Pedal Down Promotions
June 14, 2025 – One of the most successful Sprint Car drivers in and around the state of Wisconsin over the past 37 years, Scotty Neitzel of Beaver Dam, made a surprise appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track pay off with a victory in the 25-lap Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main on Saturday, June 14 in Plymouth, Wis.
A pair of first-time winners found their way to victory lane as Jared Spaulding of Greenville posted a win in the 25-lap Sheboygan Flooring B Mod main event and Phillip Wuesthoff of Beaver Dam emerged from a thrilling three-way duel to capture the 25-lap Sheboygan’s Rock Station, 106.5 The Buzz Unified Street Stock A main.
In the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National headliner, Jake Richards of Neshkoro proved triumphant.
The start of the 360 Sprint Car main event saw 2008 PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Lance Fassbender of Burnett burst into the lead along the outside lane of the well-manicured, multi-groove racing surface.
Fassbender built up a solid cushion over second starter Tyler Davis of Franklin in the initial stages of the race before catching the back of the field on lap 6.
As the leaders weaved through slower traffic, Neitzel, who started on the pole, closed in to pressure Fassbender for the top spot. After dueling side by side over the next two circuits in thick lapped traffic, Neitzel used a low move to steal the lead from Fassbender heading into turn one on lap 10.
Neitzel, who is a two-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series champion, began to stretch his advantage in the ensuing laps as 10th starter Alex Pokorski of West Bend worked the cushion to take over third on lap 15.
Four laps later, Pokorski moved around Davis to gain the runner-up spot. On the following circuit, the lone caution flag of the race appeared when Fassbender stopped along the back stretch.
Neitzel, who earned the 1996 Beaver Dam Raceway Bandit 360 Sprint Car title, utilized the high groove to pull away from Pokorski over the final five laps on the way to his third career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 14th Midwest Sprint Car Association triumph in his first 360 Sprint Car appearance of the 2025 season at The Plymouth Dirt Track.
Pokorski placed second, two-time and defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champ Ben Schmidt of Plymouth raced his way up from the 12th starting spot to place third, three-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Donny Goeden of Kewaskum finished fourth after starting 13th and 11th starter Clayton Rossmann of Wadsworth, Ill. completed the top five.
Outside front row starter Jason Juech of Plymouth controlled the first 10 laps of the Grand National main event before Will Schumacher of Hartford maneuvered from the fourth starting spot to assume the lead in turn four on lap 11.
Meanwhile, Jake Richards was close behind mounting a stirring charge to the front from the 10th starting position. On lap 13, Richards vaulted into second and set his sights on Schumacher for the lead.
The first of three cautions came on lap 16 for a multi-car incident in turn four, which knocked two-time and defending Grand National champ Will Sorce of Franksville out of the race.
Following the restart, Richards catapulted his way into the lead with a low move past Schumacher in turn one.
After two more caution flags on lap 20 and lap 23, Richards cruised to his second PDTR Grand National A-main win of 2025 and third overall triumph in the division at The Plymouth Dirt Track.
Schumacher finished second, Jack Wiroll of Sheboygan Falls started and finished third, 2019 PDTR Grand National champion Tyler Kulow of Sheboygan placed fourth from the ninth starting position and fifth starter Derek Kaat of Plymouth rounded out the top five.
Polesitter Tim Thrun of Horicon built up a big lead in the first seven laps of the B Mod main event before a caution flag flew on lap 8 for a two-car incident in turn three.
On lap 13, Jared Spaulding, who started seventh, worked his way into the second spot and quickly moved in to pressure Thrun for the top spot. Spaulding slipped underneath Thrun to steal the lead three laps later.
As Spaulding ran away at the front, Thrun engaged in a battle for second with 2024 PDTR B Mod champion Travis Schmidt of Plymouth, who started 11th, in the closing laps.
Spaulding went on to claim his first career PDTR B Mod main event victory.
Schmidt nipped Thrun at the line to take second, Thrun was third, ninth starter Matt Urban of Milwaukee placed fourth and Steve Lorier of Sheboygan charged up from the 14th starting position to finish fifth.
The Unified Street Stock guest division featured a barn burner of a contest between second starter Phillip Wuesthoff, Derek Schrauth of Omro, who started fourth, and Dan Gracyalny of Greenville, who came from the 10th starting spot.
Wuesthoff seized the early race lead before Schrauth advanced to challenge for the point on lap 7. The two drivers dueled side by side over the next six laps before Wuesthoff finally fended off Schrauth to maintain the lead on lap 13.
Three laps later, Schrauth came back to assume the top spot as Gracyalny bolted up to make it a three-car duel at the front. The top three ran in lock-step formation as they weaved their way through lapped traffic in the closing laps.
Gracyalny swept into the lead on lap 23 and appeared headed to victory lane. However, contact with a lapped car coming to the checkered flag sent Gracyalny spinning into Wuesthoff, who was surging in the outside lane.
The collision between Gracyalny and Wuesthoff turned both cars sideways with Wuesthoff inching across the finish line as the victor of the well-contested, highly intriguing race.
It was Wuesthoff’s first career Street Stock A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track. Gracyalny took second, Schrauth wound up third, Courtney Atkinson of Muskego raced up from the 15th starting spot to take fourth and Paul Diefenthaler of Two Rivers placed fifth after starting 11th.
Joseph Hintz of Burnett won the 12-lap 360 Sprint Car B main. Sheboygan’s Ryan Minister was victorious in the 12-lap Grand National B main. Vince Jung of Iron Ridge earned the win in the 12-lap B Mod B main and Brooke Diefenthaler of Manitowoc placed first in the 12-lap Unified Street Stock B main.
Scotty Neitzel earned fast qualifier honors in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car division with a lap of 13.015 seconds.
The sixth event of the 2025 PDTR campaign, sponsored by Vesta, drew 111 total entries, including 32 B Mods, 29 Unified Street Stocks, 26 360 Sprint Cars and 24 Grand Nationals.
Next up The Plymouth Dirt Track plays host to the annual Road America Challenge featuring the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series on Saturday, June 21.
The Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars and Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Cars will also be in action for the all-Sprint Car program.
Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with on-track action slated for 5:30 p.m.
Advance tickets for PDTR events are available for purchase at plymouthdirttrackracing.com/tickets.html
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.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram.
AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS
A Main (25 Laps): 1. 2W-Scotty Neitzel [1]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [10]; 3. 1-Ben Schmidt [12]; 4. 27G-Donny Goeden [13]; 5. 09-Clayton Rossmann [11]; 6. 69S-TJ Smith [7]; 7. 22B-Brandon Berth [14]; 8. 68T-Tyler Davis [2]; 9. 69-Shane Wenninger [8]; 10. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [20]; 11. 7L-Ellie Hensley [16]; 12. 14J-Joseph Hintz [17]; 13. 16-Anthony Knierim [4]; 14. 55P-Brady Portschy [3]; 15. 46-Steven Ruh [5]; 16. 3-Justin Erickson [22]; 17. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [19]; 18. 24-Scott Conger [18]; 19. 7-Lance Fassbender [6]; 20. 30-Doug Wondra [15]; 21. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [9]; 22. 51-Chris Larson [21]
B Main (12 Laps): 1. 14J-Joseph Hintz[2]; 2. 24-Scott Conger[3]; 3. 3BK-Billy Kreutz[4]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz[6]; 5. 51-Chris Larson[5]; 6. 3-Justin Erickson[7]; 7. 52-Cody Schlafer[8]; 8. 34T-Tom Becker[10]; 9. (DNF) 5-Kevin Seidler[9]; 10. (DNF) 44-Hayden Johnson[1]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 69S-TJ Smith[2]; 2. 27G-Donny Goeden[1]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski[4]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth[6]; 5. 3BK-Billy Kreutz[3]; 6. 63K-Kevin Karnitz[5]; 7. 52-Cody Schlafer[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 69-Shane Wenninger[3]; 2. 68T-Tyler Davis[2]; 3. 09-Clayton Rossmann[4]; 4. 30-Doug Wondra[5]; 5. 5-Kevin Seidler[1]; 6. 34T-Tom Becker[6]; 7. 3-Justin Erickson[7]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 46-Steven Ruh[1]; 2. 16-Anthony Knierim[3]; 3. 2W-Scotty Neitzel[4]; 4. 44-Hayden Johnson[2]; 5. 7L-Ellie Hensley[5]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz[6]
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 7-Lance Fassbender[1]; 2. 55P-Brady Portschy[2]; 3. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach[4]; 4. 1-Ben Schmidt[6]; 5. 24-Scott Conger[3]; 6. (DNF) 51-Chris Larson[5]
Qualifying 1: 1. 4-Alex Pokorski, 13.484[5]; 2. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 13.549[6]; 3. 69S-TJ Smith, 13.605[4]; 4. 27G-Donny Goeden, 13.607[3]; 5. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.788[7]; 6. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.978[2]; 7. 52-Cody Schlafer, 14.531[1]
Qualifying 2: 1. 09-Clayton Rossmann, 13.826[2]; 2. 69-Shane Wenninger, 13.956[1]; 3. 68T-Tyler Davis, 14.381[6]; 4. 5-Kevin Seidler, 14.698[4]; 5. 30-Doug Wondra, 14.729[5]; 6. 34T-Tom Becker, 16.482[7]; 7. 3-Justin Erickson[3]
Qualifying 3: 1. 2W-Scotty Neitzel, 13.015[2]; 2. 16-Anthony Knierim, 13.154[6]; 3. 44-Hayden Johnson, 13.274[4]; 4. 46-Steven Ruh, 13.788[1]; 5. 7L-Ellie Hensley, 13.914[3]; 6. 14J-Joseph Hintz[5]
Qualifying 4: 1. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 13.056[6]; 2. 24-Scott Conger, 13.122[5]; 3. 55P-Brady Portschy, 13.141[1]; 4. 7-Lance Fassbender, 13.188[3]; 5. 51-Chris Larson, 13.195[2]; 6. 1-Ben Schmidt, 13.216[4]