(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 31, 2021 – Three of the region’s premiere open wheel series were front and center on the same track on the same night for the only time during the 2021 season as Plymouth Dirt Track Racing hosted the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Cars, Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars and Badger Midget Auto Racing Association at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, July 31.
In the 25th annual 30-lap IRA Sprint Car Frank Filskov Memorial A main, Jordan Goldesberry of Springfield, Ill. claimed his first IRA main event victory of the 2021 season following a thrilling duel with two-time IRA champion Scotty Neitzel of Beaver Dam in the 410 Sprint Car headliner.
2011 PDTR and MSA 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth worked the outside groove and lapped traffic to perfection in the closing laps to secure his third 25-lap PDTR A-main victory of the 2021 campaign.
Two-time defending champion and current Badger Midgets point leader Chase McDermand of Springfield, Ill. racked up his fifth A-main victory of the 2021 season in the 25-lap main event.
Polesitter Josh Walter of Plymouth grabbed the lead on the drop of the green flag of the IRA Frank Filskov Memorial A main with third starter Scotty Nitze in tow. As Walter rode the cushion of the wide, smooth and slick racing surface, Neitzel worked the low line to challenge for the lead beginning on lap 6.
Two laps later, Neitzel powered into the lead after Walter jumped the cushion in turn two. On lap 11, Neitzel caught the rear of the 20-car field and set forth on the task of weaving his way through lapped traffic.
On lap 14 the lone caution flag of the race appeared when IRA rookie Bailey Goldesberry of Springfield, Ill. spun in turn two.
On the restart, Blake Nimee of Oswego, Ill., who started fifth, pulled off a slide job to steal second from Walter. One lap later, Jordan Goldesberry, who started second, followed Nimee into third.
Nimee and Goldesberry then proceeded to engage in heated duel for second starting on lap 19 with Goldesberry eventually securing the position on lap 24. One lap later, Goldesberry utilized the inside lane to challenge the high-riding Neitzel for the lead.
On lap 16, Goldesberry pulled off a slide job entering turn three to secure the top spot from Neitzel. As Goldesberry opened up a lead while negotiating heavy lapped traffic, eighth starter Scotty Thiel of Sheboygan working the high line to vault his way into second.
Goldesberry held off Thiel’s late-race charge to wrap up his fifth career IRA A-main victory. Thiel finished second, Neitzel wound up third, Nimee placed fourth and 2016 IRA champion Jeremy Schultz of Beaver Dam, who started fourth, placed fifth.
“These races are tough to win and it feels good to get one tonight,” Goldesberry said. “We didn’t start off that good tonight, but we kept working on it throughout the night. I don’t think we were necessarily the best car out there in the beginning of the race, but we just got better and better and it all came together at the end.”
The initial start of the PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main was called back when point leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan Falls stopped in turn two. After a complete restart, second-year driver Alex Pokorski of West Bend, who started on the pole, outpowered two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee, who started second, to lead the opening lap.
As Pokorski ran smooth laps along the low groove in the early stages of the race, Davis cut the gap to move within striking distance on lap 12. On lap 14, Pokorski caught the back of the field and encountered slower cars dueling side by side for position.
Meanwhile, seventh starter Ben Schmidt had moved his way into second and was quickly closing in on Pokorski for the lead. On lap 18, Schmidt used the outside groove to power around Pokorski and into the lead in turn two.
Two laps later, Davis ducked underneath Pokorski to secure second as Schmidt built up a full-straightaway cushion at the front of the field. Schmidt skillfully worked his way through lapped traffic over the final five laps to post his 13th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, 30th career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event triumph and fourth overall Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main win of the 2021 season.
Davis placed second, fourth starter Bill Taylor of Boltonville finished third, Justin Erickson of Plymouth, who started fifth, took fourth and Pokorski secured a career-best fifth-place showing.
Outside front row starter Jack Routson of Waterman, Ill., who started second, jumped into the lead in turn one of the opening lap of the Badger Midgets A main.
By lap 5, Routson, who won the last Badger Midgets A main contested at The Plymouth Dirt Track in 2019, quickly bolted away to a half-lap lead over polesitter Ken Hanson of Vinton, Iowa.
On lap 9, seventh starter Chase McDermand secured second and set his sights on the leader. Six laps later, Routson began to negotiate heavy lapped traffic, which allowed McDermand to close the gap significantly.
On lap 20, McDermand began to hound Routson for the top spot in thick lapped traffic before using a high move in turn two on lap 22 to take over the lead. On lap 24, the lone caution flag of the race was displayed when Lamont Critchett of Demotte, Ind. stopped in turn two.
McDermand commanded the green, white, checkered flag restart to notch his fifth Badger Midgets A-main victory of the 2021 campaign. Routson had to settle for second, third starter Kyle Stark of of Marshall finished third, Cody Weisensel of Sun Prairie placed fourth after starting eighth and fifth starter Todd Kluever of Sun Prairie rounded out the top five.
In IRA 410 Sprint Car Series qualifying, Scotty Thiel broke his own track record, which he set earlier this season on July 1, with a lap of 11.047 seconds.
2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett won the 15-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.
The 14th PDTR program of the 2021 season, which was sponsored by Jensen Sales & Service, drew 75 total cars, including 28 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 25 Badger Midgets and 22 IRA 410 Sprint Cars.
PDTR action featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods is scheduled to resume on Saturday, Aug. 7 with Autograph Night as the first 200 kids will receive free checkered flags and backpacks courtesy of Hopf Farms.
Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.
The new book “70 Years of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan and George Baumann of Waupun, covering every season of racing at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. from 1950 to 2020 will be available for purchase at every race during the 2021 PDTR season, as well as at the Sheboygan County Fair office during regular business hours and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.
BUMPER TO BUMPER INTERSTATE RACING ASSOCIATION 410 SPRINT CARS
QUALIFYING
1, Scotty Thiel 11.047 2, Jake Blackhurst 11.279 3, Scotty Neitzel 11.338 4, Mike Reinke 11.382 5, Danny Schlafer 11.390 6, Jeremy Schultz 11.417 7, Blake Nimee 11.485 8, Jordan Goldesberry 11.523 9, Josh Walter 11.582 10, Russel Borland 11.601 11, Dave Uttech 11.659 12, Jack Vanderboom 11.665 13, Steve Meyer 11.683 14, Jereme Schroeder 11.702 15, Kris Spitz 11.829 16, Hunter Custer 12.020 17, Bailey Goldesberry 12.057 18, John Fahl 12.083 19, Scott Conger 12.659 20, Preston Ruh 13.151 21, Al Schlafer (No time) 22, Robbie Pribnow (No time).
HEAT 1
1, Blake Nimee 2, Russel Borland 3, Mike Reinke 4, Scotty Thiel 5, Steve Meyer 6, Hunter Custer 7, Scott Conger.
HEAT 2
1, Dave Uttech 2, Jordan Goldesberry 3, Jereme Schroeder 4, Jake Blackhurst 5, Danny Schlafer 6, Bailey Goldesberry 7, Preston Ruh.
HEAT 3
1, Scotty Neitzel 2, Jack Vanderboom 3, Kris Spitz 4, Jeremy Schultz 5, John Fahl 6, Josh Walter.
DASH 1
1, Josh Walter 2, Scotty Neitzel 3, Blake Nimee 4, Danny Schlafer 5, Mike Reinke.
DASH 2
1, Jordan Goldesberry 2, Jeremy Schultz 3, Jake Blackhurst 4, Scotty Thiel 5, Dave Uttech.
A MAIN
1, Jordan Goldesberry 2, Scotty Thiel 3, Scotty Neitzel 4, Blake Nimee 5, Jeremy Schultz 6, Russel Borland 7, Steve Meyer 8, Jake Blackhurst 9, Josh Walter 10, Danny Schlafer 11, Mike Reinke 12, Jeremy Schroeder 13, John Fahl 14, Preston Ruh 15, Dave Uttech 16, Kris Spitz 17, Hunter Custer 18, Jack Vanderboom 19, Scott Conger 20, Bailey Goldesberry – Al Schlafer (DNS), Robbie Pribnow (DNS).
KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANTVIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS
HEAT 1
1, Tim Haddy 2, Tyler Davis 3, Bill Taylor 4, Doug Wondra 5, Tyler Tischendorf 6, Kevin Karnitz 7, Matt Rechek.
HEAT 2
1, Kurt Davis 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Tony Wondra 4, Brandon McMullen 5, Lance Fassbender 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Jack Vanderboom.
HEAT 3
1, Alex Pokorski 2, Brandon Berth 3, Chris Clayton 4, Adam Miller 5, Austin Hartmann 6, Dylan Winkel 7, Travis Arenz.
HEAT 4
1, Justin Erickson 2, Will Gerrits 3, Justin Miller 4, Josh Teunissen 5, Katelyn Krebsbach 6, Blake Wondra 7, Tristan Koenings.
B MAIN
1, Lance Fassbender 2, Adam Miller 3, Josh Teunissen 4, Kevin Karnitz 5, Travis Arenz 6, Tyler Brabant 7, Austin Hartmann 8, Blake Wondra 9, Jack Vanderboom 10, Dylan Winkel 11, Tristan Koenings 12, Matt Rechek.
A MAIN
1, Ben Schmidt 2, Kurt Davis 3, Bill Taylor 4, Justin Erickson 5, Alex Pokorski 6, Brandon McMullen 7, Chris Clayton 8, Justin Miller 9, Brandon Berth 10, Lance Fassbender 11, Will Gerrits 12, Tyler Davis 13, Doug Wondra 14, Tyler Tischendorf 15, Kevin Karnitz 16, Travis Arenz 17, Tim Haddy 18, Adam Miller 19, Tony Wondra 20, Josh Teunissen 21, Tyler Brabant 22, Katelyn Krebsbach.
BADGER MIDGET AUTO RACING ASSOCIATION
QUALIFYING
1, Adam Taylor 13.791 2, Chase McDermand 13.826 3, Zach Boden 13.914 4, Todd Kluever 14.186 5, Kevin Olson 14.215 6, Andy Baugh 14.261 7, Kyle Stark 14.317 8, Lamont Critchett 14.384 9, Jack Routson 14.393 10, Kyle Koch 14.502 11, Aaron Muhle 14.513 12, Ken Hanson 14.536 13, Cody Weisensel 14.542 14, Mike Stroik 14.710 15, Jeremy Douglas 14.719 16, Kevin Douglas 14.734 17, Jordan Nelson 14.914 18, Jim Fuerst 14.944 19, Jake Goeglein 14.986 20, Charlie Spoonmore 15.164 21, Charles Kunz 15.203 22, Shay Sassano 15.265 23, Harrison Kleven 15.277 24, Peter Dempsey 16.010 25, Matt Rechek 18.999.
NON-QUALIFIER
1, Charlie Spoonmore 2, Jim Fuerst 3, Shay Sassano 4, Jordan Nelson 5, Harrison Kleven 6, Peter Dempsey 7, Jake Goeglein 8, Charles Kunz 9, Matt Rechek.
HEAT 1
1, Todd Kluever 2, Andy Baugh 3, Ken Hanson 4, Kevin Douglas 5, Chas McDermand 6, Mike Stroik 7, Kyle Koch 8, Lamont Critchett.
HEAT 2
1, Jack Routson 2, Zach Boden 3, Cody Weisensel 4, Kyle Stark 5, Jeremy Douglas 6, Adam Taylor 7, Kevin Olson 8, Aaron Muhle.
A MAIN
1, Chase McDermand 2, Jack Routson 3, Kyle Stark 4, Cody Weisensel 5, Todd Kluever 6, Zach Boden 7, Jeremy Douglas 8, Adam Taylor 9, Kevin Douglas 10, Mike Stroik 11, Ken Hanson 12, Kevin Olson 13, Jim Fuerst 14, Andy Baugh 15, Kyle Koch 16, Jake Goeglein 17, Harrison Kleven 18, Peter Dempsey 19, Charlie Spoonmore 20, Jordan Nelson 21, Shay Sassano 22, Lamont Critchett 23, Charles Kunz – Matt Rechek (DNS), Aaron Muhle (DNS).
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