannam

HEAT 2

1, Josh Rehberg 2, Nick Petska 3, Mike Neau 4, Andrew Kiedrowski 5, Kevin Fredericksen 6, Phil Brannam 7, Ron Curasi 8, John Kirk

A MAIN

1, Ion Stear 2, Nick Petska 3, C.J. Malueg 4, Mike Neau 5, Jeff Schmidt 6, Kevin Fredericksen 7, Josh Rehberg 8, Bob Jeriorski 9, Shawn McGill 10, Phil Brannam 11, Max Brannam 12, Ron Curasi 13, Mark Heinert 14, John Kirk 15, Andrew Kiedrowski 16, Ron Brannam.

Davis takes high road to MSA Hagar Nelson Memorial victory

Five-time Midwest Sprint Car Association champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee claimed his 61st career MSA A-main victory in the second annual Dave “Hagar” Nelson Memorial Race at Outagamie Speedway Powered by EWSC Racing in Seymour, Wis. on Friday, July 17. – RC Custom Design photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 17, 2020 – Five-time Midwest Sprint Car Association champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee put together a stirring late-race charge on the way to his first series victory of the 2020 season in the second annual 25-lap Dave “Hagar” Nelson Memorial Race at Outagamie Speedway Powered by EWSC Racing in Seymour, Wis. on Friday, July 17.

The fifth MSA racing event of the 2020 season and fourth series event at a Outagamie Speedway drew a strong field of 34 cars to honor Dave “Hagar” Nelson, a dedicated supporter of the MSA, who passed away on July 5, 2019.

Tim Haddy of Waupun grabbed the lead on the drop of the green field for the 25-lap A-main from the pole position with outside front row starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum in tow in second. By lap 4, Haddy had already built up a full straightaway lead over Wenninger as sixth starter Justin Miller of Plymouth moved into third.

On lap 5, the lone caution flag of the race was displayed when Sean Rayhall of Woodstock, Ga. spun to a stop in turn two.

On the restart, three-time MSA champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, who started ninth, powered into fourth place on lap 5, while Miller began to mount a run to the front of the field along the low groove.

Sticking to the extreme inside lane of the multi-groove racing surface, Miller ducked under Wenninger to take second place on lap 6 and quickly reeled in the high-riding Haddy. As the leaders were approaching lapped traffic on lap 11, Miller pulled even with Haddy for the top spot.

One lap later, Miller cleared Haddy for the lead in the middle of huge cluster of slower cars. With Miller now in command, Davis, who started eighth, began to make his presence felt along the cushion.

On lap 14, Davis powered around Haddy to claim the runner-up spot and continued to pound the cushion over the next nine laps to cut the gap on Miller, who stayed glued to the bottom of the track.

With the laps winding down, Davis finally pounced as he drove around Miller with a nifty high move exiting turn two on lap 23. Miller attempted to regain the top spot in turn four on the same lap, but Davis was too strong as he pulled away to notch his series-leading 61st career MSA A-main victory.

Miller had to settle for second, B-main winner Scotty Thiel of Sheboygan mounted a stirring charge from the 17th starting spot to finish third behind the wheel of Randy Sippel’s 39s machine, McMullen placed fourth and MSA point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan took fifth after starting fifth.

Scotty Thiel won the 15-lap MSA B Main and heat race victories went to Justin Miller, Justin Erickson of Plymouth, Kurt Davis and Shane Wenninger.

Kristine Hartmann Pleasantville Realty of Plymouth served as the main sponsor of this year’s edition of the Hagar Nelson Memorial Race.

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

Outagamie Speedway Powered by EWSC Racing

Seymour, Wis.

July 17, 2020

 

HEAT 1

1, Justin Miller 2, Sean Rayhall 3, Tim Haddy 4, Tony Wondra 5, Davey Ray 6, Scott Armstrong 7, Mike MacFarlane 8, Paul Pokorski 9, Anthony Knierim.

HEAT 2

1, Justin Erickson 2, Josh Teunissen 3, Nich Melis 4, Tyler Davis 5, Tom Kreutz 6, Adam Miller 7, Preston Ruh 8, Blake Wondra 9, Kevin Seidler.

HEAT 3

1, Kurt Davis 2, Will Gerrits 3, Bill Taylor 4, Tyler Tischendorf 5, Tyler Brabant 6, Chris Larson 7, Lance Fassbender 8, Brandon Berth (DNS).

HEAT 4

1, Shane Wenninger 2, Travis Arenz 3, Brandon McMullen 4, Jack Vanderboom 5, Chris Clayton 6, Scott Conger 7, Austin Hartmann 8, Scotty Thiel

B MAIN

1, Scotty Thiel 2, Adam Miller 3, Jack Vanderboom 4, Brandon Berth 5, Lance Fassbender 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Scott Conger 8, Tony Wondra 9, Anthony Knierim 10, Paul Pokorski 11, Preston Ruh 12, Austin Hartmann 13, Chris Larson 14, Tom Kreutz 15, Blake Wondra 16, Kevin Seidler 17, Scott Armstrong 18, Mike MacFarlane.

A MAIN

1, Kurt Davis 2, Justin Miller 3, Scotty Thiel 4, Brandon McMullen 5, Travis Arenz 6, Tim Haddy 7, Jack Vanderboom 8, Shane Wenninger 9, Will Gerrits 10, Tyler Tischendorf 11, Nich Melis 12, Justin Erickson 13, Lance Fassbender 14, Brandon Berth 15, Davey Ray 16, Bill Taylor 17, Chris Clayton 18, Sean Rayhall 19, Tyler Brabant 20, Josh Teunissen 21, Tyler Davis 22, Adam Miller.

 

 

 

 

Sheppard stays perfect at Plymouth in World of Outlaws Late Model headliner

Stolp, Warner score PDTR A-main triumphs

Two-time and defending Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series competitor Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill. earned his eighth series A-main victory of the 2020 season in the 50-lap main event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 11. – Jacy Norgaard photo

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 11, 2020 – Two-time and defending Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model series champion Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill. ran his winnings streak at The Plymouth Dirt Track to three straight as he scored a convincing victory in the 50-lap main event at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 11.

The third appearance of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series at the Plymouth third-mile clay oval drew a strong field of 39 competitors, but its was Sheppard who stood tall above the competition by earning his 35th career series fast qualifier award, winning the first 10-lap heat race and steering his Valvoline-sponsored blue No. 1 machine to his eighth A-main victory of the 2020 season and 63rd career main event triumph in World of Outlaws Series competition.

Aaron Stolp of Milwaukee led flag to flag en route to his front career 25-lap PDTR Klips & Tips Grand National A main victory, while defending PDTR Cellcom B Mod track champion Tim Warner of Fond du Lac came from his dead last starting spot to capture the victory in the 25-lap B Mod A main.

Outside front row starter Cade Dillard of Robeline, La. outpowered polesitter Jimmy Mars of Menomonie to seize the lead in turn four of the opening lap, while Sheppard, who started fourth, dove low on lap two to pressure the high-riding Dillard for the top spot in turn two.

By lap 5, the leaders were already approaching lapped traffic, which required Dillard and Sheppard to explore alternative racing lines to maintain their positions. In heavy lapped traffic, Sheppard pulled event with Dillard on lap 11 and the two World of Outlaws Series standouts dueled side by side over the next lap before the first of two caution flags was displayed on lap 12 when Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill. slowed along the frontstrech with a flat tire.

Under caution, Dillard relinquished the lead to Sheppard when he pulled into the pits to change a flat left front tire, he suffered after contact with the lapped car of Brent Larson of Lake Elmo, Minn.

On the restart, Sheppard pulled away along the preferred outside groove, while 2004 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who started seventh, moved up to fourth and 16th starter Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga. advanced into fifth on lap 12.

On lap 17, Sheppard hit slower traffic again, which allowed Mars to cut the gap substantially. Mars had pulled within striking distance when the second caution flag appeared on lap 30 after Jason Rauen of Farley, Iowa slowed along the frontstretch.

With Sheppard firmly in control out front, Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan., who started sixth, hit his stride on the restart to rocket past Bloomquist and eighth starter Ricky Weiss of Headingly, Manitoba, Canada into third with a daring slide job in turn three on lap 33.

Junghans quickly moved in two challenge Mars for second lap 40, while New London’s Justin Ritchie, who started 10th, worked the low groove to perfection to move into fifth on lap 41 before advancing to fourth two laps later and finally into third by slipping underneath the cushion-pounding Junghans on lap 48.

At the head of the pack, it was all Sheppard has he expertly sliced his way through lapped traffic to secure his third consecutive World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory and series leading 10th career win in the state of Wisconsin by a full straightway margin.

Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill. celebrates his third consecutive Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 11. – Jacy Norgaard photo

“Our car is so consistent right now,” Sheppard said. “I can run it really anywhere on the race track and feel confident about it right now. The guys work so hard to give me a great car. It is really a pleasure to drive and a thrill to race in front of great race fans on a nice track like this.”

Mars held on to place second to lead a healthy contingent of Wisconsin drivers, who fared well against the World of Outlaws touring pros.

“It was a good night for the local guys with myself in second and Justin Ritchie also doing very well,” Mars said. “It is neat to see the locals doing well when the Outlaws come to town. Brandon was obviously real good the whole race and he was really hard to keep up with once he got out front.”

Ritchie, who is a regular competitor in the PDTR Late Model division, finished third, but was penalized three spots by World of Outlaws officials following a quarter panel height check in post-race inspection, which moved him back to sixth in the official running order. The result was still Ritchie’s best career finish in World of Outlaws Late Model Series competition.

Junghans was credited with third, followed by Weiss in fourth and Bloomquist in fifth.

In the 25-lap, Grand National A main, Aaron Stolp outside his outside front row starting spot to get the jump on polesitter Dave Holm of Cascade and take the lead in turn two of the opening lap.

Action quickly got heated behind Stolp as Holm third starter Dick Hed of Plymouth and fourth starter Jeff Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake went three wide into turn three on the opening circuit with Hed prevailing to secure second.

Aaron Stolp of Milwaukee claimed his first career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National A-main victory at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 11. – C-Marq Photography

By lap 5, Stolp had built up a half-straightaway cushion over Hed. The first of two caution flags of the race was displayed on lap 10 for a spin involving Derek Kaat of Plymouth in turn two.

Two laps later, another caution flag flew when Paul Perronne of Plymouth, Seth Westimayer and The Who Racing No. 4 car collided in turn four.

On the restart, again Stolp showed his strength as he pulled away to a comfortable full straightaway advantage over the second half of the race to notch his first career PDTR Grand National A-main victory.

Hed was second, fifth starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg finished third, Muehlbauer was fourth and sixth starter Donny Kulow of Elkhart Lake placed fifth.

After an aborted start for a spin involved David McCutcheon on the opening lap, outside front row starter Steve Lorier of Sheboygan led the opening lap of the 25-lap B Mod A main while polesitter Jonathon Baumann of Sheboygan slide into second on the opening circuit.

On lap 3, third starter Gary Glander of Sheboygan Falls moved in to take second with 2018 PDTR B Mod champion Tim Sheppard of Beaver Dam, who started fifth, taking third.

Glander was closing on Lorier when the second caution was displayed on lap 6 for Rory Welch of Grafton, who spun in turn two. On the restart, Sheppard ventured to the outside groove to pass Lorier for second, while seventh starter Jesse Cullen of Chilton charged into challenge Lorier for the top spot along the low line. On lap 8, Cullen grabbed the lead along the extreme inside lane.

After a caution for debris on lap 14, Sheppard powered under Cullen to assume the top spot in turn four as Warner, who started 20th, followed Cullen’s tire tracks into second.

On the restart, Warner showed his strength by extending the lead while Lorier and Aaron Butterbrodt of Milwaukee, who started 10th, moved in to duel with Lorier for second on lap 16.

The fifth and final caution was displayed on lap 18 when Baumann spun in turn one. Lorier secured second from Butterbrodt on the restart. Meanwhile, Warner extended his advantage in the closing laps to secure his fourth career PDTR B Mod A-main victory.

Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing B Mod champion Tim Warner of Fond du Lac was victorious in the 25-lap A main at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 11. – C-Marq Photography

“I’m really proud of my team,” Warner said. “I have to thank Jeff Steenbergen of Ultimate Race Cars for the great car that his really run to drive. The track was pretty racey tonight. I just picked my spots and tried to do my best.”

Lorier finished second, Butterbrodt was third, seventh starter Brian Wieland of Sheboygan placed fourth and Barry Maas of Cascade, who started ninth, finished fifth.

World of Outlaws last chance qualifier race winners were Brent Larson and two-time and defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland.

A total of 78 cars checked into the pit area in three divisions, including 39 Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Series cars, 19 Grand Nationals and 20 B mods.

Next Saturday, July 18 The Plymouth Dirt Track will host the first of four scheduled Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events of the 2020 season, along with the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars and IRA Lightning Sprints.

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

 

MORTON BUILDINGS WORD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL SERIES

Date of the Race

July 11, 2020

A-Main

1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [4][$10,000]; 2. 28m-Jimmy Mars [1][$5,000]; 3. 18-Chase Junghans [6][$3,000]; 4. 7-Ricky Weiss [8][$2,500]; 5. 0-Scott Bloomquist [7][$2,000]; 6. 70-Justin Ritchie [10][$1,700]; 7. 10s-Taylor Scheffler [9][$1,400]; 8. 12-Ashton Winger [16][$1,300]; 9. 29v-Darrell Lanigan [13][$1,200]; 10. 20-Rodney Sanders [12][$1,100]; 11. 99b-Boom Briggs [11][$1,050]; 12. 97-Cade Dillard [2][$1,000]; 13. 97s-Justin Schmidt [18][$950]; 14. 11-Justin Reed [21][$900]; 15. B1-Brent Larson [17][$850]; 16. 28-Dennis Erb Jr. [5][$800]; 17. D1-Turk Letizia [20][$770]; 18. 49-Jake Timm [15][$750]; 19. 74-Mitch McGrath [3][$730]; 20. 98-Jason Rauen [14][$700]; 21. 79-Jim Schmidt [22][$700]; 22. 1m-Mike Mataragas [19][$700]; 23. 89-Brad Mueller [23][$700]; 24. 54-Kevin Baldry [24][$700]. Lap Leader(s):Dillard 1-11; Sheppard 12-50. Hard Charger Award:12-Ashton Winger [+8]

Qualifying Flight A

1. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 14.412; 2. 97-Cade Dillard, 14.447; 3. 7-Ricky Weiss, 14.462; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr., 14.48; 5. 10s-Taylor Scheffler, 14.527; 6. 99b-Boom Briggs, 14.605; 7. 29v-Darrell Lanigan, 14.751; 8. 49-Jake Timm, 14.836; 9. B1-Brent Larson, 14.955; 10. 1m-Mike Mataragas, 14.972; 11. 89-Brad Mueller, 15.021; 12. 10-Paul Parker, 15.052; 13. 11-Justin Reed, 15.185; 14. 6m-Jeff Massingill, 15.23; 15. 3m-Dale Markham, 15.402; 16. 7B-Tim Buhler, 15.417; 17. 22-Charlie Schmidt, 15.657; 18. 16-Zack Kessler, 15.799; 19. 4b-Glen Blanke, 16.317; 20. 55-Donny Singer, 16.398

Qualifying Flight B

1. 98-Jason Rauen, 14.723; 2. 20-Rodney Sanders, 14.723; 3. 97s-Justin Schmidt, 14.725; 4. 18-Chase Junghans, 14.804; 5. 74-Mitch McGrath, 14.819; 6. 28m-Jimmy Mars, 14.839; 7. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.951; 8. 79-Jim Schmidt, 14.995; 9. 0-Scott Bloomquist, 15.221; 10. 3-Brett Swedberg, 15.297; 11. 15-Nick Anvelink, 15.316; 12. D1-Turk Letizia, 15.368; 13. 25-Jared Siefert, 15.372; 14. 12-Ashton Winger, 15.387; 15. 19-Dustin Sorenson, 15.908; 16. 27-Derek Janke, 15.908; 17. D7-Jim Letizia, 16.047; 18. 33s-Ron Stroika, 16.436; 19. 54-Kevin Baldry, 16.549

Drydene Heat 1 Flight (A) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer

1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [1]; 2. 7-Ricky Weiss [2]; 3. 10s-Taylor Scheffler [3]; 4. 29v-Darrell Lanigan [4]; 5. B1-Brent Larson [5]; 6. 89-Brad Mueller [6]; 7. 11-Justin Reed [7]; 8. 22-Charlie Schmidt [9]; 9. 3m-Dale Markham [8]; 10. 4b-Glen Blanke [10]

Drydene Heat 2 – Flight (A) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer

1. 97-Cade Dillard [1]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr. [2]; 3. 99b-Boom Briggs [3]; 4. 49-Jake Timm [4]; 5. 1m-Mike Mataragas [5]; 6. 6m-Jeff Massingill [7]; 7. 10-Paul Parker [6]; 8. 16-Zack Kessler [9]; 9. 55-Donny Singer [10]; 10. 7B-Tim Buhler [8]

Drydene Heat 3 – Flight (B) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer

1. 74-Mitch McGrath [3]; 2. 0-Scott Bloomquist [5]; 3. 70-Justin Ritchie [4]; 4. 98-Jason Rauen [1]; 5. 97s-Justin Schmidt [2]; 6. 25-Jared Siefert [7]; 7. 15-Nick Anvelink [6]; 8. 54-Kevin Baldry [10]; 9. D7-Jim Letizia [9]; 10. 19-Dustin Sorenson [8]

Drydene Heat 4 – Flight (B) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer

1. 28m-Jimmy Mars [3]; 2. 18-Chase Junghans [2]; 3. 20-Rodney Sanders [1]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger [7]; 5. 3-Brett Swedberg [5]; 6. D1-Turk Letizia [6]; 7. 27-Derek Janke [8]; 8. 79-Jim Schmidt [4]; 9. 33s-Ron Stroika [9]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (10 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer

1. B1-Brent Larson [1][-]; 2. 1m-Mike Mataragas [2][-]; 3. 11-Justin Reed [5][-]; 4. 89-Brad Mueller [3][]; 5. 6m-Jeff Massingill [4][$110]; 6. 22-Charlie Schmidt [7][$110]; 7. 10-Paul Parker [6][$110]; 8. 7B-Tim Buhler [12][$110]; 9. 3m-Dale Markham [9][$110]; 10. 4b-Glen Blanke [11][$110]; 11. 16-Zack Kessler [8][$110]; 12. 55-Donny Singer [10]

Last Chance Showdown 2 (10 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer

1. 97s-Justin Schmidt [1][-]; 2. D1-Turk Letizia [4][-]; 3. 79-Jim Schmidt [8][-]; 4. 54-Kevin Baldry [7][]; 5. 19-Dustin Sorenson [11][$110]; 6. 15-Nick Anvelink [5][$110]; 7. 33s-Ron Stroika [10][$110]; 8. D7-Jim Letizia [9][$110]; 9. 27-Derek Janke [6][$110]; 10. 3-Brett Swedberg [2][$110]; 11. 25-Jared Siefert [3][$110]

 

KLIPS N TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Steven Weber 2, Luke Scholten 3, Dylan Struve 4, Dave Holm 5, Bruce Troesch 6, Brad Weiss 7, Seth Westimayer,

HEAT 2

1, Donny Kulow 2, Jeff Muehlbauer 3, Dick Hed 4, Will Sorce 5, Who Racing 6, Paul Perronne.

HEAT 3

1, Tyler Kulow 2, Don Sorce Jr. 3, Aaron Stolp 4, Derek Kaat 5, Matt Loehr 6, Jim Rohrbeck.

A MAIN

1, Aaron Stolp 2, Dick Hed 3, Luke Scholten 4, Jeff Muehlbauer 5, Donny Kulow 6, Tyler Kulow 7, Steven Weber 8, Don Sorce Jr. 9, Will Sorce 10, Matt Loehr 11, Dave Holm 12, Dylan Struve 13, Who Racing 14, Derek Kaat 15, Brad Weiss 16, Jim Rohrbeck 17, Bruce Troesch 18, Seth Westimayer 19, Paul Perronne.

 

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Justin Bauer 2, Steve Lorier 3, Jonathon Baumann 4, Jonathan Hitsman 5, Patrick Hanson 6, Trevor Frank 7, Tim Warner (DQ).

HEAT 2

1, Brian Wieland 2, Tim Sheppard 3, Rory Welch 4, Brendan Ostrowski 5, Phil Campanella 6, Michael Gilson 7, David McCutcheon

HEAT 3

1, Jesse Cullen 2, Gary Glander 3, Barry Maas 4, Aaron Butterbrodt 5, Donny Singer 6, Dakota Cabunac.

A MAIN

1, Tim Warner 2, Steve Lorier 3, Aaron Butterbrodt 4, Brian Wieland 5, Barry Maas 6, Brendan Ostrowski 7, Donny Singer 8, Rory Welch 9, Tim Sheppard 10, Jonathon Baumann 11, David McCutcheon 12, Michael Gilson 13, Phil Campanella 14, Jesse Cullen 15, Gary Glander 16, Jonathan Hitsman 17, Trevor Frank 18, Patrick Hanson 19, Dakota Cabunac 20, Justin Bauer (DQ).

Bartz posts trio of top 10s at Mid-Ohio

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

 Jeff Bartz raced to three top-10 finishes in SCCA F1600 Formula F competition at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on July 4 and July 5. – Les Tension file photo

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 9, 2020 – A tripleheader race weekend produced three top-10 showings for Plymouth, Wis. driver Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing team in SCCA F1600 Formula F competition at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5.

Behind the wheel of his Petty blue No. 33 machine, Bartz narrowly avoided a large pileup shortly after the drop of the green flag of Saturday’s time delayed race and returned on Sunday to post three consecutive top-10 finishes in a trio of races, including Saturday’s rescheduled race.

Bartz’s weekend got off to a rocky start with a lackluster qualifying effort and a huge accident at the start of Saturday’s aborted race, which he was lucky enough to avoid.

“In qualifying we had a bit of a handling issue and I was unable to find someone to work and draft with, so we ended up qualifying 11th for the first race,” Bartz said. “I was confident we had more left in the car and was looking to move up in the first race.

“The first race was an interesting one as a pileup of cars in the first corner left us under a red flag with time expiring before they could resume the race,” he said.

With Saturday’s race pushed to Sunday, Bartz contested three races in back-to-back-to-back fashion.

“After Saturday’s big accident, which affectively ended the race, they reworked the schedule to have all three races on Sunday,” Bartz said. “Therefore, Sunday was a busy hot day with high temps in the low 90s, as it was most of the weekend. In the morning, due to the crash the previous day a few competitors were unable to get their cars fixed in time, so I moved up a few positions for the start.

“I was able to get more into the groove and ended up being able to move up during the race to ultimately finish seventh, just out of touch of the lead pack of cars,” he said. “For the second race, they took fast time from the previous race, so I ended up starting seventh and again finished seventh with a very intense battle with Ax Kametches where we swapped positions over 10 times throughout the race.”

Bartz, who posted fifth-place and third-place showings in his first outing of the 2020 season at the June Sprints at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. on June 18-19, then put together his best overall performance of the weekend in Sunday’s race finale.

“Due to the constant battling during the second race, my times fell off a bit slotting me to start 10th for the third and final race,” Bartz said. “The third race was definitely my best from the weekend. I was able to work my way up to sixth and set fastest time in the race. I was in a close race for fifth, but ultimately couldn’t complete the pass for fifth on the final lap and ended up sixth.”

Overall, Bartz was satisfied with the Pure Energy Racing team’s performance in its return visit to Mid-Ohio after a few years away.

“Mid-Ohio is a highly technical and difficult track to master,” Bartz said. “There are countless blind corners and the track itself has very little grip most times compared to other tracks. Unlike a lot of other tracks, at Mid-Ohio a lot of times the more you push and force it, the slower you will end up going. It is definitely a flow track and a patience track as well. Overall, the track itself is a real pleasure to drive and definitely one of my favorites.”

“Overall, this weekend I feel we performed at a high level, especially considering the very stiff pro competition and the fact that I haven’t driven Mid-Ohio for a couple of years,” Bartz said. “I am very pleased with the weekend, overall.

“In past years, we have run well at Mid-Ohio, but this year was definitely a step up,” Bartz said. “The improvements we made to the car over the winter and the track time I have gotten in so far, definitely paid off.”

Bartz and Pure Energy Racing team will take a month off from competition before returning to its home track – Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. in mid-August.

“We have a bit of a break between our next race which will be the SCCA Cat Majors at Road America on August 15-16,” Bartz said. “We will be making good use of the time off and will be working on some further improvements that should put us in contention for some podiums and hopefully victories at this next race.

“This last weekend at Mid-Ohio we showed we have the speed to run with stiff competition,” he said. “We just need to put it all together now and bring home some results. As for the remainder of the year, the Aug. 15-16 race weekend at Road America will be our last race before the SCCA Runoffs at Road America in October.”

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

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

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

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

2020 Pure Energy Racing Upcoming Schedule

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

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

2020 Pure Energy Racing By The Numbers

Races – 5

Race Victories – 0

Top Five Finishes – 2

Top 10 Finishes – 5

Walter rebounds to go top 15 at 141 Speedway

Josh Walter (12W) races with Jack Routson (14) and Paul Nienhiser (73AF) during a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series A main at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Sunday, July 5 – Dan Lewis Photography

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions 

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 8, 2020 – After a month-long break from competition, Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team returned to the track for the team’s 2020 debut outing the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Sprint Car Series at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Sunday, July 5.

Walter opened the evening’s competition by timing in 12th in the 26-car field with a lap of 12.695 seconds around the third-mile semi-banked egg-shaped clay oval.

After lining up on the pole of the third 10-lap IRA heat race, Walter slipped to second when third starter Paul Nienhiser powered into the lead on the opening circuit. The 15th-year Plymouth racer held on to second place throughout the race to earn a spot in the dash redraw.

After drawing third starting spot in the second IRA four-lap dash to determine the top 10 starters in the A main, Walter fell to fourth when Scotty Neitzel got past on the opening lap. Walter held on to fourth at the finish to secure the eighth starting spot in the 30-lap A IRA main.

“I feel like we found some speed and really have the engine dialed in,” Walter said. “I wasn’t very excited about the qualifying laps that I put in because it just felt like I left something out on the table to be gained.  I was pleasantly surprised to still end up being in the top 12 for the invert.  It was nice to run the dash and work on the car a little bit more before the A and turn a few more laps.”

Walter held strong inside the top 10 in eighth during the opening two laps of the main event before the first of three caution flags was displayed on lap 2 when Austin DeBlauw spun to a stop in turn four.

On the restart, Walter got high in turn one and brushed against the wall before returning to the racing groove in 11th place. After closing on the 10th place car of Robbie Pribnow, the red flag came out on lap 10 when Danny Schlafer and Jeremy Schultz tangled hard in turn two just in front of Walter, who also got caught up in the incident.

Walter then retreated to the work area to replace a broken steering assembly before returning to the track at the rear of the field.

“The A main was frustrating for us as a team,” Walter said. “We really started off well and I felt like I was getting a rhythm before the first caution. On the restart,  I was hit in the helmet by a rock and it flipped open the shield of my helmet, and I was blasted with dust and dirt. I ended up riding up the wall and was able to stay in the throttle and drive off of it.

“I started to find a rhythm again then a few laps later I was making up what we had lost position wise when I drove into turn one and did my best to slow down for two cars that were stopped in the middle of the corner,” he said. “However, there wasn’t much I could do to turn off the cushion and avoid the incident. We went to the work area and had to change the drag link for the steering.”

Walter wasted no time in battling back along the high groove to pass Chris Flick and Hunter Custer on lap 11 before moving around Kris Spitz and Jereme Schroeder on lap 15 and lap 16.

Two laps later, Jack Blackhurst ran into the back of Walter’s car and spun along the frontstretch to bring out the third caution of the race.

Walter then moved to the low grove over the final 12 laps to work past Kris Spitz, Jereme Schroeder, Robbie Pribnow and Jack Routson during the closing circuits to finish the eventful race, which was won by Bill Balog, in 15th place.

“After all the excitement early on, I had some work to do restarting in the back of the field,” Walter said. “On a smaller track like that and starting single file, you know it’s not going to take long for the leaders to catch you so you got to make as many moves as fast as you can. We passed a bunch of cars early and were working our way through the field as the leaders started lapping us.

“Every car the leader puts a lap down you try to pass to gain another position,” he said. “I was running the high side the entire race and when leaders are coming through you just do your best to run your line and allow them to do what they need to, to get by. Unfortunately, we were caught up in the middle of the final caution when the second place car slid us in turns 3 and 4 and bounced off the wall I slowed to avoid any issue to not get collected in another incident and the third-place car ran into the back of me when I slowed.  In my opinion, it was a racing deal, and sucks for everyone involved.  After that the car still handled well, but as a driver I had enough issues for one night, so I decided to go to the bottom of the track and just ride out the rest of the race. We still passed some cars, but because of where we were on the track and laps down, we were only able to pick up a few positions.”

The next race for Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team will be the fourth annual Harry Neitzel Tribute Race with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series on Friday, July 10 at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis.

Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. with engine warm ups at 5:30 p.m. and hot laps and qualifying to follow. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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

Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Sheboygan by Owner, Home Transitions

Sheboygan by Owner was created in 2003 to give sellers of real estate in Sheboygan, Calumet and Manitowoc Counties an avenue to sell their own home, while having a presence on the internet and access to real estate partners at a low flat fee rate, which allows them to keep more money in their own pockets.

Sheboygan by Owner also gives buyers a quick glance at “for sale by owner” properties at the convenience of their homes/phones without having to call on every home they drive by or hear about.

“Home buyers can search the web to see what the homes have to offer, and then call on only the ones they have an interest in, saving them both time and money,” said Allison Smith of Sheboygan by Owner.

Smith is thrilled to be involved with sponsoring Josh Walter and Torque Racing for the 2020 racing season.

“This a great opportunity to both help Josh and his racing team and to have another avenue to promote our business,” Smith said.

For more information and to view Sheboygan by Owner properties, visit www.sheboyganbyowner.com

Home Transitions began in 2002 as a referral and buyer-only real estate company. By 2008, it blossomed into a full-service real estate company serving customers located mainly in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties, while reaching out to other outlying areas upon request.

“Home Transitions works best on referrals and the goal is to make the home buying and selling transition go smoothly for all parties,” Smith said.

For more information and to view Home Transitions properties, visit www.hometransitions.us

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

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

2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing Upcoming Schedule

Friday, July 10 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)

 

2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing By The Numbers

Total Events – 3

IRA events – 1

A-Main Victories – 0

B-Main Victories – 0

Top Five A-Main Finishes – 0

Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 0

Heat Race Victories – 0