Press Report

Press Report

2011 Year In Review Submitted by George Baumann

Grand Nationals

Forty-nine drivers raced at least one night during the season.
Fifty-nine races were run, fourteen A-mains, seven B-mains and thirty-eight heat races.

The following drivers participated in all fourteen shows and made the A-main each time. #3H Aaron Hauck, #12 Brian Goetsch, #24K Tyler Kulow, #28 Mark Fieber, #34 Steven Weber, #80 Luke Scholten and #95K Donny Kulow.

The following drivers raced every night and missed the A' only once: #55 Melissa Singer (missed final night-broken axle)

Racing thirteen nights and making the A-main each night was #37 Brad Lubach.

Most Top-Five finishes: Fieber 9, B. Lubach 8, Singer 6, Jackson 6, Yancey 5.

Most Top-Ten finishes: Fieber 14, Singer 13, B. Lubach 12, Goetsch 9, Scholten 9, D. Kulow 9, Yancey 8, Jackson 8, K. Lubach 7.

Most Wins	Wins	No of A's
#80 Luke Scholten	6	2
#8 Matt Jackson	5	2
#28 Mark Fieber	5	2
#37 Brad Lubach	5	1
#67H Scott Houpt	5	1
#12 Brian Goetsch	4	1
#R44 Dick Hed	4	1
#R44 Dick Hed	4
#55 Melissa Singer	4	1

* Also winning an A-main, #61C Loren Lubach, #R44 Rick Hed and #21 Kevin Lubach
** Twenty-one drivers won at least one race.

Grand National All-Time wins with PDTR (top 15)

All Time Wins	Wins	No of A's
Luke Scholten	38	9
Brad Lubach	37	12
Brad Dahmer	27	9
Jeremy Sauter	26	4
Matt Yancey	26	1
Brian Kaat	22	2
Tim Thompson	19	2
Brad Mueller	19	8
Brian Genske	18	8
Loren Lubach	18	6
Scott Sohrweide	17	5
Brett Wenzel	16	2
Doug Teunissen	15	2
Mark Fieber	14	5
Brian Gilles	14	5

Grand Nationals have run 103 A-mains.

#R44 Rick Hed set a new 25-lap A-main track record (6:52)

Sprints

Fifty-seven drivers raced at least one night. (same as 2010)
Ninety-two races were run, 15 A's, 19 B's, 58 heats.

The following drivers participated in all fifteen shows and made the Feature each night: #25 Danny Schlafer and #35 Ben Schmidt.

The following raced all fifteen shows and missed the Feature only once: #4 Paul Pokorski, #26 Al Schlafer and #99K Kyle Marten

Racing fifteen nights and missing the Feature only twice was #53 Shane Wenninger

The following drivers also raced fifteen nights: #55P Brian Portschy and #97W Tony Wondra.

Most Wins	Wins	No of A's
#35 Ben Schmidt	8	3
#5J Jeremy Schultz	7	3
#51M Jim Melis	7	3
#9 Tim Melis	6	2
#25 Danny Schlafer	6	2
#6K Kurt Davis	6	1
#98M B. McMullen	5
#7 Lance Fassbender	4
#97W Tony Wondra4

* Also winning an A-main was #10W Scotty Neitzel

Most Top-Five finishes: Schmidt 11; D. Schlafer 8; Schultz 7; J. Melis 7.

Most Top-Ten finishes: Schmidt 14, D. Schlafer 11; Schultz 10, J. Melis 9, Thiel 9, Davis 9, Fiedler 8.

Thirty-two drivers won at least one race

Sprint All-Time wins with PDTR (top-16)

	Wins	No of A's
T.J. Luedke	45	7
Lance Fassbender	37	5
Danny Schlafer	36	12
Kurt Davis	36	12
Earl Possi	24	6
Al Schlafer	24	1
Robbie Pribnow	22	3
Tim Melis	22	3
Brian Kristan	22	7
Jim Melis	20	7
Troy Wondra	20	4
Terry Marten	20	2
Ben Schmidt	19	3
Tim Haddy	19	2
Jason Johnson	18	5
Tony Wondra	18

PDTR Sprints have run 99 A-mains

Late Models

Thirty-six drivers raced at least one night
Fifty races were run: 15 A-mains, and 35 heats.

The following drivers participated in all fifteen programs: #D1 Turk Letizia, #7B Tim Buhler, #21K Kyle Odekirk, #70 Craig Schueffner, #79 Jim Schmidt and # 89 Brad Mueller.

Missing just one night were #34E Cody Eickberg and #57 Eric Michaels

Most Wins	Wins	No of A's
#74 Russ Scheffler	11	5
#15S Rick Scheffler	8	3
#89 Brad Mueller	7	3
#7BH Tim Buhler	7	1
#79 Jim Schmidt	4
#70 Craig Schueffner	3	1
#8R Bill Rezutek	3	1

* Tom Naeyaert also won one A-main

Most Top-Five finishes: Russ Scheffler 12, Buhler 9, Mueller 9, Rick Scheffler 8, Rezutek 7, Schmidt 6

Most Top-Ten finishes: Mueller 14, Buhler 12, Russ Scheffler 12, Schmidt 11, Rick Scheffler 11, Rezutek 11, Schueffner 1

Thirteen drivers won at least one race.

Late Model all-time wins with PDTR (top15)

	Wins	No of A's
Russ Scheffler	73	35
Rick Scheffler	44	9
Bill Rezutek	28	6
R. Markwardt	25	6
Scott Specht	24	6
Jim Schmidt	21	5
Tim Buhler	20	2
Brad Mueller	20	5
Bret Sievert	17	8
Turk Letizia	16
Craig Schueffner	14	6
Dan Sorce	14	2
Al Atkinson	13	2
C. Schmidt	11
Kyle Odekirk	11	1

Late Models have run 99 A-mains

Outlaw Compacts

Thirty-five drivers raced at least one night.
Forty-five races were run, fifteen A-mains and thirty heats.

The following drivers participated in all fifteen programs: #11 Scott Brendel, #11B Jeff Brendel, #17B Ben Van Wyke, #19J Justin Green, and #34F Cole Fenske and #54 Chiminatti/Strean.

Missing one night were: #17 Donnie Welch, #25 Travis Arenz, #29 Patrick Ciske,

Most Wins	Wins	No of A's
#25 Travis Arenz	10	4
#34F Cole Fenske	8	1
#19J Justin Green	7	3
#17B Ben Van Wyk	5	3
#22 Andy Singer	4	2
#22 Kyle Singer	1
#29 Patrick Ciske	1

Thirteen drivers won at least one race.

Most Top-Fives: Green 14, Fenske 12, Van Wyk 10, Arenz 9, Ciske 6.

Most Top-Tens: Green 14, Fenske 14, Van Wyk 13, Ciske 13, S. Brendel 12, Arenz 12, Schmidt 11, Chiminatti/Strean 11.

Outlaw Compact top 15 in All-Times wins with PDTR

	Wins	No of A's
Tim Simon	35	13
Jay Riemer	16	5
Travis Arenz	16	4
Aaron Stolp	15	5
Jake Meyer	13	3
Cory Edler	12	7
Jeremy Miller	11	5
Jason Juech	11	4
Josh Long	11	3
Cole Fenske	10	3
Justin Green	10	3
Chris Baumann	9	4
Mike Zitzer	8	2
Andy Singer	8	4
Ben Van Wyke	8	3

Six drivers with 6 wins

Outlaw Compacts have run 96 A-mains.

Season Finale at Plymouth Dirt Track
by Fay Hendrick
9/18/11

Scotty Neitzel returned to Plymouth Dirt Track Racing, the Beaver Dam racer winning the final PDTR sprint race of the season. Both Neitzel and runner-up Ken Jay Fiedler of Sheboygan Falls also competed in the IRA Sprint Car field Saturday night. Oakfield’s Doug Wondra crossed the finish line third, followed by Beaver Dam’s Jeremy Schultz and Kurt Davis of West Allis. Sheboygan’s Scotty Thiel began in the last row of the 22-car field and finished seventh. Newly-crowned PDTR champion Ben Schmidt ended up twelfth after problems in the feature. The race was staged at 27 laps in memory of the late Frank Filskov, who lost his life in Michigan over a decade ago.

The Bumper to Bumper IRA Sprint Car tour staged their 15^th Filskov Memorial race, also set at 27 circuits, with another double-duty racer winning the event. Brian Kristan, from Zion, Illinois, did not make the PDTR main, but made up for it by winning the IRA contest. Passed earlier by Tommy Sexton in lapped traffic, Kristan quickly took back the lead and the duo finished in that order. Fiedler began and ended in third place, followed by Dave Uttech and defending champion Billy Balog. Completing the top ten were Wayne Modjeski, Neitzel, Mike Kertscher, and Travis Luedtke.

The mini sprints joined the race car with Nick Petzka taking the checkered flag over Jim Scanlon, Bob Reichert, Todd Lehr, and John Garlock. The race was completed under the caution when Rob Brannam’s car rolled following the white flag, but there were no injuries.

Plymouth Dirt Track Championships Decided
by Fay Hendrick
9/11/11

Plymouth Dirt Track had two of its four track championships decided on the last lap Saturday night. Random Lake’s Brad Mueller earned the late model crown by a scant margin over Glenbeulah’s Tim Buhler. The pair began in the sixth row and finished eighth and fifth, respectively, in a hard-fought feature that ended with Buhler’s car spun after the checkered flag. Jim Rychtik of Port Washington led the 25-lap event until his car overheated during the sole caution period before the halfway mark. Rychtik’s car slowed on the final circuit and Shawano’s Tom Naeyaert got past for the win. Cleveland’s Jim Schmidt finished third in the Rick Scheffler car, with Ron Stroika of Mukwonago finishing fourth.

With one week remaining until their championship, Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove leads the sprint car points by a healthy margin over Danny Schlafer of Sussex. Schmidt topped his night with a second-place feature finish, while Schlafer began in the last row after transferring from the B main and finished a lap down in seventeenth place. Kurt Davis of West Allis led every lap from the pole to notch his first win at Plymouth this year. Glenbeulah’s Jim Melis finished third and Burnett’s Lance Fassbender posted a fifth place at the end of 25 laps. Beaver Dam’s Jeremy Schultz made the biggest gain, from twelfth to fourth place.

Cascade’s Mark Fieber earned the Grand National crown by racing from the back of the pack to seventh place in twenty-five circuits. Plymouth’s Loren Lubach began and ended at the front of the 20-car feature, challenged by Sheboygan’s Brian Cesar in his first race of the year. Sheboygan racers Matt Jackson, Matt Yancey and Brian Goetsch followed across the finish line. Goetsch made up the most ground after starting in the ninth row.

The closest point chase of the night was in the Outlaw Compact field. Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls began the night leading the point standings over Cascade’s Cole Fenske by a narrow margin. Fenske used his front-row start to lead the 15-lap feature, but three laps later Green’s wheel came off. Waldo’s Ben Van Wyk got past Fenske to post another win, followed by Sheboygan’s Travis Arenz and Plymouth’s Zach Dickie. Fenske faded to fourth place at the end and Sheboygan’s Michael Zitzer improved to fifth place.

Next Saturday will be the last race of the year in a night of sprint cars. The IRA Sprints return as Plymouth’s own sprint cars finish their championship season, with the mini-sprint class added as well.

The Sheboygan County Fair IRA Racing
by Fay Hendricks
9/4/11

The Sheboygan County Fair treated their patrons to racing Saturday night when a contingent of winged sprint cars put on a show. Illinois veteran Tommy Sexton was at the front of the pack when the rain ended the Bumper to Bumper IRA feature four laps short of the end. The second-generation winner began on the pole of the thirty-lap contest, not minding that the event was complete short of the distance.

Sexton was followed closely by West Bend’s Scott Biertzer as they weaved their way through lapped traffic. Beaver Dam’s Scotty Neitzel quickly caught up to the front pair from his sixth-row start, reaching third place when the checkered flag waved. Brownsville’s John Haeni finished fourth and Pleasant Prairie’s Phillip Mock completed the top five.

Plymouth Dirt Track regulars Lance Fassbender and Jim Melis made the feature field, Ken Jay Fiedler was the first alternate after preliminaries, and Ben Schmidt missed the main.

Next Saturday is the season championship night for the late models, Grand Nationals, and Outlaw Compact divisions at PDTR, with the IRA sprint cars returning the following Saturday for PDTR’s sprint car championship finale.

Schlafer of Sussex In A Hurry To Notch His Second Win at PDTR
by Fay Hendricks
8/27/2011

Expectant father Danny Schlafer of Sussex was in a hurry to notch his second win at Plymouth Dirt Track Saturday night. Taking advantage of lapped traffic to get past leader Lance Fassbender of Burnett in the sprint car feature, the duo finished in reverse of their front row start at the end of twenty-five circuits. Waupun’s Tim Haddy was fine after his mount rolled over in the opening circuit, and Mayville’s Robbie Pribnow had a wheel come off with five laps remaining. The dash to the checkered flag resulted in Howards Grove’s Ben Schmidt close behind the front pair for third, Beaver Dam’s Jeremy Schultz in fourth, and Josh Walter of Sheboygan Falls earning a strong fifth place finish. Schmidt’s point lead over Schlafer has narrowed with two more races remaining.

Waukesha’s Rick Scheffler also used his second-place start to get past Sheboygan’s Randy Markwardt in the opening laps of the late model feature, posting his third win of the season. Glenbeulah’s Tim Buhler improved to second at the end of the caution-free race, and Oostburg’s Craig Schueffner finished third. Russ Scheffler of Waukesha came from eleventh to fourth at the end, and Markwardt hung on for fifth. Random Lake’s Brad Mueller posted a sixth place finish to keep his name atop the point standings, with Buhler narrowing the gap.

Plymouth’s Dick Hed scored a popular win in his son’s Grand National car. The seventy-two year old raced alongside Sheboygan’s Matt Yancey for several laps before getting past for the lead with five laps remaining in the feature. Yancey hung on for second ahead of a challenging Matt Jackson of Sheboygan. Elkhart Lake’s Kevin Lubach improved to fourth at the end, followed by Cascade’s Mark Fieber. Fieber’s point lead over Waldo’s Melissa Singer and Kiel’s Brad Lubach has also narrowed.

Amber Schmidt of Howards Grove began the Outlaw Compact main on the pole, but her run ended after contact before one lap was complete. The restart saw Sheboygan’s Travis Arenz come from the second row to the lead, surviving two more cautions for errant wheels. Cascade’s Cole Fenske raced alongside Arenz to the checkered flag in a photo finish, the pair separated by inches at the stripe. Point leader Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls got up to third place at the end. Waldo’s Ben Van Wyk and Sheboygan’s Patrick Ciske completed the top five finishers.

Next week the racers have a night off to enjoy the Sheboygan County Fair, but the IRA Sprint Car tour will be racing Saturday night. The following week is championship night for all but the sprints, who will finish their season in tandem with the IRA program September 17.

Threatening Weather Stayed Away
by Fay Hendricks
8/20/2011

Threatening weather stayed away from Plymouth Dirt Track Saturday night, the resulting races ending with repeat winners. Fans enjoyed the bargain beer as the race program rolled to conclusion.

Waukesha’s Russ Scheffler got past Glenbeulah’s Tim Buhler in lapped traffic with seven laps remaining in the late model feature. Mukwonago’s Bret Sievert improved from sixth to third, followed by Chilton’s Bob Cullen. Cleveland’s Jim Schmidt made up the most ground, coming from the ninth row to finish fifth in the 25-lap contest. Point leader Brad Mueller of Random Lake had ignition problems slow his mount in the closing laps, allowing Buhler to catch up.

Glenbeulah’s Jim Melis swept the sprint car class Saturday. After his heat win, Melis drove from fifth to the lead in six laps, notching his third win in the sprint feature. Al and son Danny Schlafer of Sussex followed Melis to the checkered flag, as Sheboygan’s Scotty Thiel maintained his fourth place. Kurt Davis of West Allis improved from eleventh to fifth at the end of twenty-five laps. Howards Grove’s Ben Schmidt had another top finish to pad his point total over the Schlafer duo.

Oostburg’s Luke Scholten took advantage of the pole position to lead every lap in the Grand National feature. Sheboygan’s Matt Yancey improved to second place, with 72-year old Dick Hed racing to a third-place finish in his son’s car. Plymouth’s Aaron Hauck raced from twelfth to fourth in twenty-five laps, and New Holstein’s Tyler Kulow completed the top five.

Waldo’s Ben Van Wyk posted another Outlaw Compact win with a late-race pass. Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls hung on for second and Cascade’s Cole Fenske was right behind. Sheboygan’s Patrick Ciske and Scott Brendel of Sheboygan Falls followed at the conclusion of the fifteen-lap contest. The point battle between Green and Fenske tightens up as the season winds down.

Jim Schmidt Ran His 100^th Race at Plymouth Dirt Track
by Fay Hendricks
8/7/2011

Plymouth Dirt Track’s Fan Appreciation Night offered half-price tickets to the fans and collected items to stock the food pantry. The crowd witnessed history as Cleveland’s Jim Schmidt ran his 100^th late model race at Plymouth Dirt Track Saturday night and three drivers posted their third wins of the season.

Late model point leader Brad Mueller of Random Lake had his engine expire the previous night, but returned to his winning ways in the borrowed Randy Markwardt mount from nearby Sheboygan, Beginning on the pole, Mueller led every lap to complete his sweep of the division as Big Bend’s Billy Rezutek was close behind. Waukesha’s Russ Scheffler roared up from the sixth row to pass his brother Rick for third as the checkered flag waved, and Glenbeulah’s Tim Buhler rounded out the top five.

Ben Schmidt mirrored Mueller Saturday night. Beginning with the point lead and posting his third win in the sprint car class, the Howards Grove racer also beginning the 25-lap contest on the pole. Two cautions slowed the pace, but gave others a new opportunity. Burnett’s Lance Fassbender moved past Danny Schlafer of Sussex as the race wound down. Kurt Davis of West Allis and Waupun’s Tim Haddy completed the top five finishers.

Kiel’s Brad Lubach began on the pole of the Grand National feature to lead all twenty-five laps, posting his first win of the season. Cascade’s Mark Fieber followed Lubach all the way and padded his point lead in the division. Sheboygan’s Matt Jackson improved from eighth to third, followed by Elkhart Lake’s Kevin Lubach and Aaron Hauck from Plymouth.

Sheboygan’s Travis Arenz earned his third Outlaw Compact win Saturday, coming from the sixth row to the front in less than ten laps. Early leader Ben Van Wyk from Waldo was close behind at the checkered flag, followed by Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls and Cascade’s Cole Fenske.

Jim Melis Began Saturday Night With a Memorial Lap
by Fay Hendricks
7/31/2011

Glenbeulah’s Jim Melis began Saturday night with a memorial lap for a former crew member who had passed away and finished with his second sprint car win of the year at Plymouth Dirt Track. Melis moved up from the third spot eight laps before the end of the 25-lap feature. A fast-closing Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove ran out of time after starting the contest in eighth place, followed by Ken Jay Fiedler of Sheboygan Falls. Danny Schlafer of Sussex improved from sixteenth to fourth place, followed by Campbellsport’s Jason Johnson across the finish line.

Waukesha’s Russ Scheffler swept the late model field, posting a heat win before starting the 25-lap feature in the fifth row. It took seven circuits for Scheffler to gain the lead, finishing half a lap ahead of Glenbeulah’s Tim Buhler, who started in the front row. Random Lake’s Brad Mueller came from seventh to challenge for the runner-up spot in the closing laps. Big Bend’s Billy Rezutek and Craig Schueffner of Sheboygan Falls rounded out the top five after beginning in the third row.

Oostburg’s Luke Scholten posted his first win of the year in a caution-filled feature that ran out of its allotted time. Scholten had moved up from tenth to the lead after a dozen circuits, handily in charge when the sixth slowdown ended the feature four laps early. Bob Peter of Howards Grove made his debut Saturday, leading early from the pole and finishing second. Plymouth’s Steve Weber rallied from thirteenth to third, Kiel’s Brad Lubach came from twelfth for a fourth-place finish, and Plymouth’s Donny Kulow improved from ninth to fifth.

Sheboygan’s Travis Arenz posted another win in the Outlaw Compact feature, leading the field when the last-lap caution for a lost wheel ended the event. Following was Waldo’s Ben Van Wyk and Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls. Fond du Lac’s Tim Simon faded to fourth, followed by Cleveland’s Scott Brendel.

Next Saturday is Fan Appreciation Night with half-price tickets to begin the month of August.

It was a good night for Cascade racers Saturday at Plymouth Dirt Track
by Fay Hendricks
7/24/2011

It was a good night for Cascade racers Saturday at Plymouth Dirt Track. Mark Fieber had a heat race incident result in his car crashing into the concrete wall, then rebounded at feature time to win the Grand National feature. Fieber was on a mission, beginning the 25-lap contest in fifth place and working past leader Melissa Singer of Waldo to take the point with four laps remaining. Last week’s winner, Brian Goetsch from Sheboygan, came from eleventh to third and Plymouth’s Donny Kulow improved from tenth to fourth. Steven Weber of Plymouth finished the top five in a race slowed by one caution.

Cole Fenske posted his first win of the season in the Outlaw Compact feature, followed by another racer from Cascade, Andy Singer. The 15-lap race started with Singer roaring up from mid-field to take the lead before Fenske moved up from his fifth-place start. Sheboygan’s Travis Arenz crossed the line third, Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls fourth, and point leader Justin Green of Sheboygan fifth.

Jeremy Schultz of Beaver Dam posted his third win in the sprint car feature and rewarded the audience with donuts on the dry, slick track. Beginning on the pole, Schultz had to fend off challenges from Kurt Davis of West Allis for the entire 25 circuits. An early incident brought out the red flag when Plymouth’s Brian Portschy and Al Schlafer of Sussex got together, flipping wildly and catching the fence in the backstretch. Both climbed out unhurt, but their cars were unrecognizable. Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove rallied from tenth to third, followed by Plymouth’s Travis Luedke, who began in fourteenth place. Burnett’s Lance Fassbender made a good return by posting a fifth-place finish.

Waukesha’s Scheffler brothers headed the late model field feature, Russ leading the way from the front row before Rick took the point with seven laps remaining. The 25-lap ended with Franklin’s Ted Dolhun Sr. in third, Sheboygan’s Randy Markwardt and Milwaukee’s Al Atkinson closing out the top five.

Billy “The Kid” Rezutek of Big Bend Takes Home Win
by Fay Hendricks
7/17/2011

Billy “The Kid” Rezutek of Big Bend took home his first late model win of the season at Plymouth Dirt Track Saturday night. Beginning in sixth place, Rezutek took advantage of four cautions in the opening circuits to work his way to the front, taking over the point from Franklin’s Dan Sorce. After spinning donuts on the track, taking a reverse victory lap, and climbing atop his car, Rezutek exclaimed, “It was hard-fought,” adding, “I went up to the high side and it worked. I changed gears five minutes before we got out here.” Challenging at the end was Waukesha’s Russ Scheffler, Random Lake’s Brad Mueller, Sorce, and Cleveland’s Jim Schmidt. The 30-lap event was slowed six times in the first half for minor spins.

Danny Schlafer of Sussex vaulted from the pole to the win in the sprint feature, surviving six restarts in the time-shortened main. Slowed by half a dozen caution periods, the thirty circuits were reduced when the race clock ran out, forcing a dash to the finish line. Howard Grove’s Ben Schmidt came from thirteenth to challenge at the end, with Glenbeulah’s Jim Melis improving from twelfth to third. Schlafer’s father, Al, worked his way up from tenth to fourth place at the checkers as Plymouth’s Brian Portschy faded to fifth at the end. Schlafer climbed atop his wing in victory circle, exclaiming, “Thanks for everybody cheering. It makes it so nice when I hear it.” Referring to Schmidt right behind him, Schlafer said, “That’s why we come here to race. You never know.”

Sheboygan’s Brian Goetsch led every lap in the Grand National feature to claim his first victory of the season. “It was my birthday yesterday,so this was my birthday present,” declared Goetsch in victory lane. The extended race went the distance at thirty laps, slowed only when second-starting Aaron Hauck of Plymouth spun. Sheboygan’s Matt Jackson returned with his daughter, who had a blood vessel rupture in her brain and is on the road to recovery. Jackson’s top five finish was erased when his car went over the cushion with two laps remaining, recovering for tenth place. Kiel’s Brad Lubach got past Waldo’s Melissa Singer for second place at the end, with Cascade’s Mark Fieber and Belgium’s Scott Houpt in the top five.

Sheboygan’s Patrick Ciske took home the trophy in the Outlaw Compact class in a challenging twenty-lap contest that saw three different leaders. Waldo’s Ben Van Wyk led from the front row until retiring with problems six laps before the end. Sheboygan’s Travis Arenz took the point next, then suffered a flat with two circuits remaining. At the next green flag Ciske charged ahead of Sheboygan Falls’ Justin Green for the win. Cleveland’s Scott Brendel was followed by Amber Schmidt of Howards Grove and Sheboygan’s Alex Wiesenberg.

There were several custom and restored race cars on display before the race program. A large field of restored vintage modified cars raced their vintage machines Saturday, ending the night with Dave Waldron piloting his creation to the final win of the evening.

Tim Melis On A Hot Streak
by Fay Hendricks
7/10/2011

On a hot summer night Plymouth’s Tim Melis was on a hot streak at Plymouth Dirt Track Saturday night. “We had a big crash three or four weeks ago,” claimed Melis, adding, “Now we won three of four mains.” Melis made a special mention to his mother in the audience, who was recovering from heart problems. Leading every lap, Melis started the 25-lap contest in the second row along with his brother Jim of Glenbeulah, and the pair finished in that order. Sheboygan’s Scotty Thiel improved from tenth to third in the 22-car field, followed by point leader Ben Schmidt of Howards Grove. A pair of Susssex racers followed as Danny Schlafer came from the eighth row to pass his father, Al Schlafer, for fifth place as the laps wound down. The race was slowed by three cautions, Beaver Dam’s Jeremy Schultz and Kewaskum’s Brian Johnson the only non-finishers.

Waukesha’s Russ Scheffler returned to winner’s circle Saturday night, after a hard-fought battle using the high groove to get past Franklin’s Ted Dolhun in the late model feature. Dolhun led from the pole, surviving one restart, when Scheffler worked past with five laps remaining in the 25-lap contest. A second caution saw the field charge ahead for the final three laps, Random Lake’s Brad Mueller surging past Dolhun as the checkered flag waved. Following the trio was Glenbeulah’s Tim Buhler and Rick Scheffler of Waukesha, who started in the last row. Scheffler remarked, “I’m glad we started in the front. Ted Dolhun did an outstanding job. I was just glad we could hold on.”

Kevin Lubach led every lap of the Grand National feature, exclaiming, “We didn’t expect to win that.” With a smoking mount the entire race, Elkhart Lake’s Lubach led every lap, followed by Brad Lubach of Kiel. The pair of front-row started lapped several others in the 25-lap main, followed by Waldo’s Melissa Singer and Plymouth’s Loren Lubach.

The Outlaw Compact contest closed the night with Shebygan’s Travis Arenz again in victory circle. Beginning on the pole of the 15-lap contest, Arenz survived one restart and led every lap. Ben Van Wyk of Waldo improved from fifth to runner-up, followed by Cascade’s Cole Fenske and Justin Green of Sheboygan Falls. After his first win of the season, Arenz gave thanks to his family for their support.

The Prelude to July 4 Brings Out People
by Fay Hendricks
7/2/2011

The prelude to July 4 brings out more people for the holiday weekend, and Saturday they came to Plymouth Dirt Track. Some extra cars in the pits helped fill the spots of those who were missing, as race budgets for a few were used up in the first two months. One of those missing was Grand National double winner Matt Jackson, whose daughter Courtney suffered a serious brain affliction, and latest news informs us that she needs all our good thoughts and prayers. We would add another to our prayers after an ill-fated sprint heat race. The fourth heat began with eight entries and ended with only four after Justin Miller's mount rolled with another, another doing the same later.

We watched as Miller's crew thrashed to make repairs, while Miller's wife left to get his spare wing from their nearby home. The work paid off with the car's front suspension fixed, then a wing from Scotty Thiel was mounted on Miller's car in preparation for the B main. What none of us knew at the time was that Miller's wife had gotten the spare, and was evidently holding it down while someone else drove the pickup truck, and a gust of wind launched the wing, and her, out of the vehicle. Miller must have gotten the call shortly after the car was ready to roll, for soon the wing came off and his car was put in the trailer. Plans of him being in the local parade the next day were no longer a priority as Miller left early. Our hearts went with him.

The Grand National field was first in feature rotation, having scratched entries cancel their B main earlier. The front row of Luke Scholten and Brad Lubach seemed to thwart chances of anyone else reaching the front, but racers never give up hope. Scholten handily took charge, surviving two restarts for minor spins, and Lubach retired before ten laps were complete. Mark Fieber began in eleventh place, but had been working his way to the front by the second caution on lap eleven. After that it only took three more circuits for Fieber to get past Scholten, surviving another restart with six laps remaining. Donny Kulow improved to third place and Melissa Singer came from ninth to fourth at the end. Fieber notched his first win of this season, and his fourth victory since beginning here five years ago. Fieber shared the moment by thanking his crew and sponsors.

Thesprint car field needed two B mains to complete the 22-car feature, and we felt badly for Michigan's Earl Possi, who missed a transfer position by one spot. Possi was the first alternate, but no one was missing when the field rolled in a four-wide salute to the fans. The 25-lap contest started with Kyle Marten and Paul Pokorski in front, Ken Jay Fiedler and point leader Ben Schmidt next. Marten took the point at the start, Pokorski working hard on the outer groove to get past. Pokorski's work paid off by staying ahead as they started the seventh lap, but was met by the yellow flag instead when Doug Wondra slowly rolled over in the backstretch. Wondra's damage was minimal, returning to the field without missing a lap, but Pokorski did not fare as well the next time the green flag waved.

Schmidt led the next time around as others also passed Pokorski and Marten, then B-main winner Brandon McMullen rolled over and forced another red flag. The audience applauded the safe exit of all drivers this night, appreciating the safety equipment that worked. Schmidt kept ahead past another restart before a dozen laps were complete, but the rest of the way was full speed ahead. Right behind was Jeremy Schultz, keeping Schmidt on alert, but when the checkered flag waved over the field it was Thiel who garnered second place instead. Schultz was followed by eleventh-place starter Tim Melis, who also had great success on the slick, black track. Schmidt spun donuts while holding his victory flag, quite a feat in itself, then came to victory circle. Schmidt began, "That was hard-fought. I didn't know where that number five(Schultz) was," then added thoughts of another girl who was in their thoughts and prayers.

The late model feature followed with Dave Thomas and Cody Eickberg followed by Eric Michaels and Randy Markwardt at the start of the 25-lap feature. Thomas soon had a large gap behind as the pack stayed in a cluster for many circuits. The race went nonstop until six laps remained. As they were trying to get past the slower vehicle driven by Roy Dahmer, contact was made and second-place Markwardt was spun. The restart resulted in Eickberg spinning, and three laps later he repeated the feat. The next time around saw Rick Scheffler take the point as the final three times around the oval were at speed. Russ Scheffler briefly surged ahead of his little brother, but couldn't hold the spot. Thomas staved off Jim Schmidt, who began in the fifth row, as the younger Scheffler earned his first win of the season at Plymouth. "The crew guys did an awesome job," Scheffler was heard to say later.

The Outlaw Compact field closed the night with their 15-lap main. Patrick Ciske and Mike Zitzer were followed by point leaders Cole Fenske and Justin Green at the start. Before a lap was scored Alex Wesenberg had spun to the wall and was out before the race began. The next attempt worked, Zitzer ahead on lap one, Green the rest of the way. A spun mount slowed the pace before ten laps, at which time Zitzer pitted with a flat tire and made a quick change. Three laps later Andy Singer's car seemed to be trying to explode, the vehicle lurching and spewing flames underneath, forcing the final yellow flag of the night with three laps remaining. The finish was unfettered as Green was followed by Fenske and Travis Arenz, who began in last place.

The warm night was complete just after ten o'clock, and were warmed even more when my husband won the 50/50 drawing for the first time in his life. Despite our joy, we hold several in our hearts this night.

RUSS SCHEFFLER SUCCESSFUL AT SPECIAL SHOW AT PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK SATURDAY NIGHT
By: Camisha Miller

   [PLYMOUTH, WIS.]- JUNE 26, 2011- The Interstate Racing Association 410 Winged Outlaw Sprint Cars were on the schedule at the Plymouth Dirt Track for Saturday night along with the PDTR Late Models and Outlaw Compacts. The Late Models rolled trackside after the completion of the IRA A-main event and side-by-side they went green. The #74 of Russ Scheffler (Waukesha, WI) started working his way through the field on the top side of the race track.
   A yellow would wave and close up the field for Brad Mueller (Random Lake, WI) #89 found himself facing the wrong direction on the dry race track. The field re-started and quick to the pedal was the #74 of Scheffler and on lap nine, he took over the lead and never looked back. He had over a straight away lead over Tim Buhler (Glenbeulah, WI) #7B and the #19 of Dave Thomas. At the line it would be the #19 of Thomas getting the 2nd spot over Buhler who was third, Jim Schmidt (Cleveland, WI) #79 would be fourth and #8 of Billy Rezutek (Big Bend, WI) rounded out your top five.
   Climbing from the car and met for an one track interview with Janet Haffman, Scheffler stated, "We were pretty good tonight and the track was wide which helped us out. It was a great night of racing and I want to thank the fans and my sponsors for their continued support every week!"
   The Outlaw compacts rolled trackside and off to an early lead for their A-main event was the #22 of Kyle Singer (Cascade, WI) and on lap eight there was a battle for the lead and at the line it would be Andy Singer and Cole Fenske (Cascade, WI) would be awarded second.

FAST FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND AT THE PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK
By: Camisha Miller

   [PLYMOUTH, WIS.]- JUNE 18, 2011- Father’s Day weekend welcomed 85 cars for tonight’s dirt track racing action. The 360 sprint cars took to the track for 15 laps and the top six transfer to the A-main event. Leading the way on the pole from Plymouth, Wisconsin was the #15M of Justin Miller. Yellow flew on lap one for two cars facing the wrong direction, Miller would take the field to the green once again and as they crossed the checkers it would be the #24 of Scott Conger taking the win and the top six that transferred would be the #53 of Shane Wenniger, #74V of Randy Brunette, #10W of Scotty Neitzel, #51M of Jim Melis and the #25 of Danny Schlafer.
   Late Model action rolled trackside and Brad Mueller (Random Lake, WI) led the field to the green flag for the 25 lap A-main event. Mueller out to an early lead and a caution waved on lap one. Back to green and up to second was the #70 of Schueffner and he was running down Mueller on lap five. A battle for the third spot between the #95 Jestin Danes and the #15S of Rick Scheffler heated up on lap six and the #15S of Rick Scheffler fell into the third spot. A yellow for three cars facing the wrong direction occurred on lap nine and the field would be halted once again and one more time quickly after the start- Tim Buhler from Glenbuelah, Wisconsin in the #7B was retired to the pit area under that caution.
   The top three of Mueller, Schueffner and Scheffler worked the bottom of the racing surface to extend their top three spots over the rest of the field. On lap 15 Scheffnuer was closing the gap on Mueller and they were going to be heading into lap traffic on lap 17 but that was stopped short for another caution. The field re-started for a green, white, checkered due to time constraints on the race and Mueller led the field once again.
   Coming for the checkered it would be Mueller capturing his second win of the season over Craig Scheffnuer #70 (Sheboygan Falls, WI), Rick Schleffer #15S (Waukesha, WI) and the #21SR of Ted Dolhun (Franklin, WI) rounding out the top four. The crowd roared as he climbed from the #89 and mentioned, “I have a very good friend of mine who is not doing well and this win goes to him. My guys work so hard and all of my sponsors I thank them for their support. We did not get it done last week, but it felt like things unfolded this week!”
   The Grand Nationals were up next and for 25-laps the battle would heat-up for the top spot. Leading the way on the pole was long time competitor Rick Hed in the #R44. Side-by-side the battle for the lead with the #80 of Luke Scholten on lap three and once again underneath Hed on lap five. Into lap traffic on lap eight, Hed led the way and continued to extend his lead. A three way battle for the second spot between the #54 of Matt Yancey, #80 Luke Scholten, #28 of Mark Fieber and #37 of Brad Lubach was heating up and the #54 of Yancey who captured the spot as the #28 was looking for the third spot around the top side of the race track over the #80 of Scholten.
   Lap 16 Hed was still out front over Yancey, however, Yancey caught Hed on lap 22 and he was working the bottom of the race track to try to get around Hed. The white flag flew and Hed had to hold one for a few more turns, side-by-side down the back stretch, Hed would come home victorious over Matt Yancy, Mark Fieber (Cascade, WI), Brad Lubach (Kiel, WI) and Luke Scholten (Oostburg, WI) rounding out the top five. Hed in the #R44 from Sheboygan Falls interviewed from victory lane mentioned, “Our car was worked great and we had to keep it up to get this win and thanks to everyone coming out and to my sponsors. One of our friends we call the pit boss needs our thoughts and prayers and this victory is dedicated to him tonight.”
   The 360 Sprint Cars pushed off and for 25-laps and leading the way would be Plymouth native Tim Melis in the #9 on the pole. On lap six Melis still leading the way and was coming into lap traffic, #26 of Al Schlafer was closing in working the bottom of the race track. Coming through the field would be the #10W of Scotty Neitzel running the high line of the race track looking for a top ten spot behind the current point leader Jeremy Schultz, both drivers reside in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
   A yellow slowed the field for the #24 Scott Conger was facing the wrong direction in lap 11 out of corner two. The field would close up and be set side-by-side coming for the green flag it would soon be slowed and a yellow thrown for the #5J of Jeremy Schultz who would have to go to the work area along with the #10W of Scotty Neitzel and the #24 of Scott Conger for repairs. Neitzel and Conger would re-start and tag the tail of the field and Schultz the current point leader would be unable to re-start, however Neitzel would retire quickly after the re-start to the pit area along with Randy Brunette in the #74V and pulling into the infield would be the #12W of Josh Walter.
   Coming for the green it would be Melis once again leading the field, and Schlafer would be chasing down the top spot followed by Scotty Thiel in the #64 who would take over the second spot on lap 14. Ben Schmidt in the #35 would be working the bottom and come into the third spot around Schlafer. Melis would continue to extend his lead on lap 17 over Thiel and Schmidt. Melis would capture the checkered flag with #64 of Scott Thiel (Sheboygan, WI), Ben Schmidt #35 (Howards Grove, WI), #26 of Al Schlafer (Sussex, WI) and the #21H of Tim Haddy (Waupun, WI) rounding out your top five. A clean sweep for Melis and the crowd cheered loud as he was interviewed stating, “I want to thank my sponsors and I need thank my son for all of his help, and we have a lot to be thankful for tonight!”
   Outlaw Compact took trackside and leading the way on the pole would be the #3 Joe Miller (Plymouth, WI). Cole Fenske in the #34F out to an early lead and the field would follow in behind and a yellow would wave on lap five for #22 of Andy Singer who slowed out of turn two. The field took the green flag with Fenske leading the way. On the back bumper of Fenske would be the #19J of Justin Green and up to the fifth spot would be the #5 of Amber Schmidt (Howards Grove, WI). The #19J of Justin Green took the lead and would capture the win over Cole Fenske (Cascade, WI) #34F, #29 Patrick Ciske (Sheboygan, WI), #17B of Ben Van Wyk (Waldo, WI) and the #5 of Amber Schmidt (Howards Grove, WI).
   Heat race wins credited to: Late Models: Billy Rezutek (Big Bend, WI), Tim Buhler (Glenbeulah, WI) and Turk Letizia (Milwaukee, WI). Grand Nationals: Melissa Singer (Waldo, WI), Brad Lubach (Kiel, WI) and Brian Goetsch (Sheboygan, WI). Sprint Cars: Scotty Thiel (Sheboygan, WI), Brandon McMullen (Plymouth, WI), Tim Melis (Plymouth, WI) and Tim Haddy (Waupun, WI). Outlaw Compacts: Amber Schmidt (Howards Grove, WI) and Travis Arenz

DUCES WOULD BE THE LUCKY NUMBER FOR SCHULTZ AND JACKSON CAPTURING A-MAIN WINS AT PDTR
By: Camisha Miller

[PLYMOUTH, WIS.]- JUNE 11, 2011- As the weather continued to cool down the races began to heat-up for the night as the 360 Sprint Car B-main made it trackside. The pole sitter #74V of Randy Brunette brought the field to the green flag as the midst was falling from the sky. Randy Sippel #39S (Elkhart Lake, WI) jumped to the early lead after lap three and would capture the victory in 12 laps and transfer to the night’s A-main event, finishing second would be the #44B of Brian Johnson (Kewaskum, WI) third #3E of Erin Winscher (Plymouth, WI)), fourth #74V of Randy Brunette (Chilton, WI), fifth #12W of Josh Walter (Sheboygan Falls, WI) and the sixth and final transfer spot going to the #92 of Pete Ostrowski (Milwaukee, WI).
   After track prep due to the midst that was lingering on the race track- and a quick intermission, the 360 Sprint Car A-main rolled trackside. On the pole and currently 2nd in points hailing from Beaver Dam, WI was the #5J of Jeremy Schultz; he brought the 22 car field to the start line for the 25- lap main event. Out to an early led was Schultz followed by top point runner in the #35 of Ben Schmidt (Howards Grove, WI). Schultz and Schmidt got to lap traffic on lap four and heading into traffic Schultz was leading the way. The field was halted due to a red flag brought out by the #39S of Randy Sippel and the #51M of Jim Melis (Glenbeulah, WI) on lap 14 both flipping over coming out of turn two. Both drivers walked away unharmed but were unable to re-start. Making a visit to the work area under the red flag conditions would be the #35 of Ben Schmidt giving up his 2nd running spot and would now have to tag the rear of the field.
   As they took the green there was 12 laps to go and Schultz would see contender Tim Haddy (Waupun, WI) in the #21H in the 2nd spot and the #53 of Shane Wenninger (Kewaskum, WI) in 3rd spot. Schultz jumped out to the early lead once again and had several car lengths put between 2nd and 3rd place quickly and now had his sights set on capturing his second checkered flag of the season. Schultz got to lap traffic again on lap 18 and that was soon slowed by a caution waving for the #08 of John Krebsbach was facing the wrong direction in turn two. As the field re-started Schultz taking his third and final re-start of the night found himself after the 25 laps in victory lane for the second time this season.
   The fans yelled as he climbed from the cock-pit and he stated, "The track was really fast tonight and I need to thank my crew who didn’t know much about sprint cars when we started but wow they have come a long way! I need to thank all my fans and sponsors too. That was really a lot of fun!” Finishing second from Waupun would be #21H Tim Haddy, third the #25 of Danny Schlafer (Sussex, WI) fourth the #26 of Al Schlafer (Sussex, WI) and fifth would go to the #97W of Tony Wondra (Campbellsport, WI).
   Grand National A-main rolled trackside and started on the pole would be the #34 of Steven Weber (Plymouth, WI). Wheel to wheel they took the green and the #8J of Matt Jackson on the outside took the lead coming out of turn four. A battle between the #95K of Donny Kulow (Plymouth, WI) and #28 of Mark Fieber (Cascade, WI) for the 3rd and forth spot was heating up as the #37 of Brad Lubach (Kiel, WI) was on the move around the top side of the race track working towards passing Jessen #55M, #28 Fieber and #95K Kulow. Lubach had his sights set on the top two and was chasing them down on lap eight. A yellow would wave on lap 10 for numerous cars getting together coming out of turn two.
   Coming for the green once again the #8J of Jackson would lead them across the start and Lubach picked-up where he left off and was quickly challenging the #34 of Weber for second place. Coming up through the field once again was the #28 of Fieber who fell back a few spots but now was working on Lubach for the 3rd spot. As the battles heated up for the top four spots, Jackson moved into lap traffic 18 and soon a yellow waved. As they re-stared, Jackson was feeling pressure again from Lubach on lap 20.
   Lubach was working the bottom of the race track and Jackson closed the door on him several times to capture his second victory of the season. Three wide coming out of turn three on the white flag lap would be Matt Jackson, Brad Lubach, Steven Weber, Kevin Lubach and rounding out the top five Mark Fieber. Jackson stated, "I can't believe that we are visiting victory lane once again this year. To get one win is awesome but to get two- I am shocked and so excited. I need to thank my crew, sponsors and the fans!"
   Late Models rolled track side and on the pole would be the #8R of Billy Rezutek and Kyle Ordekirk in the #21K would take them across the start line for the 25 lap A-main event. Up on his side would be last weeks winner Craig Schueffner in the #70 bringing out the red flag- he walked away unharmed and would be able to tag the back of the field.
   Closing in on lap 16 a caution would wave and button up the field with Brad Mueller #89 leading the way over Russ Scheffler #74 and Tim Buhler #7B. After another caution waved on lap 19 the field would be told that it would be a green, white, checkered finish due to time restraints on the race. Mueller would lead the field for the green flag re-start and quickly was challenged by the #74 of Scheffler. Side-by-side they would come down the back stretch and coming out of turn four coming for the checkers Scheffler would pick up the victory over Mueller at the line on the top side of the race track.
   Scheffler (Waukesha, WI) was met in victory lane with cheers from the crowd on autograph night and stated, “This is our first win of the season here at the Plymouth Dirt Track and I need to thank Brad for racing me clean and for the respect that we have for each other it makes it fun when guys race you clean. I need to thank my crew and my sponsors especially Bill Behling he is a super guy!”
Outlaw Compacts were last out in the rotation for the evening and the field was under a caution quickly for the #17B of Matt Van Wyk as he hit the wall coming out of turn two head on-he walked away unharmed and would not be unable to re-start. Coming down the back stretch with a battle on lap 12 with the #22 of Kyle Singer going for the lad on the bottom out of turn there and he would pick-up the victory over the #7of Tim Simon and the #19J of Justin Green on lap 15 and finish the night with a clean sweep. Singer (Cascade, WI) stated, “I need thank my sponsors and the fans for all of the support!"

PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK HEATS UP ON SATURDAY NIGHT
By: Camisha Miller

[PLYMOUTH, WIS.]- JUNE 4, 2011- The sun was out and humidity was visiting the track along with 86 cars that pulled in to the Plymouth Dirt Track. The Late Model A-main had the #70 of Craig Schueffner (Sheboygan Falls, WI) name written all over it. He jumped out to an early lead and on lap seven he had his sights set on lap traffic until a yellow waved on lap eight. Schueffner
re-started with a clean track took full advantage and pulled away from the field. A battle for the 2nd spot went to the #8R of Billy Rezutek (Big Bend, WI) and he was looking towards the top spot.
Coming into lap 16 Schueffner was seeing laps cars once again ahead and began working through traffic on lap 18 and continued to extend his lead. Lap 21 was slowed by a caution and that would set-up a four lap dash for the lead between, Rezutek #8R, Tim Buhler #7B (Glenbeulah, WI) and #79 Jim Schmidt (Cleveland, WI). They took the green and Schueffner picked up where he left off and once again the yellow waved still at lap 21. Lap 22nd another caution waved and Schueffner would have to led the field to the green once again with the #8R of Rezutek in second and the #79 of Schmidt in third.
With the checkered waving after several cautions, Schueffner from Sheboygan Falls would capture the victory and clean sweep the night. He led respectively from the start of the race and through numerous cautions. After the crowd welcomed him with cheers to victory lane, he stated, "I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight and I need to really thank all of my
sponsors."
Grand National racing was next on the agenda and Melissa Singer (Waldo, WI) in the #55 led them to the green. Singer was in the hot seat and in the hunt for the 2nd spot was the #12 of Brian Goetsch (Sheboygan, WI). Singer down low and the #12 of Goetsch was battling on the top side of the race track. Yellow waved the track on lap eight and that would tighten up the field. Four-wide down the back stretch through three and four, however a caution waved on lap nine and the field once again had to re-start. We were green once again up until lap 12 the
dust flew as the field halted.
Singer hailing from Waldo, Wis., led the way through numerous cautions and this was a hard one earned due to those cautions to capture the A-main victory. She has over 13 years of experience in the division and the crowd jumped to their feet to cheer her on from victory lane; she mentioned, "This was one of the longest races in my life, but I need to thank all of my sponsors and my husband who builds my car every year- this is just a great win for us."
Finishing second would be Matt Jackson, Mark Fieber, Brad Lubach and rounding out the top five Chris Baumann.
As the dust continued to fly the 360 sprinters took to the track for their 25-lap A-main event. Taking the field through corner four and setting the pace to the flag stand was the #55 of Brian Portschy (Plymouth, WI). Threw the dust, Portschy continued to lead on lap eight running the bottom of the race track. Jim Melis in the #51M was making his way from the 8th starting
spot to the front of the field on the top side of the race track running in fourth on lap 11. Scotty Thiel would retire to the pit area with mechanical problem on lap 15 and that would diminish any chances of capturing back-to-back A-main wins.
Top point contenders the #5J of Jeremy Schultz (Beaver Dam, WI) was in 8th moving up from 11th and on lap 21 the #35 of Ben Schmidt (Howards Grove, WI) who started 15th was up to 10th. A caution waved on lap 20 as the #2 of Joe Wipperfurth was facing the wrong direction out of turn four. The field would re-stack and with five more laps to go, Melis was up to the 3rd spot with the #26 of Al Schlafer (Sussex, WI) running second behind the "Tornado" Portschy. Melis on the top side of the race track would challenge Portschy on lap 22 and coming out of four, Melis and Portschy side-by-side down the back stretch and on lap 23, Melis would come across as the new A-main leader. Taking the checkers after 25-laps would be the native Jim Melis from Glenbeulah, Wis., who clean swept the night and he mentioned, "It was a pretty slick track and we went up to the top I had to make it work there. It sure did work out for us and I want to thank my car owner and all of my sponsors. It is fun to drive because they give me a good car."
Finishing 2nd was the #4 of Paul Pokorski, 3rd #55 Brian Portschy and fourth would be awarded to the #26 of Al Shlafer.
Outlaw Compacts took to the dry slick track Ben Van Wyk (Waldo, WI) led the way from the green to the checkers. He got into lap traffic on lap nine of 15 and moved through lap traffic and following in 2nd would be the followed by the Cole Fenske (Plymouth, WI). From victory lane,"I would like to thank my family, pit crew and sponsors and the fans" stated Van Wyk.
The B-main for the grand nationals went to from Fond du Lac, Wis., Ron Paulick Jr., driving the #20JR. Second would be awarded to the #80 of Luke Scholten from Oostburg, Wis.
The 360 sprint car B-main was 15 laps and the top six cars transfer to the A-main event. Scott Thiel #64 coming off last night’s A-main victory at Manitowoc took the early lead over Tim Melis in the #9. Yellow flag waved the race track with no laps in- the field re-started. The green flag waved and after 15 laps were in the books, the winner would be the #9 of Tim Melis
(Plymouth, WI) followed by the #99 of Kyle Marten (Sheboygan Falls, WI), #64 Scotty Thiel (Sheboygan, WI), #30P Doug Wondra (Oakfield, WI), #39 Randy Sippel (Elkhart Lake, WI) and the #7 of Lance Fassbender (Burnett, WI) in the sixth and final transfer spot.
The Late Models were first up in the rotation this week and taking heats wins were: #79 of Jim Schmidt (Cleveland, WI), Craig Schueffner (Sheboygan Falls, WI). Grand Nationals were next and heat winners were as follows: Tim Simon (Fond du Lac, WI), Scott Houpt (Belgium, WI), Mark Fieber (Cascade, WI). Sprint heats were awarded to Al Shlafer (Sussex, WI), Jim Melis(Glenbeulah, WI), Ken Jay Fielder (Sheboygan Falls, WI) and Scott Conger. Outlaw Compacts heats awarded

PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK FINALLY GETS TRACKSIDE SATURDAY NIGHT FOR MILITARY NIGHT

[PLYMOUTH, WIS.]- MAY 28, 2011 The sun shone bright on Saturday night at the Plymouth Dirt Track (Sheboygan County Fairgrounds) as we honored our Armed Forces who continue to serve this great Nation. After a long wait due to rain washing out several shows, the fans, racers, pit crews and our honored Military that were present we ready for the 93 cars that checked-in to be trackside.

The 360 sprint cars pushed off for their four heats of the night. Ten laps the distance for the first heat with seven cars in the field, the green flagged waved and the #9 of Tim Melis set the pace. Melis lead all ten laps to capture heat race number one’s victory followed by #25 of Danny Schlafer, #39P of Earl Possi, #15m-Justin Miller and rounding out the top five #31R-Jay Riemer. Heat two took the track and eight cars lined up side-by-side. Tim Haddy jumped to the early lead in front of #69 of Eliot Kulow. On lap three, the field spread out and Haddy was leading the way over Eliot Kulow, Brian Johnson, Jim Melis, KenJay Fielder, Randy Sippel, Doug Wondra and rookie driver in the #37 Tim Argus. That is how they would come across the checkers in that same order with Haddy taking home the win. The line-up was set for heat race three as pole sitter Scott Conger took the green. Tony Wondra and Scott Conger were battling hard for that top spot as Al Schlafer rolled underneath the #24 of Conger and had his sights set on the #97W until he found himself facing the other direction after contact with the inside berm bringing out a yellow on lap four. Wondra re-started but was soon halted for another yellow for the #08 of John Krebsbach. The field re-started and Jeremy Shultz in the #5J took the lead on lap six and another caution waved the raceway as the #08 who left on the wrecker. There was a good race for 2^nd and 3^rd between Wondra and Wenninger, and as the checkered flew Schultz would win followed by Wondra, Wenninger, Schlafer, Conger, the #2 Joe Wipperfurth, John Krebsbach in the #08 and #3E of Erin Winscher-DNS. The field took form for the last and final heat race of the evening. Ben Schmidt started out where he finished as he clean swept at the Manitowoc Expo on Friday evening. A yellow on lap six slowed the field for the #98M of Brandon McMullen as he was pushed to the work area to change a right rear tire- he would re-start at the tail of the field. Schmidt took the green and checked-out on the rest of the field and would capture the win followed by #4-Paul Pokorski, #21T- TJ Luedke, #55P-Brian Portschy and rounding out the top five the #7 of Lance Fassbender.

The Grand Nationals were next in rotation and heat one paced the raceway. The #8J of Matt Jackson took an early lead and after a caution waved on lap two- the field re-started and he continued to lead the field and would capture the win over the #95K of Donny Kulow, the #37 Brad Lubach after a side-by-side finish with the #3H of Aaron Hauck at the line the 3^rd spot was awarded to the #37 of Brad Lubach. Heat two would be called back due to a bad start-and after the 2^nd attempt the field took off and Melissa Singer in the #55 would take the lead. The field spread out and the #68 rejoined the field after a brief visit to the infield. Singer would come home with the victory followed by the #34 of Steven Weber, #55X-of Racer X, the #4 of Glen Blanke and rounding out the top five would be Ron Paulick in the #20JR. The last and final heat was awarded to after an early battle to the #80 of Luke Scholten followed by the #7S of Tim Simon, #12 of Brian Goetsch would be scored 3^rd after holding off the #28 of Mark Fieber who finished fourth.

Late Model heat one was trackside and the #8R of Billy Rezutek from the pole was racing the #7B of Tim Buhler for that top spot. Rezutek in the #8R battled the top side of the racetrack and lead the field on lap six. The field would finish with Rezutek taking the win over #7B Buhler, the #5 of Bret Sievert, #15S of Rick Scheffler and the fifth spot would go to Ted Dolhun SR #21. Making the trip from Iowa was the #12 Ron Klein of who would lead the field to the start line and wasting no time to get the lead would be the #89 of Brad Mueller. Klein put pressure on the #89 of Mueller and closing the gap on lap six would be the #74 of Russ Scheffler. There was a three way battle for the lead on lap eight and Mueller would lead the field coming to the white flag. He came down the back stretch quickly out of turn four; Mueller would capture the top spot over the #74 of Russ Scheffler and third would be awarded to Iowa driver visiting PDTR from Iowa the #12 of Ron Klein. Heat three would have the #79 of Jim Schmidt take to the lead and checked-out on the field. The #14 of Dan Sorce comfortably took over the second spot and the #21 of Kyle Ordekirk was third. The yellow flag waved on lap eight for the #45 of Brad Dahmer who found himself facing the wrong way out of turn number four. The field re-started and Schmidt would capture his 18^th win on this track followed by Sorce #14 and Ordekirk #21K.

Outlaw Compacts had a battle for the top spot in heat race one but as the 11 cars finished the top spot would be awarded the #64 Michael Zitzer followed by the #11 of Scott Brendel and rounding out the top three would be Ben Van Wyk in the #17B. Heat two would see a caution on lap number one and the field would re-set.

The #25W of Alex Wesenberg had his hands full keeping the top spot from the #34 of Cole Fenske and on lap three Fenske would take the lead as the #25T capture the second spot. Crossing the checkers would be Fenske for the top spot, the #00 of Sean Mueller second, the #25W of Wesenberg third, #5 Amber Schmidt in fourth, and fifth place was awarded to the Brandon Goeser.

The night moved along quickly as the sprint car b-main of 16 cars for 15 laps rolled trackside. The battle began for the top six spots of which would transfer to the nights A-main event. Fassbender took the early lead on lap number two and the battle for second was heating up between the #26 of Al Schlafer on the top side and #95 of KenJay Fielder. Fielder would take the second spot and a caution waved the raceway on lap six for the #30P of Doug Wondra. The field double filed and Fassbender would lead them to the green. The #2 of Wipperfurth would work the bottom of the track in hot pursuit of the sixth and final transfer spot. As they crossed the checkers it would be Fassbender, Fielder, Schlafer, Marten, Thiel and Sippel would finish 6^th and capture the final transfer spot.

On Military night the 25-lap A-main for the sprinters pushed track side. On the pole would be the #35 of Ben Schmidt to set the pace after a yellow waved for Brian Portschy who retired to the pit area before the field took the green and the alternate driving the #98M of Brandon McMullen would start. Tim Melis jumped out the early lead but chasing him down would be Schmidt followed by Haddy in the #21H. Danny Schlafer battled the top side of the track to capture the third spot from Haddy on lap seven. Melis would find himself in lap traffic on lap nine and was riding the rail to pass several cars. On lap 13 the #44B of Brian Johnson retired to the pit area and was done for the evening. Melis and Schmidt pulled away from the field on lap 16 and both were working the top side of the racetrack- Schmidt looked to the bottom on lap 17 and side-by-side down the back stretch he would take the lead on lap 19. A yellow flagged the track as the #69 of Kulow faced the wrong direction in corner four and the #7 of Fassbender would be carried off the track on the hook during the same caution with front end damage but his team was able to fix the damage and he re-started at the tail. The field formed side-by-side and Melis and Schlafer were looking to put pressure on the leader Schmidt as they took the green with six to go but a yellow came quickly as Randy Sippel in the #39S was facing the wrong direction in turn four. Schmidt set the pace and quickly Schlafer was battling for the lead on the bottom of the race track. Schmidt and Schlafer came down the back stretch on lap 22 with Schmidt out front. Schmidt would capture another clean sweep this weekend which makes two in a row. Schlafer finished second followed by Tim Melis, Tim Haddy and coming from 14^th to finish fifth would be Jim Melis. Schmidt from Howards Grove, Wis., after celebrating with donuts stated in victory lane, “I can’t believe it! I need to thank all my sponsors and my team and my cousin is serving oversees and these clean sweep wins are for him.”

Grand Nationals were up next and with the pole sitter in the #55 Melissa Singer setting the pace. On lap 10 the field would slow for a yellow and be re-set while the #80 of Luke Scholten would retire to the pit area during the yellow. As the field re-started it was once again halted on lap 13 and 14 for yellow flag conditions. As the field came to the checkers after several cautions during the race, #8J of Matt Jackson would find himself for the first time visiting victory lane for a feature win. Excited for his first victory, he stated, “I want to thank my sponsors and we have been racing a long time and finally got this win!” Finishing in 2^nd would be Steve Schneider, followed by Brad Lubach, Donny Kulow and Melissa Singer would round out your top five.

The 25-lap Late Model A-main event had fans off their seats. An early battle for the lead with the #79 of Jim Schmidt and the #74 of Russ Scheffler began and on lap 12 Scheffler would take the lead out of turn four and would be headed into lap traffic. Brad Mueller was working the high side of the track and had his sights set on the #74. Into lap traffic on lap 16 and coming out of turn four the crowd was on its feet as they were three wide coming to the flag stand. The top runners continued to work through lap traffic and Mueller on lap 20 would take over the lead and a yellow would wave on lap 22. The field re-set and there were no lap cars in sight. It was an open track for Mueller for the green, white, checkered re-start. The intensity rose throughout the grand stands as they re-started but Mueller was quick to the throttle and finished ahead of the field as the crowd stood on their feet cheering for the Random Lake, Wis., driver. He removed his helmet in victory lane and stated, “We needed this. I told Russ that I wish I could drive like him he makes us all better racers, and for me to pass him to take the lead was really awesome. Thank you to all the fans and to my family for coming out tonight!” Finishing in the runner-up spot was the #5 of Bret Sievert followed by #79 of Jim Schmidt, #74 of Russ Scheffler and fifth would go to the #8R of Billy Rezutek.

To close out the fast-track racing of the evening the Outlaw Compacts took to the track for the A-main event. There was pressure throughout the entire race for the top three spots. The #19J would capture the lead on lap 11 down the back stretch and capture his first win of his career. He stated in victory lane, “My family is a huge part of my racing and my grandma is not here she had knee surgery but she would have loved to see this!” Finishing second-Chris Maas, third-Ben Van Wyk, fourth-Sean Mueller and fifth would be awarded to Amber Schmidt.

[PLYMOUTH, WIS.]-May 8, 2011- Mother Nature has dictated the past few weeks of racing across the State, however being Mother’s Day weekend, she showed her kindness and allowed the 74 cars that checked-in to the Plymouth Dirt Track (PDTR) a chance to finally get on the track.

As hot-laps finished, the National Anthem sung and a moment of silence for late racer Bruce “The Homer” Holz, the Late Models made their way to staging for the first of two heat races of the evening. Anticipation of the first race on the newly configured race track had fans on the edge of their seats. The first heat rolled track-side and as the green flag dropped, the “Tool Man” Tim Buhler in the #7B took the early lead and for the next 10 laps would go unchallenged to capture the top spot. Dave Thomas in the #19 followed suit by finishing 2^ndand capturing 3^rdwould go to the #15S of Rick Scheffler. Heat race number two of the night pulled trackside and as they took the green flag Brad Mueller piloting the #89 jumped to an early lead and the field would fall into place on lap #2. Lap six should a battle for the 2^ndspot between the #79 of Jim Schmidt and the #74 of Russ Scheffler. Coming out of turn two Scheffler would take the 2^ndspot and take the checkers finishing 2^ndand Schmidt would finish in the 3^rdposition. Bradley “JJ” Mueller in the #89 led the entire race from green to checker in smooth fashion.

The field was set after an invert of #2 was drawn for the night’s 25-lap A-main event. The green flagged waved and the entire field would go green to checkers with no cautions. The “Tool Man” Buhler of Glenbeulah, Wis., would capture a clean sweep for the evening and start off his season in winning fashion. Rick Scheffler worked the high side of the race track for numerous laps to try to catch and pass the #7B through lap traffic but would come up short at the checkers and finish 2^nd. Mueller and the #15 of Rick Scheffler battled for the 3^rdand 4^thspot and at the finish the 3^rdspot would be awarded to the #89 of Mueller. Standing in victory lane receiving his trophy from RC Custom Design, Buhler stated, “This is an unbelievable start to the season. I am glad we were able to go flag to flag tonight and the race track was extremely smooth tonight, which was great!”

Following the racing order the Grand Nationals scampered onto the track and as the field set in to place the green flag dropped and the #37of Brad Lubach would find himself capturing win #1 of the season crossing the checkers even after the field closed up on lap #5 when a caution waved the race track for #R44 of Rick Hed who found himself facing the wrong direction. Second place in heat race #1 would go to the #7S of Tim Simon and 3^rdwould go to #55 of Melissa Singer. The program moving right along, had heat race two in line, the green flagged dropped and side-by-side the field went racing into turn one. Battling for position side-by-side on lap 7 was the #28 of Mark Fieber and #34N of Brett Wenzel and Wenzel would take the lead on lap 8 and would capture the heat race #2 win. As both drivers battled for the top spot, the #3H of Aaron Hauck closed the gap running in the 3^rdposition and would take the checkers finishing there.

As the 25-lap A-main was set for the 18 cars signed-in, the field took the green. As the top 3 of Scott Houpt #67H, #7S of Tim Simon and the 3H of Aaron Hauck got to lap traffic and the move over was waving, the top 3 pulled away from the field. Several battles between the #28 of Mark Fieber and the #R44 of Rick Hed continued until the final lap where Fieber would capture 3^rd. The man from Belgium, WI, Scott Houpt would capture the A-main victory and stated as he received his RC Custom Design Trophy, “Tonight went pretty well for our team. I need to thank my crew including my son who helps me work on the car and all of my sponsors!”

It was now time for the 29- 360 sprint cars that checked-in to take to the track. Pushing off for heat race #1 the 8 car field was set to go the 10 lap distance. Spreading out as #35 Ben Schmidt took the lead, on lap #5 the red flag would wave for the #3E of Erin Winscher who had flipped coming out of turn #2. Winscher’s team worked diligently in the work area and checked over the #3E sprinter, she was able to re-start at the tail of the field. As the field went green, the next 5 laps proved to be victorious for the #35 team of Ben Schmidt. Finishing 2^ndwould be the #26 of Al Schlafer and 3^rdthe #09M of Scott Mohs. Heat race #2 moved along as the “Little Farmer” TJ Luedke captured the top finishing spot even after a yellow on lap #7 for the #99K of Kyle Marten waved and the field had to re-start side-by-side. Finishing 2^ndwould go the #7 Lance Fassbender and third to the #5J of Jeremy Schultz. At the start of heat race #3 there was a few cars collected coming out of turn #2 and several cars had to be placed in the work area. The #12W of Josh Walter would re-start along with the #69 of Eliot Kulow and #9 of Tim Melis. As the green flagged dropped once again, Robbie Pribnow in the #20R took the lead and a caution would come out for Melis as he retired to the pit area. Re-starting heat race #3 again, Pribnow took over the top spot and would take the win, 2^ndplace awarded to the #21H of Tim Haddy and 3^rdto the #95 of Ken Jay Fiedler. At the end of the race the #12W of Josh Walter would have top-wing problems and hit the wall coming out of turn #4. He climbed un-harmed from the cock-pit but the #12W would be retired to the pit area for the rest of the evening. The last and final heat race for the 360 sprinters line-up and the #55P of Brian “The Tornado” Portschy would capture the top position and head to victory circle, 2^ndwould go the #64 of Scotty Thiel and 3^rdto the #4 of Paul Pokorski.

The 15-lap B-main was awarded to the #97 of Tony Wondra, 2^nd-#15M Justin Miller captured 2^nd- 3^rdwas Kyle Marten #99K-4^th- #25 Danny Schlafer, 5^th- Brandon McMullen #98M and the 6^thand final transfer spot was awarded to the #3E of Erin Winscher.

The 25-lap A-main event moved track-side and Shane Wenninger jumped to an early lead, however a caution waved on lap #2 and several cars were involved coming down the front stretch. The #51M driven tonight by Donnie Goeden would be retired to the pit area and the #26 and the #21T would re-start. As the field began to separate and the #7 of Lance Fassbender took the lead, the #5J of Jeremy Schultz was on a mission to capture his first win of the season and of his career. Schultz each lap was reeling in the #7 as they moved through lap traffic. As the scoreboard read lap #18, Fassbender would be passed by Schultz for the lead and he would go on to capture his first A-main victory of his career. After finishing his doughnuts for the fans on the front stretch, Schultz from Beaver Dam, WI, climbed from the car and stated, “I can’t even explain how awesome this is for our team right now. I want to dedicate this win to my grandfather who passed away last week and thank my entire team for all of their hard work. This is just great!” Rounding out the top five, #7 of Lance Fassbender, #35-Ben Schmidt, #95 Ken Jay Fielder and #53 of Shane Wenninger.

The Outlaw Compacts raced two heats of five laps each. First heat race winner would be the #19J of Justin Green followed by 2^ndof Sean Mueller in the #00. Heat race two would be awarded to the #34F of Cole Fenske and 2^ndto the #11 of Scott Brendel. The 15 lap A-main rolled track-side and the #5 of Amber Schmidt worked hard in trying to catch the leader #22 of Kyle Singer. Singer would capture the top spot and receive his first checkered flag win of the season. Following in 2^ndwas the #11 of Scott Brendel, #34F- Cole Fenske in 3^rd- #5 of Amber Schmidt and 5^th- #19J of Justin Green.