Ben Schmidt of Plymouth earned an all-time record-breaking 34th career Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Akright Auto 360 Sprint Car A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 8. - JW's Car and Raccing Photos
Van Hierden, Kaat claim PDTR A-main wins
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 8, 2026 – After two decades competing in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car division, two-time champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth became the all-time winningest 360 Sprint Car driver in the history of The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., with a commanding win in the 25-lap A-main on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Schmidt’s 34th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event victory pushed him ahead of three-time track champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh to stand alone atop the division’s all-time career feature victory list.
Paul Parker of Kaukauna recorded his first PDTR Late Model main event victory in over seven years in the 30-lap Seubert Calf Ranches Super Six Late Model Series headliner.
Derek Kaat of Plymouth raced to his first career Oostburg Automotive Grand National A-main victory in the 25-lap feature.
In his first appearance of the 2026 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track, Colten Van Hierden of Waupun claimed his first triumph since 2024 in the 25-lap Sheboygan Flooring B Mod main event.
Ben Schmidt wasted no time in putting his stamp on the 360 Sprint Car main event. After firing off third, the 2011 and 2025 division champ got a huge run down the backstretch before diving low entering turn three and sliding past front row starters Katelyn Krebsbach of Johnsburg and Hayden Schmuhl of Beaver Dam to grab the lead in turn four of the opening lap.
A caution flag appeared on lap 2 for a spin involving T.J. Smith of Greenville in turn two. When the race resumed, Schmidt bolted to the front, while three-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Donny Goeden of Kewaskum, who started fifth, seized second on lap 6.
Over the ensuing 12 laps, Schmidt built up a dominating half-lap lead before Josh Walter of Plymouth contacted the turn one wall and flipped on lap 18.
Following the restart, Schmidt again pulled away while Krebsbach, who started on the pole, slipped past Goeden to take over second.
Schmidt cruised over the final seven laps to earn his seventh overall A-main victory of the 2026 campaign and sixth main event win of the season at The Plymouth Dirt Track. In addition to being his all-time division-leading 34th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car feature triumph, it was also Schmidt’s 59th career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main win.
“This win is special,” Schmidt said. “To get to the top of the career win list here is something I wasn’t sure we would be able to do. It’s a credit to the whole team, my crew, and all my sponsors who have helped to get us where we are now.”
Krebsbach took second to equal her career-best A-main showing; defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kevin Karnitz of West Bend placed third after starting sixth; Goeden wound up fourth; and Tyler Davis of Franklin stormed up from the 11th starting position to round out the top five.
Paul Parker, who started on the pole, flexed his muscle from the start of the Super Six Late Model headliner, seizing the lead on the drop of the green flag. Following the first of four cautions for debris on lap 8, fourth starter Brett Swedberg of Shawano moved into second and quickly sighted in on the lead.
Four laps later, Swedberg used the preferred high groove to close in on the cushion-pounding Parker. However, the caution came out again when Turk Letizia of Milwaukee stopped in turn two after contacting the front stretch wall on lap 13.
On lap 20, Parker caught the rear of the field, which gave Swedberg a chance to reel in the lead gap. Four laps later, Swedberg used the low line to briefly pull even with the high-riding Parker. However, Parker turned back Swedberg’s advances to maintain the top spot.
Two more caution flags slowed the pace in the closing laps, but it didn’t deter Parker, who rolled to his second career PDTR Late Model A-main victory and first at The Plymouth Dirt Track since May 4, 2019.
Swedberg had to settle for second, seventh starter Nick Anvelink of Bonduel placed third, 2025 Super Six Late Model champion Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha charged up from the 16th starting spot to finish fourth, and third starter Justin Ritchie of New London placed fifth.
Polesitter Derek Kaat outdueled three-time PDTR Grand National champion Brad Lubach of Kiel to lead the opening circuit of the Grand National main event.
Kaat moved out to a half-straightaway cushion over Lubach in the first half of the race before the lone caution flag of the race was displayed on lap 14 for a two-car incident in turn two.
The restart generated some tense action as Lubach battled back to challenge Kaat for the lead in turn one on lap 17. The two raced side by side over the next three laps before Lubach contacted an infield tire, prompting him to fall back in the field.
With Kaat solidly in front of the field, a heated five-car battle ensued for the runner-up spot, which included three-wide maneuvering on lap 22. Sixth starter Josh Pierce of Adell emerged from the spirited scrum to secure second as the laps wound down.
Kaat went on to seize the first PDTR Grand National A-main victory of his career. Pierce was second, fourth starter Jason Juech of Plymouth took third, 2022 PDTR Grand National champion Luke Scholten of Oostburg, who started 10th, was fourth, and Dustin Weiss of Iron Ridge, who started ninth, placed fifth.
After outside front row starter Parker Glander of Sheboygan Falls led the opening lap of the B Mod main event, Travis Kleindl of Beaver Dam moved up from the third starting position to take over the top spot on lap 2.
After a series of three consecutive caution flags beginning on lap 5, 12th starter Colten Van Hierden, in his first outing of the 2026 campaign at Plymouth, showed his strength by riding the cushion into second after a lap 9 restart.
One lap later, Van Hierden powered around Kleindl to steal the top spot in turn two. However, Kleindl didn’t back down as he moved in to draw up next to Van Hierden on lap 12 before nosing his way back into the lead on lap 13.
However, Van Hierden regrouped to regain the advantage one lap later. Three more caution flags followed in rapid succession starting on lap 16. When the race went green again, 2017 PDTR B Mod champion Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls, who started ninth, bolted in to pressure Van Hierden for the top spot.
Green went low to draw even with Van Hierden on lap 20. However, the lively battle halted when the seventh and final caution flag of the race was displayed for a stalled car on lap 21.
After a single-file restart, Van Hierden powered away en route to his fifth career PDTR A-main win and first triumph at Plymouth since the 2024 season.
Green placed second, Kleindl wound up third, fifth starter Brandon Knepprath of Boltonville finished fourth, and 2018 PDTR B Mod champion Tim Sheppard of Beaver Dam took fifth from the 13th starting position.
Taylor Scheffler recorded fastest overall qualifier accolades in Super Six Late Model Series qualifying with a lap of 13.354 seconds.
Ben Schmidt secured fastest overall qualifier honors in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car division with a lap of 12.575 seconds.
The 12th event of the 2026 PDTR campaign, sponsored by Pit Stop Pizza, drew a field of 80 total cars, including 26 360 Sprint Cars, 20 B Mods, 17 Late Models, and 17 Grand Nationals.
The evening featured a kids coin and candy drop sponsored by VanderVart Concrete Products and PDTR, a coloring contest sponsored by Impress Floor Care, and a glow stick giveaway from Four Seasons Comfort.
Plymouth Dirt Track Racing action continues this Saturday, Aug. 15 with the Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Car Series as the guest division courtesy of Sheboygan’s Rock Station 106.5 The Buzz.
The PDTR Akright Auto 360 Sprint Cars, Oostburg Automotive Grand Nationals, and Sheboygan Flooring B Mods are also on the card.
Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.
Weather information for all Plymouth Dirt Track Racing events will be posted on the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram pages, as well as the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing website – www.plymouthdtr.com.
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.
SEUBERT CALF RANCHES SUPER SIX LATE MODEL SERIES PRESENTED BY SHEBOYGAN’S ROCK STATION 106.5 THE BUZZ
A Main (30 Laps): 1. 10-Paul Parker [1]; 2. 3-Brett Swedberg [4]; 3. 15-Nick Anvelink [7]; 4. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [16]; 5. 56-Justin Ritchie [3]; 6. 89-Brad Mueller [5]; 7. 77-Bill Edler [9]; 8. 21-Todd Frank [15]; 9. 51-Chris Oertel [11]; 10. 7-Joel Bennett [10]; 11. 87-Adam Janke [13]; 12. 54-Kevin Baldry [12]; 13. 8R-Bill Rezutek [14]; 14. 97-Justin Schmidt [8]; 15. 250-Turk Letizia [2]; 16. 42-Terry Casey [6]; 17. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [17]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 250-Turk Letizia[2]; 2. 89-Brad Mueller[3]; 3. 51-Chris Oertel[1]; 4. 97-Justin Schmidt[5]; 5. 54-Kevin Baldry[4]; 6. 87-Adam Janke[6]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 10-Paul Parker[3]; 2. 56-Justin Ritchie[4]; 3. 7-Joel Bennett[2]; 4. 77-Bill Edler[5]; 5. 21-Todd Frank[1]; 6. 8R-Bill Rezutek[6]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 3-Brett Swedberg[1]; 2. 42-Terry Casey[2]; 3. 15-Nick Anvelink[4]; 4. (DNF) 55B-Joe Bongiorno[5]; 5. (DNS) 10S-Taylor Scheffler
Qualifying 1: 1. 89-Brad Mueller, 13.570[3]; 2. 250-Turk Letizia, 13.593[1]; 3. 51-Chris Oertel, 13.803[4]; 4. 54-Kevin Baldry, 13.943[2]; 5. 97-Justin Schmidt, 14.102[5]; 6. 87-Adam Janke, 14.190[6]
Qualifying 2: 1. 10-Paul Parker, 13.695[1]; 2. 7-Joel Bennett, 13.727[5]; 3. 21-Todd Frank, 13.830[6]; 4. 56-Justin Ritchie, 13.975[3]; 5. 77-Bill Edler, 14.148[2]; 6. 8R-Bill Rezutek, 14.877[4]
Qualifying 3: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 13.354[2]; 2. 42-Terry Casey, 13.444[4]; 3. 3-Brett Swedberg, 13.595[5]; 4. 15-Nick Anvelink, 13.727[1]; 5. 55B-Joe Bongiorno, 16.358[3]
AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS
A Main (25 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 2. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [1]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [6]; 4. 66-Donny Goeden [5]; 5. 68T-Tyler Davis [11]; 6. 5S-Chad Stouthamer [7]; 7. 3BK-Brandon McMullen [8]; 8. 69S-TJ Smith [16]; 9. 14J-Joseph Hintz [9]; 10. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl [2]; 11. 46-Steven Ruh [13]; 12. 68P-Frank Perko [18]; 13. 59-Ethon Stear [19]; 14. 44H-Hayden Johnson [17]; 15. 11-Tony Wondra [15]; 16. 69-Bill Taylor [4]; 17. 55S-Ryan Sawusch [21]; 18. 34T-Tom Becker [20]; 19. 30-Nathan Skelton [10]; 20. 67-Josh Walter [14]; 21. 5K-Kevin Seidler [12]; 22. 37Z-Jake Zimmerman [25]; 23. 87R-Josh Rehberg [24]; 24. (DNS) 3-Justin Erickson; 25. (DNS) 20W-Weston Finke; 26. (DNS) 55P-Brady Portschy
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 69-Bill Taylor[1]; 2. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl[3]; 3. 5K-Kevin Seidler[2]; 4. 30-Nathan Skelton[6]; 5. (DNF) 55S-Ryan Sawusch[5]; 6. (DNF) 20W-Weston Finke[4]; 7. (DNF) 87R-Josh Rehberg[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz[2]; 2. 66-Donny Goeden[4]; 3. 67-Josh Walter[1]; 4. 14J-Joseph Hintz[6]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith[5]; 6. 59-Ethon Stear[3]; 7. 68P-Frank Perko[7]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 5S-Chad Stouthamer[2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt[3]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra[1]; 4. 37Z-Jake Zimmerman[4]; 5. 44H-Hayden Johnson[5]; 6. (DNS) 55P-Brady Portschy
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 3BK-Brandon McMullen[2]; 2. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach[1]; 3. 68T-Tyler Davis[3]; 4. 46-Steven Ruh[4]; 5. (DNF) 34T-Tom Becker[5]; 6. (DNF) 3-Justin Erickson[6]
Qualifying 1: 1. 20W-Weston Finke, 12.991[6]; 2. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl, 13.147[1]; 3. 5K-Kevin Seidler, 13.393[7]; 4. 69-Bill Taylor, 13.507[3]; 5. 55S-Ryan Sawusch, 13.776[5]; 6. 30-Nathan Skelton, 13.914[2]; 7. 87R-Josh Rehberg, 16.459[4]
Qualifying 2: 1. 66-Donny Goeden, 12.699[7]; 2. 59-Ethon Stear, 12.769[4]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 12.798[2]; 4. 67-Josh Walter, 12.814[3]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith, 12.879[6]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 13.046[5]; 7. 68P-Frank Perko, 13.202[1]
Qualifying 3: 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.575[3]; 2. 5S-Chad Stouthamer, 12.708[5]; 3. 55P-Brady Portschy, 12.756[6]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra, 12.853[2]; 5. 37Z-Jake Zimmerman, 12.883[1]; 6. 44H-Hayden Johnson, 12.888[4]
Qualifying 4: 1. 68T-Tyler Davis, 12.590[3]; 2. 3BK-Brandon McMullen, 12.641[6]; 3. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.712[2]; 4. 3-Justin Erickson, 12.945[1]; 5. 46-Steven Ruh, 13.073[5]; 6. 34T-Tom Becker, 14.343[4]
OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS
A Main (25 Laps): 1. 15-Derek Kaat [1]; 2. 13-Josh Pierce [6]; 3. 42-Jason Juech [4]; 4. 80-Luke Scholten [10]; 5. 53W-Dustin Weiss [9]; 6. 47-Nick Schumacher [5]; 7. 53B-Matt Urban [7]; 8. 95-Donny Kulow [14]; 9. 15M-Justin Miller [8]; 10. 53T-Tanner Lorenz [3]; 11. 41K-Brad Lubach [2]; 12. 6-Dick Hed [16]; 13. 5M-Jeff Muehlbauer [11]; 14. 24K-Tyler Kulow [12]; 15. 45-Trent Bogart [17]; 16. 27-Greg Goschey [15]; 17. (DNS) 77-Ron Johnson
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 41K-Brad Lubach[2]; 2. 53W-Dustin Weiss[5]; 3. 24K-Tyler Kulow[6]; 4. 47-Nick Schumacher[3]; 5. (DNF) 77-Ron Johnson[1]; 6. (DNF) 6-Dick Hed[4]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 15-Derek Kaat[1]; 2. 53B-Matt Urban[4]; 3. 80-Luke Scholten[5]; 4. 53T-Tanner Lorenz[2]; 5. 95-Donny Kulow[3]; 6. 45-Trent Bogart[6]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 42-Jason Juech[2]; 2. 5M-Jeff Muehlbauer[5]; 3. 13-Josh Pierce[3]; 4. 15M-Justin Miller[4]; 5. 27-Greg Goschey[1]
SHEBOYGAN FLOORING B MODS
A Main (25 Laps): 1. 66C-Colten Van Hierden [12]; 2. 19J-Justin Green [9]; 3. 69-Travis Kleindl [3]; 4. 17-Brandon Knepprath [5]; 5. 29S-Tim Sheppard [13]; 6. 46-Mitchell Fairbank[6]; 7. 59S-Spencer Long [10]; 8. 19-Parker Glander [2]; 9. 48-Matt Urban [16]; 10. 12T-Tim Thrun [4]; 11. 33H-Chad Hummelmeier [17]; 12. 3-Travis Schmidt [11]; 13. 66-Steve Lorier [15]; 14. 27L-Brendan Ostrowski [7]; 15. 117-Jim Juneau [18]; 16. 73-Rory Welch [14]; 17. 11B-Brad Buckman [8]; 18. 23S-Scott Ellis [20]; 19. 85B-Kevin Braaksma [1]; 20. (DNS) 54-Michael Strean
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 85B-Kevin Braaksma[1]; 2. 17-Brandon Knepprath[3]; 3. 19-Parker Glander[2]; 4. 11B-Brad Buckman[5]; 5. 29S-Tim Sheppard[6]; 6. 48-Matt Urban[4]; 7. (DNF) 54-Michael Strean[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 69-Travis Kleindl[2]; 2. 46-Mitchell Fairbank[4]; 3. 19J-Justin Green[5]; 4. 3-Travis Schmidt[6]; 5. 73-Rory Welch[3]; 6. 33H-Chad Hummelmeier[7]; 7. 23S-Scott Ellis[1]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 27L-Brendan Ostrowski[4]; 2. 59S-Spencer Long[5]; 3. 66C-Colten Van Hierden[6]; 4. 12T-Tim Thrun[2]; 5. 66-Steve Lorier[3]; 6. 117-Jim Juneau[1]
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