By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) October 5, 2022 – After putting together an outstanding 2021 season, which resulted in earning both the Akright Auto Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car titles, Travis Arenz and the Travis Arenz Motorsports team delivered a stirring encore performance during the 2022 campaign to claim both the MSA and PDTR championships for the second consecutive season.
The 16th-year Sheboygan Falls, Wis. racer entered championship weekend with a slim 17-point lead over Ben Schmidt in the MSA point standings needing smooth, consistent and incident-free runs at the “horsepower half mile” Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 23 and at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 24 in order to secure the title.
With 18 MSA 360 Sprint Cars signed in at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway for the Checkered Classic run in honor of Al Schmidt, Fuzzy Fassbender and Dick Witt, Arenz opened the program by qualifying second overall with a lap of 19.119 seconds around the half-mile clay oval.
After lining up fourth in the second eight-lap heat race, Arenz came home second to Schmidt to earn the eighth starting spot in the 20-lap MSA Checkered Classic main event. On lap 2, Arenz worked his way past Bill Taylor into second and quickly set his sets on the lead car of polesitter Tyler Brabant.
Arenz caught Brabant on lap 4 and the two drivers engaged in a two-lap duel before Arenz surged into the lead with a low move in turn two on lap 6. From there, Arenz survived two yellow flag periods on lap 13 to pull away to his eighth MSA A-main victory of the 2022 season and 30th career MSA 360 Sprint Car main event triumph.
“I enjoy racing at Dodge County because of the fast pace and it usually has a wide racing surface, which makes it more enjoyable,” Arenz said. “It was great to start off the MSA championship weekend with a win.”
Holding a 19-point cushion over Schmidt, Arenz moved on to the familiar confines of his “home track” The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 24 for the 2022 MSA season finale as part of the fifth annual Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships.
With 24 MSA-PDTR 360 Sprint Cars signed in for the 2022 curtain closer, Arenz registered the seventh-fastest overall MSA qualifying lap in a time of 12.494 seconds.
Arenz then lined up on the pole of the first 10-lap heat race and pulled away to notch his fifth MSA heat race victory of the 2022 season. Needing a solid finish in the top half of the field to secure his second consecutive MSA and PDTR 360 Sprint Car titles, Arenz started fourth in the 25-lap MSA-PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main and ran a smart, smooth and consistent race, while negotiating through two red flags and two caution periods to secure a fourth-place finish.
Although Schmidt won the main event, Arenz’s fourth-place showing was good enough to nail down the 2022 MSA championship by nine points over Schmidt.
“My approach to the last night of the season at Plymouth was a little different than normal,” Arenz said. “We had to make sure we were fast and aggressive, but also extremely cautious in traffic and to not have any mishaps.
“It means a lot to win the MSA and PDTR championships because of all the hard work, determination, pride, time and money that goes into it,” Arenz said. “The PDTR championship is very special to me with it being my home track and growing up there.”
During the 2022 MSA-PDTR 360 Sprint Car season, Arenz racked up eight A-main victories, 17 top-five and 18-top-10 A-main showings, five heat race wins and two fast qualifier awards en route to the MSA and PDTR championships.
Arenz also competed in seven 410 Sprint Car events with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association in 2022, earning one top-five, three top-10 main and four top-15 A-main showings, three dash appearances and one dash victory to finish 25th in the final 2022 IRA point standings.
The highlight of Arenz’s 2022 410 Sprint Car campaign was an IRA career-best second-place A-main finish at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 27.
Looking ahead to the 2023 season, Arenz is still working on finalizing his plans.
“Our plans for the 2023 season have not been solidified,” Arenz said. “We are going to run a couple races in a Dirt Late Model with Jake Van Engen Racing. We would like to run full-time with the IRA Sprint Car Series in 2023, but our options are open. We are interested in partnering up with someone for the 410 program. What we do during the 2023 season will depend on how the off-season goes.”
The 2022 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation, Inc, Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Pallet Works, Retro Tire, DW Fence, Little Bears Tree Service LLC, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Myhre Construction LLC, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen Sales and Service, In The Bag, Amy Bruechert Reality, Cornwell Tools-Paul Epping, Advanced Engine Concepts, Inc., Duehring’s Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, HRP Wings and Behling Racing Equipment.
The 2022 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consists of pit crew members Greg Piedot, Jerrod Gamb, Emily Stadler, Cameron Fritz, Alex Wesenburg, Curtiss Humphrey, Taylor McAdams, Tony Fox and Trevor Hittman.
Additional information on the Travis Arenz Motorsports team can be found by visiting the team’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Service One Transportation
Located at N5761 County Road M in Plymouth, Wis., Service One Transportation has been a proud supporter of Travis Arenz Motorsports since the team moved into the 360 Sprint Car division in 2018.
Service One Transportation opened its doors in 1997 when Dan Flagstad, Sr. decided to venture out on his own, following a distinguished career in transportation sales. Starting with a single driver and truck, Dan grew the business by providing unsurpassed service to the customers and living by the creed of “doing whatever it takes to get the job done for the customer.”
The customer-first philosophy continues today with current President and Owner Dan Flagstad, Jr., along with his partner, Mike Myszewski, who serves as vice president of operations and logistics. Under Dan’s leadership, Service One Transportation has experienced the innovation of a new generation, while retaining the customer and family-first philosophy started by Dan Sr.
Today, Service One has grown into a full-service logistics and transportation company with a large portfolio of services, including 53-foot dry van, dry bulk with rail car transport, blanket wrap transport and warehousing. Service One can handle all truckload, volume LTL and expedited shipments to 48 states and all Canadian provinces.
For a personalized transportation quote, contact Service One Transportation by phone at 1-888-988-3344 or 920-467-4793, email at dispatch@serviceonetrans.com or visit https://www.serviceonetransportation.com/.
Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.
For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.
Travis Arenz Motorsports
360 Sprint Car
2022 Season
By The Numbers
Total MSA-PDTR Events – 19
A Main Victories – 8
Top Five A Main Finishes – 17
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 18
Heat Race Victories – 5
Fast Qualifier Awards – 2
Midwest Sprint Car Association Points Finish – 1st
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Points Finish – 1st
Travis Arenz Motorsports
410 Sprint Car
2022 Season
By The Numbers
Total IRA Events – 7
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 1
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 4
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 3
Dash Victories – 1
Interstate Racing Association Points Finish – 25th
Travis Arenz Motorsports
Career Highlights
2007-2022
Total A Main Victories – 70
4-cylinder Outlaw Compact A Main Victories – 20
IMCA Northern Sport Mod/B Mod A Main Victories – 20
MSA/PDTR 360 Sprint Car A Main Victories – 30
2013 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 4-Cylinder Outlaw Compact Champion
2016 141 Speedway Northern Sport Mod Champion
2021 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Champion
2021 Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Champion
2022 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car Champion
2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Champion