Father-son driving tandem set to guide Pokorski Motorsports in swan song season

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 6, 2020 – While the 2020 season was supposed to be the last go-around for the Pokorski Motorsports 360 Sprint Car team, the condensed campaign brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic enticed the team to add one more complete year of action to its extensive racing resume. 

For the team’s 29th and last season operating as Pokorski Motorsports, 29-year open wheel racing veteran Paul Pokorski will once again share seat time with his 22-year-old son, Alex, who will be entering his second season of 360 Sprint Car competition. 

The highlight of the shortened 2020 came on the opening night of the season at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. when Paul outdueled Tyler Brabant and Travis Arenz to park the familiar blue No. 4 car in victory lane for the 46th time in his career and 11th time behind the wheel of a 360 Sprint Car. 

One week later, Alex jumped into the seat for the first time at The Plymouth Dirt Track to begin his rookie campaign in the 360 Sprint Car ranks. 

Overall, the team competed in 18 total events in 2020 with one A-main victory, one B-main victory, one top-five A-main finish and three top-10 A-main finishes.

Paul competed in 10 events, racking up one A-main victory, one top-five A-main showing and three-top 10 A-main finishes. 

“Overall, the season was fun,” Paul said. “It’s hard getting out of the car because I still have a passion for driving, but it’s also very satisfying to help your kids do something that they enjoy and excel at as well. I look forward to doing it again in 2021.”

Alex ran in eight events while qualifying for three A mains and earning one B-main victory during his rookie season in a 360 Sprint Car in 2020.  

“The highlight of the 2020 season was definitely winning the B main at Plymouth,” Alex said. “In my go-karting career, I was used to being fast and contending to win races every week, so it felt good to finally be able to do that in a Sprint Car. The last night of the season would be a night I would re-do if I were able to do so. I think I could’ve been a lot better in the A main and would like to race against my dad again. For the 2021 season, I want to learn to run the cushion, be better on dry slick tracks and make A mains more consistently.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team ended up 24th in the final 2020 Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) point standings and 25th in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (PDTR) point standings.

“Over the winter we made some changes to a car we had to make it fit Alex better and to give him more head room for safety,” Paul said. “We also acquired 2020 Maxim chassis from another team to use as our primary car. Other than that, we just did the routine of cleaning things up and checking things out before putting them all back together.”

The team intends to race most of the MSA and PDTR 360 Sprint Car schedule in 2021. 

“We will run the majority of the MSA events,” Paul said. “However, we’re not really racing for points. We are racing because we want to and because we want to support the MSA and the good things it is doing for Sprint Car racing.”

The 2021 campaign will begin with the Jim Wipperfurth Memorial event for the MSA Sprint Cars at the Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Saturday, April 17 with Paul set to be behind the wheel of the Pokorski Motorsports entry. 

“We are planning on being ready for the MSA opener at Beaver Dam Raceway,” Paul said. “We’ve had pretty decent luck there over the years and I’m looking forward to what may be my last race there. 

“As far as driving the car between Alex and myself, we plan to do it a lot like last year,” he said. “I’m going to drive the first three or four weeks and then once Alex is done with college finals, he’ll take over for the majority of the summer. If he can’t make it for some work-related reason, then I’ll drive myself. We will probably skip one or two events for family vacation time. Although at this point, we have no plans for that specifically.”

For those wondering if the final year of Pokorski Motorsports will include a pair of blue No. 4 cars on the track on the same night, Paul is generally non-committal at this point, while not ruling out the possibility. 

Paul and Alex each competed in the 2020 MSA season finale at The Plymouth Dirt Track with both Pokorski Motorsports drivers qualifying for the A main.

“As far as Alex and myself both racing on the same night this year, if we still have two cars and two motors left coming down to the last two nights, we might try to work something out,” Pokorski said. 

Sponsors for the 2021 Pokorski Motorsports team are Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hopf Farms, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation, The Cawley Company and Pedal Down Promotions.

“Many of our sponsors are back from last year,” Paul said. “Peterson Septic Systems stepped up big time and would be considered our primary sponsor for 2021.”

As Pokorski Motorsports embarks on its 29th and final campaign, Paul is hoping for an enjoyable season for all involved with the long-running team. 

“My hope is that we can make it through the season without any major setbacks, such as crashes or engine problems,” Paul said. “If we can race most of the nights and have fun doing it, I’ll consider that a success. In the fall, we will put everything up for sale and then to start figuring out what’s next for 2022.”

Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Petersen Septic Systems

Pokorski Motorsports is pleased to have Petersen Septic Systems step into the role of primary sponsor for the 2021 racing season.

Since opening its doors in Valders, Wis. in 2012, Petersen Septic Systems LLC has provided premier septic tank service and the most reliable septic system installation and repair in Manitowoc and Two Rivers and the surrounding Lakeshore area.

“We offer our services to industrial, institutional, residential, new construction, commercial and municipal accounts,” Petersen Septic Systems Owner David Petersen said. “Customer service is our utmost priority. We do every job as it was in our own homes. Our experience is second to none in the area. Prior to opening the business, I worked for Tuschl Septic Systems from 2004 until owner Chuck Tuschl retired.”

The list of regular services Petersen Septic Systems offers includes septic pump repairs, test drilling/test boring, sewage treatment systems, septic tank removal, septic tank installation, water line repair, oil testing and perc testing.

“We provide all of these services in Manitowoc County and the surrounding areas,” Petersen said. “We are OSHA certified and are licensed MPRS/CST966051.”

Petersen Septic Systems is located at 7334 Nagel Road in Valders, Wis. For more information, call 920-323-2640 or 920-758-2626, email petersenseptic@gmail.com or visit www.petersensepticsystems.com.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.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 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Total Events – 18

MSA events – 17

IRA events – 0

A Main Victories – 1

B Main Victories – 1

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 3

Heat Race Victories – 0

MSA points finish – 24th

PDTR points finish – 25th

2021 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, April 17 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis 

Saturday, April 24 – Gravity Park Speedway, Chilton, Wis. 

Saturday, May 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing, Plymouth, Wis. 

Friday, May 7 – Beaver Dam Raceway, Beaver Dam, Wis. 

Saturday, May 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track Racing, Plymouth Wis.