By Jeff Pederson – Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 11, 2019 – An impressive field of 102 cars in four divisions and a hearty contingent of racing fans braved an unseasonably chilly evening to get their racing fix as three veteran drivers earned return visits to victory lane, while another celebrated the first A-main triumph of his career in Plymouth Track Racing action at The Plymouth Dirt Track on the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 11.

Josh Walter of Plymouth held off a pair of heated challenges to capture the 25-lap Richard’s of Dunbar 360 Sprint Car A-main. Waukesha’s Taylor Scheffler scored a wire-to-wire victory in the 25-lap Gasroots Project Late Model A main. Tyler Kulow of Plymouth came out on top in the 25-lap Klips & Tips Grand National A main. Justin Bauer of Sheboygan Falls held off a late charge from last week’s A-main winner Tim Warner of Fond du Lac to earn his very first 25-lap Cellcom B Mod A-main triumph.

In the 360 Sprint Car A-main, Walter outpowered outside front row starter Nich Melis of Plymouth to take the lead in turn one of the opening lap from the pole position. The first of two caution flags appeared on lap 2, when Waupun’s Tyler Brabant spun in turn four.

On the restart, sixth starter Travis Arenz of Sheboygan began to make his march to the front of the field as he pulled off a slide job in turn three to move past fourth starter Shane Wenninger of Kewaskum, 2017 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh, who started third, and Melis to secure second place in the running order on lap 3.

Arenz then ducked low on lap 7 to pressure Walter for the top spot. On lap 8, Arenz slipped underneath Walter in turn one to take over the top spot. However, Walter did not back down as he held tight to Arenz and dove low in turn three on lap 11 as the two drivers raced side by side before Walter regained the top spot on lap 12.

On lap 13, Arenz dropped from contention as he slowed to a stop in turn four with a magneto failure to bring out the second caution flag of the race. After the restart, the low line prevailed for nearly every competitor searching for traction on the ultra-slick racing surface.

Walter stayed glued to the inside lane until he had to negotiate lapped traffic starting on lap 20, which allowed McMullen to close the gap significantly. On lap 22, McMullen attempted a high move in turn one, but Walter was too strong along the inside lane.

As the leaders continued to weave their way through slower traffic, McMullen continued to pressure Walter over the final five laps. However, Walter was able to hold off McMullen’s last-lap charge to notch his fifth career PDTR and Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car A-main victory by a half-car length margin over runner-up McMullen.

Defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth moved up from his 11^th starting spot to finish third, Wenninger placed fourth and eighth starter Tim Haddy of Waupun rounded out the top five.

After an aborted initial start for a five-car incident in turn two involved Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee, Tom Naeyeart of Shawano, 2016 PDTR Late Model champ Tim Buhler of Greenbush, Dave Jaeger of Slinger and Cedar Grove’s Charlie Schmidt, Taylor Scheffler used his outside front row starting spot to move past defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started on the pole, to lead the opening lap.

By lap 8, Scheffler had built up a half-straightaway lead over Schmidt with third starter Justin Ritchie of New London trailing in third. Scheffler caught the rear of the field on lap 16, which allowed Schmidt to close a bit before the second caution flag of the race flew on lap 18 for an incident involving Adam Jahnke of Bear Creek and four-time PDTR Late Model champ Brad Mueller of Random Lake in turn two.

On the restart, Schmidt hounded Scheffler along the low groove and mounted a spirited challenge for the top spot on lap 19. However, Scheffler closed the door and successfully fended off Schmidt’s repeated bids for the lead over the final six laps en route to his second career PDTR Late Model A-main victory.

Schmidt had to settle for second, Ritchie placed third, last week’s Late Model A-main winner Paul Parker of Kaukauna, who started sixth, placed fourth and Turk Letizia of Milwaukee moved up from the 11^th starting position to finish fifth.

In the Grand National A main, polesitter J.J. Pagel of Mount Calvary jumped into the lead on the opening lap while outside front row starter Dave Holm of Quinney dueled with Plymouth’s Steven Weber, who started third, for second place on lap 2.

The lone caution of the race appeared on lap three for a seven-car mishap in turn two, which was triggered by Holm’s spin at the front of the field. On the restart, Tyler Kulow, who started fifth, used the high groove to challenge Pagel for the top spot.

On lap 4, Kulow powered around Pagel to assume the lead in turn two. Pagel then battled back to close to within inches of Kulow’s rear bumper on lap 14. By lap 19, the leaders found themselves in lapped traffic, which gave Pagel another opportunity to pressure Kulow for the lead. However, Kulow held off each of Pagel’s challenges to post his fifth career PDTR Grand National A-main victory by a quarter-straightaway margin.

Pagel finished second, Weber wound up third, sixth starter Luke Scholten of Oostburg placed fourth and Elkhart Lake’s Donny Kulow, who started fourth, rounded out the top five.

Polesitter Justin Bauer grabbed the lead on the drop of the green flag of the B Mod A main with outside front row starter Steve Lorier of Sheboygan following in second. Lorier moved in to challenge Bauer along the outside line on lap 4 and stayed within striking distance over the next 11 circuits before the first of five caution flags appeared on lap 15 for a one-car spin in turn three.

On the restart, fourth starter Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls dove low to challenge Lorier for second as Tim Warner of Fond du Lac, who starter seventh, moved in to join the battle for second on lap 17.

Two laps later, Lorier again initiated a spirit attempt to wrestle the lead away from Bauer just before another caution flag appeared on lap 20, which tipped off a string of incidents over the final five laps.

On the restart, Lorier and Long collided in turn two, which sent Long spinning. Under caution, Lorier claimed responsibility for the incident by tapping on his roof. As a result, Long kept his second-place position in the running order, while Lorier went to the rear of the field on the ensuing restart.

Warner flexed his muscle in the closing laps moving past Long to challenge Bauer for the lead along the high groove on lap 21. However, two more caution flags slowed the pace once again.

On the final restart, Bauer held strong to turn back Warner’s tenacious bid for the lead on the way to his first career PDTR B Mod A-main victory. Warner had to settle for second, ninth starter Travis Schmidt of Waldo took third, Brandon Knepprath of Kewaskum, who started sixth, placed fourth and Mark Hoeppner of Hartford took fifth after starting 11^th.

Lance Fassbender of Burnett won the first 12-lap 360 Sprint Car B main and Bill Taylor of Kewaskum captured the second 12-lap 360 Sprint Car B main. Marcus Hoeppner of Hartford was victorious in the B Mod B main.

The program, which honored Police, Fire and EMS personnel and was sponsored by the city of Sheboygan Falls Fire Department, featured a large field of 40 PDTR 360 Sprints, along with 28 B Mods, 18 Grand Nationals and 16 Late Models.

This Saturday, May 18 PDTR will welcome the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions national touring 410 Sprint Car series for a combined points event with the regional touring Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series.

Retired NASCAR legend and All Star series owner Tony Stewart will compete, along with three-time World of Outlaws Series champion Sammy Swindell and current NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor, 2017 NASCAR Truck Series champion and three-time defending Chili Bowl Midget Car race winner Christopher Bell, in addition to a host of other top-flight national and regional Sprint Car drivers.

Advance general admission tickets are available by calling 920-893-5751. Adult tickets are $30, student tickets for age 6-12 are $10 and children age 5 and under will be admitted free. Pit passes are $35 or $25 with a PDTR Rewards Card. Spectator gates open at 3 p.m. for advance general admission ticket holders and 4 p.m. for those purchasing tickets on race day.

The program, which is sponsored by JDL Automotive, will also feature the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars. On-track action is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth is located at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth. For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook.

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.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

RICHARD’S OF DUNBAR SPRINT CAR

Date of Race: May 11, 2019

HEAT 1

1, NICH MELIS. 2, PAUL POKORSKI. 3, CHRIS FLICK. 4, BILL TAYLOR. 5, DOUG WONDRA. 6, JOSH TEUNISSEN. 7, SEAN RAYHALL. 8, SCOTT

CONGER. (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, TIM HADDY. 2, DANNY SCHLAFER. 3, SCOTTY NEITZEL. 4,

KEVIN KARNITZ. 5, BRANDON BERTH. 6, ROBBIE PRIBNOW. 7, MIKE

DECKER. 8, WAYNE MODJESKI.

HEAT 3

1, JOSH WALTER. 2, SHANE WENNINGER. 3, KURT DAVIS. 4, JUSTIN

MILLER. 5, SCOTTY THIEL. 6, ANTHONY KNIERIM. 7, JACK

VANDERBOOM. 8, BLAKE WONDRA.

HEAT 4

1, TONY WONDRA. 2, TYLER BRABANT. 3, WILL GERRITS. 4, JIM MELIS

. 5, CHRIS LARSON. 6, AL SCHLAFER. 7, JUSTIN

ERICKSON. 8, PRESTON RUH. (DNS).

HEAT 5

1, TRAVIS ARENZ. 2, BRANDON MCMULLEN. 3, ADAM MILLER. 4, LANCE

FASSBENDER. 5, CHRIS CLAYTON. 6, BRYCE SCHMITT. 7, TYLER

DAVIS. 8, TYLER TISCHENDORF.

B FEATURE

1, LANCE FASSBENDER. 2, KEVIN KARNITZ. 3, DOUG WONDRA. 4, CHRIS

CLAYTON. 5, ANTHONY KNIERIM. 6, JUSTIN ERICKSON. 7, JACK

VANDERBOOM. 8, TYLER TISCHENDORF. 9, MIKE DECKER. 10, CHRIS

LARSON. 11, SEAN RAYHALL. 12, SCOTT CONGER.

B FEATURE

1, BILL TAYLOR. 2, SCOTTY THIEL. 3, AL SCHLAFER. 4, CHRIS FLICK. 5,

JOSH TEUNISSEN. 6, BRANDON BERTH. 7, WAYNE MODJESKI. 8,

TYLER DAVIS. 9, BRYCE SCHMITT. 10, BLAKE WONDRA. 11, ROBBIE

PRIBNOW. 12, PRESTON RUH. (DNS).

A FEATURE

1, JOSH WALTER. 2, BRANDON MCMULLEN. 3, JUSTIN MILLER. 4,

SHANE WENNINGER. 5, TIM HADDY. 6, PAUL POKORSKI. 7, WILL

GERRITS. 8, SCOTTY NEITZEL. 9, KURT DAVIS. 10, JIM MELIS.

11, NICH MELIS. 12, ADAM MILLER. 13, LANCE

FASSBENDER. 14, TONY WONDRA. 15, SCOTTY THIEL. 16, TYLER

BRABANT. 17, BILL TAYLOR. 18, DOUG WONDRA. 19, DANNY

SCHLAFER. 20, AL SCHLAFER. 21, TRAVIS ARENZ. 22, KEVIN KARNITZ.

 

GASROOTS PROJECT LATE MODEL

HEAT 1

1, BRAD MUELLER. 2, TIM BUHLER. 3, TAYLOR SCHEFFLER. 4, JOE

BONGIORNO. 5, ADAM JANKE. 6, DAVE JAEGER. 7, BRIAN KONITZER. 8,

CHARLIE SCHMIDT. (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, PAUL PARKER. 2, JUSTIN RITCHIE. 3, JUSTIN SCHMIDT. 4, TOM

NAEYAERT. 5, KEVIN BALDRY. 6, TURK LETIZIA. 7, ERIC MICHAELS. 8,

KYLE RADDANT. (DNS).

A FEATURE

1, TAYLOR SCHEFFLER. 2, JUSTIN SCHMIDT. 3, JUSTIN RITCHIE. 4,

PAUL PARKER. 5, TURK LETIZIA. 6, CHARLIE SCHMIDT. 7, DAVE

JAEGER. 8, KEVIN BALDRY. 9, BRIAN KONITZER. 10, BRAD MUELLER.

11, ADAM JANKE. 12, ERIC MICHAELS. 13, TIM BUHLER. 14, JOE

BONGIORNO. 15, TOM NAEYAERT. 16, KYLE RADDANT. (DNS).

 

KLIPS & TIPS GRAND NATIONAL

HEAT 1

1, JEFF MUEHLBAUER. 2, DONNY KULOW. 3, TYLER KULOW. 4, DEREK

KAAT. 5, BRAD WEISS. 6, CHAD ESPEN.

HEAT 2

1, LUKE SCHOLTEN. 2, STEVEN WEBER. 3, JJ PAGEL. 4, JIM FISCHER.

5, DONNY SINGER. 6, TRAVIS MOEHRING.

HEAT 3

1, DICK HED. 2, DAVE HOLM. 3, JACOB MUEHLBAUER. 4, JASON JUECH.

5, DYLAN MAY. 6, JOSH HITSMAN.

A FEATURE

1, TYLER KULOW. 2, JJ PAGEL. 3, STEVEN WEBER. 4, LUKE

SCHOLTEN. 5, DONNY KULOW. 6, DICK HED. 7, JASON JUECH. 8, JEFF

MUEHLBAUER. 9, DEREK KAAT. 10, DONNY SINGER. 11, BRAD WEISS.

12, CHAD ESPEN. 13, JIM FISCHER. 14, JACOB MUEHLBAUER. 15, JOSH

HITSMAN. 16, DYLAN MAY. 17, DAVE HOLM. 18, TRAVIS MOEHRING.

CELLCOM B MOD

HEAT 1

1, SHANE LONG. 2, JUSTIN BAUER. 3, BARRY MAAS. 4, TRAVIS

SCHMIDT. 5, MARCUS HOEPPNER. 6, SPENCER LONG. 7, AARON

BUTTERBRODT. (DNS).

HEAT 2

1, RICK KRETSCHMANN. 2, BRANDON KNEPPRATH. 3, BRIAN WIELAND.

4, NATHAN JAKUBOWSKI. 5, CHRISTOPHER GILSON. 6, PATRICK

HANSON. 7, JEFF STEENBERGEN. (DNS).

HEAT 3

1, TIM WARNER. 2, MARK HOEPPNER. 3, TIM LANGE. 4, DONNY

SINGER. 5, RORY WELCH. 6, JOSHUA MAVIS. 7, JESSE JAKUBOWSKI.

HEAT 4

1, JAMES RAUTMANN. 2, GARY GLANDER. 3, STEVE LORIER. 4, CRAIG

GESSNER. 5, MICHAEL GILSON. 6, ANDY SINGER. 7, BRADY

HARSHBARGER.

B FEATURE

1, MARCUS HOEPPNER. 2, SPENCER LONG. 3, JESSE JAKUBOWSKI. 4,

AARON BUTTERBRODT. 5, PATRICK HANSON. 6, CHRISTOPHER

GILSON. 7, RORY WELCH. 8, BRADY HARSHBARGER. 9, ANDY SINGER.

10, JOSHUA MAVIS. 11, MICHAEL GILSON. 12, JEFF STEENBERGEN.

A FEATURE

1, JUSTIN BAUER. 2, TIM WARNER. 3, TRAVIS SCHMIDT. 4, BRANDON

KNEPPRATH. 5, MARK HOEPPNER. 6, SPENCER LONG. 7, AARON

BUTTERBRODT. 8, GARY GLANDER. 9, BRIAN WIELAND. 10, STEVE

LORIER. 11, DONNY SINGER. 12, CRAIG GESSNER. 13, MARCUS

HOEPPNER. 14, TIM LANGE. 15, BARRY MAAS. 16, RICK

KRETSCHMANN. 17, SHANE LONG. 18, JAMES RAUTMANN. 19, NATHAN

JAKUBOWSKI. 20, JESSE JAKUBOWSKI.