Karnitz fends off Schmidt for Plymouth MSA Mid-Season loot

Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Kevin Karnitz of West Bend earned his second A-main victory of the 2026 season during the MMW Industrial Supply Midwest Sprint Car Association Mid-Season Night racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 20. – MSA Sprints photo

Karnitz, Schumacher, Schmidt, Johnson tally Plymouth Mid-Season triumphs

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 20, 2026 – Defending Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion Kevin Karnitz of West Bend denied three-time MMW Industrial Supply Midwest Sprint Car Association champion Ben Schmidt of extending his four-race MSA winning streak by earning his second A-main victory of the 2026 MSA campaign on Mid-Season Night at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., on Saturday, June 20. 

After lining up on the outside of the front row, Kevin Karnitz outpowered polesitter Brandon Berth of Cascade to take the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap Mid-Season MSA 360 Sprint Car main event.

Riding the high and wide cushion, Karnitz caught up the back of the field on lap 6 and went to work slicing his way through thick slower traffic. As the leaders worked their way through a continual swarm of cars, Berth pulled even with Karnitz with a slide job on lap 8.

However, Karnitz fended off Berth’s spirited challenge for the lead. On lap 10, Berth exchanged sliders with fourth starter T.J. Smith of Greenville in a heated duel for the runner-up spot.

Meanwhile, Karnitz weaved his way through slower traffic with some daring, but well-measured moves utilizing the bite of the preferred outside groove to extend his lead by lap 15.

Three laps later, Ben Schmidt of Plymouth charged up from the 10th starting spot to slip past Smith to secure second. As the laps wound down, Schmidt used the low line to gradually reel in the high-riding Karnitz.

However, Schmidt’s valiant bid for a fifth consecutive MSA win and fourth straight triumph at Plymouth came up just short.

Karnitz secured his 12th career MSA main event win in the caution-free race, which came with a $1,000 first-place prize.

Schmidt was second, Berth wound up third, Smith finished fourth, and third starter Josh Walter of Plymouth rounded out the top five.

Weston Finke of Mayville won the 12-lap B main.

Rookie Ethon Stear of Hebron, Ill. was the overall fastest qualifier with a lap of 12.480 seconds.

The seventh event of the 2026 PDTR campaign, sponsored by Vesta, attracted 27 MSA 360 Sprint Cars.

To help celebrate Mid-Season Night, PDTR added $1,000 to the purse for the 360 Sprint Car division with the A-main winner taking home $1,000.

The MSA with return to action at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 27. The program will also feature Hot Wheels Races at the PDTR merchandise table under the grandstand to start the evening.

Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.

MMW Industrial Supply

Midwest Sprint Car Association

Plymouth Dirt Track

Plymouth, Wisconsin

June 20, 2026

A Main (25 Laps): 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt [10]; 3. 22B-Brandon Berth [1]; 4. 69S-TJ Smith [4]; 5. 67-Josh Walter [3]; 6. 3-Justin Erickson [16]; 7. 68T-Tyler Davis [5]; 8. 69-Shane Wenninger [7]; 9. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [6]; 10. 14J-Joseph Hintz [8]; 11. 15-Carter Chevalier [18]; 12. 59-Ethon Stear [13]; 13. 14AJ-Ryan Zielski [9]; 14. 57-Tristan Furseth [15]; 15. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [14]; 16. 24X-Eric Wilke [11]; 17. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl [21]; 18. 44H-Hayden Johnson [19]; 19. 51-Chris Larson [12]; 20. 11-Tony Wondra [20]; 21. 68P-Frank Perko [22]; 22. 20W-Weston Finke [17]

B Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 20W-Weston Finke[2]; 2. 15-Carter Chevalier[1]; 3. 44H-Hayden Johnson[7]; 4. 11-Tony Wondra[3]; 5. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl[8]; 6. 68P-Frank Perko[5]; 7. 46-Steven Ruh[9]; 8. 87R-Josh Rehberg[4]; 9. 30-Nathan Skelton[10]; 10. (DNS) 37Z-Jake Zimmerman; 11. (DNS) 5-Chad Stouthamer

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 68T-Tyler Davis[1]; 2. 63K-Kevin Karnitz[4]; 3. 51-Chris Larson[2]; 4. 15-Carter Chevalier[3]; 5. 20W-Weston Finke[5]; 6. 68P-Frank Perko[6]; 7. (DNS) 5-Chad Stouthamer

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 22B-Brandon Berth[1]; 2. 14J-Joseph Hintz[2]; 3. 35-Ben Schmidt[3]; 4. 59-Ethon Stear[4]; 5. 57-Tristan Furseth[6]; 6. 44H-Hayden Johnson[5]; 7. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl[7]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 67-Josh Walter[2]; 2. 69-Shane Wenninger[3]; 3. 14AJ-Ryan Zielski[4]; 4. 24X-Eric Wilke[5]; 5. 46-Steven Ruh[1]; 6. 87R-Josh Rehberg[7]; 7. (DNF) 30-Nathan Skelton[6]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 69S-TJ Smith[2]; 2. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach[3]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson[1]; 4. 3BK-Billy Kreutz[4]; 5. 11-Tony Wondra[5]; 6. 37Z-Jake Zimmerman[6]

Qualifying 1: 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 12.743[2]; 2. 15-Carter Chevalier, 12.802[6]; 3. 51-Chris Larson, 12.834[3]; 4. 68T-Tyler Davis, 12.954[5]; 5. 20W-Weston Finke, 12.973[7]; 6. 68P-Frank Perko, 13.051[1]; 7. 5-Chad Stouthamer, 13.051[4]

Qualifying 2: 1. 59-Ethon Stear, 12.480[2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.723[5]; 3. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 12.782[6]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth, 12.805[1]; 5. 44H-Hayden Johnson, 12.813[4]; 6. 57-Tristan Furseth, 12.876[3]; 7. 59S-Hayden Schmuhl, 12.893[7]

Qualifying 3: 1. 14AJ-Ryan Zielski, 12.884[4]; 2. 69-Shane Wenninger, 12.953[7]; 3. 67-Josh Walter, 12.991[5]; 4. 46-Steven Ruh, 12.999[3]; 5. 24X-Eric Wilke, 13.117[1]; 6. 30-Nathan Skelton, 13.497[6]; 7. 87R-Josh Rehberg, 13.497[2]

Qualifying 4: 1. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 12.760[1]; 2. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.849[5]; 3. 69S-TJ Smith, 12.961[3]; 4. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.108[4]; 5. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.490[6]; 6. 37Z-Jake Zimmerman, 13.951[2]