Jeff Pederson
Pedal Down Promotions
517 South 27th Street
Manitowoc, WI 54220
pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com
www.pedaldownpromotions.com
920-323-7970
Pokorski Motorsports to roll out new car in 2016
With a racing resume that features four series championships and 44 A-main victories over a span of 23 seasons, Paul Pokorski and his Pokorski Motorsports team is set to enter the 2016 campaign as one of the most experienced, consistent and successful teams currently competing regularly with the Eastern Wisconsin-based Midwest Sprint Car Association series.
Regardless of the team's past accomplishments, the start of a new season always brings a feeling of high anticipation and excitement for Pokorski and his crew.
The upcoming 2016 season figures to be no different, especially considering the fact that the team will be campaigning a brand new Maxim chassis.
"We decided to go with something different this year," Pokorski said. "The last several years, we've been running a 2011 J&J chassis and we've done really well with it, winning the MSA championship in 2014 and picking up several A-main victories along the way. Prior to that, we ran a 2007 Stealth chassis for a number of years, which also worked well for us as we moved from the winged super modifieds into the sprint cars in 2007.
"Coming off the championship year in 2014, I would say last year was okay for us, but I think there is definitely plenty of room for improvement," he said. "The new car has slightly different geometry with a 39-inch setback, while our J&J has a 40-inch setback. The weight distribution will be a bit different. We will definitely be learning as we go along."
The arrival of the new chassis will have the team working even harder than normal to prepare for the new MSA season, which is scheduled to kick off Saturday, April 30 at the Plymouth Dirt Track, located on the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.
"March and April are going to busy for us getting the car ready to go for the first night at Plymouth on April 30th," Pokorski said. "I have a really good, dedicated crew, so I am confident that everything is going to come together nicely and we will be ready right out of the gate.
"Maxim is probably the most common type of chassis out there right now, so this is going to give us an idea of what everyone else is feeling," he said. "We have a real good group of sponsors this year and with a few more resources to work with, we hope that will help us to speed up the learning process. "
Dave Schultz, who has served as Pokorski's crew chief since the team burst onto the racing scene in 1993, is equally optimistic about the 2016 campaign.
"Although there will be a learning curve with the chassis change, we will be striving to gain knowledge about the new car and make it the best that it can be throughout the course of the season," Schultz said. "We will be documenting all of the set-ups and changes made on the car to hopefully gain speed as the season moves along."
Following a stellar 2014 season in which the team captured its first MSA title, last year the team finished second in the MSA standings to Brandon McMullen. Pokorski Motorsports was also fourth in the final standings at the Plymouth Dirt Track and sixth in the season standings at the Manitowoc County Expo Speedway.
"We won one A-main last year, which came at Manitowoc," Pokorski said. "Really when looking back at it, aside from that A-Main win, we had a terrible year at Manitowoc. Every night something seemed to go wrong. At Plymouth, we did pretty well. It wasn't really spectacular, but we managed to stay out of trouble for the most part and get some good finishes. We didn't have to work on the car a bunch after the races, which is always a good thing."
Looking ahead to the 2016 season, Pokorski plans to again contest the entire 31-race MSA series schedule, which includes events at the Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds, Manitowoc County Expo Speedway, Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie and the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam.
Pokorski is also looking to compete in a handful of races with the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) 410 sprint car series this year, including events at Manitowoc Expo Speedway and 141 Speedway in Francis Creek.
"We are planning to run the two races at Manitowoc and also the two at 141," Pokorski said. "I really enjoy racing at Manitowoc and with it being the last year for the track, I certainly want to race there as much as I can this year, including with the IRA."
The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2016 season include: Allied Bearing Corporation, Behling Racing Products, The Cawley Company, Goeden's Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hagar's Half-Pound Cookies, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak's Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions and Tisler Salvage Inc.
For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com
2016 Pokorski Motorsports Schedule
Saturday, April 30 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, May 6 - Manitowoc Expo Speedway (IRA)
Saturday, May 7 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, May 14- Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, May 21 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, May 28 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Sunday, May 29 - 141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA)
Friday, June 3 - Manitowoc Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, June 4 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, June 11- Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, June 18 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, June 24 - Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, June 25 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 1 - Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (IRA)
Saturday, July 2 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 8 - Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam (MSA)
Saturday, July 9 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 15 - Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, July 16 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, July 23 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 29 - Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, July 30 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, August 5 - Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam (MSA)
Saturday, August 6 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, August 13 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Sunday, August 14 – Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie (MSA)
Saturday, August 20 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Wednesday, August 24 - Manitowoc Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, August 27 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, September 2 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, September 3 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Sunday, September 4 - 141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA) (tentative)
Saturday, September 10 - Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 - Fall Invitational -Track To Be Determined (MSA)
Saturday, October 1 - Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam (MSA)
Saturday, November 12 - MSA Banquet at Racers Hall in Plymouth
All scheduled race dates subject to change without notice
By the Numbers
23 seasons of Pokorski Motorsports
Series Championships - 4
2003-Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion
2004-Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion
2006 Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion
2014-Midwest Sprint Car Association champion
Rookie of the Year Award - 1
2008-Midwest Sprint Car Association Rookie of the Year
A-Main/Feature Victories - 44
35 EWSC Winged Super Modified victories
9 MSA sprint car victories
B-Main/Semi-Feature Victories - 19
Heat Race Victories - 71
Total Race Victories - 134
Fast Qualifier Awards - 5
Hard Charger Awards - 3
Clean Sweeps - 11
Manitowoc (5), Plymouth (4), Luxemburg (1), Beaver Dam (1)
Year-by-Year Results
EWSC Winged Super Modified
1993-33rd in points, 1 heat race win, Rookie of the Year Runner-Up
1994-26th in points, 1 heat race win
1995-20th in points
1996-11th in points, 2 feature wins, 2 heat race wins
1997-8th points, 2 feature wins, 2 heat race wins, 1 fast time
1998-11th in points, 1 feature win, 2 heat race wins, 1 semi-feature win, 1 fast time
1999-3rd in points, 1 feature win, 3 heat race wins
2000-4th in points, 1 feature win, 3 semi-feature wins, 8 heat race wins
2001-4th in points, 1 feature win, 2 semi-feature wins, 4 heat race wins
2002-2nd in points, 3 feature wins, 1 semi-feature win, 4 heat race wins, 1 fast time
2003-Series points champion, 6 feature wins, 5 heat wins, season hard charger
2004-Series points champion, 2 feature wins, 2 heat wins, 1 fast time, season hard charger-completed every lap throughout the season
2005-2nd points, 5 feature wins, 4 heat race wins,
2006-Series points champion, 10 feature wins, 5 heat race wins
2007-1 feature victory in 6 races (partial season)
MSA Sprint Car
2007-2 A-main wins, 1 heat race win in 8 races (partial season)
2008-9th in points, 1 A main win, 2 B main wins, 4 heat wins,
MSA Rookie of the Year
2009-4th in points, 1 A main win, 3 B main wins, 5 heat race wins
2010-6th in points, 1 A main win, 2 B main victories, 4 heat wins
2011-7th in points, 2 B main wins, 2 heat race wins, first year without an A main/feature victory since 1995 (15 years)
2012-5th in points, 1 A main win, 1 B main win, 4 heat wins
2013-8th in points, 2 B main wins, 2 heat race wins, 1 fast time
2014-MSA Masters Series champion, 2 A main wins, 3 heat wins,
Season hard charger
2015-2nd in points, 1 A main win, 3 heat wins
- Jeff Pederson on Mar 16, 2016
- Article Date: 3/16/2016 by Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions