From Gared Tennyson
PLYMOUTH, Wi. (June 14, 2017) — This weekend, June 17th and 18th the cars and stars of the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association (IRA) will take to two of the nicest dirt tracks in Wisconsin. Saturday night the series makes its first visit to the Plymouth Dirt Track in 2017. On Sunday, the series travels southwest to Sun Prairie WI, and the Angell Park Speedway.
Saturdays race is night 3 of the Hopf Farms Bullring Showdown. Bill Balog leads Showdown points and won night one at Beaver Dam. Night 2 at Oshkosh was won by another Hopf car, the Thone Motorsports 80k of Mike Kertscher. Other Hopf drivers will surely be looking to get Dean and Stacy Hopf back in victory lane at their home track. Steve Meyer, the newest Hopf Farms sponsored IRA driver will be one of the biggest challenges to Balog and Kertscher on Saturday night. If a driver can keep Hopf out of victory lane, it will be the man 2nd in Showdown points, “The Big Wheel” Scotty Thiel. Coming off of two 3rd place finishes and a 4th place finish last weekend Thiel is hungry to get that first win of 2017, and what better place than where he cut his teeth racing sprint cars?
Sunday Thiel has to be the driver to watch as last Thursday night at Angell Park he looked to have the race won when a late caution bunched the field back up and gave Balog the shot he needed to pass Thiel and win. Neitzel will also be a driver to watch as he is the most recent sprint car winner at Angell Park after picking up a win this past Sunday in MSA 360 competition.
Top 10 in Hopf Farms Bullring Showdown Points as of 06/13/17
1)Bill Balog- 47
2)Scotty Thiel- 44
3)Jeremy Schultz- 41
4)Mike Reinke- 40
5)Mike Kertscher- 39
6)Scotty Neitzel-35
7)Kyle Marten- 34
8)Steve Meyer- 33
9)Blake Nimee-26
10)Russel Borland- 21