Points leader McMullen motors to fourth 2023 PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main triumph
Weber, Warner, Zellmer bag PDTR main event victories
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 19, 2023 – Two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion and current division points leader Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh kept himself in the driver’s seat for another title by claiming his fourth 25-lap Akright Auto PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event victory of the 2023 season Saturday, Aug. 19 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.
Steven Weber of Plymouth secured his first A-main victory of the 2023 campaign in a hotly contested 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National main event.
Two-time PDTR B Mod champion Tim Warner of Malone notched his fifth Next Step Insurance 25-lap B Mod A-main victory of the 2023 campaign.
Adam Zellmer of Horicon captured his second 20-lap 106.5 The Buzz Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series A main of the 2023 season in the Legends’ third and final 2023 appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track.
Outside front row starter Lance Fassbender of Burnett outpowered polesitter Paul Pokorski of West Bend to grab the lead in turn one of the opening lap of the 25-lap PDTR – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car headliner.
Meanwhile, fourth starter and Plymouth native Brandon McMullen moved past both Justin Erickson of Plymouth and Pokorski to secure second in turn two of the opening lap. On lap 6, Fassbender, who captured the 2008 PDTR 360Sprint Car championship, caught the back of the field and began to maneuver his way through lapped traffic.
Three laps later, McMullen moved in to challenge Fassbender for the top spot along the low groove of the fast and challenging track surface. On lap 10, McMullen used the outside line to vault into the lead exiting turn four.
Five laps later, McMullen found himself boxed in behind side-by-side lapped traffic, which allowed Fassbender to reduce the lead gap. On lap 16, the lone caution flag of the race appeared when rookie Tristan Koenings of Van Dyne stopped along the apron of the frontstretch exiting turn four.
Following the restart, 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth, who started ninth, moved past Pokorski to assume third on lap 17. With McMullen holding down a comfortable lead as the laps wound down, Schmidt moved in to pressure Fassbender for the runner-up spot.
Schmidt then executed a low move to clear Fassbender in turn three on the white flag lap and gain second place, while McMullen notched his all-time division-leading 31st career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 43rd career Midwest Sprint Car Association A-main triumph, along with his fourth PDTR and fifth MSA main event win of the 2023 season.
Schmidt placed second, Fassbender wound up third, Justin Erickson came home fourth and 10thstarter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend placed fifth.
“It was pretty tough to pass in turns one and two, but it was pretty good in turns three and four,” McMullen said. “I like tracks like this that have a little bit of character. I have to give props to my guys. The car was really good all night.”
Heading into the final three events of the 2023 PDTR season, McMullen leads Schmidt by nine points in the chase for the PDTR 360 Sprint Car title with Karnitz 89 points behind in third.
Three-time PDTR Grand National champion Don Sorce Jr. of West Allis, who started second, grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National main event as fourth starter Steven Weber powered into second with Nick Schumacher of Eagle, who started third, settling into third. On lap 7, Schumacher and Weber dueled side by side for second with Weber retaining the spot one lap later.
When Sorce Jr. bobbled slightly on the 11thcircuit, Weber pounced as he charged in to seize the top spot from Sorce Jr. in turn three, while Schumacher followed into the runner-up spot. Two laps later, six-time Plymouth Super Stock and Grand National champion Brian Gilles of Plymouth, who started sixth, moved into third.
Schumacher cut the gap significantly on lap 17 as Weber dealt with lapped traffic, while Gilles, eighth starter Will Sorce of Franklin and fifth starter Justin Pearson of Horicon ran in close quarters formation at the front of the field.
While the top five competitors ran with a blanket over them, Weber continued to fend off Schumacher’s challenges, while Sorce ducked under Gilles to take over third on lap 22.
Weber successfully held off the fast train of cars immediately behind him to claim his fourth career PDTR Grand National A-main victory and first main event triumph of the 2023 campaign.
Schumacher placed second, Sorce was third. Gilles wound up fourth and Pearson finished fifth.
Sorce heads into the final points race of the 2023 PDTR Grand National season on Friday, Aug. 25with a two-point lead over Gilles, who collected the 2010 PDTR Grand National title, and a 35-point cushion over 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Plymouth in the battle for the 2023 championship.
Outside front row starter Barry Maas of Cascade led the opening lap before polesitter Dan Melton of Rhinelander battled back to seize the lead on lap 2 of the 25-lap PDTR B Mod main event.
On lap 3, Tim Warner moved up from the fourth starting spot to slip past Maas into second with a low move in turn four. Two laps later, Warner began to hound Melton for the lead.
Warner stayed patient over the next 10 laps as he worked the high, low and middle grooves before finally diving low to gain the lead in turn three when Melton drifted high in turn two on lap 15.
Over the final 10 laps, Melton, third starter Travis Schmidt of Plymouth, Jonathon Baumann of Sheboygan, who started seventh, and Maas sliced and diced for the remaining top-five spots.
Warner cruised to his division-leading 12th career PDTR B Mod A-main victory and fifth A-main triumph of the 2023 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track.
Melton wound up second, Schmidt was third, Baumann took fourth and Maas rounded out the top five.
Maas holds a 12-point lead over Schmidt with one race remaining in the 2023 PDTR B Mod season on Friday, Aug. 25. Shane Long of Sheboygan Falls stands 14 points behind in third and Warner sits fourth 20 points in back of the leader with one night left in the 2023 PDTR B Mod campaign.
After starting on the outside of the third row, Adam Zellmer flexed his muscle early to emerge from a three-wide duel with second starter Hunter Cardinal of Richfield and fourth starter Dallas Ross of Sussex to commandeer the lead on the opening lap of the 20-lap Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series main event.
Zellmer then pulled away from Ross and maintained a solid lead cushion throughout the remainder of the race. Behind Zellmer and Ross, ninth starter Hayden Schmuhl of Beaver Dam, eighth starter Eric Blumer of Sun Prairie, Cardinal and Ryan Sullivan of Waupun, who started seventh, engaged in a spirited duel for third starting on lap 15.
Fellmer built up a full-straightaway lead over Ross on lap 18 before a red flag appeared on lap 19 when Ryan Sullivan flipped in turn two.
Following the restart, Fellmer held strong to secure his second 2023 Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series A-main at Plymouth.
Ross placed second, Blumer was third, Schmuhl placed fourth and 10th starter Austin Winkel of Sheboygan Falls rounded out the top five.
Alex Pokorski of West Bend claimed his second fast qualifier award of the 2023 season in the Akright Auto PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car division with a lap of 12.534 seconds.
The 14th event of the 2023 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Schwaller’s Painting & Staining, drew a total of 65 cars, including 21 Grand Nationals, 20 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 13 B Mods and 11 Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series cars.
The next Plymouth Dirt Track Racing program on Friday, Aug. 25 will feature the lone WABAM Dirt Kings Late Model Tour appearance of the 2023 racing season at The Plymouth Dirt Track for a $2,000-to-win event presented by Galloping Ghost Motorsports & Transport.
PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars will also be on the card, along with the final points events of the 2023 season for the PDTR Grand Nationals and B Mods with championships crowned in both divisions.
Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing 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.
AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS
A Main (25 Laps): 1. 98-Brandon McMullen [4]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [9]; 3. 7-Lance Fassbender [2]; 4. 3-Justin Erickson [3]; 5. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [10]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith [7]; 7. 68T-Tyler Davis [5]; 8. 85J-Logan Julien [12]; 9. 53A-Paul Pokorski [1]; 10. 4-Alex Pokorski [16]; 11. 22B-Brandon Berth [8]; 12. 69-Bill Taylor [6]; 13. 51-Chris Larson [17]; 14. 21H-TJ Haddy [18]; 15. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [11]; 16. 30-Doug Wondra [19]; 17. 66T-Tristan Koenings [13]; 18. 12P-JJ Pagel [15]; 19. 11-Tony Wondra [14]; 20. 54-Randy Post [20]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 98-Brandon McMullen [1]; 2. 3-Justin Erickson [2]; 3. 7-Lance Fassbender [4]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra [3]; 5. 85J-Logan Julien [6]; 6. 21H-TJ Haddy [5]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra [7]
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 68T-Tyler Davis [2]; 2. 53A-Paul Pokorski [1]; 3. 35-Ben Schmidt [3]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [5]; 5. 4-Alex Pokorski [4]; 6. 12P-JJ Pagel [7]; 7. 54-Randy Post [6]
Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 69-Bill Taylor [2]; 2. 69S-TJ Smith [1]; 3. 22B-Brandon Berth [3]; 4. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [4]; 5. 66T-Tristan Koenings [6]; 6. 51-Chris Larson [5]
Qualifying 1: 1. 7-Lance Fassbender, 13.182 [2]; 2. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.221 [6]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.241 [1]; 4. 98-Brandon McMullen, 13.387 [5]; 5. 21H-TJ Haddy, 13.410 [7]; 6. 85J-Logan Julien, 13.458 [4]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.704 [3]
Qualifying 2: 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 12.534 [5]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.611 [7]; 3. 68T-Tyler Davis, 12.743 [4]; 4. 53A-Paul Pokorski, 12.782 [2]; 5. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 12.819 [6]; 6. 54-Randy Post, 13.163 [1]; 7. 12P-JJ Pagel [3]
Qualifying 3: 1. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.672 [4]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth, 12.677 [2]; 3. 69-Bill Taylor, 12.750 [1]; 4. 69S-TJ Smith, 12.913 [5]; 5. 51-Chris Larson, 12.950 [3]; 6. 66T-Tristan Koenings, 13.025 [6]
OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS
A Main: 1. 34-Steven Weber [4]; 2. 47-Nick Schumacher [3]; 3. 14X-Will Sorce [8]; 4. 89-Brian Gilles [6]; 5. E85-Justin Pearson [5]; 6. 80-Luke Scholten [9]; 7. 16-Will Schumacher [7]; 8. 53W-Dustin Weiss [11]; 9. 6-Dick Hed [1]; 10. 95-Donny Kulow [10]; 11. 99-Donald Sorce Jr. [2]; 12. 5M-Jeff Muehlbauer [13]; 13. 54-Matt Yancey [12]; 14. 24K-Tyler Kulow [16]; 15. 5R-Nate Ruh [14]; 16. 23-Scott Kafka [17]; 17. 5-Nick Wunrow [15]; 18. 55-Don Singer [18]; 19. 41-Mark Haskins [20]; 20. 6B-Vince Bartolotta [19]; 21. 93-Mavrick Ruh [21]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 16-Will Schumacher [1]; 2. 34-Steven Weber [2]; 3. 99-Don Sorce Jr. [4]; 4. 95-Donny Kulow [5]; 5. 54-Matt Yancey [7]; 6. 23-Matt Loehr [6]; 7. 41-Mark Haskins [3]
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 89-Brian Gilles [1]; 2. 47-Nick Schumacher [2]; 3. 80-Luke Scholten [3]; 4. 53W-Dustin Weiss [5]; 5. 24K-Tyler Kulow [4]; 6. 5-Nick Wunrow [7]; 7. 55-Don Singer [6]
Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 14X-Will Sorce [2]; 2. 6-Dick Hed [1]; 3. E85-Justin Pearson [5]; 4. 5M-Jeff Muehlbauer [4]; 5. 5R-Nate Ruh [6]; 6. 6B-Vince Bartolotta [3]; 7. (DNF) 93-Mavrick Ruh [7]
NEXT STEP INSURANCE B MODS
A Main (25 Laps): 1. 03W-Tim Warner [4]; 2. 81-Dan Melton [1]; 3. 3-Travis Schmidt [3]; 4. 70-Jonathon Baumann [7]; 5. 22M-Barry Maas [2]; 6. 17S-Shane Long [6]; 7. 66-Steve Lorier [5]; 8. 73-Rory Welch [9]; 9. 84-Mark Hoeppner [10]; 10. 59S-Spencer Long [8]; 11. 19-Parker Glander [11]; 12. 17-Brandon Knepprath [12]; 13. 19H-Riley Hull [13]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 03W-Tim Warner [2]; 2. 66-Steve Lorier [3]; 3. 22M-Barry Maas [6]; 4. 70-Jonathon Baumann [5]; 5. 19-Parker Glander [1]; 6. 19H-Riley Hull [7]; 7. 17-Brandon Knepprath [4]
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 3-Travis Schmidt [1]; 2. 17S-Shane Long [3]; 3. 81-Dan Melton [6]; 4. 59S-Spencer Long [2]; 5. 73-Rory Welch [4]; 6. 84-Mark Hoeppner [5]
106.5 THE BUZZ WISCONSIN LEGENDS RACING DIRT SERIES
A Main (20 Laps): 1. 117-Adam Zellmer [6]; 2. 87-Dallas Ross [4]; 3. 6E-Eric Blumer [8]; 4. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl [9]; 5. 88-Austin Winkel [10]; 6. 45C-Hunter Cardinal [2]; 7. 51-Tim Franz [11]; 8. 5G-Matt Gritt [5]; 9. 95M-Mike Mueller [3]; 10. 54W-Nate Werner [1]; 11. 20-Ryan Sullivan [7]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 117-Adam Zellmer [4]; 2. 45C-Hunter Cardinal [2]; 3. 88-Austin Winkel [6]; 4. 87-Dallas Ross [3]; 5. 6E-Eric Blumer [5]; 6. 51-Tim Franz [1]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 20-Ryan Sullivan [4]; 2. 95M-Mike Mueller [2]; 3. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl [5]; 4. 5G-Matt Gritt [3]; 5. 54W-Nate Werner [1]
