By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

 

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 23, 2019 – A special Friday night edition of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing competition produced a little bit of everything from a thrilling last-lap duel in the 360 Sprint Car A main and a first-time main-event winner in the B Mod division to an onslaught of 17 total caution flags in the evening’s four feature events Friday, Aug. 23 at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

In the 25-lap Richard’s of Dunbar 360 Sprint Car A main two-time PDTR champion Danny Schlafer of Sussex outdueled 2017 PDTR champ Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh on the final lap to earn his first A-main victory of the 2019 season and vault into a tie for the most career main event wins at Plymouth in the 360 Sprint Car division. Former PDTR Late Model champion Mitch McGrath of Waukesha claimed his first A-main victory of the 2019 in the time-shortened 16-lap Gasroots Project Late Model main event. Jeff Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake posted his second 25-lap Klips & Tips Grand National A-main triumph of the 2019 campaign. Sheboygan’s Steve Lorier secured his first career Cellcom B Mod A-main victory in the time-shortened 22-lap division headliner.

Brandon McMullen got the jump on the drop of the green flag in the 360 Sprint Car A main to lead the opening lap from the pole position. On lap 6, outside front row starter Jim Melis of Glenbeulah moved in to challenge McMullen along the high line of the smooth and multi-groove racing surface.

McMullen caught the rear of the field on lap 9 and was beginning to work his way through slower traffic when the first and only caution flag of the event appeared on lap 11 when Melis stopped in turn two with an apparent mechanical malfunction.

With two lapped cars placed directly behind him on the restart, McMullen took advantage of the cushion behind himself and the second-place car of fourth starter Danny Schlafer to build a half straightaway lead by lap 16.

Two laps later, McMullen again found himself working through slower traffic, which allowed Schlafer to cut the cap substantially as the laps wound down. As McMullen got boxed in behind several slower cars racing side by side for position, Schlafer ventured to the high groove to apply pressure to McMullen on lap 20.

As McMullen searched for a way past a slower car along the low groove, Schlafer used the high line to pull even with McMullen entering turn one of the white-flag lap.

The 2005 and 2013 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion surged ahead entering turn three and pounded the cushion through the final corner to nip McMullen at the finish line and move into a tie with 2010 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee for the career lead in Plymouth 360 Sprint Car A-main victories with 23.

It was also Schlafer’s 52^nd overall Midwest Sprint Car Association main-event triumph, which ranks him second on the all-time MSA win list behind Davis.

McMullen had to settle for second, Travis Arenz of Sheboygan charged from the 15^th starting position to finish third, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove finished fourth after starting sixth and current PDTR 360 Sprint Car point leader Kurt Davis placed fifth after starting seventh.

“Considering all the bad luck we’ve had this year, I’m going to really enjoy this win,” Schlafer said in victory lane. “It was fun racing like that in traffic. This win goes out to everyone that helps us out on the car each week. It has been a challenge this year, but this one’s for them.”

The opening lap of the Late Model A main saw 2016 PDTR Late Model champion Tim Buhler of Greenbush seize the lead followed by 2014 PDTR Late Model champ Mitch McGrath, who started second.

The first of seven caution flags appeared on lap three when Kevin Baldry of Omro spun in turn two. On the restart, four-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake used the high groove to vault from his seventh starting spot into third on lap 4 before another caution flag was displayed for a spin involving Kevin Baldry and Eric Michaels of Cleveland in turn two.

Mueller then continued his march to the front by claiming second place on lap 4 and one lap later, he moved in to pressure Buhler for the top spot. On lap 7, the third caution came out when defending Dirt Kings Late Model Tour champion Nick Anvelink of Navarino spun in turn three after he had worked his way up to fifth from the 12^th starting spot.

McGrath, who currently sits second in the Lucas Oil Midwest Latemodel Racing Association (MLRA) point standings as a regular on the tour this year, found the high groove to his liking on the ensuing restart as he bolted past Mueller on lap 7 and then shot past Buhler and into the lead in turn one on lap 8.

Meanwhile, Mueller powered around Buhler to gain second place on lap 9 before the fourth caution was displayed on lap 12 for an infield tire, which had been pushed on the track. Another caution came out on the ensuing restart when Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee backed hard into the turn one wall.

After just one more lap was completed the sixth caution was displayed when Turk Letizia of Milwaukee spun in turn one while running third. Following what proved to be the final restart, eighth starter Mark Rose of Dorchester vaulted his way into third with ninth starter Brett Swedberg of Shawano following into fourth.

Mueller moved into pressure the high-riding McGrath along the low groove in the closing laps, but he was not able to pull of the pass. On lap 15, Swedberg worked his way around Rose and behind to close in on McGrath and Mueller. However, one lap later, rookie Donny Singer of Waldo spun in turn three to bring out the seventh caution flag of the race and end the event after hitting the 25-minute time limit.

McGrath secured his 12^th career PDTR Late Model A-main victory, which was his first at Plymouth in 2019. Mueller finished second, Swedberg placed third, Rose wound up fourth and Buhler rounded out the top five.

Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who dropped out of the A-main with a mechanical problem prior to taking the green flag and was scored 20^th in the race, officially secured his second straight PDTR Late Model title over runner-up Tim Buhler.

Jeff Muehlbauer seized the lead on the opening lap of the Grand National A main from the pole. On lap 3, third starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg grabbed second from second starter Donny Kulow of Elkhart Lake on lap 5 and quickly set his sights on the lead.

By lap 10, Scholten had caught Muehlbauer as fourth starter Dick Hed of Plymouth and Kulow rode in close quarters along the low line. Hed ducked low to gain second on lap 15 before the first of four caution flags was displayed for the slowing car of point leader Tyler Kulow of Plymouth, who went to the pits to change a flat tire.

Scholten utilized the high line to regain second on lap 16 as Scholten and Hed dueled side by side for third. The third caution came out on lap 19 when Tyler Kulow and Derek Kaat of Plymouth spun in turn four.

Following the restart, Scholten challenged Muehlbauer along the low line before Derek Kaat spun in turn four on lap 23 to bring out the fourth and final caution flag. Muehlbauer maintained the top spot on the restart as week’s A-main winner Jonathan Otte of Cedar Grove advanced from his 12^th starting spot into third on lap 24.

Muehlbauer successfully fended off the determined Scholten in the closing laps to secure his second PDTR Grand National A-main victory of the 2019 season and his second overall main event win in the division at Plymouth. Scholten placed second, Otte wound up third, Donny Kulow was fourth and ninth starter Josh Pierce of Fredonia finished fifth.

Steve Lorier grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the B Mod A main from the pole with second starter Barry Maas of Cascade and 2018 PDTR B Mod champion Tim Sheppard of Beaver Dam, who started fourth, in third. The first of five caution flags was displayed on lap 4 when Sheppard spun in turn two.

On the restart, things started to get interesting at the front of the field as seventh starter Travis Schmidt of Waldo, point leader Tim Warner of Fond du Lac, who started sixth, and Maas went three-wide for third on lap 5 before Maas gained the position.

Another caution came out on lap 6 when Rory Welch of Grafton and Joshua Mavis spun in turn four. Maas surged into second on lap restart along the high groove and closed quickly on Lorier. Maas was just about to move past Lorier for the lead when a caution flag was displayed for debris in turn three on lap 13.

Following the restart, Maas again moved in to pressure Lorier for the lead. On lap 20, Maas pulled even with Lorier and nearly surged ahead in turn one when the fourth caution flag appeared on lap 21.

Warner got a huge jump on what proved to be the final restart to wrestle second away from Maas. Out in front, Lorier continued to hold strong and when the fifth caution was given to the field for Rory Welch’s spin in turn three on lap 22 the race was declared complete due to the 25-minute time limit.

Lorier earned his first career PDTR B Mod A-main victory in just his second full season in the division. Warner had to settle for second, Maas wound up third, fifth starter Gary Glander of Sheboygan Falls placed fourth and Travis Schmidt rounded out the top five.

“I’ve been trying to win one of these A-main races here all year and we finally did it tonight,” Lorier said in victory lane. “All the cautions actually worked in my favor in that race. I don’t know if I would have had enough to keep those guys behind me without them.”

Shane Wenninger won the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

A total of 90 cars turned out the racing program, which was sponsored by Hopf Farms, including 34 360 Sprint Cars, 21 Late Models, 20 B Mods and 15 Grand Nationals.

The next PDTR racing program will take place on Saturday, Aug. 31 during the Sheboygan County Fair featuring the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, along with the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars.

Retired NASCAR Legend Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ind. has confirmed that he will be on hand to compete with the IRA 410 Sprint Car Series in his first appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track of the 2019 season.

Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. with IRA qualifying and racing follow.

Three events remain on the 2019 PDTR schedule, which concludes on Saturday, Sept. 28.

 

RICHARD’S OF DUNBAR 360 SPRINT CAR

Date of Race: August 23, 2019

HEAT 1

1, Anthony Knierim 2, Preston Ruh 3, Jack Vanderboom 4, Jim Melis 5, Shane Wenninger 6, Justin Miller 7, Mike Decker 8, Blake Wondra 9, Chris Larson.

HEAT 2

1, Ben Schmidt 2, Paul Pokorski 3, Kevin Karnitz 4, Brandon Berth 5, Wayne Modjeski 6, Chris Clayton 7, Justin Erickson 8, Bob Reichert 9, Tim Haddy (DNS).

HEAT 3

1, Josh Teunissen 2, Will Gerrits 3, Brandon McMullen 4, Travis Arenz 5, Adam Miller 6, Tyler Davis 7, Spyder Akright (DNS) 8, Lance Fassbender (DNS).

HEAT 4

1, Danny Schlafer 2, Tony Wondra 3, Kurt Davis 4, Sean Rayhall 5, Doug Wondra 6, Nick Daywalt 7, Bill Taylor 8, Tyler Brabant (DNS).

B MAIN

1, Shane Wenninger 2, Chris Clayton 3, Wayne Modjeski 4, Adam Miller 5, Lance Fassbender 6, Mike Decker 7, Nick Daywalt 8, Sean Rayhall 9, Justin Erickson 10, Chris Larson 11, Tim Haddy 12, Bob Reichert 13, Blake Wondra 14, Doug Wondra 15, Tyler Davis 16, Tyler Brabant (DNS), 17, Bill Taylor (DNS) 18, Spyder Akright (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Danny Schlafer 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Travis Arenz 4, Ben Schmidt 5, Kurt Davis 6, Kevin Karnitz 7, Paul Pokorski 8, Tony Wondra 9, Will Gerrits 10, Brandon Berth 11, Lance Fassbender 12, Anthony Knierim 13, Shane Wenninger 14, Adam Miller 15, Justin Miller 16, Jack Vanderboom 17, Wayne Modjeski 18, Chris Clayton 19, Josh Teunissen 20, Mike Decker 21, Preston Ruh 22, Jim Melis.

 

GASROOTS PROJECT LATE MODEL

HEAT 1

1, Tim Buhler 2, Brad Mueller 3, Mitch McGrath 4, Charlie Schimdt 5, Joe Bongiorno 6, Donny Singer 7, Zack Kessler.

HEAT 2

1, Jim Schmidt 2, Dave Jaeger 3, Joel Bennett 4, Brett Swedberg 5, Nick Anvelink 6, Eric Michaels 7, Kevin Baldry.

HEAT 3

1, Turk Letizia 2, Mark Rose 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Billy Rezutek 5, Chad Vetting 6, Glen Blanke 7, Chad Ludwigson.

A MAIN

1, Mitch McGrath 2, Brad Mueller 3, Brett Swedberg 4, Mark Rose 5, Tim Buhler 6, Joel Bennett 7, Charlie Schmidt 8, Jim Schmidt 9, Chad Vetting 10, Turk Letizia 11, Eric Michaels 12, Glen Blanke 13, Chad Ludwigson 14, Donny Singer 15, Dave Jaeger 16, Joe Bongiorno 17, Nick Anvelink 18, Kevin Baldry 19, Billy Rezutek 20, Justin Schmidt 21, Zack Kessler (DNS).

 

KLIPS & TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Jason Juech 2, Dick Hed 3, Matt Yancey 4, Luke Scholten 5, Josh Pierce 6, Chad Espen 7, Jonathan Otte 8, J.J. Pagel.

HEAT 2

1, Tyler Kulow 2, Jeff Muehlbauer 3, Donny Kulow 4, Derek Kaat 5, Bruce Troesch 6, Steve Weber 7, Jacob Muehlbauer.

A MAIN

1, Jeff Muehlbauer 2, Luke Scholton 3, Jonathan Otte 4, Donny Kulow 5, Josh Pierce 6, Matt Yancey 7, Dick Hed 8, Tyler Kulow 9, J.J. Pagel 10, Jason Juech 11, Chad Espen 12, Jacob Muehlbauer 13, Derek Kaat 14, Steven Weber 15, Bruce Troesch (DQ).

 

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Gary Glander 2, Jesse Jakubowski 3, Steve Lorier 4, Tim Lange 5, Joshua Mavis 6, Jason Schilling 7, Jeff Steenbergen.

HEAT 2

1, Barry Maas 2, Travis Schmidt 3, Brian Wieland 4, Brady Harshbarger 5, Aaron Butterbrodt 6, Phil Campanella 7, Rory Welch.

HEAT 3

1, Tim Sheppard 2, Tim Warner 3, Mark Hoeppner 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Justin Bauer 6, Patrick Hanson.

A MAIN

1, Steve Lorier 2, Tim Warner 3, Barry Maas 4, Gary Glander 5, Travis Schmidt 6, Jeff Steenbergen 7, Tim Sheppard 8, Brandon Knepprath 9, Justin Bauer 10, Mark Hoeppner 11, Jesse Jakubowski 12, Aaron Butterbrodt 13, Jason Schilling 14, Brady Harsbarger 15, Tim Lange 16, Rory Welch 17, Joshua Mavis 18, Brian Wieland 19, Phil Campanella 20, Patrick Hanson.

Schmidt secures second straight Late Model title

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 17, 2019 – On a night when Plymouth Dirt Track Racing honored both its past champions and its loyal fans, several record-setting performances highlighted a eventful evening of action at The Plymouth Dirt Track at Sheboygan County Fair Park in Plymouth, Wis.

In the 25-lap Richard’s of Dunbar 360 Sprint Car A-main, 2010 PDTR champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee moved to the top of the track’s all-time 360 Sprint Car A-main victory list by recording his third main event victory of the 2019 season at Plymouth. Justin Schmidt of Cleveland wrapped up his second consecutive PDTR Late Model championship by earning his first Gasroots Project Late Model A-main victory of the season. Cedar Grove’s Jonathan Otte made a rare PDTR appearance pay off by collecting his first career Klips & Tips Grand National A-main triumph. Regular 360 Sprint Car competitor Travis Arenz of Sheboygan found victory lane in the Cellcom B Mod A-main in a guest driving role in the car normally wheeled by PDTR B Mod point leader Tim Warner of Fond du Lac.

After lining up on the inside of the second row, Adam Miller of Plymouth powered past rookie polesitter Nick Daywalt of Slinger and outside front row starter Tim Haddy of Waupun to take the lead in turn four of the opening circuit.

On lap 3, Kurt Davis, who started fourth worked the outside line of the tacky and two-groove racing surface to take over second, while 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh moved in from the eighth starting spot to seize third with a low move in turn four on lap 7.

The leaders caught the rear of the field on lap 9, which allowed Davis to close in on Miller before the first of three caution flags appeared on lap 10 for the slowing car of rookie Jack Vanderboom of Dousman.

On the restart, Davis dove down low to take over the top spot from Miller in turn two on lap 11, while McMullen followed into second on lap 14. One lap later, rookie Brandon Berth of Cascade made his presence felt as he also worked his way past Miller to take over the third position after starting sixth.

On lap 17, Miller spun to a stop in turn two with a driveline failure to bring out the second caution flag of the race.

After another caution on the restart for a spin involving Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum in turn two, Davis showed his strength by bolting away from the field. As the laps wound down, McMullen cut the gap and attempted to mount one final using both the high and low grooves to try to find a way past Davis.

However, Davis fended off McMullen’s challenges to post his record 23^rd career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory to break a tie with two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Danny Schlafer of Sussex. It was also Davis’ 60^th career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main victory, which also leads the series.

“I wasn’t going to run for points this year, but then we found ourselves leading and it was hard to stop racing,” Davis said in victory lane. “Travis Arenz has been really fast this year and someone needs to step up and give him a run. I have to thank everyone that works on this car all week, every week. This is a great overall team effort.”

McMullen finished second, Berth recorded a PDTR 360 Sprint Car career-best third-place showing, Jim Melis of Glenbeulah, who started ninth, placed fourth and 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth moved up from the 12^th starting spot to finish fifth.

Chad Vetting of Valders led the Late Model A-main on the drop of the green flag from the pole position while Brian Konitzer of Sheboygan, who started second, fell into second with Justin Schmidt, who started fourth, taking third on the opening lap.

On lap 2, Schmidt worked around Konitzer to seize second and quickly set his sights on Vetting for the lead. Schmidt ventured up to the outside lane on lap four two sweep around Vetting in turn two and secure the top spot.

Two laps later, Schmidt had built up a half-straightaway cushion over Vetting and his lead extended to a full straightaway on lap 10 as Schmidt skillfully worked his way through lapped traffic.

The first of three caution flags appeared on lap 18 for Konitzer’s slowing car. On the restart, ninth starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee worked the high groove to power into fourth, while third starter Ron Stroika of Milwaukee and Vetting battled side by side for second on lap 20.

Letizia quickly moved in to make it a three-car duel for second on lap 21 before engaging in a heated back-and-forth duel with Stroika for the runner-up spot over the next two laps.

Just after Letizia gained second for good, the second caution appeared on lap 22 for the stalled car of Kevin Baldry of Omro. The restart yielded the third caution flag when Mark Rose of Dorchester hit the turn one wall hard.

Following the final restart, Schmidt pulled away to earn his first PDTR Late Model A-main victory of the season and 10^th career PDTR Late Model main event win. The victory also gap Schmidt an insurmountable 96-point lead over Buhler heading into the final PDTR Late Model points race of the 2019 season next Friday, Aug. 23.

Letizia was second, Stroika finished third, 2016 PDTR Late Model champion Tim Buhler of Greenbush placed fourth after starting seventh and fifth starter Jim Schmidt of Cleveland rounded out the top five.

“I’ve been waiting all season for this,” Schmidt said. “It feels good to get a win, which also helps a lot in sealing the track championship.”

Polesitter Jonathan Otte got the jump on the drop of the green flag to lead the opening lap of the Grand National A main, followed by second starter Donny Kulow of Elkhart Lake and third starter Josh Pierce of Fredonia.

On lap 3, Pierce, Kulow and sixth starter Dan Sorce of West Allis battled three-wide for second with Kulow emerging with the spot followed by Sorce in third before the first of two caution flags appeared on lap 5 for a spin involving J.J. Pagel of Mount Calvary in turn two.

Pierce surged into second on lap six along the low groove while sixth starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg used the high line to power into third.

As Otte was setting a blistering pace at the front of the field, plenty of action was going on behind him as Scholten shot around Pierce using the high line on lap 11 to gain second. However, Pierce battled back on lap 13 along the low groove as the two drivers dueled side by side for the spot over the next two laps before Scholten finally secured the position.

On lap 15, Scholten moved in to pressure Otte for the top spot in turn three. Scholten and Otte raced door to door over the next three laps before Otte gradually opened up a sizable gap starting on lap 18.

Meanwhile, PDTR Grand National point leader Tyler Kulow moved in to challenge Pierce for third on lap 19 before the second and final caution appearance on lap 23 for an infield tire, which had been pushed onto the track in turn three.

On the restart, Otte pulled away while Kulow worked around Pierce and moved into duel with Scholten for second before securing the runner-up spot at the finish line.

Otte held on to collect his first career PDTR Grand National A-main victory. Kulow was second, Scholten placed third, Dick Hed of Plymouth, who started 10th, finished fourth and Dan Sorce completed the top five.

“This is my first A-main win at Plymouth, which is the track where I started my racing career,” Otte said. “It is just the third time I’ve raced at Plymouth in the last three years, so maybe I should come back a little more often. I saw Luke [Scholten] there and I have a lot of respect for him. He raced with my dad. When I saw him, I knew I had to give it a little more.”

After starting on the pole, Travis Arenz grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the B Mod A main as 2018 PDTR B Mod champion Tim Sheppard of Beaver Dam, who started third, moved into second.

On lap 8, Sheppard closed in on Arenz, who was driving for Tim Warner, as the leaders began to maneuver through lapped traffic. Arenz and Sheppard got bottled up behind a large group of slower cars on lap 12, which allowed fourth starter Gary Glander of Sheboygan Falls to pass Sheppard and seize second in turn four on lap 13.

Once he cleared the lapped traffic, Arenz opened up a half-straightaway cushion over Glander on lap 19. However, lapped traffic again played a role at the end as Glander made a huge run on the final lap as Arenz was held up behind a slew of slower cars.

On the white-flag lap, Glander went hard into turn three and made contact with Arenz, which caused Glander to spin into the infield. Glander eventually recovered to finish eighth, while Arenz continued to the checkered flag unscathed.

Arenz went on to earn his third career PDTR B Mod A-main victory in the caution-free race and shatter the previous B Mod A-main track record by 20 seconds. Sheppard finished second, fifth starter Travis Schmidt of Waldo placed third, Rick Kretschmann of Sheboygan Falls placed fourth after starting eighth and Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls, who started second, placed fifth.

Darrin Allard won the main event for the visiting Vintage Modifieds.

Travis Arenz won the PDTR 360 Sprint Car B Main and Marcus Hoeppner of Hartford won the PDTR B Mod B Main.

A total of 102 cars were on hand, including 31 360 Sprint Cars, 25 B Mods, 20 Late Models, 17 Grand Nationals and nine Vintage Modifieds.

The racing program, which was sponsored by Hidden Dreams Show Cattle, also featured past champions night, autograph night sponsored by Hopf Farms and kids’ backpack night sponsored by Cupcake Wonders.

The next PDTR racing program will take place this Friday, Aug. 23 with hot laps scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and racing slated to begin at 6 p.m. It will be the final points race of the season for the PDTR Late Model division.

Four events remain on the 2019 PDTR schedule, which concludes on Saturday, Sept. 28.

RICHARD’S OF DUNBAR 360 SPRINT CAR

Date of Race: August 17, 2019

HEAT 1

1, Tony Wondra 2, Nick Daywalt 3, Will Gerrits 4, Jack Vanderboom 5, Shane Wenninger 6, Doug Wondra 7, Tyler Brabant 8, Bill Taylor.

HEAT 2

1, Danny Schlafer 2, Adam Miller 3, Tim Haddy 4, Chris Clayton 5, Kevin Karnitz 6, Travis Arenz 7, Lance Fassbender 8, Justin Erickson.

HEAT 3

1, Brandon McMullen 2, Brandon Berth 3, Kurt Davis 4, Justin Miller 5, Paul Pokorski 6, Tyler Tischendorf 7, Tyler Nelson 8, Chris Larson.

HEAT 4

1, Anthony Knierim 2, Jim Melis 3, Preston Ruh 4, Josh Teunissen 5, Tyler Davis 6, Nich Melis 7, Bake Wondra.

B MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Kevin Karnitz 3, Josh Teunissen 4, Chris Clayton 5, Paul Pokorski 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Tyler Tischendorf 8, Doug Wondra 9, Justin Erickson 10, Bill Taylor 11, Tyler Nelson 12, Blake Wondra 13, Chris Larson 14, Nich Melis 15, Lance Fassbender.

A MAIN

1, Kurt Davis 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Brandon Berth 4, Jim Melis 5, Justin Miller 6, Will Gerrits 7, Chris Clayton 8, Anthony Knierim 9, Tony Wondra 10, Tim Haddy 11, Kevin Karnitz 12, Josh Teunissen 13, Tyler Brabant 14, Nick Daywalt 15, Tyler Davis 16, Shane Wenninger 17, Preston Ruh 18, Paul Pokorski 19, Travis Arenz 20, Adam Miller 21, Danny Schlafer 22, Jack Vanderboom.

GASROOTS PROJECT LATE MODEL

HEAT 1

1, Tim Buhler 2, Mark Rose 3, Turk Letizia 4, Joe Bongiorno 5, Zack Kessler 6, Jim Juneau 7, David Jaeger (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, Brad Mueller 2, Chad Vetting 3, Brian Konitzer 4, Charlie Schmidt 5, Glen Blanke 6, Paul Parker 7, Justin Ritchie.

HEAT 3

1, Jim Schmidt 2, Justin Schmidt 3, Ron Stroika 4, Kevin Baldry 5, Eric Michaels 6, Donny Singer.

A MAIN

1, Justin Schmidt 2, Turk Letizia 3, Ron Stroika 4, Tim Buhler 5, Jim Schmidt 6, Brad Mueller 7, Chad Vetting 8, Charlie Schmidt 9, Eric Michaels 10, Kevin Baldry 11, Glen Blanke 12, Zack Kesler 13, Donny Singer 14, Jim Juneau 15, Brian Konitzer 16, Joe Bongiorno 17, Paul Parker (DNS) 18, Justin Ritchie (DNS) 19, Dave Jaeger (DNS) 20, Mark Rose (DQ).

KLIPS & TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Dan Sorce 2, Jason Juech 3, Matt Loehr 4, Josh Pierce 5, Donny Kulow 6, Dave Holm 7, Jacob Muehlbauer 8, Jeff Muehlbauer.

HEAT 2

1, Luke Scholten 2, Jonathan Otte 3, Tyler Kulow 4, J.J. Pagel 5, Dick Hed 6, Derek Kaat 7, Travis Schmidt 8, Matt Yancey.

A MAIN

1, Jonathan Otte 2, Tyler Kulow 3, Luke Scholten 4, Dick Hed 5, Dan Sorce 6, Josh Pierce 7, Matt Yancey 8, Donny Kulow 9, Matt Loehr 10, Jason Juech 11, Travis Schmidt 12, Jeff Muehlebauer 13, Dave Holm 14, Jacob Muehlbauer 15, Derek Kaat 16, J.J. Pagel 17, Steven Weber (DNS).

 

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Travis Schmidt 2, Barry Maas 3, Travis Arenz 4, Dan Melton 5, Justin Bauer 6, Marcus Hoeppner 7, Brandon Knepprath 8, Mark Hoeppner 9, Patrick Hanson.

HEAT 2

1, Gary Glander 2, Rick Kretschmann 3, Shane Long 4, Tim Lange 5, Rory Welch 6, Donny Singer 7, Brady Harshbarger 8, Christopher Gilson.

HEAT 3

1, Tim Sheppard 2, Steve Lorier 3, Brian Wieland 4, James Rautmann 5, Jesse Jakubowski 6, Phil Campanella 7, Joshua Mavis 8, Michael Gilson.

B MAIN

1, Marcus Hoeppner 2, Mark Hoeppner 3, Brandon Knepprath 4, Brady Harshbarger 5, Donny Singer 6, Patrick Hanson 7, Joshua Mavis 8, Michael Gilson 9, Christopher Gilson.

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Tim Sheppard 3, Travis Schmidt 4, Rick Kretschmann 5, Shane Long 6, Marcus Hoeppner 7, Dan Melton 8, Gary Glander 9, Steve Lorier 10, Jesse Jakubowski 11, Brian Wieland 12, Barry Maas 13, Mark Hoeppner 14, Brandon Knepprath 15, Brady Harshbarger 16, Justin Bauer 17, Rory Welch 18, James Rautmann 19, Phil Campanella 20, Tim Lange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 10, 2019 – As the 2019 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing season turned down the home stretch, the on-track action remained as hot as ever at The Plymouth Dirt Tack at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 10.

In the 25-lap Richard’s of Dunbar 360 Sprint Car A main, veteran Jim Melis of Glenbeulah emerged victorious for the first time at Plymouth in 2019. Justin Ritchie of New London turned in an impressive effort to earn his second 25-lap Gasroots Project Late Model A-main win of the 2019 season. Tyler Kulow of Plymouth padded his points lead with a wire-to-wire victory in the 25-lap Klips & Tips Grand National A main. Travis Schmidt of Waldo drew closer in his quest for his first Cellcom B Mod championship by earning the victory in the 25-lap A main.

The front row of the PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main featured one of the most experienced drivers in the pit area, 38-year veteran Jim Melis, on the pole and teenage rookie Jack Vanderboon of Dousman on the outside of the front row.

The race got off to a rough start when Josh Teunissen of Waldo spun in turn two on the opening lap, which collected Bill Taylor of Boltonville, Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove and Chris Clayton of Waldo to bring out a red flag. Of the four cars that were involved in the incident, only Clayton was unable to continue in the race after turning his car over on its side.

After a complete restart, Melis and Vanderboom dueled side by side throughout the opening lap before Melis used the high groove to inch ahead of the young rookie to lead the opening lap.

Melis, who notched a Midwest Sprint Car Association victory at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam on July 3, continued to ride the cushion in the early stages of the race, while Vanderboom stayed glued to the inside lane to stay within striking distance. On lap 12, Melis began to encounter some heavy lapped traffic, which allowed Vanderboom to close the gap considerably.

On lap 13, 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth, who started eighth, moved in to pressure third starter Will Gerrits of Waupun for third. On the next lap, Miller powered past Gerrit into third.

Meanwhile, Vanderboom was giving Melis all he could handle at the front of the field as he pulled in to challenge for the lead on lap 15. One lap later, Vanderboom ducked low to seize the top spot from Melis in turn four. Miller then surged underneath Melis to gain second place and mounted a brief challenge for the lead on lap 16 before the second and final caution flag of the race was displayed on lap 17 when rookie Tyler Davis of South Milwaukee spun exiting turn four.

Following the restart, Melis and Vanderboom continued to wage war for the lead, as Melis pounded the cushion harder and harder each lap before regaining the top spot for good in turn four on lap 21.

Vanderboom refused to back down in the closing laps as he stayed within reach along the low groove. However, Melis was not to be denied as he held off the talented rookie to secure his 17^th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 21^st overall Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph of his career.

Vanderboom posted a career-best runner-up showing, Miller finished third, 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh finished fourth after starting 13^th and Gerrits rounded out the top five.

After starting on the pole, 2014 PDTR Late Model champion Mitch McGrath of Waukesha emerged from a three-wide duel with 2018 PDTR Late Model champ Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started second, and third starter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee to lead the opening circuit of the 25-lap Late Model main event.

Letizia then secured second place along the low groove by powering past Schmidt in turn two on lap two. Three laps later, Justin Ritchie moved in from the fourth starting spot to pressure Schmidt for third.

Schmidt built up some major momentum along the high grove of the slick and racy multi-groove racing surface, to challenge Letizia for second entering turn one on lap 6. However, the two drivers made contact, which resulted in Schmidt falling back to fourth behind Ritchie.

On lap 11, Ritchie used the low line to pressure Letizia for second before the lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 13 when Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee spun in turn four.

Following the restart, Ritchie ventured up to the high groove and Schmidt ducked low as the two drivers split Letizia with Ritchie seizing second and Schmidt sliding into third heading down the backstretch on lap 14.

Ritchie dug hard along the low grove to take over the top spot from McGrath on lap 15 with Schmidt following into second on lap 18 after a heated side-by-side duel with McGrath, who has been competing as a regular on the Lucas Oil Midwest Latemodel Racing Association (MLRA) tour this year.

Once in front, Ritchie controlled the final laps of the race and he held on to post his second PDTR Late Model A-main victory of the 2019 season and second career main event win at Plymouth.

Schmidt was second, McGrath finished third, Letizia placed fourth and sixth starter Jim Schmidt of Cleveland rounded out the top five.

In the 25-lap Grand National A main, Tyler Kulow bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag followed by second starter Steven Weber of Plymouth and Dick Hed of Plymouth, who started third.

On lap 5, Hed moved up to the high line to challenge the low-riding Weber for second as Kulow had built up a full-straightaway cushion over the field by lap 6. Hed finally wrestled second from Weber with a high move in turn three on lap 10 and then started his search for Kulow, who had extended his advantage to a half lap on lap 12.

Fifth starter Brad Weiss of West Bend then engaged in a side-by-side battle with Weber for third on lap 15 with Weber holding the spot when the only caution flag of the race was displayed on lap 21 when rookie Justin Muehlbauer spun in turn two.

On the restart, Weiss gained third and eighth starter J.J. Pagel of Mount Calvary slipped into fourth before Pagel powered past Weiss into third on lap 23.

Meanwhile, it was all Kulow at the front of the field as he went on to post his second PDTR Grand National A-main victory of the 2019 and seventh career Grand National main event win at Plymouth by a four-car length margin.

Hed finished second, Pagel placed third, Jeff Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake, who started seventh, finished fourth and ninth starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg rounded out the top five.

Outside front row starter Travis Schmidt of Waldo used the high groove to move past polesitter Justin Bauer of Sheboygan Falls and take over the lead of the 25-lap B Mod A main on the opening lap.

On lap 2, 2019 PDTR B Mod champ Tim Sheppard of Beaver Dam rode the high line from his sixth starting spot to take second in turn four. With Schmidt holding a solid cushion over Sheppard, the first of two consecutive caution periods came on lap 7 when Jesse Cullen of Chilton spun in turn four. Another caution flag came out on the ensuing restart attempt when Gary Glander of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn two.

When the race returned to green flag action, Sheppard moved in to pressure Schmidt for the top spot on lap 12. By lap 16, current B Mod point leader Tim Warner of Fond du Lac, who starter fourth, joined in to make it a three-way battle for the lead.

With the laps winding down and the leaders working through lapped traffic, Sheppard broke out of line along the low groove and attempted to pass Schmidt for the lead using the outside lane. However, after briefly pulling even with Schmidt, a lapped car impeded Sheppard’s progress, which allowed Warner to sneak by into second on lap 23.

Schmidt maintained the top spot over the final two circuits to secure his first PDTR B Mod A-main victory of the 2019 season and his second career main event win in the B Mod division at Plymouth.

Warner placed second, Sheppard was third, Bauer claimed fourth and 11^th starter Barry Maas of Cascade finished fifth.

Anthony Knierim of Franksville won the 12-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main. Randy Theys of Algoma captured the 12-lap PDTR B Mod B main.

The program, which was sponsored by Roger and Dan’s Auto Service, drew a total of 80 cars, including 29 Sprint Cars, 23 B Mods, 16 Late Models and 12 Grand Nationals.

PDTR Saturday night racing will resume on Saturday, Aug. 17 with autograph night presented by Hopf Farms highlighting the evening with checkered flags and drawstring bags distributed at the gate. The evening will also feature past champion’s night and kids’ backpack night.

Hot laps will begin at 5:30 p.m. with racing to start at 6 p.m.

Five events remain on the 2019 PDTR schedule, which concludes on Saturday, Sept. 28.

RICHARD’S OF DUNBAR 360 SPRINT CAR

Date of Race: August 10, 2019

HEAT 1

1, Kurt Davis 2, Shane Wenninger 3, Jim Melis 4, Ben Schmidt 5, Travis Arenz 6, Brandon Berth 7, Scott Conger 8, Sean Rayhall.

HEAT 2

1, Justin Miller 2, Will Gerrits 3, Adam Miller 5, Anthony Knierim 6, Doug Wondra 7, Justin Erickson.

HEAT 3

1, Tyler Brabant 2, Josh Teunissen 3, Jack Vanderboom 4, Chris Clayton 5, Tim Haddy 6, Preston Ruh 7, Tyler Nelson.

HEAT 4

1, Tyler Davis 2, Paul Pokorski 3, Kevin Karnitz 4, Brandon McMullen 5, Bill Taylor 6, Blake Wondra 7, Tony Wondra (DNS).

B MAIN

1, Anthony Knierim 2, Lance Fassbender 3, Justin Erickson 4, Tim Haddy 5, Bill Taylor 6, Tony Wondra 7, Doug Wondra 8, Scott Conger 9, Brandon Berth 10, Tyler Nelson 11, Blake Wondra 12, Preston Ruh 13, Sean Rayhall.

A MAIN

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

GASROOTS PROJECT LATE MODEL

HEAT 1

1, Justin Ritchie 2, Mitch McGrath 3, Tim Buhler 4, Jim Schmidt 5, Joe Bongiorno 6, Zack Kessler 7, Jim Juneau 8, Chad Ludwigson.

HEAT 2

1, Turk Letizia 2, Justin Schmidt 3, Kevin Baldry 4, Brian Konitzer 5, Charlie Schmidt 6, Glen Blanke 7, Donny Singer 8, Brad Mueller.

A MAIN

1, Justin Ritchie 2, Justin Schmidt 3, Mitch McGrath 4, Turk Letizia 5, Jim Schmidt 6, Tim Buhler 7, Charlie Schmidt 8, Brian Konitzer 9, Joe Bongiorno 10, Glen Blanke 11, Jim Juneau 12, Chad Ludwigson 13, Kevin Baldry, 14, Donny Singer 15, Zack Kessler (DNS) 16, Brad Mueller (DNS).

KLIPS & TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, Luke Scholten 2, Brad Weiss 3, Jason Juech 4, Dick Hed 5, Tyler Kulow 6, Josh Hitsman.

HEAT 2

1, Jeff Muehlbauer 2, J.J. Pagel 3, Donny Kulow 4, Steven Weber 5, Derek Kaat 6, Justin Muehlbauer.

A MAIN

1, Tyler Kulow 2, Dick Hed 3, J.J. Pagel 4, Jeff Muehlbauer 5, Luke Scholten 6, Brad Weiss 7, Steven Weber 8, Donny Kulow 9, Derek Kaat 10, Jason Juech 11, Josh Hitsman 12, Justin Muehlbauer.

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Sawyer Haese 2, Tim Sheppard 3, Jesse Jakubowski 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Jesse Cullen 6, Tim Lange 7, Donny Singer 8, Patrick Hanson.

HEAT 2

1, Gary Glander 2, Justin Bauer 3, Travis Schmidt 4, James Rautmann 5, Marcus Hoeppner 6, Randy Theys 7, Rory Welch 8, Joshua Mavis.

HEAT 3

1, Tim Warner 2, Mark Hoeppner 3, Steve Lorier 4, Barry Maas 5, Rick Kretschmann 6, Phil Campanella 7, Brian Wieland.

B MAIN

1, Randy Theys 2, Patrick Hanson 3, Rory Welch 4, Joshua Mavis 5, Phil Campanella 6, Donny Singer (DNS) 7, Brian Wieland (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Travis Schmidt 2, Tim Warner 3, Tim Sheppard 4, Justin Bauer 5, Barry Maas 6, Sawyer Haese 7, Brandon Knepprath 8, Jesse Cullen 9, Jesse Jakubowski 10, Mark Hoeppner 11, Marcus Hoeppner 12, Gary Glander 13, Randy Theys 14, Rick Kretschmann 15, James Rautmann 16, Tim Lange 17, Patrick Hanson 18, Steve Lorier 19, Joshua Mavis 20, Rory Welch.

 

Scholten, Kemkes score A-main wins

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 29, 2019 – The hottest Dirt Late model driver in the nation, Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., scorched The Plymouth Dirt Track for the second consecutive year as he survived nine caution periods and held off a mid-race challenge from Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan. to secure his 15^th Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-main triumph of the season Monday, July 29 at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.

The event drew a strong field of 33 World of Outlaws Late Models and a large crowd of spectators for the series’ second appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

In the support divisions, Luke Scholten of Oostburg used a daring three-way pass with three laps to go to secure the 20-lap Klips & Tips Grand National A-main victory and Cory Kemkes of Appleton made the most of his first appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track by claiming the 20-lap Cellcom B Mod A main.

Three-time World of Outlaws Late Model champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. paced the opening circuit of the 50-lap A main from the pole position before Sheppard, who started fourth, bolted up to the high groove to seize second from outside front row starter Boom Briggs of Bear Lake, Penn. on lap 2.

One lap later, Sheppard powered around Lanigan to take the lead in turn two on lap 3. On lap 4, fifth starter Ricky Weiss of Headingly, Manitoba, Canada used the extreme low groove to challenge Sheppard briefly before the first of nine caution flags was displayed on lap 5 for Briggs, who had stopped in turn two.

After the restart, Sheppard held control of the top spot with Weiss in tow. Just as the leaders began to encounter lapped traffic on lap 13, the second caution flag came out on lap 14 when Tyler Bruening of Decorah, Iowa, who was scheduled to start third, but lost a tire during a warm-up lap and did not get on the track until the first caution flag on lap 5, stopped in turn two.

Two laps later, the third caution was displayed for Nick Anvelink of Navarino, who spun in turn four on lap 16. Action began to pick up during a 17-lap green-flag run, as Junghans, who started eighth, passed Weiss to gain second on lap 28.

On the next lap, Junghans moved in to challenge Sheppard for the top spot and the two drivers dueled side by side over the next three circuits before Junghans used some heavy lapped traffic to his advantage. With Sheppard boxed in behind two lapped cars running the high and low grooves, Junghans ducked low on lap 32 to seize the lead in turn four and officially lead the 32^nd lap of the race.

However, Sheppard battled back to regain the top spot on the very next lap before the fourth caution appeared when Paul Parker of Kaukauna slowed after contact with Junghans in turn four on lap 33. On the restart, Justin Reed of Camp Point, Ill. and Justin Ritchie of New London spun after contact in turn three for the fifth caution.

The final 17 laps were plagued by four more caution periods for single-car spins as only 12 of the original 24 starters were still racing in the closing laps.

Sheppard, who captured the 2017 Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship, pulled way following the eighth and final caution flag on lap 48 to secure his 52^nd career Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory, 15th A-main triumph of the season and second straight win at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

“This has been a dream season and I’m so lucky to be driving for Mark Richards and this great Rocket Chassis team,” Sheppard said. “I’ve worked a lot of years to get here and I got a great break when Mark first asked me to drive his car in 2012. It is really a unbelievable feeling to drive this thing.

“Things got a bit crazy for a little while and I had to go to the top line to try to work through the lapped traffic,” he said. “I came up to cars that were running the top and the bottom at the same speed, but luckily it worked out in our favor in the end.”

Junghans had to settle for second, Weiss placed third, 2018 and 2019 UMP Summernationals champion Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. came from the seventh starting spot to finish fourth and Dennis Erb. Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill. completed the top five after starting ninth.

Both Junghans and Weiss were pleased with their podium finishes.

“It was a challenge to get around the lapped cars, which helped me to close the gap on Brandon and get the lead very briefly,” Junghans said. “I’m glad that things seem to be going in the right direction for us. We keep getting a little bit better, which is encouraging.”

“We’ve been real good all year with a lot of top-threes and top-fives,” Weiss said. “We’ve been racing really well and I hope we can keep it up. We will just keep digging.”

Justin Pearson of Burnett grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the 20-lap Grand National A main from the outside front row starting position before Jason Juech of Plymouth battled back to apply pressure on lap 2. The first of five caution flags appeared later on lap 2 when Dave Holm, Bruce Troesch and Derek Kaat collided in turn three.

After the start, Pearson continued to lead with Juech in second and fourth starter Steven Weber of Plymouth moving into third on lap 3. The second caution flag was displayed when Tyler Kulow of Plymouth and 2018 PDTR Grand National champion Matt Loehr of Dotyville got hooked together and stopped in turn four on lap 8.

When green flag action resumed, eighth starter Josh Pierce of Random Lake charged in to pressure Juech for second beginning on lap 12. After three consecutive laps of heated side-by-side action, Juech spun in turn four after apparent contact with Pierce. Both Juech and Pierce were both sent to the rear of the field for causing the caution.

On the restart, sixth starter J.J. Pagel of Mount Calvary flexed his muscle to move into second place and mount heavy pressure on Pearson for the lead starting on lap 16. One lap later, Pagel and Pearson collided in turn three, which opened the door for Luke Scholten to charge up from his 13^th starting spot and into the lead with a daring three-wide move entering turn three on lap 17.

One lap later, a five-car caution flag appeared on lap 18 following contact between Pearson and Pagel, along with three other cars. The fifth and final caution flag appeared on lap 18 when Nick Schumacher of Eagle stopped on the frontstretch with an apparent mechanical problem.

Scholten held down the top spot on the final restart to earn his 12^th career PDTR Grand National A-main victory, which moves him into a tie for second on the all-time PDTR Grand National A-main victory list behind Brad Lubach, who leads the way with 24.

Pearson placed second in his PDTR debut, Loehr finished third, Derek Schrauth of Omro wound up fourth after starting 10^th and Jeff Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake placed fifth after starting ninth.

First-time PDTR competitor Cory Kemkes of Appleton seized the lead of the 20-lap PDTR B Mod A main from the pole. On lap 3, outside front row starter Tim Warner of Fond du Lac gained the runner-up spot with fourth starter Jesse Cullen of Chilton settling into third.

The second of three caution flags appeared on lap 6 for a four-car incident in turn four. On the restart, Warner stayed in close contact with Kemkes with Cullen in tow in third and 2018 PDTR B Mod champion Tim Sheppard of Beaver Dam, who started 17^th, and Chris Budzban of Appleton, who started third, dueling for fifth on lap 11.

After the third and final caution was displayed on lap 12 for a single-car spin, Sheppard advanced to fourth and moved in to challenge Cullen for third. Out in front, it was all Kemkes as he fended off Tim Warner to claim his first career PDTR B Mod A-main victory in his first attempt.

Warner placed second, Cullen wound up third, Sheppard placed fourth and Budzban was fifth.

Brandon Sheppard set a new Late Model track record in Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series qualifying with a circuit of 13.709 seconds around the third-mile clay oval. The World of Outlaws Last Chance Showdown 1 winner was 10-time NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Donny Schatz of Fargo, N.D. and Terry Casey of New London captured the second Last Chance Showdown race.

The evening, which was sponsored by Wisconsin Refrigerated, drew a grand total of 73 cars, including 33 Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model machines, 23 PDTR B Mods and 17 PDTR Grand Nationals.

The next scheduled race at The Plymouth Dirt Track is this Saturday, Aug. 3, featuring autograph night sponsored by Hopf Farms, which will distribute draw string bags and checkered flags to the first 250 kids. It will also be past champions night. Hot laps begin at 5:30 p.m. with racing scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

Morton Buildings World of Outlaws Late Model Series

The Plymouth Dirt Track

Sheboygan County Fairgrounds

Plymouth, Wis.

July 29, 2019

Morton Buildings Feature (50 Laps) 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [4][$10,000]; 2. 18-Chase Junghans [8][$5,000]; 3. 7-Ricky Weiss [5][$3,000]; 4. 3s-Brian Shirley [7][$2,500]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr. [9][$2,000]; 6. 97-Cade Dillard [12][$1,700]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton [6][$1,400]; 8. 942-Terry Casey [18][$1,300]; 9. B1-Brent Larson [11][$1,200]; 10. 99B-Boom Briggs [2][$1,100]; 11. 89-Brad Mueller [22][$1,050]; 12. 15-Donny Schatz [17][$1,000]; 13. 97s-Justin Schmidt [19][$950]; 14. 74-Mitch McGrath [13][$900]; 15. 6-Blake Spencer [23][$850]; 16. 28m-Jimmy Mars [10][$800]; 17. 70-Justin Ritchie [21][$770]; 18. 29-Darrell Lanigan [1][$750]; 19. 11-Justin Reed [15][$730]; 20. 25F-Jason Feger [20][$700]; 21. 10-Paul Parker [24][$700]; 22. 10s-Taylor Scheffler [14][$700]; 23. 15n-Nick Anvelink [16][$700]; 24. 16-Tyler Bruening [3][$700] Hard Charger: 89-Brad Mueller[+11]

Qualifying Flight-A 1. 74-Mitch McGrath, 13.826; 2. 7-Ricky Weiss, 14.018; 3. 16-Tyler Bruening, 14.123; 4. 29-Darrell Lanigan, 14.201; 5. 97s-Justin Schmidt, 14.223; 6. B1-Brent Larson, 14.286; 7. 18-Chase Junghans, 14.389; 8. 11-Justin Reed, 14.466; 9. 15-Donny Schatz, 14.479; 10. 10-Paul Parker, 14.485; 11. 28-Dennis Erb Jr., 14.582; 12. 6-Blake Spencer, 14.617; 13. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.732; 14. 79-Jim Schmidt, 14.847; 15. 96-Brian Konitzer, 15.291; 16. 55s-Don Singer, 16.647; 17. 16k-Zack Kessler, NT

Qualifying Flight-B 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 13.709; 2. 3s-Brian Shirley, 13.71; 3. 10s-Taylor Scheffler, 13.756; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs, 13.959; 5. 25-Shane Clanton, 14.053; 6. 97-Cade Dillard, 14.141; 7. 942-Terry Casey, 14.234; 8. 15n-Nick Anvelink, 14.337; 9. 28m-Jimmy Mars, 14.478; 10. 25F-Jason Feger, 14.519; 11. 3-Brett Swedberg, 14.527; 12. D1-Turk Letizia, 14.551; 13. 89-Brad Mueller, 14.575; 14. 27-Derek Janke, 14.854; 15. O3-Kyle Raddant, 14.976; 16. 54-Kevin Baldry, NT

Drydene Heat #1 – Flight (A) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer 1. 16-Tyler Bruening [2]; 2. 18-Chase Junghans [4]; 3. 28-Dennis Erb Jr. [6]; 4. 74-Mitch McGrath [1]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 6. 97s-Justin Schmidt [3]; 7. 70-Justin Ritchie [7]; 8. 96-Brian Konitzer [8]; 9. 16k-Zack Kessler [9]

Drydene Heat #2 – Flight (A) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer 1. 29-Darrell Lanigan [2]; 2. 7-Ricky Weiss [1]; 3. B1-Brent Larson [3]; 4. 11-Justin Reed [4]; 5. 10-Paul Parker [5]; 6. 6-Blake Spencer [6]; 7. 79-Jim Schmidt [7]; 8. 55s-Don Singer [8]

Drydene Heat #3 – Flight (B) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [1]; 2. 25-Shane Clanton [3]; 3. 28m-Jimmy Mars [5]; 4. 10s-Taylor Scheffler [2]; 5. 942-Terry Casey [4]; 6. 3-Brett Swedberg [6]; 7. 89-Brad Mueller [7]; 8. O3-Kyle Raddant [8]

Drydene Heat #4 – Flight (B) (10 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer 1. 99B-Boom Briggs [2]; 2. 3s-Brian Shirley [1]; 3. 97-Cade Dillard [3]; 4. 15n-Nick Anvelink [4]; 5. 25F-Jason Feger [5]; 6. D1-Turk Letizia [6]; 7. 27-Derek Janke [7]; 8. 54-Kevin Baldry [8]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (10 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1][-]; 2. 97s-Justin Schmidt [3][-]; 3. 70-Justin Ritchie [5][-]; 4. 10-Paul Parker [2][$110]; 5. 6-Blake Spencer [4][$110]; 6. 79-Jim Schmidt [6][$110]; 7. 55s-Don Singer [8][$110]; 8. 96-Brian Konitzer [7][]; 9. 16k-Zack Kessler [9][]

Last Chance Showdown 2 (10 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 942-Terry Casey [1][-]; 2. 25F-Jason Feger [2][-]; 3. 89-Brad Mueller [5][-]; 4. D1-Turk Letizia [4][$110]; 5. 27-Derek Janke [6][$110]; 6. O3-Kyle Raddant [7][$110]; 7. 3-Brett Swedberg [3][$110]; 8. 54-Kevin Baldry [8].

KLIPS & TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

Date of Race: July 29, 2019

HEAT 1

1, Tyler Kulow 2, Steven Weber 3, Nick Schumacher 4, Dick Hed 5, Dustin Weiss 6, Derek Schrauth 7, Luke Scholten 8, Bruce Throesch 9, Derek Kaat.

HEAT 2

1, J.J. Pagel 2, Jason Juech 3, Justin Pearson 4, Josh Pierce 5, Jeff Muehlbauer 6, Matt Loehr 7, Dave Holm 8, Josh Hitsman.

A MAIN

1, Luke Scholten 2, Justin Pearson 3, Matt Loehr 4, Derek Schrauth 5, Jeff Muehlbauer 6, Dick Hed 7, Josh Hitsman 8, J.J. Pagel 9, Jason Juech 10, Derek Kaat 11, Dave Holm 12, Bruce Troesch 13, Steven Weber 14, Nick Schumacher 15, Josh Pierce 16, Dustin Weiss 17, Tyler Kulow.

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, Tim Warner 2, Brian Wieland 3, Steve Lorier 4, Travis Schmidt 5, Brandon Knepprath 6, Lee Sohns 7, Donny Singer 8, Tim Sheppard.

HEAT 2

1, Jesse Cullen 2, Chris Budzban 3, Tim Lange 4, Randy Theys 5, Joshua Mavis 6, Justin Bauer 7, Skyler Woods 8, Tailer Ness.

HEAT 3

1, Cory Kemkes 2, Nick Schultz 3, Steven Wirtz 4, Barry Maas 5, Rory Welch 6, Jesse Jakubowski 7, Andy Singer.

A MAIN

1, Cory Kemkes, Tim Warner 3, Jesse Cullen 4, Tim Sheppard 5, Chris Budzban 6, Nick Schultz, 7, Skyler Woods 8, Brandon Knepprath 9, Randy Theys 10, Travis Schmidt 11, Jesse Jakubowski 12, Tim Lange 13, Steve Lorier 14, Justin Bauer 15, Donny Singer 16, Steven Wirtz, 17, Tailer Ness 18, Andy Singer 19, Rory Welch 20, Joshua Mavis, 21, Barry Maas, 22, Brian Weiland, 23, Lee Sohns.

Arenz bags first PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main triumph

By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 25, 2019 – Behind the wheel of the car owned and normally driven by former NASCAR Cup star Kasey Kahne, James McFadden of Oremeau, Queensland, Australia drove a near flawless race en route to victory in the 30-lap Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Challenge A-main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, July 25.

In the companion Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main, Travis Arenz of Sheboygan claimed his first career PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event victory and sixth overall Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main win in dominating flag-to-flag fashion.

The all-Sprint Car event, which was a make-up date for a previous rain out on May 18, marked the second-ever official appearance for the All Star Circuit of Champions at The Plymouth Dirt Track and the first since 1995 when Kevin Huntley of Indianapolis, Ind. claimed the victory.

The event drew a stellar field of 36 All Star-IRA 410 Sprint Cars and 34 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars and the largest crowd of the season to the Plymouth one-third mile clay oval.

Polesitter Justin Peck of Monrovia, Ind. grabbed the lead on the drop of the green flag of the All Stars-IRA A main as McFadden, who started fourth, and third starter Cory Eliason of Visalia, Calif. engaged in a spirited duel for second place on the opening circuit.

On lap 2, the first of four caution periods was displayed when two-time IRA champion Scotty Neitzel of Beaver Dam and Gerard McIntyre Jr. of New Oxford, Penn. spun into the infield after getting locked together in turn four.

On the restart, Peck powered away as McFadden passed Eliason to gain second on lap 2. One lap later two-time All Star Series champion Greg Wilson of Benton Ridge, Ohio slipped past Eliason to seize third.

Peck hit lapped traffic on lap five, which allowed McFadden to close the gap. On lap 9, McFadden closed to Peck’s rear bumper in turn one after the leader had to check up in turn four for a lapped car in turn four on the previous lap.

Peck and McFadden engaged in a heated side-by-side duel over the next three laps before McFadden switched from the outside lane to the low groove on the slick and smooth racing surface on lap 12 to dive under Peck for the lead entering turn three. Seconds after McFadden gained the lead, Peck hooked the cushion and flipped between turns three and four, which brought out a red flag on lap 12.

Following the restart, six-time All Star Series champ Dale Blaney of Hartford, Ohio worked his way into third from the seventh starting spot on lap 13. On the next lap, the third caution flag appeared when Jordan Goldesberry of Springfield, Ill. spun in turn four. The fourth caution flag of the race appeared two laps later when Sheboygan’s Scotty Thiel flipped in turn two.

After the final restart, with McFadden holding the lead and Wilson running a half straightaway behind in second, defending All Stars champion and current point leader Aaron Reutzel of Clute, Texas was flexing his muscle as he worked his way up from the 14^th starting spot to pass Eliason into fifth on lap 25. Two laps later, Reutzel powered around eighth starter Paul McMahan of Nashville, Tenn. to grab fourth in the running order.

Out in front of the field, McFadden had to deal with some slower traffic over the final five circuits, which allowed Wilson to close slightly. However, McFadden held strong to record his third career All Stars A-main victory and first All-Stars main event victory since 2015 in his debut appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track.

The victory also marked McFadden’s first main event win behind the wheel of Kahne’s No. 9 machine and first IRA A-main triumph. McFadden is presently filling in while Kahne recovers from an injury.

Wilson had to settle for second, Blaney wound up third, Reutzel charged up to finish fourth and McMahan rounded out the top five.

“Oh man this feels good,” McFadden said in victory lane. “We’ve been close on so many occasions, so it just feels great to get it down here tonight. I can’t thank Kasey Kahne and this entire team enough for this opportunity. The track really played into our favor tonight.”

Arenz, who came into the night as the hottest Midwest Sprint Car Association driver in the pit area on the strength of victories in three of the past four MSA events, grabbed the lead of the 25-lap A-main event from the pole.

By lap four, Arenz had built up a full-straightaway cushion over third starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend. The first of two caution flags appeared on lap 5 when Spyder Akright of Sheboygan Falls spun in turn four.

When the race resumed, 2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh was making his presence felt as he moved up from his ninth starting spot to challenge fifth starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum for third on lap 10.

On lap 19, Karnitz closed the gap on Arenz slightly when the leaders encountered heavy lapped traffic. Two laps later on lap 21, the second caution appeared when McMullen’s strong run was spoiled after contact with a lapped car sent him flipping in turn two, which brought out a red flag.

Following the restart, Arenz again pulled away over the final four laps to seal his fourth A-main victory in the last five MSA main events, sixth career and fifth MSA A-main victory of the 2019 season by a quarter straightaway over Karnitz, who placed second, Wenninger finished third, 2010 PDTR 360 Sprint champion, current PDTR and MSA 360 Sprint Car point leader Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee finished fourth after starting 11^th and second starter Nich Melis of Plymouth rounded out the top five.

“It feels really good to get this win in a Sprint Car at Plymouth,” Arenz said. “My last win at Plymouth was back in 2015 in a Sport Mod.”

In preliminary action, the All Star-IRA fast qualifier was James McFadden, who turned in a fast lap of 11.732 seconds. All Star-IRA heat race winners were Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss of Jonestown, Penn., Justin Peck and Wayne Johnson of Oklahoma City, Ok. The All Star-IRA B main winner was Marcus Dumsney of Nelson, New South Wales, Australia, while Peck and Zearfoss recorded dash victories.

PDTR 360 Sprint Car heat race winners were Shane Wenninger, Jim Melis of Glenbeulah, Jason Johnson of Kewaskum and Kevin Karnitz. Bill Taylor of Boltonville won the first PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main and Adam Miller of Plymouth claimed the second PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.

After PDTR takes a night off on Saturday, July 27, Plymouth Dirt Track racing will resume on Saturday, Aug. 3 with autograph night and past champion’s night presented by Hopf Farms, which will distribute draw string bags and checkered flags to kids at the gate. Hot laps will begin at 5:30 p.m. with racing to start at 6 p.m.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association Challenge Event

The Plymouth Dirt Track

Plymouth, Wis.

July 25, 2019

Qualifying

Group (A)
1. 9-James McFadden, 11.732; 2. 13-Paul McMahan, 11.845; 3. 26-Cory Eliason, 11.936; 4. 11-Dale Blaney, 12.029; 5. 99-Skylar Gee, 12.116; 6. 4B-Scott Biertzer, 12.440; 7. 40-George Hobaugh, 12.484; 8. 73AF-Joey Moughan, 12.625; 9. 45-Matt Wiese, 13.095

Group (B)
1. O2-Mike Reinke, 12.185; 2. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.350; 3. 70-Brock Zearfoss, 12.399; 4. 11D-Danny Schlafer, 12.560; 5. 73-Ben Schmidt, 12.781; 6. 85M-Steve Meyer, 12.784; 7. 19-Todd Daun, 12.846; 8. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski, 12.959; 9. 63-Nick Matuszewski, 13.131

Group (C)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 11.968; 2. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 12.014; 3. 64-Scotty Thiel, 12.181; 4. 70X-Justin Peck, 12.188; 5. O7-Gerard McIntyre, 12.303; 6. 14M-Marcus Dumsney, 12.332; 7. 65-Jordan Goldesberry, 12.425; 8. 2W-Scotty Neitzel, 12.439; 9. 43-Jereme Schroeder, 12.670

Group (D)
1. 17B-Bill Balog, 12.266; 2. 2AU-Andrew Scheuerle, 12.324; 3. 23-Russel Borland, 12.441; 4. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 12.462; 5. 68-Dave Uttech, 12.597; 6. 5J-Jeremy Schultz, 12.619; 7. 4K-Kris Spitz, 12.827; 8. 29-Hunter Custer, 13.459; 9. O-Johnny Fahl, 99.999

Heat #1 – Group (A) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 26-Cory Eliason [2]; 2. 11-Dale Blaney [1]; 3. 9-James McFadden [4]; 4. 13-Paul McMahan [3]; 5. 99-Skylar Gee [5]; 6. 40-George Hobaugh [7]; 7. 4B-Scott Biertzer [6]; 8. 45-Matt Wiese [9]; 9. 73AF-Joey Moughan [8]

Heat #2 – Group (B) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 70-Brock Zearfoss [2]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [3]; 3. O2-Mike Reinke [4]; 4. 85M-Steve Meyer [6]; 5. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski [8]; 6. 19-Todd Daun [7]; 7. 11D-Danny Schlafer [1]; 8. 63-Nick Matuszewski [9]; 9. 73-Ben Schmidt [5]

Heat #3 – Group (C) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 70X-Justin Peck [1]; 2. 2M-Kerry Madsen [3]; 3. 64-Scotty Thiel [2]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4]; 5. O7-Gerard McIntyre [5]; 6. 65-Jordan Goldesberry [7]; 7. 2W-Scotty Neitzel [8]; 8. 14M-Marcus Dumsney [6]; 9. 43-Jereme Schroeder [9]

Heat #4 – Group (D) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 2C-Wayne Johnson [1]; 2. 2AU-Andrew Scheuerle [3]; 3. 17B-Bill Balog [4]; 4. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [6]; 5. 68-Dave Uttech [5]; 6. 4K-Kris Spitz [7]; 7. O-Johnny Fahl [9]; 8. 29-Hunter Custer [8]; 9. 23-Russel Borland [2]

Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 70X-Justin Peck [1]; 2. 26-Cory Eliason [3]; 3. W20-Greg Wilson [2]; 4. 11-Dale Blaney [5]; 5. 2AU-Andrew Scheuerle [4]

Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 70-Brock Zearfoss [1]; 2. 9-James McFadden [2]; 3. 2M-Kerry Madsen [4]; 4. 13-Paul McMahan [3]; 5. 2C-Wayne Johnson [5]

B-Main (12 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer
1. 14M-Marcus Dumsney [1]; 2. 2W-Scotty Neitzel [6]; 3. 65-Jordan Goldesberry [2]; 4. 4B-Scott Biertzer [7]; 5. 73-Ben Schmidt [16]; 6. 23-Russel Borland [13]; 7. 4K-Kris Spitz [4]; 8. 40-George Hobaugh [3]; 9. 19-Todd Daun [5]; 10. 11D-Danny Schlafer [8]; 11. 63-Nick Matuszewski [11]; 12. 43-Jereme Schroeder [15]; 13. O-Johnny Fahl [9]; 14. 29-Hunter Custer [12]; 15. 45-Matt Wiese [10]; 16. 73AF-Joey Moughan [14]

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 9-James McFadden [4]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [5]; 3. 11-Dale Blaney [7]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel [14]; 5. 13-Paul McMahan [8]; 6. 70-Brock Zearfoss [2]; 7. 26-Cory Eliason [3]; 8. 2C-Wayne Johnson [9]; 9. 2M-Kerry Madsen [6]; 10. 99-Skylar Gee [17]; 11. 17B-Bill Balog [13]; 12. O2-Mike Reinke [12]; 13. 5J-Jeremy Schultz [15]; 14. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski [19]; 15. O7-Gerard McIntyre [18]; 16. 64-Scotty Thiel [10]; 17. 2AU-Andrew Scheuerle [11]; 18. 85M-Steve Meyer [16]; 19. 4B-Scott Biertzer [24]; 20. 14M-Marcus Dumsney [20]; 21. 68-Dave Uttech [21]; 22. 2W-Scotty Neitzel [22]; 23. 65-Jordan Goldesberry [23]; 24. 70X-Justin Peck [1] Lap Leaders: Justin Peck (1-11), James McFadden (12-30)

RICHARD’S OF DUNBAR 360 SPRINT CAR

Date of Race: July 25, 2019

HEAT 1

1, Shane Wenninger 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Lance Fassbender 4, Justin Miller 5, Josh Walter 6, Brandon Berth 7, Chris Clayton 8, Jack Vanderboom 9, Al Schlafer.

HEAT 2

1, Jim Melis 2, Paul Pokorski 3, Justin Erickson 4, Travis Arenz 5, Tony Wondra 6, Robbie Pribnow 7, Tyler Brabant 8, Mike Yurmanovich 9, Tyler Tischendorf.

HEAT 3

1, Jason Johnson 2, Danny Schlafer 3, Tim Haddy 4, Kurt Davis 5, Adam Miller 6, Josh Teunissen 7, Doug Wondra 8, Anthony Knierim.

HEAT 4

1, Kevin Karnitz 2, Nich Melis 3, Will Gerrits 4, Bill Taylor 5, Blake Wondra 6, Spyder Akright 7, Preston Ruh 8, Chris Larson.

B MAIN 1

1, Bill Taylor 2, Josh Walter 3, Robbie Pribnow 4, Tyler Brabant 5, Chris Clayton 6, Tyler Tischendorf 7, Mike Yurmanovich 8, Josh Teunissen 9, Chris Larson.

B MAIN 2

1, Adam Miller 2, Brandon Berth 3, Spyder Akright 4, Jack Vanderboom 5, Justin Erickson 6, Al Schlafer 7, Doug Wondra 8, Preston Ruh 9, Anthony Knierim (DNS).

A MAIN

1, Travis Arenz 2, Kevin Karnitz 3, Shane Wenninger 4, Kurt Davis 5, Nich Melis 6, Jim Melis 7, Jason Johnson 8, Tim Haddy 9, Lance Fassbender 10, Justin Miller 11, Robbie Pribnow 12, Bill Taylor 13, Paul Pokorski 14, Brandon Berth 15, Tony Wondra 16, Adam Miller 17, Josh Walter 18, Blake Wondra 19, Will Gerrits, 20, Brandon McMullen 21, Spyder Akright 22, Danny Schlafer.