(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 31, 2022 – For only the third time in their 360 Sprint Car racing careers, Alex and Paul Pokorski had the opportunity to compete on the same track on the same night, during a Plymouth Dirt Track Racing-Midwest Sprint Car Association event at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 28.
Alex Pokorski, who was behind the wheel of the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team machine, and Paul Pokorski, who was filling in behind the wheel of Spyder Akright’s 53A car, were among a field of 27 PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars signed in for the evening’s program at the third-mile Plymouth clay oval.
In group qualifying, Paul turned in the 16th fastest lap with a time of 12.791 seconds, while Alex qualified 20th with a lap of 12.896.
After starting fifth in the first 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race, Paul came home sixth. Alex lined up on the pole of the third 10-lap 360 Sprint Car heat race before falling back to third on the opening lap as Dylan Winkel and Tim Haddy moved past. On lap 6, Travis Arenz worked around Alex to move him back to fourth in the running order, which is where he finished the race.
Both Alex and Paul found themselves in the B main needing to finish in the top six spots to earn a transfer position to the evening’s 25-lap A main with Alex lining up third and Paul starting fifth.
Before a lap could be completed, the red flag flew shortly after the initial start when Chris Clayton and Mike Yurmanovich collided in turn two and Randy Post got caught up in the mishap, which sent him on a series of flips.
When the lineup was reshuffled, Alex started second and Paul rolled off fourth. Alex got the jump on polesitter Katelyn Krebsbach to lead the opening lap, while Paul worked around Krebsbach on lap three to move into the runner-up spot.
As Alex pulled away to a comfortable lead, Brandon McMullen dropped Paul to third in the running on lap 10. Alex went on to claim his second career B main victory, while Paul finished third to gain a transfer spot to the main event.
Paul rolled off 19th in the 25-lap 360 Sprint Car A main and put together a solid run up through the field, including a brief side-by-side duel with his son, Alex, in the early going. The 30-year racing veteran advanced seven spots in the event to come home with a 12th place finish.
“I had fun,” Paul Pokorski said. “I didn't change a thing from where Spyder normally starts with the car. I was curious how it would feel the way that he runs it, so I kind of looked at it like a testing session. We made a few tweaks as the night went on and I thought the car got better and having never driven it before, it took a little while to get comfortable with the way I sit in the car and where everything is.
“Since I hadn't driven in a few weeks, and the last time I drove Spyder’s car didn't turn out very well, I just wanted to make sure we had a silent night and brought it home in one piece,” he said. “It was certainly fun to race with Alex early on in the feature and to chase him in the B. I'm happy that we have this chance to have those experiences.”
Meanwhile, Alex found the going to be challenging on the fast and tricky track surface as he was involved in a pair of spins during the event, which impeded his progress. Alex’s second spin on lap 22 brought out a caution flag when Lance Fassbender was unable to avoid contact with his spinning car in turn three.
After restarting at the rear of the field, Alex recovered to record a 17th place showing in the event, which was won by Travis Arenz.
“I was hoping to finish a bit better in the heat race, but there were some fast cars that got past me,” Alex Pokorski said. “We only made some slight adjustments for the B main and I was happy to pick up a win there. The A main was a bit frustrating because I made a few mistakes, which led to me spinning and collecting another car. Hopefully, I can iron those mistakes out moving forward.”
Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, June 4 with the Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series joining the PDTR 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods.
Spectator gates open at 4:30 p.m. with PDTR 360 Sprint Car hot laps/group qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.
Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2022 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak's Service Center, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.
Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase – Akright Auto
Located at 106 North Bluebird Lane in Sheboygan Falls, Wis. Akright Auto has served as a reliable source for auto parts since 1940.
With a highly trained staff of auto parts professionals, Akright Auto is well prepared to assist customers with vehicle repair needs with a wide assortment of affordable, high-quality auto parts available on site. If a part is not available, Akright Auto offers next-day delivery services.
In addition, Akright Auto provides full auto salvage services, along with a 90-day standard warranty on all parts purchases.
Contact Akright Auto by phone at 920-467-4201, toll free at 800-400-4201, via email at dakright12@gmail.com or visit www.akrightauto.com.
For more information on Alex Pokorski and the No. 4 Akright Auto Racing Team, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook at https://facebook.com/pokorskimotorsports 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.
Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Season
By The Numbers
Total Events – 4
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 1
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 0
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0
Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A/Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Season
By The Numbers
Total Events – 2
A Main Victories – 0
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 0
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 2
Heat Race Victories – 0
Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2022 Upcoming Races
Saturday, June 4 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 11 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 18 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis
Thursday, June 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
- Jeff Pederson on May 31, 2022
- Article Date: 5/31/2022 by Jeff Pederson - Pedal Down Promotions