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 12^th 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 15^th-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 11^th place. After closing on the 10^th 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 15^th 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