(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) July 2, 2019 – For the second time during the 2019 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car season, Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team found themselves on the outside looking in for A-main competition at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Friday, June 28.
With a season-high 40 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars registered for the special Friday night event, Walter drew the fifth starting position in the third heat race. After dropping back to sixth on the opening lap, Walter moved in to pass Mike Yurmanovich for fifth place on lap 4.
Walter was gaining on the fourth-place machine of Brandon McMullen on lap 7. However, he was not able to move into striking distance over the final three laps and held on to finish the race in fifth.
“The car was good in the heat race,” Walter said. “We just had a difficult time navigating around traffic early in the race. Once I caught up to the top four, it was difficult to pass on such a fast track early in the night.
After lining up fifth in the first 12-lap B main, Walter needed to finish third or better to advance to the 22-car A main. The 14th-year driver passed Tony Wondra to take fourth place on lap one. Walter gradually moved closer to the third-place car of Lance Fassbender over the next eight laps and appeared to be gaining on a potential A-main transfer position when the caution flag flew on lap 11 for a spin in turn four involving rookie Preston Ruh.
After another spin in turn four involving rookie Tyler Tischendorf, Nich Melis used the high groove to power around Walter on the lap 11 restart, which relegated Walter to fifth. The yellow flag was displayed again for the stalled car of rookie Tyler Davis in turn four just as the leader took the white flag, which resulted in the completion of the race with Walter finishing fifth, two spots out of an A-main transfer position.
“In the B main, the car was okay,” Walter said. “It was still somewhat of a single-groove track at that point with the bottom just being too fast yet to do much passing.”
Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team will compete on Wednesday, July 3 in the third annual Harry Neitzel Tribute Race at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wis. in conjunction with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series and Modifieds.
Grandstands will open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and IRA qualifying and racing to follow.
“We are looking forward to running at the Dodge County Fairgrounds with the MSA on Wednesday night,” Walter said. “After that, we will be enjoying a long weekend of family time. We will also be taking the car through the Elkhart Lake Fourth of July weekend parade on Sunday, July 7th to represent our sponsors.”
In addition, Walter has announced that the Torque Racing team has elected not pursue 100-percent participation in the remainder of the Midwest Sprint Car Association schedule. As a result, the team will not compete at TNT Speedway in Three Lakes, Wis. on Saturday, July 6.
“The Torque Racing team has made the decision to no longer run 100 percent of the MSA schedule,” Walter said. “We will still be running all of the races at Plymouth and the majority of the other MSA races. However, due to family obligations and safety concerns, we will not be racing the remaining Angell Park Speedway or TNT Speedway events this year.”
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, Platinum Restoration, 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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For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.
2019 Josh Walter-Torque Racing Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, July 3 – Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, Wis.
Friday, July 12 – Outagamie Speedway, Seymour, Wis.
Saturday, July 13 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, July 20 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Thursday, July 25 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
2019 Josh Walter-Torque Racing By The Numbers
Total Events – 11
MSA events – 10
IRA events – 1
A-Main Victories – 1
B-Main Victories – 1
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 2
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 5
Heat Race Victories – 2