(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) December 4, 2019 – Highlighted by a pair of main event victories, the 2019 racing season was packed with a host of twists and turns for Josh Walter and members of the Torque Racing Winged Sprint Car team.
Through the ups and downs, the 14th-year Sprint Car racer and his dedicated Plymouth, Wis.-based pit crew enjoyed several strong runs in both the 360 and 410 ranks, while running a reduced schedule of events over the second half of the season.
After originally intending to run the complete Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car schedule in 2019, Walter ended up splitting his time between the MSA 360 division and the Bumper to Bumper IRA 410 Sprint Car Series in 2019.
Walter notched a pair of A-main victories, four top-five and seven top-10 A-main finishes to go along with three heat race victories and one B-main triumph in 14 MSA 360 Sprint Car events.
In late July, Walter and the Torque Racing team turned their attention to the IRA 410 Sprint Car ranks, making six 410 starts during the second half of the 2019 campaign with one top-10 A-main showing and one heat race victory to the team’s credit.
Walter finished 22nd in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car point standings, 24th in the final MSA 360 Sprint Car point standings and 28th in the IRA 410 Sprint Car Series point standings as the team competed in a total of 21 events during the 2019 season.
“The season was really a roller coaster,” Walter said. “It started out great, then took a turn for the worst with several weeks of DNFs. We were then given the opportunity to rent a 410 engine. With several people interested in our 360 engine, we decided to sell it and buy the 410 permanently since we were having more fun in the 410 division.
“The highlights of the season were the two feature wins and a handful of top-10 finishes in the 410, along with getting a 410 heat race win at Angell Park Speedway,” he said.
Walter opened the 2019 campaign by competing with the IRA 410 Sprint Car Series at the Beaver Dam Raceway on April 20 with a MSA 360 power plant under the hood. Despite being down on horsepower against the IRA regulars, Walter ran in the top-10 during much of the 30-lap Jim Wipperfurth Memorial A main before posting a respectable 11th-place showing.
With 39 Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars signed in for the PDTR opener at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth on May 4, Walter was involved in a pair of heat race incidents and was forced to run the B main. After winning the B main, Walter started 16th in the A-main field before pulling off with a rear-end part failure just past the half-way point of the A main to post a 14th-place showing.
The following week proved to be much better for Walter has he pulled of a clean sweep by winning his heat race and the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, May 11. Walter started on the pole in both races and survived a heated duel with Travis Arenz en route to victory in the A-main event.
On Saturday, May 25, Walter earned a heat race victory and a sixth-place showing in the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main before posting a fourth-place finish in PDTR 360 Sprint A-main competition on Saturday, June 1.
On Sunday, June 2 the Torque Racing team ventured to Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, where Walter saw his three-race top-10 A-main finish streak come to an end with a 15th-place A-main showing after contact with an infield tire forced him to restart at the rear of the field at the halfway point of the race.
Walter returned to The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 8 where he was involved in a hard flip during heat race action. The Torque Racing team made quick repairs and got Walter back out for the B main, but he was unable to earn a transfer spot and failed to make the A main for the first time during the 2019 season.
Walter bounced back on Saturday, June 15 at The Plymouth Dirt Track to record a solid 10th-place A-main finish in PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main action. On Friday, June 21, Walter placed 11th in an MSA event at SK Speedway in Unity before posting a sixth-place finish at The Plymouth Dirt Track on June 22.
The Russ Scheffler Memorial Night racing program at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Friday, June 28 drew a season-high 40 PDTR 360 Sprint Cars and resulted in Walter missing out on an A-main transfer spot for the second time in 2019, following a fifth-place finish in the B main.
After the June 28, Walter announced that he would no longer pursue 100-percent participation in the MSA schedule and would run select 360 races for the remainder of the 2019 season.
The low point of Walter’s 2019 campaign followed on Wednesday, July 3 at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam as Walter was involved in a hard accident in turn two of the sprawling half-mile track during the MSA A main, which seriously damaged his primary car and relegated him to a 19th-place finish.
After skipping an MSA event at TNT Speedway in Three Lakes on July 6 while putting together the team’s back-up car, Walter returned to MSA action at Outagamie Speedway Powered by EWSC Racing in Seymour on Friday, July 12, where he posted a fifth-place A-main finish.
The following night proved to be the highlight of Walter’s 2019 as he fended off a late charge from Travis Arenz to claim his sixth career MSA A-main victory in the Remembering Randy Tracy Mid-Season Championship 30-lap headliner at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, July 13.
After a weekend off, Walter finished 17th in his final MSA/PDTR 360 Sprint Car appearance of the 2019 season on Thursday, July 25 at The Plymouth Dirt Track during the All Star Circuit of Champions special appearance at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds.
Weary from the grind of the MSA and PDTR 360 Sprint Car schedule, coupled with the strain of extra work put in to assemble a backup car following two significant accidents with the team’s primary machine during the first half of the season, Walter and his crew elected to change things up and bolt in a 410 motor for the remaining six races of the 2019 season.
The team’s first 410 event of the 2019 campaign came at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie on Sunday, July 28 where Walter placed a solid 10th in an IRA 410 Sprint Car Series A main.
“When we made the change to the 410 in late July, it resulted in less pressure on myself and my crew,” Walter said. “We just had more fun in the 410.”
After two weeks away from the racetrack, Walter and the Torque Racing team returned to action during Cornfest at the Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie on Sunday, Aug. 18. Following his first IRA heat race victory of the season, Walter came home 12th in the A main.
Walter tallied an 11th-place finish with the IRA at Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 24 and followed that up with a 14th-place showing with the IRA during the Sheboygan County Fair at The Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, Sept. 1. On Saturday, Sept. 14, Walter placed 13th in IRA A-main action at Beaver Dam Raceway.
Walter closed out the 2019 campaign with an IRA event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Sept. 28. After starting 17th, Walter ran as high as 14th before he flipped his 12W machine along the treacherous cushion in turn four following a late-race restart on lap 29. Walter was scored 19th in the event.
“We had some really good runs with the 410,” Walter said. “That's the great thing with the new 410 engine. It's a much more competitive engine than I had previously during the three years I ran a 410 Sprint Car from 2015 through 2017. This engine has a lot more power.”
Looking ahead to the 2020 season, Walter says the Torque Racing team will stay with the 410 motor and run a pick-and-choose type of schedule with some long-distance trips mixed in with a selection of local events.
“We plan on doing anywhere from 12 to 18 410 races next year,” Walter said. “We're going to concentrate primarily on tracks that I've always wanted to race at like I-55 Speedway in Pevely, Missouri, Eldora in Ohio, Knoxville in Iowa, Port Royal and Williams Grove in Pennsylvania. In addition, we will do some local races at tracks such as Plymouth, 141 Speedway, Beaver Dam, and possibly some shows at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie.
“We don’t plan to make any big changes to the car this winter, mostly just upgrading some components,” he said. “We are going to race our Triple X chassis again next year.”
As he prepares to enter into his 15th season behind the wheel of a Winged Sprint Car, Walter is very appreciative of the support he has received along the way.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in our race program in 2019 and the past 14 years,” Walter said. “It’s been a wonderful experience and the support has been overwhelming.”
As the Torque Racing team plans a diverse schedule of 410 events for the 2020 season, Walter is currently seeking additional sponsors to help support the team during the upcoming campaign.
‘We are always looking to expand our racing family and if anyone is interested in being part of the Torque Racing team, they can contact me directly by email at sprint.racer12w@gmail.com,” Walter said. “We can set up an appointment to meet. I prefer to make our partnerships as personal as possible.”
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 Services, Ruh Custom Woodworking, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.
Torque Racing Sponsor Showcase – Platinum Restoration Services
Josh Walter and the Torque Racing team is pleased to have Platinum Restoration Services, located at 5225 West Electric Ave. in West Allis, Wis., on board as a sponsor for the 2019 season.
Platinum Restoration Services began 10 years ago as a one-man operation founded by owner Jeremy Roth. Over time, the business grew and it built a reputation for high-quality service and careful attention to detail.
“Our services are in such high demand that we have three trucks/crews going now,” Roth said. “From its humble beginnings, the company has grown to expand the services to all of Southeastern Wisconsin with another office in West Allis/Milwaukee. This growth was a natural part of the company's evolution and the reflects the focus we've always placed on people and relationships.”
Platinum Restoration Services offers a wide array of services including carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, synthetic and oriental rug cleaning, air duct cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire and smoke damage restoration and power washing.
Roth says the foundation of the business is centered around a dedication to top-notch customer service and high-quality restoration work.
“At Platinum Restoration Services, each member of our staff is an expert in his or her field-whether handling customer service or restoring a disaster in your home,” Roth said. “All of our people are fully-trained professionals, who have worked hard to make our company what it is today. We believe in forgoing ongoing relationships through quality workmanship and outstanding customer service.
As a race fan, Roth is thrilled to be involved with Josh Walter the Torque Racing team.
“I grew up in Plymouth and been going to the dirt track races in Plymouth for almost 20 years now,” Roth said. “I've always had a huge passion for racing. I started out going to drag races, radar runs, snowmobile races, jet ski racing and mountain bike racing. I took some time off to grow my business, but now I'm getting more involved with racing again. I wanted to sponsor Torque Racing because Josh has been a longtime friend and wanted to support his passion for racing.”
To contact Platinum Restoration Services, call 262-228-6166. For more information, visit www.platinumrestorationservice.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 By The Numbers
Total Events – 21
MSA events – 14
IRA events – 7
A-Main Victories – 2
B-Main Victories – 1
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 4
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 8
Heat Race Victories – 4