(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) June 6, 2023 – Nearly three years after making his debut behind the wheel of a 360 Sprint Car, Alex Pokorski etched his name into the record books as a Midwest Sprint Car Association 360 Sprint Car Series A-main winner at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wis. on Friday, June 2 to kick off a highly successful MSA tripleheader weekend of competition for his No. 4 Spyder Akright-owned Akright Auto Racing Team.
With 21 MSA 360 Sprint Cars signed in, Pokorski qualified 14th overall and sixth in his group with a lap of 20.435 seconds around the huge half-mile Dodge County Fairgrounds clay oval.
After starting sixth in the first eight-lap MSA heat race, the West Bend, Wis. driver slipped past Bill Taylor to take over fifth. On lap 3, Pokorski powered around Justin Erickson to take over the fourth spot along the backstretch, which is where he finished the race.
The fourth-year 360 Sprint Car driver, who is now in his second full season of competition for the Akright Auto Racing Team, bolted into the lead on the drop of the green flag of the 20-lap MSA main event from the pole with rookie Logan Julien, who started second, in tow.
By lap 4, Pokorski had built up a full straightaway cushion before reaching lapped traffic on lap 6. Four-time MSA champion Brandon McMullen, who started third, moved into second lap 9 and began to reel in Pokorski.
However, Pokorski, who made his 360 Sprint Car debut at The Plymouth Dirt Track on June 13, 2020, hit his stride over the second half of the race to extend his lead to a half lap over McMullen. Pokorski, who was making only his second official career start at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway, cruised over the final few laps to secure his first career MSA 360 Sprint Car Series A main victory.
Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team returned to action on Saturday, June 3 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. as the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – MSA 360 Sprint Cars ran in support of the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions – Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series Rayce Rudeen Foundation event.
In addition, Paul Pokorski made his second start of the 2023 season in the seat of Spyder Akright’s 53A car.
Alex opened the night by qualifying fifth overall in the 25-car field with a lap of 13.020 seconds. Paul qualified 21st overall with a lap of 13.689 seconds.
After starting fourth in eight-lap PDTR-MSA heat race one, Alex moved past Bill Taylor at the start to take third. On lap 2, Chris Clayton briefly took third place away from Alex in turn three. However, Alex battled back to regain third with a low move in turn four, which is where he finished the race.
Paul started seventh in the third eight-lap PDTR-MSA heat race and took sixth by passing 360 Sprint Car rookie T.J. Smith on lap one. The 31-year veteran moved in to pressure rookie Logan Julien for fifth before settling for a sixth place finish.
After starting seventh in the 25-lap PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Car A main, Shane Wenninger slipped past to drop Alex to eighth on lap 2. Alex then used the preferred inside groove to pass Ben Schmidt on lap 3 before working his way past Robbie Pribnow for sixth on lap 14.
Nine laps later, the red flag appeared when race leader Justin Erickson flipped after making contact with a lapped car. Alex restarted fifth and held the position through another late caution flag on lap 24 to secure a fifth place finish in a race won by Brandon McMullen.
Paul started 14th and patiently worked his way up through the field along the low line. On lap 22, Paul moved around Nick Daywalt to assume 11th. After Justin Erickson’s flip and ensuing contact, which dropped Ben Schmidt out of the race, Paul restarted ninth on lap 23 and held on the rest of the way to earn a ninth place showing and his first top-10 finish of the 2023 season.
“Every night I drive the 53A car, my attitude is a bit different than when I was racing full-time,” Paul Pokorski said. “The focus is having fun. Wrecking is no fun. So, I’m being careful not to drive too hard or make poor decisions. That being said, I was a bit frustrated with my qualifying and heat race efforts. I felt better in the feature.
“Patient was the approach in the feature,” he said. “I tried to stay down in the groove, which was right around the bottom, and wait for opportunities. Anyone that was trying to run the middle to the top seemed to be losing spots. I made that mistake the week before. In the end, we moved forward and overall, I was pretty happy with the result.”
The following night, Alex and the team headed to Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. for the team’s first of two scheduled 2023 MSA 360 Sprint Car Series appearances at the historic circle-shaped track.
After qualifying eighth overall in the 20-car MSA field, Alex started on the outside of the front row in the first 10-lap MSA heat race. Pokorski got the jump on polesitter Doug Wondra of Oakfield to lead the opening lap. The 24-year-old driver then proceeded to build up a sizeable advantage on the way to his second heat race victory of the 2023 season.
Pokorski rolled off fifth in the 25-lap MSA 360 Sprint Car A main and struggled to find a comfortable line and grip on the tricky Angell Park Speedway racing surface before registering a 10th place finish in a race won by Ben Schmidt to cap off the rare MSA tripleheader weekend.
“At Dodge County, it took a few laps for me to get the feel of the car there,” Alex Pokorski said. “By the time the heat race started, I had figured it out fairly well and was able to race well.
“The plan going into the feature was to give myself a chance to win and stay in contention towards the end of the race,” he said. “That's usually the goal when you start up toward the front. I ended up leading the whole way, so it worked out pretty well. It felt great to finally get a feature win and get that monkey off my back. It was a great start to the weekend, which we followed with fifth and 10th place finishes at Plymouth and Sun Prairie, respectively. I think I could've done better at Sun Prairie, but overall, it was a really good weekend.”
The Alex Pokorski – Akright Auto Racing Team will return to action with the PDTR-MSA 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday, June 10 at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., which will feature the third race in the 2023 PDTR Super Six Late Model Series, along with the Grand Nationals and B Mods.
Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with Late Model and 360 Sprint Car qualifying set at 5:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Sponsors and supporters for Alex Pokorski and the 2023 Akright Auto Racing Team include Akright Auto, Petersen Septic Systems, Goeden Auto Body, Novak’s Service Center, Mulch Express of Wisconsin, Countryside Designs, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Homestead Auto, Cedar Valley Hunt Club, RC Custom Design and Pedal Down Promotions.
Alex Pokorski-Akright Auto Racing Team Sponsor Showcase –
Mulch Express of Wisconsin
The Alex Pokorski - Akright Auto Racing Team is excited to welcome Mulch Express of Wisconsin as a brand new sponsorship partner for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Based in Newton, Wis., Mulch Express of Wisconsin was founded in 2000 out of a desire to help control the cost and efficiency of installing mulch, bark, soil and playground chips. Over the course of the past 23 years, the specialty landscaping company has found its niche as the to-go mulching provider for municipalities, school districts, commercial businesses and residences throughout Northeastern Wisconsin. In addition, Mulch Express of Wisconsin has proudly served one of the top motorsports facilities in the world as the official mulch provider of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. over the past two seasons.
As a former Wisconsin-based 360 Sprint Car competitor, Mulch Express of Wisconsin owner Russ Wetenkamp is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Alex Pokorski and the Akright Auto Racing Team for the remainder of the 2023 Sprint Car campaign.
"We have a strong connection to Sprint Car racing after several years of competing in the 360 Sprint Car division with the number Gr8 car," Wetenkamp said. "We feel Alex Pokorski is a good, up-and-coming 360 Sprint Car driver and a great individual to represent our Wisconsin-based specialty landscaping company."
To contact or obtain additional information on Mulch Express of Wisconsin, call 920-726-4840, send an email to mulchexpressofwi@gmail.com or visit Mulch Express of Wisconsin on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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
2023 Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, June 10 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 17 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Saturday, June 24 – Plymouth Dirt Track, Plymouth, Wis.
Alex Pokorski
Akright Auto Racing Team 4
2023 Season
By The Numbers
Total Events – 7
A Main Victories – 1
B Main Victories – 0
Top Five A Main Finishes – 4
Top 10 A Main Finishes – 6
Top 15 A Main Finishes – 7
Heat Race Victories – 2
Fast Qualifier Award – 0
Paul Pokorski
Akright Auto 53A
2023 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 – 1
Heat Race Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 0
- Jeff Pederson on Jun 07, 2023
- Article Date: 6/7/2023