McMullen, Ritchie, Scholten, Schmidt add to PDTR A-main triumph tallies
Inaugural Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 honored
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 6, 2022 – A fast, yet intricate racing surface drew the cream of the crop to the top as four distinguished Plymouth Dirt Track Racing veterans paid visits to victory lane in A-main competition, during the inaugural Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night and Autograph Night program at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 6.
In the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty 360 Sprint Car 360 Sprint Car A main, two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh went flag to flag to notch his first main event triumph of the 2022 campaign.
Justin Ritchie of New London claimed his second 25-lap PDTR Sheboygan’s Country B93.7 Late Model A-main victory of the 2022 season.
Current PDTR Grand National point leader Luke Scholten of Oostburg notched his second 2022 25-lap Oostburg Automotive A-main triumph.
Travis Schmidt of Waldo used a late-race pass to collect his second 25-lap PDTR Next Step Insurance B Mod A-main victory of 2022.
After starting on the outside of the front row, Brandon McMullen outpowered polesitter Tony Wondra of Campbellsport to lead the opening lap of the 25-lap 360 Sprint A main as third starter Tyler Brabant of Waupun ducked underneath Wondra to take second, followed by 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who started fifth, in third.
On lap 8, McMullen caught the rear of the field on the lightning fast and tricky third-mile clay oval track surface. Two laps later, Schmidt worked his way past Brabant to assume second in the running order.
The first of three caution periods appeared on lap 12 when Tyler Davis of Franklin spun in turn four. On the restart, Brabant got caught along the treacherous cushion and flipped his machine in turn two to bring out a red flag.
Following the restart, McMullen bolted away from the field with Schmidt chasing in second and fourth starter Brandon Berth of Cascade following in third. On lap 14, the third and final caution flag appeared when Doug Wondra of Oakfield bicycled on the cushion and came to a stop in turn two.
McMullen again controlled the final restart as defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion and current points leader Travis Arenz of Sheboygan, who started 13th, moved into fifth on lap 19.
On lap 20, the leaders began to work their way through slower traffic, which allowed Schmidt to cut the gap on McMullen. However, McMullen held strong over the final five laps to fend off Schmidt’s advances in thick lapped traffic en route to his 25th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, which moved him into a tie for first place on the all-time main event win list with two-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Kurt Davis of South Milwaukee. The race also marked McMullen’s 35th career Midwest Sprint Car Association main event victory, which ranks him third on the all-time MSA A-main victory list.
Schmidt had to settle for second, Berth placed third, 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett placed fourth after starting seventh and Arenz wound up fifth.
Four-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Random Lake outdueled polesitter Turk Letizia of Milwaukee to lead the opening lap of the 25-lap Late Model main event.
On lap 2, fourth starter Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha used a low move to take over second before the first of six caution flags appeared on lap 3 after Letizia turned sideways in turn two to trigger a four-car pile-up.
On lap 9, Scheffler used the high groove to close the gap on the low-riding Mueller before the second caution was displayed when Jim Schmidt of Cleveland slowed in turn two on lap 11.
On the restart, Scheffler hounded Mueller for the lead, while Justin Ritchie, who started 12th, worked his way into third. After Mueller drifted high in turn two on lap 13, Scheffler pulled off a slide job to briefly sweep past Mueller and into the lead before spinning in turn four to bring out the third caution of the race.
When the race resumed, Mueller felt pressure from Ritchie, who worked the low groove, while Mueller moved up to the cushion, while four-time defending PDTR Late Model champion Justin Schmidt of Cleveland, who started seventh, moved into third.
On lap 15, the fourth caution flag appeared when Charlie Schmidt of Oostburg spun in turn four before first-time Plymouth Dirt Track visitor Bobby Gash of Tinley Park, Ill. brought out the fifth caution period after spinning in turn four.
Ritchie flexed his muscle on the restart to duck underneath Mueller and into the lead in turn four on lap 17 just before Mueller exited the race with a rear-end failure, which gave second place to Justin Schmidt, who was racing with a broken left ankle suffered in an accident at The Plymouth Dirt Track on July 16.
After Turk Letizia brought out the sixth and final caution following a spin in turn two on lap 21, Ritchie held on over the final four laps to collect his sixth career PDTR Late Model A-main win.
Justin Schmidt placed second, PDTR Late Model rookie Bill Edler of Howards Grove, who started second, placed third, eighth starter Joe Bongiorno of Milwaukee finished fourth and Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls, who started ninth, placed fifth.
In the 25-lap Grand National main event, 2019 PDTR Grand National champ Tyler Kulow of Plymouth, who started third, outpowered polesitter Steven Weber of Plymouth to lead the opening lap.
After the first of four caution flags was displayed on lap 7 when Vince Bartolotta of West Allis spun in turn three, Weber spun in turn two while running second to bring out the second caution flag of the race,
Following the restart, Scholten used the high line to power his way around Weber to take over the top spot in turn two. After Vince Bartolotta and Scott Kafka of Kiel spun in turn three to bring out the third caution, Scholten pulled away from Kulow to build up a full straightaway lead on lap 20.
The fourth and final caution appeared on lap 22 when 2010 PDTR Grand National champion Brian Gilles of Plymouth made contact with the turn two wall.
Following a single-file restart, Scholten bolted away to notch his 17th career PDTR Grand National A-main triumph. Weber worked his way past Kulow with a low move on the final lap to secure second. Kulow placed third, second starter Donny Kulow of Elkhart Lake finished fourth and Kafka rounded out the top five.
After an incident on the initial start involving Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls, Andy Welter of Hartford and Jonathon Baumann of Sheboygan in turn one, polesitter Brian Konitzer of Sheboygan grabbed the lead on the opening lap with outside front row starter Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls trailing in second.
On lap 5, Tim Warner of Malone, who started sixth, steered Jonathan Hitsman’s 7H car to third just before Brandon Knepprath of Boltonville spun in turn four. On the restart, Warner used the high groove to power around Long into second before moving in to challenge Konitzer for the lead on lap 8.
After the caution flag appeared on lap 11 for debris in turn two, fourth starter Travis Schmidt, who started fourth, worked his way in third on lap 12. Three laps later, Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls spun on turn two to bring out the third caution of the race.
When the race resumed Schmidt and Warner waged a side-by-side duel before Schmidt surged into second and quickly closed in on Konitzer. On lap 19, Schmidt swept past Konitzer and into the top spot.
The fourth and final caution period came on lap 20, but Schmidt was not to be denied as he cruised over the final five laps on the way to his seventh career PDTR B Mod A-main victory.
Warner placed second, Konitzer finished third, Jonathon Baumann, who started 13th, placed fourth and current PDTR B Mod points leader Andy Welter, who started 11th, finished fifth.
2018 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Justin Miller of Plymouth won the 12-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.
Ben Schmidt earned PDTR 360 Sprint Car overall fast qualifier honors with a lap of 12.883 seconds.
The 10th full PDTR racing program of the 2022 season drew 63 cars, including 30 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, 13 Late Models, seven Grand Nationals and 13 B Mods.
The Autograph Night program was sponsored by Hopf Farms and the inaugural Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Class of 2022 induction ceremony took place at intermission with drivers Dick Berth, Etchie Biertzer, Buck Carman, Willie Goeden, Wayne Goetsch, Dick Hed, Carl Kulow, Bill Johnson II, Ken Markwardt and Ken Steffen, track workers (dedication to racing) Eddie Foy, Bill Hoftiezer, Happy Laack, Karen and Donny Ruh and the Goetsch, Laack and Schulz racing families earning inaugural induction accolades.
PDTR action resumes next Saturday, Aug. 13 with Kids Fan Appreciation Night, featuring special prizes, giveaways and activities for kids and competition in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions with the program sponsored by JDL Automotive and Detailing.
Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m.
The new book “Racing Recollections – Plymouth Racetrack Fans & Drivers 1950-2021” by Dennis Darovich of Sheboygan, George Baumann of Waupun and Verla Peichl of Sheboygan Falls will be available for purchase at every race during the 2022 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.
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.
KRISTINE HARTMANN PLEASANT VIEW REALTY 360 SPRINT CARS
QUALIFYING
1, Ben Schmidt 12.883 2, Will Gerrits 13.033 3, Jason Johnson 13.227 4, Tyler Davis 13.351 5, Shane Wenninger 13.356 6, Chris Larson 13.368 7, Brandon Berth 13.422 8, Tyler Brabant 13.433 9, Doug Wondra 13.487 10, Justin Miller 13.489 11, Blake Wondra 13.569 12, Donny Goeden 13.571 13, Katelyn Krebsbach 13.719 14, Chris Clayton 13.723 15, J.J. Pagel 13.726 16, Bill Taylor 13.799 17, Brandon McMullen 13.819 18, Tony Wondra 13.838 19, Tim Haddy 13.842 20, Lance Fassbender 13.848 21, Justin Erickson 13.867 22, Dylan Winkel 13.882 23, Mike Yurmanovich 13.890 24, Alex Pokorski 13.907 25, Kurt Davis 13.938 26, Travis Arenz 14.001 27, Anthony Knierim 14.125 28, Cole Possi 14.188 29, Kevin Seidler 14.299 30, Randy Post 14.746.
HEAT 1
1, Lance Fassbender 2, Brandon McMullen 3, Kurt Davis 4, Travis Arenz 5, Bill Taylor 6, Anthony Knierim 7, Cole Possi 8, Kevin Seidler.
HEAT 2
1, Tim Haddy 2, Tony Wondra 3, Dylan Winkel 4, Katelyn Krebsbach 5, Alex Pokorski 6, Justin Erickson 7, Randy Post 8, Mike Yurmanovich.
HEAT 3
1, Brandon Berth 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Jason Johnson 4, Tyler Davis 5, Doug Wondra 6, J.J. Pagel 7, Chris Clayton.
HEAT 4
1, Tyler Brabant 2, Will Gerrits 3, Shane Wenninger 4, Donny Goeden 5, Justin Miller 6, Chris Larson 7, Blake Wondra.
B MAIN
1, Justin Miller 2, Doug Wondra 3, Tyler Davis 4, Bill Taylor 5, Anthony Knierim 6, Justin Erickson 7, Cole Possi 8, Blake Wondra 9, Chris Larson 10, Kevin Seidler 11, Randy Post 12, J.J. Pagel 13, Chris Clayton (DNS) 14, Mike Yurmanovich (DNS).
A MAIN
1, Brandon McMullen 2, Ben Schmidt 3, Brandon Berth 4, Lance Fassbender 5, Travis Arenz 6, Will Gerrits 7, Kurt Davis 8, Donny Goeden 9, Shane Wenninger 10, Tony Wondra 11, Dylan Winkel 12, Bill Taylor 13, Alex Pokorski 14, Jason Johnson 15, Anthony Knierim 16, Justin Erickson 17, Justin Miller 18, Tim Haddy 19, Tyler Davis 20, Katelyn Krebsbach 21, Doug Wondra 22, Tyler Brabant.
SHEBOYGAN’S COUNTRY B93.7 LATE MODELS
HEAT 1
1, Charlie Schmidt 2, Jim Schmidt 3, Justin Schmidt 4, Turk Letizia 5, Sawyer Specht 6, Justin Ritchie 7, Chad Ludwigson.
HEAT 2
1, Brad Mueller 2, Taylor Scheffler 3, Bill Edler 4, Joe Bongiorno 5, Eric Michaels 6, Bobby Gash.
A MAIN
1, Justin Ritchie 2, Justin Schmidt 3, Bill Edler 4, Joe Bongiorno 5, Sawyer Specht 6, Charlie Schmidt 7, Turk Letizia 8, Eric Michaels 9, Bobby Gash 10, Brad Mueller 11, Taylor Scheffler 12, Jim Schmidt 13, Chad Ludwigson.
OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS
HEAT
1, Brian Gilles 2, Tyler Kulow 3, Steven Weber 4, Donny Kulow 5, Vince Bartolotta, 6, Scott Kafka 7, Luke Scholten.
A MAIN
1, Luke Scholten 2, Steven Weber 3, Tyler Kulow 4, Donny Kulow 5, Scott Kafka 6, Brian Gilles, Vice Bartolotta.
NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS
HEAT 1
1, James Rautmann 2, Tim Warner 3, Shane Long 4, Spencer Long 5, Rory Welch 6, Jonathon Baumann 7, Parker Glander.
HEAT 2
1, Travis Schmidt 2, Steve Lorier 3, Brian Konitzer 4, Brandon Knepprath 5, Andy Welter 6, Patrick Hanson.
A MAIN
1, Travis Schmidt 2, Tim Warner 3, Brian Konitzer 4, Jonathon Baumann 5, Andy Welter 6, Steve Lorier 7, Spencer Long 8, James Rautmann 9, Rory Welch 10, Shane Long 11, Patrick Hanson 12, Brandon Knepprath 13, Parker Glander.