Walter shows speed, but bad luck lingers in IRA action
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 5, 2020 – After being hounded by adversity through the first four races of the 2020 season, Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team displayed plenty of speed to run at the front of the pack, but the sour luck remained during a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series doubleheader at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Thursday, July 30 and Langlade County Speedway in Antigo, Wis. on Friday, July 31.
On July 30, Walter took a short trip down the road from his Plymouth shop to compete in the second annual Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champoins-Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association co-sanctioned Rayce Rudeen Foundation $26,000-to-win event at The Plymouth Dirt Track.
Walter opened the highest paying Winged 410 Sprint Car race in Wisconsin history by timing in 31st in the 41-car field with a lap of 12.632 seconds around the third-mile clay oval.
After starting sixth in the fourth 10-lap heat race, Walter lost power shortly after the drop of the green flag and rolled to a stop in turn three on the opening lap. Walter went briefly to the work area before retiring from the race with an apparent fuel-pickup issue.
Following some quick repairs, Walter started third in the 10-lap C main needing to finish in the top two positions in order to transfer to the back of the B main.
Walter held down third throughout the majority of the race until the final lap when Sean Rayhall powered past him along the high groove to drop Walter to fourth at the finish line.
“We thought it was an electrical issue in the heat race, so we put in a different mag box,” Walter said. “Later we found out at that the fuel pump came disconnected from the power steering pump just enough to not notice and not turn the pump.
“Unfortunately, after encountering various issues in our previous IRA events at 141 Speedway and Plymouth earlier in the month, our very rough start the season continued with the All Stars,” he said.
While not originally on the team’s schedule, a last-minute decision sent Walter and his Torque Racing team to Northern Wisconsin the following night for a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association event at the half-mile Langlade County Speedway in Antigo, Wis.
After opening the event by qualifying seventh in the 20-car field with a lap of 17.398 seconds, Walter lined up second in the first IRA heat race.
On lap one, Walter drifted high, which allowed Bill Balog and Scotty Neitzel to move past, while Walter dropped to fourth in the running order. Walter held his position over the final nine laps to place fourth in the race.
Walter then used a favorable dash draw to roll off second in the first IRA four-lap dash. The 15th-year Plymouth driver got the jump on the start to take the lead into turn one and he pulled away from polesitter Dave Uttech to win the first dash and earn the pole position for the 20-lap A main in commanding fashion.
Walter’s high hopes for starting the A main pole were quickly dashed when his 12W car rolled to a stop along the backstretch shortly after being pushed off for the A main. Walter went to the work area before attempting a second push off.
However, the car again did not fire and Walter was forced to retreat to his pit area. He was scored 20th in the race.
“We believe what happened before the A main at Antigo was our older backup mag box failing that we had switched to on Thursday,” Walter said. “There’s no way of knowing when an electrical issue will occur. Most times they briefly show signs of failure and stop working like a battery going dead. However, the mag box showed no issue all night until after two or three laps idling around before we lined up for the A.
“It was just another heartbreaking night for this season, but this one feels worse,” he said. “There’s not much you can do about these things when they happen. We just need to stay positive and look at how well the night was going, instead of how bad it ended. We need to keep in mind it could have always been a lot worse.”
Walter and the members of the Torque Racing team are planning to take most of the remainder of the month of August off to prepare for a potentially very busy September.
“Our next race will be Saturday, August 29th at Beaver Dam Raceway,” Walter said. “After that, our season will look to get pretty busy and hopefully, I can find some consistency with our new car. Our highly tentative schedule will continue Friday, September 4th at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Saturday, September 5th at Plymouth, Sunday, September 6th at 141 Speedway, Friday, September 11th at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour, Saturday, September 19th at Beaver Dam Raceway, Friday, September 25th at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam and Saturday, September 26th at Plymouth.”
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 – Full Throttle Ink
The Torque Racing team is pleased to have Full Throttle Ink in Sheboygan Falls on board as a sponsor for the 2020 season.
Full Throttle Ink is Sheboygan County’s premier tattoo, piercing, and apparel shop, located at 501 North Main (Highway 32) in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Under the direction of owner Jeff Klug, Full Throttle Ink features a 1,100-square foot state-of-the-art tattoo and piercing parlor, as well as a a complete line of 1940s and 1950s-themed high-end hot-rod style clothing.
Full Throttle Ink, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., also offers Motorcult Apparel, Lucky 13 Apparel and Klug’s personal line of Sheboygan County-exclusive apparel.
To book a tattoo or piercing appointment, call 920-467-2215 or email fullthrottleink@hotmail.com.
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 Tentative Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Aug. 29 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)
Friday, Sept. 4 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)
Saturday, Sept. 5 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis. (IRA)
Sunday, Sept. 6 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis. (IRA)
2020 Josh Walter-Torque Racing By The Numbers
Total Events – 6
IRA events – 4
A-Main Victories – 0
B-Main Victories – 0
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 0
Heat Race Victories – 0
Dash Victories – 1
Dash Appearances – 2