(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 5, 2019 – Josh Walter and his Torque Racing team experienced the spectrum of the highs and lows of racing as it embarked on the first doubleheader weekend of the 2019 Midwest Sprint Car Association racing season on Saturday, June 1 the Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. and Sunday, June 2 at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis.
On Saturday, June 1, Walter was among 35 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car entries as he drew the sixth starting spot in the first heat race. On the drop of the green flag, Walter took off like a rocket on the fast and smooth, multi-groove racing surface to move into fourth on the opening lap. On lap 2, Walter slipped past Mike Decker to claim third before gaining second place from Tyler Davis on lap 3.
Walter was closing on leader Kevin Karnitz when the checkered flag flew with the 14th-year Plymouth driver placing second to earn a spot in the evening’s 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main event.
After starting sixth, Walter drove a steady race, hovering around the top five throughout. After gaining fifth place when Lance Fassbender dropped out on lap 15, Walter moved to fourth in the running order in the closing laps and he hung on to the spot to finish fourth in a race won by Kevin Karnitz.
“We had a solid run on Saturday at Plymouth,” Walter said. “The heat race was good. We drew a higher number this week, but we were able to capitalize on the track conditions, starting sixth and finishing second. The highlight of the heat race was after we got into second, we were able to run down the leader. That really helped the confidence going into the A main.
“In the A main, the car was handling pretty well,” Walter said. “The track was fairly single file, allowing the high side to really only work on restarts. We started sixth and finished fourth in the A main, and it's always a good feeling to go forward.”
While acknowledging the ongoing debate about the condition of the racing surface at The Plymouth Dirt Track, Walter weighed in on the topic this week.
“The racing this year at Plymouth has been good so far in my opinion,” Walter said. “However, I don't know that the track is the reason for that. I don't know anyone involved in racing who shows up and says, ‘How can we make this a bad track.’ The track is a victim of changing conditions weekly. The last time I checked, none of the track workers are Nostradamus. If they could make every prediction they would.
“The track gets packed tight, so the water will run off when it rains during the week from my understanding,” he said. “They do this so we can race on the weekend. I'm no expert at track prep, but I do know that I bought a race car to race and the surface is the same for everyone that I am racing with. Starting position plays a huge role late in the night lately, which just puts more emphasis on capitalizing in the heat races.”
On Sunday, June 2, Walter traveled to Sun Prairie, Wis. for the first of three scheduled races at Angell Park Speedway in 2019 where 31 Midwest Sprint Car Association entries packed the pit area.
After lining up second in the third MSA heat race, Walter held down the runner-up spot throughout en route to a second-place finish behind Travis Arenz to gain a berth in the evening’s 25-lap A main.
“We had a good heat race starting spot again, which was advantageous on a fairly narrow track early in the night,” Walter said. “We started second and finished second in the heat race and had a good handling car. We just lacked some speed.”
Walter started the main event from the ninth starting spot and advanced to eighth on lap 4 when he moved past rookie Justin Erickson. Four laps later, Walter powered past rookie Jack Vanderboom and Will Gerrits to seize sixth.
Following a yellow flag restart on lap 8, Walter made contact with the outside retaining wall, which affected the handling of his machine the rest of the way. On lap 13, Walter fell to 10th before clipping an infield tire and spinning in turn two to bring out a caution flag on lap 19.
Walter restarted the race 18th and working his way past three cars in the final seven laps to finish 15th in a race won by Travis Arenz.
“We made some fueling changes and gear changes for the feature and had a really good car,” Walter said. “I slipped up early in the race and hit the wall hard enough to knock out the Jacob's ladder, which holds the rear end in the center of the car. The car was a handful from that point on, but manageable. Later in the race with handling issues, I was doing all I could to take advantage of other people’s mistakes and try to climb back to the spots I had lost.
“We were racing hard and it seemed like every time we had a good rhythm going, we had another caution and restart,” Walter said. “In the end, I ended up making a choice late in the race to get into a collision with another driver or hit the infield tire. You never want to see anyone get tangled up. It just wrecks cars and potentially hurts people, so I just nicked the infield tire and spun out. We restarted the race 18th and drove back to a 15th place finish. I think it is a fairly respectable finish for the way the night could have gone when you take on a tractor tire. We're working on the car this week to get everything back to new. We'll be ready for this Saturday night June 8th at PDTR.”
Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team will return to action this Saturday, June 8, at The Plymouth Dirt Track in an all open wheel show featuring the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series, PDTR 360 Sprint Cars and Badger Midgets. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
Torque Racing sponsors for the 2019 season include JDV Lawncare, Brittany's School of Dance, Sheboygan by Owner, Plymouth Tap, Doug's Quality Beef, Tiffany's Wildtree, Cow Pies, Full Throttle Ink, Lakehouse Bar & Grill, Home Transitions, Oostburg Concrete, Kombucha Brothers, Ruh Custom Woodworking, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.
Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Plymouth Tap
Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team is pleased to welcome back Plymouth Tap as a returning sponsor for the 2019 season.
Plymouth Tap is the fourth tavern founded by the late Kevin Fetterer. After four years of renovations, Plymouth Tap opened at 101 East Mill St. in Plymouth on the day before Thanksgiving in 2016.
As a 5,000-square-foot bar and grill located in the heart of downtown Plymouth, Plymouth Tap features several televisions, pool tables, dartboards and many other games, along with an expansive food and drink menu.
“I like to think there is a little something for everyone here,” Plymouth Tap owner Nate Fetterer said. “We have a large menu and plenty of drink choices. We also have ample space to accommodate groups, both small and large.”
Fetterer has a close connection to the local racing scene and has jumped at the opportunity to be involved as a sponsor with the Torque Racing team.
“I used to go to PDTR as a small child with my grandfather and really enjoyed spending that time with him,” Fetterer said. “As a teenager, I became a pit mechanic for Sean Conrad, who raced motorcycles and just so happened to be my neighbor in Sheboygan Falls. We traveled across the Eastern United States chasing Kawasaki contingency money in several different motorcycle series including AMA, WERA, CRA.
“Josh is persistent and a hard worker,” he said. “He also helps out at the bar a ton. He is a great person to have on board when it’s not racing season. Along with the Torque Racing brat fry that is held every year, one of the highlights of this year’s event was the Plymouth Tap/Torque Racing Bar Olympics that we organized and ran together.”
For more information on Plymouth Tap, visit www.plymouthtap.com.
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2019 Josh Walter-Torque Racing Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, June 8 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 15 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Friday, June 21 – Spring Lake Speedway, Unity, Wis.
Saturday, June 22 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Friday, June 28 – Plymouth Dirt Tracks, Plymouth, Wis.
2019 Josh Walter-Torque Racing By The Numbers
Total Events – 6
IRA events – 1
MSA events – 5
A-Main Victories – 1
B-Main Victories – 1
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 2
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 3
Heat Race Victories – 2