Scheffler cashes in big Super Six Late Model victory
Pribnow, Dustin Weiss, Hummelmeier claim A-main triumphs
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 29, 2024 – Taylor Scheffler of Waukesha survived six caution flags and fended off former Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Late Model champs Mitch McGrath and Brad Mueller to secure the 30-lap Seubert Calf Ranches 96.5 The Buzz Super Six Late Model A-main victory worth $2,500 in the third complete PDTR program of the 2024 season Saturday, June 29 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.
In the 25-lap Akright Auto 360 Sprint Car main event, Robbie Pribnow of Lomira outdueled 2011 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Ben Schmidt of Plymouth in the closing laps to capture his first A-main victory of the 2024 season behind the wheel of Blake Wondra’s No. 0 machine.
Dustin Weiss of Iron Ridge rolled up from the 12thstarting spot to record his first career 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National main event victory.
Barrett Hummelmeier of Beaver Dam led wire-to-wire en route to the first A-main victory of his career in the 25-lap Sheboygan Flooring B Mod A-main.
Polesitter Taylor Scheffler bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag in the 30-lap Super Six Late Model Series headliner with 2014 PDTR Late Model champion Mitch McGrath of Waukesha, who started fourth, seizing second on the opening lap.
On lap five, four-time PDTR Late Model champion Brad Mueller of Randon Lake took over third in the running order after starting sixth. The first of six caution flags appeared on lap 8 when Turk Letizia of Milwaukee spun in turn two.
Following another caution flag on lap 9, Scheffler bolted out to a half-straightaway advantage over McGrath on lap 13 before the third caution flag of the event was displayed when Turk Letizia spun in turn two.
Five laps later, Sawyer Specht of Sheboygan Falls and Charlie Schmidt of Cedar Grove collided in turn four to bring out the fourth caution of the race on lap 18.
On the restart, five-time PDTR Late Model champ Justin Schmidt of Cleveland slowed in turn out to draw the fifth caution of the race. Mueller moved in to challenge McGrath for second on lap l9 along the outside groove of the dry and dusty racing surface.
McGrath, who leads the way with three career Super Six Late Model Series A-main victories at Plymouth, retained second on lap 22 and was reeling in Scheffler when Bill Edler of Howards Grove and Jim Schmidt of Cleveland spun along the front stretch to bring out the sixth and final caution flag of race.
Following a single-file restart, McGrath attempted to duck underneath Scheffler. However, Scheffler held on to secure his second-career Super Six Late Model Series A-main victory and eighth overall PDTR Late Model main event win of his career, which earned him a $2,500 first-place check.
McGrath had to settle for second, Mueller was third, Spencer Diercks of Davenport, Iowa, who started second, placed fourth and Justin Ritchie of New London stormed up from the 14th starting position to round out the top five.
Inside second row starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend used a daring three-wide move to zip past front row starters Bill Taylor Boltonville and Chris Larson of Franksville to grab the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main.
With Karnitz holding a comfortable lead, fifth starter Ben Schmidt used the outside groove to vault his way into the top five on the second circuit before the lone caution flag of the race appeared on lap 5. Following the restart, Schmidt bolted past Larson, Taylor, Robbie Pribnow to secure second and move in to challenge Karnitz for the top spot on lap 6.
Three laps later, Schmidt used the high groove to shoot past Karnitz to secure the top spot in turn one on lap 11. Karnitz attempted to battle back over the ensuing lap along the inside lane. However, Schmidt was too strong as he powered away as he weaved his way through slower traffic starting on lap 13.
Schmidt, who captured seven main event victories at Plymouth during the 2023 campaign and has one A-main win in 2024, continued to hold down the top spot over Karnitz over the ensuing 10 laps.
Meanwhile, fourth starter Robbie Pribnow was mounting a spirited charge to the front utilizing the outside lane of the third-mile clay oval to take over third on lap 16. After disposing of Karnitz on lap 18, Pribnow started to reel in the leader.
On lap 23 Pribnow moved in to challenge Schmidt for the top spot before slipping past the 25-year veteran in turn two on lap 24. Pribnow powered away from Schmidt over the final two circuits to secure his fourth career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and ninth career Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car main event triumph.
Schmidt placed second, Karnitz placed third, Taylor wound up fourth and rookie Clayton Rossmann of Wadsworth, Ill. rounded out the top five after starting sixth.
Rookie Austin Yancey of Sheboygan, who started on the pole, outbattled second starter Mavrick Ruh of Elkhart Lake to lead the opening lap of the 25-lap Grand National main event with Ruh and third starter Steven Weber of Plymouth securing second and third respectively in the running order.
On lap 6, eighth starter T.J. Smith of Greenville executed a three-wide pass to take over fifth before advancing to third along the high line on lap 8.
One lap later, Ruh briefly took the lead before Smith bolted by to take the top spot on lap 12. Ruh remained close behind Smith before the first caution of the race appeared on lap 16.
Following the restart, Dustin Weiss, who started 12th, flexed his muscle to sweep into second place on lap 16. One lap later, Yancey spun in turn fourth to prompt the second caution flag of the race.
The third and final caution flag of the race was displayed on the ensuing restart when Weber spun in turn two. When the race returned to green flag action, Weiss completed his stirring run to the front by powering past Smith along the outside groove. Once he was out front, Weiss bolted away from the field to post his first-career PDTR Grand National main event win.
Smith held on to place second, Tyler Kulow of Plymouth moved up from the ninth starting position to finish third, 2023 PDTR Grand National co-champion Will Sorce of Franklin placed fourth from his 11th starting spot and seven-time Plymouth track champ Brian Gilles of Plymouth charged up from the 10th starting position to finish fifth.
Outside front row starter Barrett Hummelmeier seized the lead on the drop of the green flag in the 25-lap B Mod A-main with rookie polesitter Parker Glander of Sheboygan Falls sliding into second.
The first of three caution periods occurred on lap two for a four-car incident in turn two. On the restart, Spencer Long of Sheboygan Falls moved up from his sixth starting position to secure second.
The leaders caught the rear of the field on lap 11 as Travis Schmidt of Plymouth advanced from the 10th starting spot to take over third. After two more caution flags on lap 18, Long began to pressure Hummelmeier for the lead on lap 19.
However, Long slipped back a spot when Schmidt wrestled the second position away on lap 24. Meanwhile, Hummelmeier stormed to his first career A-main victory.
Schmidt took home second, Long wound up third, Brian Konitzer of Sheboygan improved seven spots from the 11th starting position to place fourth and 2022 PDTR B Mod champ Andy Welter of Cedarburg started and finished fifth.
Mike Mullen of Seymour picked up the Super Six Late Model Series fast qualifier award with a lap of 13.967 seconds.
Alex Pokorski claimed his second fast time award of the 2024 campaign in PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car hot-lap-group qualifying with a lap of 13.363 seconds.
GoFundMe donations continue to be accepted for 2005 MSA and 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Lance Fassbender of Burnett, who suffered serious burns in a methanol fire during hot lap qualifying at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 15.
Those wishing to assist Fassbender and his family during his recovery can donate by visiting https://gofundme.com/f/help-lance-and-his-family-during-his-recovery.
The fifth event of the 2024 PDTR campaign, which was sponsored by Pedal Down Promotions, drew 89 total entries, including 24 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars, 23 Late Models, 22 B Mods and 20 Grand Nationals.
After taking a weekend off, the next Plymouth Dirt Track Racing event will feature the third annual Plymouth Racing Wall of Fame Induction Night Program on Saturday, July 13, during which the names of eight drivers (Fuzzy Fassbender, Donny Goeden, Dave Haag, Steve Hoffmann, Randy Markwardt, Pete Ostrowski, Steve Schad and K.J. Skelton), three track workers (Lee Glomski, John Laack and Bill Krueger) and the McMullen racing family will be added to the track’s Wall of Fame.
Grandstand 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.comor check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
96.5 THE BUZZ SEUBERT CALF RANCHES SUPER SIX LATE MODEL SERIES
A Main: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [1]; 2. 74-Mitch McGrath [4]; 3. 89-Brad Mueller [6]; 4. 29-Spencer Diercks [2]; 5. 70-Justin Ritchie [14]; 6. 10-Paul Parker [16]; 7. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [5]; 8. 54-Kevin Baldry [19]; 9. 24S-Jayden Schmidt [23]; 10. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [20]; 11. 19J-Justin Green [21]; 12. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [18]; 13. 77-Bill Edler [7]; 14. 42-Paul Niznik [15]; 15. 57M-Eric Michaels [12]; 16. 79-Jim Schmidt [11]; 17. 99-Sawyer Specht [10]; 18. 97-Justin Schmidt [17]; 19. 22-Charlie Schmidt [3]; 20. 99M-Mike Mullen [9]; 21. D1-Turk Letizia [8]; 22. 7X-Jesse Glenz [13]; 23. (DNS) 03-Dan White
Heat 1: 1. 22-Charlie Schmidt [1]; 2. 77-Bill Edler [2]; 3. 99M-Mike Mullen [3]; 4. 99-Sawyer Specht [5]; 5. 70-Justin Ritchie [4]; 6. 57M-Eric Michaels [7]; 7. (DNF) 03-Dan White [6]; 8. (DNF) 24S-Jayden Schmidt [8]
Heat 2: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [3]; 2. D1-Turk Letizia [1]; 3. 79-Jim Schmidt [2]; 4. 89-Brad Mueller [7]; 5. 7X-Jesse Glenz [4]; 6. 97-Justin Schmidt [6]; 7. 19J-Justin Green [5]; 8. 9Z-Jayme Zidar [8]
Heat 3: 1. 29-Spencer Diercks [2]; 2. 74-Mitch McGrath [3]; 3. 9N-Tom Naeyaert [5]; 4. 55B-Joe Bongiorno [1]; 5. 42-Paul Niznik [4]; 6. 10-Paul Parker [6]; 7. 54-Kevin Baldry [7]
Qualifying 1: 1. 99M-Mike Mullen, 13.967 [8]; 2. 77-Bill Edler, 14.170 [6]; 3. 22-Charlie Schmidt, 14.197 [4]; 4. 70-Justin Ritchie, 14.225 [5]; 5. 99-Sawyer Specht, 14.245 [2]; 6. 03-Dan White, 14.546 [7]; 7. 57M-Eric Michaels, 14.883 [1]; 8. (DNS) 24S-Jayden Schmidt, 14.883
Qualifying 2: 1. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 14.003 [3]; 2. 79-Jim Schmidt, 14.187 [6]; 3. D1-Turk Letizia, 14.205 [2]; 4. 7X-Jesse Glenz, 14.234 [1]; 5. 19J-Justin Green, 14.390 [7]; 6. 97-Justin Schmidt, 14.541 [5]; 7. 89-Brad Mueller, 14.541 [4]; 8. 9Z-Jayme Zidar, 14.541 [8]
Qualifying 3: 1. 74-Mitch McGrath, 13.970 [4]; 2. 29-Spencer Diercks, 13.975 [2]; 3. 55B-Joe Bongiorno, 14.476 [7]; 4. 42-Paul Niznik, 14.565 [5]; 5. 9N-Tom Naeyaert, 14.588 [6]; 6. 10-Paul Parker, 14.679 [1]; 7. 54-Kevin Baldry, 15.197 [3]
AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS
A Main: 1. 0-Robbie Pribnow [4]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [5]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [3]; 4. 69-Bill Taylor [1]; 5. 09-Clayton Rossmann [6]; 6. 21H-TJ Haddy [7]; 7. 4-Alex Pokorski [8]; 8. 69S-TJ Smith [15]; 9. 3-Justin Erickson [13]; 10. 51-Chris Larson [2]; 11. 39K-Kurt Davis [9]; 12. 12P-JJ Pagel [10]; 13. 22B-Brandon Berth [11]; 14. 53A-Paul Pokorski [17]; 15. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [12]; 16. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [20]; 17. 16-Anthony Knierim [23]; 18. 11-Tony Wondra [14]; 19. 54-Randy Post [19]; 20. 24-Scott Conger [18]; 21. 55P-Brady Portschy [24]; 22. 46-Kevin Ruh [22]; 23. 14J-Joseph Hintz [16]; 24. 33-Josh Bilicki [21]
Heat 1: 1. 39K-Kurt Davis [1]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [4]; 3. 51-Chris Larson [2]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth [5]; 5. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [6]; 6. 24-Scott Conger [7]; 7. (DNF) 33-Josh Bilicki [8]; 8. (DNS) 16-Anthony Knierim
Heat 2: 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [1]; 2. 09-Clayton Rossmann [3]; 3. 0-Robbie Pribnow [2]; 4. 21H-TJ Haddy [4]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor [5]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz [6]; 7. 53A-Paul Pokorski [7]; 8. 46-Kevin Ruh [8]
Heat 3: 1. 3-Justin Erickson [2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [4]; 3. 11-Tony Wondra [1]; 4. 12P-JJ Pagel [3]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith [7]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [6]; 7. 54-Randy Post [5]; 8. 55P-Brady Portschy [8]
Qualifying 1: 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.363 [8]; 2. 16-Anthony Knierim, 13.633 [1]; 3. 51-Chris Larson, 13.683 [4]; 4. 39K-Kurt Davis, 13.724 [6]; 5. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.900 [3]; 6. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 13.936 [2]; 7. 24-Scott Conger, 14.004 [7]; 8. 33-Josh Bilicki, 14.709 [5]
Qualifying 2: 1. 21H-TJ Haddy, 13.380 [6]; 2. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 13.576 [4]; 3. 0-Robbie Pribnow, 13.635 [3]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.643 [1]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor, 13.694 [8]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 13.846 [7]; 7. 53A-Paul Pokorski, 13.986 [5]; 8. 46-Kevin Ruh, 15.160 [2]
Qualifying 3: 1. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.627 [5]; 2. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.845 [1]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.961 [4]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra, 14.096 [7]; 5. 54-Randy Post, 14.288 [3]; 6. 55P-Brady Portschy, 14.313 [8]; 7. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 14.356 [2]; 8. (DNS) 69S-TJ Smith, 14.356
OOSTBURG AUTOMOTIVE GRAND NATIONALS
A Main: 1. 53W-Dustin Weiss [12]; 2. 69-TJ Smith [8]; 3. 24K-Tyler Kulow [9]; 4. 14X-Will Sorce [11]; 5. 89-Brian Gilles [10]; 6. 93-Mavrick Ruh [2]; 7. 53B-Brad Weiss [7]; 8. 72E-Chad Espen [6]; 9. 95-Donny Kulow [13]; 10. 15-Derek Kaat [5]; 11. 41S-Scott Sohrweide [17]; 12. 23-Scott Kafka [4]; 13. 34-Steven Weber [3]; 14. 42-Jason Juech [16]; 15. 35-Jared Weiss [19]; 16. 54-Austin Yancey [1]; 17. 80-Luke Scholten [15]; 18. 9-Josh Koslowski [18]; 19. 23B-Trent Bogart [20]; 20. 52W-Jack Wiroll [14]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 89-Brian Gilles [5]; 2. 54-Austin Yancey [1]; 3. 72E-Chad Espen [3]; 4. 53W-Dustin Weiss [6]; 5. 95-Donny Kulow [4]; 6. 42-Jason Juech [2]; 7. 23B-Trent Bogart [7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 93-Mavrick Ruh [1]; 2. 14X-Will Sorce [5]; 3. 69-TJ Smith [4]; 4. 23-Scott Kafka [2]; 5. 52W-Jack Wiroll [3]; 6. 35-Jared Weiss [7]; 7. (DNF) 9-Josh Koslowski [6]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 53B-Brad Weiss [3]; 2. 34-Steven Weber [1]; 3. 24K-Tyler Kulow [4]; 4. 15-Derek Kaat [2]; 5. 80-Luke Scholten [5]; 6. 41S-Scott Sohrweide [6]
SHEBOYGAN FLOORING B MODS
A Main: 1. 33H-Barrett Hummelmeier [2]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [10]; 3. 59S-Spencer Long [6]; 4. 96-Brian Konitzer [11]; 5. 32Z-Andy Welter [5]; 6. 19-Parker Glander [1]; 7. 9-Hunter Larson [15]; 8. 5X-Tony Gates [9]; 9. 66-Steve Lorier [7]; 10. 73-Rory Welch [4]; 11. 17-Brandon Knepprath [8]; 12. XV-Don Marquart [14]; 13. 69-Travis Kleindl [13]; 14. 89-Logan Brass [21]; 15. 25-Jim Fischer [16]; 16. 25S-Steve Ellis [18]; 17. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [19]; 18. 11B-Brad Buckman [3]; 19. 26-Ryan Pafford [12]; 20. 31W-Kelan Wolfe [17]; 21. (DNS) 29S-Scott Quarnstrom; 22. (DNS) 18-Miranda Sandholm
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 17-Brandon Knepprath [5]; 2. 11B-Brad Buckman [3]; 3. 32Z-Andy Welter [4]; 4. 26-Ryan Pafford [7]; 5. 69-Travis Kleindl [6]; 6. 25-Jim Fischer [1]; 7. 11S-Zachary Schmidt [2]; 8. (DNF) 18-Miranda Sandholm [8]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 5X-Tony Gates [5]; 2. 59S-Spencer Long [4]; 3. 73-Rory Welch [3]; 4. 19-Parker Glander [2]; 5. XV-Don Marquart [6]; 6. (DNF) 31W-Kelan Wolfe [7]; 7. (DNS) 29S-Scott Quarnstrom
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 33H-Barrett Hummelmeier [2]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [5]; 3. 66-Steve Lorier [4]; 4. 96-Brian Konitzer [6]; 5. 9-Hunter Larson [3]; 6. 25S-Steve Ellis [1]; 7. 89-Logan Brass [7]