6/22/2021
Paul Pokorski
Alex Pokorski flirts with top-10 in career-best 360 Sprint Car run at Plymouth
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 22, 2021 – While a doubleheader weekend of Midwest Sprint Car Association action for Pokorski Motorsports may have produced a decidedly mixed bag of results, it certainly ended up on a high note with second-year co-driver Alex Pokorski storming to a career-best 11th-place showing in the 25-lap Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, June 19.
The MSA twinbill weekend opened with the third annual Dave “Hagar” Nelson Memorial Race at Outagamie Speedway Powered by EWSC Racing in Seymour, Wis. on Friday, June 18. The team arrived just before hot laps after suffering a flat tire on its tow rig en route to the event honoring longtime Pokorski Motorsports supporter Hagar Nelson.
Paul Pokorski returned to the driver’s seat of the No. 4 machine after a four-week absence to start fifth in the first 10-lap MSA heat race. Pokorski held the fifth spot until Jack Vanderboom slipped past to move Pokorski back to sixth at the finish.
With 24 cars on hand for the event all cars advanced to the 25-lap A main. Pokorski started 15th in the main event and dueled back and forth for the 14th spot on the dry, slick and dusty track surface with fellow veteran driver Lance Fassbender for the majority of the first 17 laps of the race.
A caution on lap 18 prompted Pokorski to leave the track for the work area to address a smoking engine.
“Friday night was fun,” Pokorski said. “It was good to get back in the car and I was having a nice battle with Lance Fassbender during the feature. About 10 laps, in, I started to smell some oil and see smoke and wasn't sure if it was coming from me or not. A few laps later when the caution came out, I was able to determine it certainly was us, so I pulled off to see if we could fix it. It was a valve cover gasket failure that caused the leak. We weren't able to get back out, but it was an easy fix for Saturday night.”
Pokorski was credited with a 23rd-place finish in the event, which was won by Travis Arenz.
On Saturday, June 19, the action moved to The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. with Alex Pokorski taking over the driver’s duties.
With 29 cars signed in, Alex started fourth in the first 10-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car heat race and suffered front wing damage on the initial aborted start of the race after contact with Jordan Paulsen. With an ill-handling car, Pokorski wound up eighth in the race.
Pokorski started 12th in the 15-lap B main needing to finish sixth or better to advance to his third A main of the 2021 season. The race was plagued by five yellow-red flag periods with Pokorski narrowly avoiding a few of the mishaps.
On a lap 13 restart, Pokorski was running seventh and moved to the high line to sweep around Matt Rechek and Adam Miller to take fifth. Pokorski then negotiated one more single-file restart on lap 14 to secure a fifth-place finish and a berth in the 25-lap A main.
After rolling off 21st, Pokorski hit his stride in the A main with two distinct racing grooves to work with. By lap 4, Pokorski had moved up to 13th before working around Preston Ruh on lap 13 to take 12th.
A four-car incident on lap 20 bunched the field for the third and final restart with Pokorski running 11th. Pokorski held the spot over the final five circuits to earn his career-best 11th-place A-main showing after charging up 10 spots during the 25-lap event.
“In the heat race, I was trying to stay out of the marbles on the top and got a little too close with the 4 car [Jordan Paulsen],” Pokorski said. “That contact wrecked the nose wing and the car pushed real bad the rest of the race. The B main was a bit crazy, but my dad reminded me to be patient and avoid being a part of the cautions. I was able to avoid the cautions luckily and had enough speed to pick up some spots under green. The last restart worked out well for me because I got to start in the preferred line on the outside.
“The A main was a lot of fun and I was able to work my way through the field on the top of the track,” he said. “I still need to keep working on driving the cushion though. I felt I could’ve been better yet if I figured out turn 3 and 4 a little better. It was encouraging to see progress in the A main results.”
Alex’s father Paul was impressed with his son’s effort on the track in the A main and B main, after a tough start to the night in his heat race.
“We were lucky to give Alex a pretty good car for the B and for the feature Saturday night at Plymouth and he did an amazing job,” Paul Pokorski said. “That's the best Father’s Day gift you could get.”
The Pokorski Motorsports team is set to compete in another Midwest Sprint Car Association doubleheader starting with the final edition of the Russ Scheffler Tribute Race at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Friday, June 25 with Paul Pokorski assuming the driving duties.
Racing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. with action also slated in the PDTR Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions.
The team will cap the weekend with a Midwest Sprint Car Association event at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, June 26 with Alex Pokorski in the driver’s seat.
Wisconsin Wingless Sprint Cars, A Modifieds and Street Stocks will also be on the card.
Sponsors and supporters for the 2021 Pokorski Motorsports team are Petersen Septic Systems, Quest Engineering Inc., Goeden Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hopf Farms, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak's Service Center, Tisler Salvage Inc., Allied Bearing Corporation, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions
Pokorski Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Goeden Auto Body
As one of Pokorski Motorsports’ longest-running and most-valued sponsors, Goeden Auto Body, located at 2417 Highway 28 East in Kewaskum, has been in business since 1971. In 2015, David “Dusty” Goeden took over ownership of the family-owned business.
Goeden Auto Body specializes in quality, top-notch auto body repair, with a focus on collision work. Goeden also offers classic vehicle restoration and rust repair. In addition, it will work with all insurance companies. Goeden Auto Body uses PPG paints and clear coats, offers towing services and a locked fenced storage area. Continuing the Goeden Auto Body tradition, free loaner cars are also available.
“At Goeden Auto Body, we were born to perform,” Dave “Dusty” Goeden, Goeden Auto Body owner said. “With over 50 years of doing business and our racing involvement on and off the track, we know how to treat our customers like winners. With every job, we push ourselves to improve our performance and deliver a winning product. We work with all insurance companies, provide free computerized estimates and loaner vehicles while we repair your vehicle. Give us a call when you need a tow or some auto body work. Remember you, not your insurance company, have the right to choose where to take your vehicle for repairs.”
For more information on Goeden Auto Body, call 262-334-2759 or e-mail goedenauto@gmail.com.
For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromo.com.
Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.
For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.
2021 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers
Total Events – 13
MSA events – 13
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0
2021 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule
Friday, June 25 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 26 – Wilmot Raceway, Wilmot, Wis.
Thursday, July 1 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 10 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 17 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Article Credit: Jeff Pederson - Pedal Down Promotions
Submitted By: Jeff Pederson
