Ben Schmidt of Plymouth claimed his 29th career Akright Auto Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car A-main victory at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis. on Saturday, May 30. - JW's Car and Raccing Photos
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 30, 2026 –Plymouth Dirt Track Racing put a stamp on the first quarter of the 2026 racing season with four drivers standing tall in victory lane on Saturday, May 30, at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis.
In the 25-lap Akright Auto 360 Sprint Car main event, two-time division champion Ben Schmidt of Plymouth held off a heated charge from T.J. Smith of Greenville to earn his first A-main victory of the 2026 campaign.
Jeff Muehlbauer of Elkhart Lake fended off Jake Richards of Neskoro to seal a victory in the 25-lap Oostburg Automotive Grand National division.
Matt Urban of Milwaukee earned his second A-main victory of the season in the 25-lap Sheboygan Flooring B Mod headliner.
Former PDTR Micro Sprint track champion Zach Boden of Cambridge raced to victory in the 25-lap main event for the visiting Badger Midgets in the series’ first appearance at The Plymouth Dirt Track since 2023.
Polesitter Ben Schmidt grabbed the lead on the drop of the green flag in the 25-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car A main with division rookie Carter Chevalier of Andover, Minn., who started third, following in second.
Schmidt pulled out to a comfortable full-straightaway lead in the early stages before reaching slower traffic on lap 7, which allowed Chevalier to cut the gap. Meanwhile, sixth starter T.J. Smith of Greenville charged up to slip into second on lap 13.
One lap later, the first of two caution flags appeared when Katelyn Krebsbach of Johnsburg and Plymouth’s Justin Erickson collided on the frontstretch. Following the restart, Smith moved in to pressure Schmidt for the top spot before the second and final caution flag flew on lap 18 when Chevalier spun to a stop in turn one.
The final eight laps produced an intense duel between Schmidt and Smith with both drivers using every inch of the multi-groove racing surface to find an advantage.
Smith used the high line to put even for the lead on a few occasions, but Schmidt expertly positioned his car to fend off Smith’s advances on the way to his 29th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car victory. It was also the 53rd main event win of Schmidt’s Midwest Sprint Car Association career, which pushed him past Danny Schlafer into second place on the all-time MSA A-main victory list.
Smith had to settle for second, Brandon Berth of Cascade charged up from the 10th starting spot to place third, defending PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Kevin Karnitz came home fourth after starting fifth, and Tyler Davis of Franklin advanced from the 13th starting position to round out the top five.
Brad Weiss of Cascade led the first 10 laps of the PDTR Grand National main event from the pole before the third in a string of caution flags was displayed on lap 10. Following the restart, sixth starter Jeff Muehlbauer used a low move to vault into the lead on lap 11.
Three-time and defending PDTR Grand National champion Will Sorce of Franksville trailed Muehlbauer into second on lap 12. Two laps later, Sorce pulled in to challenge for the lead. However, Sorce’s bid for the lead ended when he slowed and pulled into the infield, ending with a mechanical issue on lap 15.
Following the fourth and final caution flag of the race on lap 21, 12th starter Jake Richards put together a big run to shoot into second place and run down Muehlbauer for the lead.
With Richards coming on strong, Muehlbauer held tight to secure his fourth career PDTR Grand National A-main victory by one car length.
Richard finished a fast-closing second, third starter Will Schumacher of Hartford was third, Jack Wiroll of Sheboygan started and finished fourth, and Josh Pierce of Adell moved up from the ninth starting spot to place fifth.
Brendan Ostrowski of Milwaukee used a huge start to lead the opening lap of the PDTR B Mod A main from his inside second row starting position. Following the first of three caution periods, fifth starter Matt Urban raced in to pressure Ostrowski for the lead on lap 9.
Following another caution flag on lap 11, Urban used the high line to sweep his way into the lead on lap 13. Three laps later, 2024 PDTR B Mod champion Travis Schmidt of Cascade, who started eighth, moved into second.
Schmidt mounted a spirited bid for the lead over the final eight laps, but Urban held on to claim his second PDTR B Mod A-main victory of the 2026 season and third career triumph in the division.
Schmidt placed second, Ostrowski wound up third, Brian Konitzer of Sheboygan advanced from the 11th starting spot to finish fourth, and Steve Lorier of Sheboygan came home fifth after starting fourth.
In the 25-lap main event for the Badger Midgets, polesitter Zach Boden and outside front row starter Miles Doherty of Delmar, Iowa dueled side-by-side over the first two laps before Boden claimed the top spot for himself on lap 3.
A pair of red flags and a caution flag slowed the pace starting on lap 4, when Brandon Waelti flipped his machine in turn two. On lap 19, Todd Kluever of Sun Prairie took a wild ride as part of a series of flips in turn three. Kluever emerged from his damaged machine without notable injury.
It was all Boden the rest of the way as the former PDTR Micro Sprint champ claimed his fourth career Badger Midget A-main victory, three of which have come at The Plymouth Dirt Track.
Fourth starter R.J. Corson of Markham, Ill. was second, Doherty finished third, Mark Chisholm of New Berlin, Ill. placed fourth after starting eighth, and Cody Weisensel of Sun Prairie bolted up from the 18th starting spot to round out the top five.
Ryan Zielski of Oconomowoc won the 12-lap PDTR 360 Sprint Car B main.
Bill Taylor earned PDTR 360 Sprint Car fast qualifier honors with a fast lap of 12.573 seconds.
Todd Kluever was the fast qualifier in the Badger Midget division in 13.682 seconds.
The event drew a field of 92 total entries, including 30 360 Sprint Cars, 24 Grand Nationals, 21 Badger Midgets, and 17 B Mods.
JosFo Electric was the evening’s trophy sponsor, and T3 Towing provided an extra $1,000, which was split evenly between the A-main starters in the PDTR 360 Sprint Car division.
The Tracy Black Family provided free checkered flags on Autograph Night.
The NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is set to stage its fourth-ever event at The Plymouth Dirt Track this Saturday, June 6. The Akright Auto PDTR 360 Sprint Cars will also be in action.
Pits open at 2 p.m. Spectator gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m.
To order tickets, visit sls.showare.com
Weather information for all Plymouth Dirt Track Racing events will be posted on the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram pages, as well as the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing website – www.plymouthdtr.com.
The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds is located at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth, Wis.
For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.
Akright Auto 360 Sprint Cars
Akright Auto A Main (25 Laps): 1. 35-Ben Schmidt [1]; 2. 69S-TJ Smith [6]; 3. 22B-Brandon Berth [10]; 4. 63K-Kevin Karnitz [5]; 5. 68T-Tyler Davis [13]; 6. 46-Steven Ruh [11]; 7. 2-Chris Clayton [21]; 8. 14AJ-Ryan Zielski [17]; 9. 3BK-Billy Kreutz [14]; 10. 67-Josh Walter [18]; 11. 3-Justin Erickson [19]; 12. 69-Bill Taylor [4]; 13. 7-Lance Fassbender [20]; 14. 11-Tony Wondra [16]; 15. 44H-Hayden Johnson [7]; 16. 59-Ethon Stear [8]; 17. 54-Randy Post [22]; 18. 51-Chris Larson [2]; 19. 5C-Carter Chevalier [3]; 20. 14J-Joseph Hintz [15]; 21. 19-Ion Stear [12]; 22. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach [9]
B Main (12 Laps): 1. 14AJ-Ryan Zielski[7]; 2. 67-Josh Walter[8]; 3. 3-Justin Erickson[5]; 4. 7-Lance Fassbender[4]; 5. 2-Christopher Clayton[9]; 6. 54-Randy Post[11]; 7. 5-Chad Stouthamer[3]; 8. 51C-Brok Clifcorn[14]; 9. 55S-Ryan Sawusch[12]; 10. (DNF) 20W-Weston Finke[2]; 11. (DNF) 68P-Frank Perko[1]; 12. (DNF) 30-Nathan Skelton[6]; 13. (DNS) 37Z-Jake Zimmerman; 14. (DNS) 87R-Josh Rehberg
Jensen Sales Service Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 51-Chris Larson[1]; 2. 59-Ethon Stear[2]; 3. 22B-Brandon Berth[3]; 4. 19-Ion Stear[5]; 5. 68T-Tyler Davis[7]; 6. 67-Josh Walter[4]; 7. 2-Chris Clayton[6]; 8. 87R-Josh Rehberg[8]
Jensen Sales Service Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 63K-Kevin Karnitz[2]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt[3]; 3. 20W-Weston Finke[1]; 4. 3BK-Billy Kreutz[4]; 5. 5-Chad Stouthamer[6]; 6. 51C-Brok Clifcorn[8]; 7. 54-Randy Post[5]; 8. 55S-Ryan Sawusch[7]
Jensen Sales Service Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 69S-TJ Smith[2]; 2. 69-Bill Taylor[4]; 3. 14J-Joseph Hintz[1]; 4. 7-Lance Fassbender[3]; 5. 68P-Frank Perko[6]; 6. (DNF) 3-Justin Erickson[5]; 7. (DNS) 37Z-Jake Zimmerman
Jensen Sales Service Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 5C-Carter Chevalier[1]; 2. 44H-Hayden Johnson[2]; 3. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach[3]; 4. 46-Steven Ruh[5]; 5. 11-Tony Wondra[6]; 6. 14AJ-Ryan Zielski[4]; 7. 30-Nathan Skelton[7]
Qualifying 1: 1. 67-Josh Walter, 13.615[7]; 2. 22B-Brandon Berth, 13.624[6]; 3. 59-Ethon Stear, 13.817[5]; 4. 51-Chris Larson, 13.835[8]; 5. 19-Ion Stear, 13.883[2]; 6. 2-Chris Clayton, 13.980[3]; 7. 68T-Tyler Davis, 14.494[1]; 8. 87R-Josh Rehberg, 14.592[4]
Qualifying 2: 1. 3BK-Billy Kreutz, 12.671[5]; 2. 35-Ben Schmidt, 12.721[7]; 3. 63K-Kevin Karnitz, 12.996[4]; 4. 51C-Brok Clifcorn, 13.161[8]; 5. 20W-Weston Finke, 13.357[6]; 6. 54-Randy Post, 13.584[3]; 7. 5-Chad Stouthamer, 13.591[2]; 8. 55S-Ryan Sawusch, 14.683[1]
Qualifying 3: 1. 69-Bill Taylor, 12.573[6]; 2. 7-Lance Fassbender, 12.725[4]; 3. 69S-TJ Smith, 12.736[5]; 4. 14J-Joseph Hintz, 12.894[2]; 5. 3-Justin Erickson, 13.067[1]; 6. 68P-Frank Perko, 13.089[3]; 7. 37Z-Jake Zimmerman[7]
Qualifying 4: 1. 14AJ-Ryan Zielski, 12.733[6]; 2. 08-Katelyn Krebsbach, 12.744[5]; 3. 44H-Hayden Johnson, 12.833[7]; 4. 5C-Carter Chevalier, 12.939[2]; 5. 46-Steven Ruh, 12.989[4]; 6. 11-Tony Wondra, 13.084[3]; 7. 30-Nathan Skelton, 13.503[1]
Oostburg Automotive Grand Nationals
Oostburg Automotive A Main (25 Laps): 1. 5M-Jeff Muehlbauer [6]; 2. 8R-Jake Richards [12]; 3. 16-Will Schumacher [3]; 4. 52W-Jack Wiroll [4]; 5. 13-Joshua Pierce [9]; 6. 15-Derek Kaat [7]; 7. 24K-Tyler Kulow [10]; 8. 53B-Brad Weiss [1]; 9. 11-Dylan May [2]; 10. 42-Jason Juech [5]; 11. 93-Mavrick Ruh [18]; 12. 15M-Justin Miller [22]; 13. 25J-Jonathan Persha [20]; 14. 53T-Tanner Lorenz [21]; 15. 6-Dick Hed [17]; 16. 27-Greg Goschey [14]; 17. 54-Austin Yancey [19]; 18. 80-Luke Scholten [11]; 19. 95-Donny Kulow [15]; 20. 77-Ron Johnson [24]; 21. 14-Will Sorce [8]; 22. 47-Nick Schumacher [16]; 23. 48-Roger Frank [23]; 24. 17X-Mark Kuhfuss [13]
Stubler Ins Solutions Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 5M-Jeff Muehlbauer[5]; 2. 80-Luke Scholten[7]; 3. 11-Dylan May[2]; 4. 52W-Jack Wiroll[3]; 5. 17X-Mark Kuhfuss[8]; 6. 47-Nick Schumacher[6]; 7. 54-Austin Yancey[1]; 8. 15M-Justin Miller[4]
Stubler Ins Solutions Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 16-Will Schumacher[2]; 2. 42-Jason Juech[3]; 3. 13-Joshua Pierce[6]; 4. 15-Derek Kaat[5]; 5. 27-Greg Goschey[1]; 6. 6-Dick Hed[4]; 7. 25J-Jonathan Persha[7]; 8. 48-Roger Frank[8]
Stubler Ins Solutions Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 14-Will Sorce[5]; 2. 53B-Brad Weiss[1]; 3. 24K-Tyler Kulow[6]; 4. 8R-Jake Richards[7]; 5. 95-Donny Kulow[2]; 6. 93-Mavrick Ruh[4]; 7. 53T-Tanner Lorenz[3]; 8. 77-Ron Johnson[8]
Sheboygan Flooring B-Mods
Sheboygan Flooring A Main (25 Laps): 1. 48-Matt Urban [5]; 2. 3-Travis Schmidt [8]; 3. 27L-Brendan Ostrowski [3]; 4. 96-Brian Konitzer [11]; 5. 66-Steve Lorier [4]; 6. 59S-Spencer Long [1]; 7. 5X-Tony Gates [6]; 8. 19J-Justin Green [12]; 9. 26P-Ryan Pafford [13]; 10. 29S-Tim Sheppard [7]; 11. 03W-Tim Warner [9]; 12. 31W-Kelan Wolfe [15]; 13. 19-Parker Glander [16]; 14. 17-Brandon Knepprath [17]; 15. 73-Rory Welch [14]; 16. (DNF) 69-Travis Kleindl [10]; 17. (DNF) 9-Hunter Larson [2]
Racers Hall Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 03W-Tim Warner[5]; 2. 19J-Justin Green[6]; 3. 27L-Brendan Ostrowski[3]; 4. 5X-Tony Gates[4]; 5. 26P-Ryan Pafford[1]; 6. (DNF) 19-Parker Glander[2]
Racers Hall Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 29S-Tim Sheppard[4]; 2. 69-Travis Kleindl[5]; 3. 66-Steve Lorier[3]; 4. 59S-Spencer Long[2]; 5. 73-Rory Welch[1]; 6. 17-Brandon Knepprath[6]
Racers Hall Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 3-Travis Schmidt[4]; 2. 9-Hunter Larson[2]; 3. 48-Matt Urban[3]; 4. 96-Brian Konitzer[5]; 5. 31W-Kelan Wolfe[1]
Badger Midgets
A Main (25 Laps) 1. Zach Boden [1]; 2. R.J. Corson [4]; 3. Miles Doherty [2]; 4. Mark Chisholm [8]; 5. Cody Weisensel [18]
Auto Meter Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 56X-Mark Chisholm[3]; 2. 7-Brian Peterson[2]; 3. 15C-RJ Corson[5]; 4. 51-Zach Boden[4]; 5. 40JR-Dave Collins Jr[1]; 6. 53A-Spyder Akright[6]
Hoosier Tire Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 56-Mitchell Davis[4]; 2. 3W-Brandon Waelti[6]; 3. 68-Eric Blumer[3]; 4. 8D-Miles Doherty[5]; 5. 67U-Mike Unger[1]; 6. 31-Derek Crane[2]
Behlings Race Products Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 55-Todd Kluever[7]; 2. 73W-Luke Wackerlin[6]; 3. 17-Nick Kilian[4]; 4. 2-Jake Dohner[3]; 5. 1W-Robby Wirth[2]; 6. 29-Harrison Kleven[1]; 7. 20-Cody Weisensel[5]
Rod End Supply Fast Time Qualifying: 1. 55-Todd Kluever, 13.682[16]; 2. 3W-Brandon Waelti, 13.779[15]; 3. 15C-RJ Corson, 13.822[8]; 4. 73W-Luke Wackerlin, 13.850[5]; 5. 8D-Miles Doherty, 13.862[20]; 6. 51-Zach Boden, 13.932[3]; 7. 20-Cody Weisensel, 13.955[18]; 8. 56-Mitchell Davis, 13.984[13]; 9. 56X-Mark Chisholm, 14.315[17]; 10. 17-Nick Kilian, 14.347[1]; 11. 68-Eric Blumer, 14.353[19]; 12. 7-Brian Peterson, 14.451[4]; 13. 2-Jake Dohner, 14.480[11]; 14. 31-Derek Crane, 14.518[7]; 15. 53A-Spyder Akright, 14.852[14]; 16. 1W-Robby Wirth, 14.925[6]; 17. 67U-Mike Unger, 15.049[12]; 18. 40JR-Dave Collins Jr, 15.073[21]; 19. 29-Harrison Kleven, 15.120[10]; 20. (DNS) 57-Matt Rechek; 21. (DNS) 81-Mike Gebhard
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