(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 2, 2023 – Four-time Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh took a giant step toward securing another title by claiming his fourth straight 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory, during the annual Sheboygan County Fair Night all-Sprint Car racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 2.
Alex Pokorski of West Bend grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap PDTR-MSA A main from the pole position as 360 Sprint Car rookie T.J. Smith of Greenville worked the high groove to settle into second, while third starter Matt Vandervere of Zion, Ill. took over the third spot.
On lap 4, Smith rode the extreme high groove, just off the outside retaining wall, to pressure the low riding Pokorski for the top spot on lap 4. Two laps later, Pokorski transitioned from the low groove to the high line, which trimmed back Smith’s momentum.
One lap later Smith slowed along the outside line in turn four to bring out the lone caution flag of the race. On the restart, Brandon McMullen, who started eighth, maneuvered underneath Vandervere to take over second in turn two on lap 8.
On the following circuit, McMullen worked the low line to challenge the high-riding Pokorski for the top spot. Pokorski attempted to move down to the low groove on lap 10. However, McMullen was able to slip underneath to seize the lead in turn two.
From there, the four-time MSA 360 Sprint Car champion quickly pulled away from Pokorski to build up a full straightaway lead on lap 15. McMullen caught up to the rear of the field on lap 16, while 14-year-old rookie Logan Julien of Oconomowoc, who started fourth, took third from Vandevere along the outside groove.
McMullen, who is a two-time Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion, cruised the rest of the way en route to his division-leading 33rd career PDTR and 45th career MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main win, as well as his fourth straight and sixth overall PDTR and seventh MSA 360 Sprint Car A-main win of the 2023 season.
“I could really go anywhere on the track top or bottom, but I knew the bottom was really tacky,” McMullen said. “Hats off to my team. They’ve been phenomenal all year. They are what makes his program work so well.”
Pokorski placed second, Julien wound up third, Vandervere placed fourth and sixth starter Kevin Karnitz of West Bend rounded out the top five.
McMullen will look to seal the Midwest Sprint Car Association - Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car titles in the 2023 season finale as part of the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 30.
The 23rd event of the 2023 MSA season drew a field of 27 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars.
The 2023 MSA season will conclude with the Wisconsin Sprint Car Championships on Saturday, Sept. 30 featuring the season finales for the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Cars, Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Cars, Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Cars and IRA Lightning Sprints.
Pit gates open at 2 p.m. with spectator gates opening at 4:30 p.m. and on-track action at 5 p.m., followed by hot laps, qualifying and racing.
AKRIGHT AUTO PLYMOUTH DIRT TRACK RACING 360 SPRINT CARS
A Main (25 Laps): 1. 98-Brandon McMullen [8]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski [1]; 3. 85J-Logan Julien [4]; 4. 10V-Matt Vandervere [3]; 5. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [6]; 6. 6K-Kurt Davis [9]; 7. 3-Justin Erickson [13]; 8. 51-Chris Larson [7]; 9. 68T-Josh Bilicki [11]; 10. 69-Bill Taylor [10]; 11. 2-Chris Clayton [21]; 12. 30-Doug Wondra [18]; 13. 69S-TJ Smith [2]; 14. 22B-Brandon Berth [20]; 15. 16-Anthony Knierim [12]; 16. 66-Nick Daywalt [15]; 17. 21H-Tim Haddy [19]; 18. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [14]; 19. 12P-JJ Pagel [22]; 20. 11-Tony Wondra [16]; 21. 53A-Paul Pokorski [17]; 22. (DNF) 44-Hayden Johnson [5]
B Main (12 Laps): 1. 53A-Paul Pokorski [1]; 2. 30-Doug Wondra [3]; 3. 21H-Tim Haddy [7]; 4. 22B-Brandon Berth [2]; 5. 2-Chris Clayton [5]; 6. 12P-JJ Pagel [4]; 7. 35-Ben Schmidt [9]; 8. 54-Randy Post [8]; 9. 7-Kristian Wagner [11]; 10. (DNF) 52-Cody Schlafer [10]; 11. (DNF) 42X-Brett Peterson [6]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 51-Chris Larson [1]; 2. 85J-Logan Julien [3]; 3. 68T-Josh Bilicki [2]; 4. 3-Justin Erickson [4]; 5. 66-Nick Daywalt [5]; 6. 11-Tony Wondra [7]; 7. 2-Chris Clayton [6]; 8. 42X-Brett Peterson [8]; 9. 7-Kristian Wagner [9]
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 44-Hayden Johnson [1]; 2. 10V-Matt Vandervere [2]; 3. 6K-Kurt Davis [3]; 4. 16-Anthony Knierim [4]; 5. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [6]; 6. 22B-Brandon Berth [5]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra [7]; 8. 21H-Tim Haddy [8]; 9. 52-Cody Schlafer [9]
Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [1]; 2. 98-Brandon McMullen [4]; 3. 4-Alex Pokorski [3]; 4. 69-Bill Taylor [5]; 5. 69S-TJ Smith [8]; 6. 53A-Paul Pokorski [6]; 7. 12P-JJ Pagel [7]; 8. 35-Ben Schmidt [2]; 9. 54-Randy Post [9]
Qualifying 1: 1. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.012 [8]; 2. 85J-Logan Julien, 13.037 [9]; 3. 68T-Josh Bilicki, 13.182 [7]; 4. 51-Chris Larson, 13.198 [2]; 5. 66-Nick Daywalt, 13.212 [6]; 6. 2-Chris Clayton, 13.248 [1]; 7. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.437 [4]; 8. 42X-Brett Peterson, 13.438 [3]; 9. 7-Kristian Wagner, 15.704 [5]
Qualifying 2: 1. 16-Anthony Knierim, 12.723 [4]; 2. 6K-Kurt Davis, 12.938 [6]; 3. 10V-Matt Vandervere, 12.965 [5]; 4. 44-Hayden Johnson, 13.133 [7]; 5. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.165 [2]; 6. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 13.177 [3]; 7. 30-Doug Wondra, 13.335 [1]; 8. 21H-Tim Haddy, 13.359 [8]; 9. 52-Cody Schlafer, 14.822 [9]
Qualifying 3: 1. 98-Brandon McMullen, 12.921 [1]; 2. 4-Alex Pokorski, 12.963 [5]; 3. 35-Ben Schmidt, 13.046 [9]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 13.080 [4]; 5. 69-Bill Taylor, 13.096 [7]; 6. 53A-Paul Pokorski, 13.211 [8]; 7. 12P-JJ Pagel, 13.452 [6]; 8. 69S-TJ Smith, 13.608 [2]; 9. 54-Randy Post, 13.800 [3]