By Jeff Pederson
Pedal Down Promotions
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 7, 2020 – In his fourth year of action in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National division, Derek Kaat of Plymouth has made some considerable strides toward the front of the pack in a talented, veteran-laden field of drivers competing weekly at The Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.
Through the first five races of the 2020 PDTR campaign, Kaat sits ninth in the Grand National point standings on the strength of a pair of top-10 A-main showings, including a strong fifth-place finish in the July 25 A-main event.
“We’ve had a couple of good runs this year and it is nice to be in the top-10 in points at this point of the year,” Kaat said. “The biggest goal for our team this year is to either get my first win or a top-three finish in the A-main.”
The Plymouth native was born into the sport of racing as the son of a familiar Super Stock and Grand National competitor at The Plymouth Dirt Track.
“My dad, ‘Uncle’ Brian Kaat started racing at Plymouth in 1997 and I was born in 2000,” Kaat said. “I kind of didn’t have a choice, but to get into racing.
“I started racing go-karts at Road America at age 5 in 2005 and have been racing ever since,” he said. “In 2017, I moved into the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National division.”
Kaat points to his performance in his PDTR Grand National debut season in 2017 as the pinnacle accomplishment of his racing career so far.
“The highlight of my racing career so far is winning the Rookie of the Year Award in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing Grand National division in 20017,” Kaat said. “Unfortunately, we are still working on our first A-main win. That is something we continue to strive toward every week.”
As with most racing teams at the local level, participation in the sport of dirt track racing is a family affair for Kaat.
“The thing I enjoy most about racing is all the time I get to spend with my friends and family,” Kaat said.
Kaat’s pit crew includes his father Brian Kaat, Devin Veldboom, Dylan Schukow, Dustin Veldboom, Lucas Vetter, Maverick Ruh and Terry McCoy.
Sponsors for Kaat’s racing team include Double A Auto Body, Lake Auto Glass, Kornelsen Custom Ponds, Oostburg Automotive, Odessy Fun Center, Whoa Nellie’s, McCoy Motors and Crazy G Design.
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The next PDTR program, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods, will take place this Saturday, Aug. 8.
Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.
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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.
Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through a diverse array of promotional strategies and methods, including 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.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.
