(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) September 11, 2024 – Six days after crashing out of contention for a top finish at The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., Travis Arenz and the members of the Travis Arenz Motorsports team bounced back in a major way with a sterling performance in the prestigious 24th annual Jerry Richert Memorial at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 7.
After forgoing the IRA’s stop at Gondik Law Speedway in Superior, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 6 to allow extra time to button up his 25T entry following The Hill wreck, Arenz opened the $7,000-to-win Richert Memorial event by qualifying 24th in the 32-car field with a lap of 11.787 seconds.
The 17th-year competitor then advanced from the sixth starting position to nab a fourth place showing the fourth eight-lap IRA heat race and secure a spot in the 30-lap headline event.
“After finding significant frame damage on our main car, we used the spare car at Cedar Lake,” Arenz said. “One of our other motors got completed on Friday as well, so I was able to pick that up to put in the spare car. I was pretty frustrated with our qualifying results at Cedar Lake. I’m not used to driving the backup car as much as my main car and it handles differently.
“In the heat race, I knew I needed to at least pass one car and stay in that position,” he said. “The track kept having more and more moisture come out as the night progressed, so I needed to be strategic with what lines I ran and when. I did make a mistake and spun during the heat, but I was able to come back and earn a transfer position to the feature.”
The 2021 and 2022 Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion started 16th and wasted little time moving to the front of the top quality-filled field.
True to his hard-charging style, Arenz utilized every available racing line to slice his way to the front of the pack. In the closing stages of the race, the Sheboygan Falls, Wis. competitor found himself dueling with several 410 Sprint Car racing heavy hitters, including Scotty Thiel, Joel Myers Jr., Kerry Madsen and Justin Henderson.
Arenz used strong restarts in the closing stages of the race to pull out a strong fourth place showing and earn hard charger honors after advancing 12 spots in a race won by Danny Sams III.
The fourth place finish marked Arenz's fifth top five and 10th top 10 showing in 15 IRA events during the 2024 campaign.
“I thought a lot about what changes I wanted to make for the feature,” Arenz said. “With the amount of moisture, the track still had come feature time, there were different things I could adjust to achieve similar reactions of the car. My biggest goal for the night was to finish a feature with this car. In all the times it has raced, I have never finished a race with it. So, it was huge to not only complete a feature but also earn the hard charger award.”
The 25T Travis Arenz Motorsports Team is scheduled to compete with the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 14. Following a rain out on May 26, the event is set to be the lone scheduled IRA appearance at 141 Speedway in 2024.
The IRA Lightning Sprints, IMCA Sport Mods and Pro Legends are also on the card with spectator gates opening at 3 p.m. and racing slated to begin at 6 p.m.
All 2024 Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series events will be streamed live on FloRacing.
The Travis Arenz 25T Motorsports Team continues to seek crew members to assist the team. Those interested can send a direct message to Travis through the Travis Arenz Motorsports Facebook page.
“I am still looking for another set of crew hands to help for the remainder of the season and, hopefully, for seasons to come,” Arenz said. “Anyone with an interest can reach out to me for more info.”
The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Professional Plating Inc., Service One Transportation Inc., Don and Lynn Kiel, Oostburg Concrete, Lakeshore Family Funeral Homes, Schoen’s Wildlife Removal, Premier Insurance Solutions-Craig Ladwig, Carbliss Hand Crafted Cocktails, Pallet Works, Lake Auto Glass and Service, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Hair Fellers Barbershop, Fastenal of Plymouth, Jensen’s Sales and Service, Amy Bruechert Reality, Duehring's Tax Service, Everhope Show Cattle, Sonntag Plumbing Inc., Kriete Truck Center and Arenz Auto Detailing.
The 2024 Travis Arenz Motorsports team consists of pit crew members Jerrod Gamb, Cameron Fritz, Bobby Bonelli, Keith Fellner and Emily Stadler.
Additional information on the Travis Arenz Motorsports team can be found by visiting the team’s Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.
Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Jensen Sales & Service
Travis Arenz Motorsports is proud to have Jensen Sales & Service on board as a sponsorship partner for the 2024 racing season.
Located at W7031 State Road 28 in Cascade, Wis., Jensen Sales & Service has been providing quality vehicle and auto body repair service for a legion of satisfied customers since 2010.
In addition to its top-notch repair work, Jensen Sales & Service also features a wide selection of used vehicles.
To contact Jensen Sales & Service, call 920-528-8780 or email jensensales@frontier.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.
Travis Arenz Motorsports
2024 Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, September 14 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis. (IRA)
Travis Arenz Motorsports
2024 Statistics
Total Events – 16
IRA Events – 16
A Main Victories – 0
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 5
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 10
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 11
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 12
Heat Race Victories – 2
B-Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 9
Dash Victories – 0
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1
- Jeff Pederson on Sep 11, 2024
- Article Date: 9/11/2024 by Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions