By Jeff Pederson
Pedal Down Promotions
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 21, 2023 – In his first full season of regular competition at The Plymouth Dirt Track, Dustin Weiss has made quite an impact, quickly earning a spot among a large group of top contenders vying for 2023 championship accolades in the hotly contested Grand National division.
Through the first seven race nights of the 2023 season, the Allenton native and current Mayville resident stands fourth, just four points out of the lead in the tight Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National points race with two top-five, six top-10 A-main showings to his credit in six completed Grand National main events at Plymouth.
“I have enjoyed racing at Plymouth this year because it is a whole new challenge for me,” Weiss said. “A lot of guys in the Grand National division at Plymouth have many years of experience around the Plymouth track and I don’t have a whole lot of laps there. We have been struggling a bit to start the season to find a setup that we like at Plymouth. That is what racing is all about. It’s a new challenge to work harder and get something figured out to find some more speed.”
With racing playing a large role in his family dynamic as youngster, Weiss was naturally attracted to the excitement and intrigue that the sport of racing delivers on a consistent basis.
“Both my dad and uncle raced before I was born,” Weiss said. “My whole family used to go to Slinger Speedway almost every Sunday when we were kids. It was always fun going and cheering on the guys my dad used to race with or the guys he sponsored throughout the years. I used to sit in the stands with my dad and he would teach me everything about racing and the older I got, the more he would teach me about how the cars worked and how to setup a car.”
Weiss, who had been a regular Saturday night Grand National division competitor at Beaver Dam Raceway before the track dropped the division for the 2023 season, got his first taste of wheeling a race car in a very different type of racing.
“I first got involved in racing by competing in a Team Cruiser event at Slinger Speedway during Slam Fest,” Weiss said. “A family friend of ours wanted me to drive with him. It was a weird first experience because I had the brake pedal and the steering wheel and I wasn’t under control of the gas pedal. It was a cool experience that we got to work on the car for a few weeks before the event. After that event, he let me drive the car at Columbus Speedway at a weekly event by myself. After that, I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
From there, Weiss found a home racing weekly in the Grand National division at Beaver Dam Raceway 10 years ago.
“I started racing at Beaver Dam Raceway in 2013,” Weiss said. “We bought a Grand National in 2012 and took the time the first year to go watch at Beaver Dam and get an understanding of the track and the division. The first time we went to watch, I thought to myself, ‘these guys are really good and these cars are fast.’ That whole winter of 2012 into spring 2013 we tore the car down and rebuilt it because my dad wanted me to have a better understanding of what all went into setup and the mechanics of the car, which I think makes a driver better than someone that doesn’t really understand.
“I went into that season not knowing much of anything about setting up dirt cars or driving them for that matter,” he said. “The first year was a huge learning experience, as I went into that division with a lot of very talented race car drivers with many years of experience.”
Despite having a decade of experience in the Grand National ranks under his belt, Weiss says he is still learning what it takes to be consistently fast.
“Grand National is the only division I have ever raced in,” Weiss said. “The level of competition in this division is amazing. Most of the guys in the division now and in years past have a long resume of success. I still go out and learn from the guys that have been doing it for many years. There is also a big list of younger guys that have come in and have been very successful as well.”
Weiss, who has a total of 48 heat and feature race victories to his credit, looks back fondly on the 2022 season as being among his best in the sport.
“My biggest accomplishment so far is being 2022 track champion at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton,” Weiss said. “I followed that up with two fall special event wins in 2022 at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour and Luxemburg Speedway. We also finished second in points at Beaver Dam Raceway in 2021.
“My goal for 2023 is to win another track championship whether it is at Gravity Park or Plymouth,” he said.
With a large support system of family, friends and sponsors behind him, Weiss enjoys the camaraderie and cohesiveness that racing offers.
“Racing is something my whole family is involved in,” Weiss said. “My mom and sisters are always in the stands cheering me on and my dad has always been right there with me keeping the car competitive and ready to go for the next race. I also have my uncles involved and help us out in the shop and at the track. My nieces and nephews come to the races too and are getting to an age where they are really enjoying it. When I am lucky enough to pull off a win, the look on their faces when they get to hold the trophy is worth all the hard work for me.”
Crew members for the 2023 Dustin Weiss Racing Team include Scott Weiss (Dustin’s dad), Dawn Weiss (Dustin’s mom), Kip Weiss, Doug Bindrich, Bret Fickler, Nathan Reitz, Eric Schmidt, Doug Hammes, Brynn Hammes, Michaela Nickel, Ashley Reitz and Lindsey Schmidt. Little crew members are Morgan Reitz, Olivia Schmidt, Blake Reitz, Cameron Schmidt and Madison Reitz.
The 2023 sponsors for the Dustin Weiss Racing Team include Goeden Auto Body, RMR Spindle Repair, Fenske Trucking, Sorce Services, Fox Valley Propane, Affordable Erecting, Fox Valley Metrology, P.M.F. Landscape Supply, Phase II Die and Mold, RC Tool, Mark Petrie Fabrication, Jim and Ann Hammes, Trollops Bar, Armored Floor Coatings, NexGen Solutions, MJM Farms Big Storage, N&S Towing, Valley Hydro Excavation, Legacy Express, Macgillis Insurance, Swenson Tool and Die, Pat Murphy, Rupp Enterprises, TD Graphics, Moeller Precision Tool, Dave & Debbie Hammes, Daisy Sweeps, Kip & Steph Weiss, Five Star Race Car Bodies and NVR Racing Engines.
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This week’s Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Saturday, July 22 will feature the fifth of six scheduled Super Six Late Model Series races during the 2023 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track. The PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, Grand Nationals and B Mods will also be in action.
Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying set at 5:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds is located at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth, Wis. For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.
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