Travis Arenz collected a sixth-place showing in a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series event at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. on Saturday, Aug. 22.
(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 26, 2026 – What has become known as fair weekend on the Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association 410 Sprint Car Series tour provided plenty of ups and downs for Travis Arenz and his Travis Arenz Motorsports team at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. during the Kenosha County Fair on Saturday, Aug. 22 and Corn Fest at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. on Sunday, Aug. 23.
After visiting victory lane in each of his past two outings at Angell Park Speedway on July 26 and Wilmot Raceway on Aug. 8, Arenz found the going to be a little more difficult this time around.
At Wilmot, Arenz opened the night by qualifying ninth in the 27-car field with a time of 13.009 seconds. After winning the third heat race, Arenz placed third in the four-lap dash to snag the sixth starting spot in the 30-lap headliner.
The two-time Midwest Sprint Car Association and Plymouth Dirt Track Racing 360 Sprint Car champion rode in and around the top five throughout the race, eventually coming home with a sixth-place showing.
One night later, Arenz qualified fourth in the 25-car field with a lap of 12.411 seconds before securing his 15th dash appearance of the 2026 season with a third place showing in the first heat race.
A third-place finish in dash 2 put the Sheboygan Falls, Wis. driver sixth in the A-main starting lineup. He moved up quickly to take second on lap 7. On the following lap, Arenz got a huge run on race leader Bryce Norris exiting turn two to mount a challenge for the lead.
However, Arenz contacted the outside wall just as he pulled even with Norris to bring out a caution flag. Despite an intense group effort in the work area to return Arenz’s damaged machine to the track, he was unable to restart and was credited with a 25th-place showing. It was just the second time he was unable to finish an A main this season.
“The weekend was an up-and-down roller coaster for us,” Arenz said. “Wilmot went okay, but the car just got worse as the feature went on. Angell Park was great, until it wasn’t. I tried a different setup at Angell Park with bars and shocks, and the car was an absolute rocket until contact with the leader ended the night. Looking ahead, our outlook is simple: keep the car in one piece and produce podium finishes.”
Arenz will compete in a Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association event at Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill. this Friday, Aug. 28. Spectator gates open at 5:30 p.m. with hot laps at 6:15 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.
All IRA events are streamed live on floracing.com.
The 2026 Travis Arenz Motorsports sponsorship partners include Service One Transportation Inc., Don and Lynn Kiel, Professional Plating Inc., Pfeffer Trucking, Oostburg Concrete, Wittkopf Family Funeral Homes, Carbliss, PalletWorks, Oostburg State Bank, Sonntag Plumbing, Jensen Sales and Service, Fastenal, Roth’s Auto Restoration, Lake Auto Glass, Arenz Auto Detailing, Hair Fellers Barbershop, and Duehring Tax Service.
Additional information about the Travis Arenz Motorsports team can be found on the team’s Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.
Travis Arenz Motorsports Sponsor Showcase – Don and Lynn Kiel
Don and Lynn Kiel’s first date was at a race at The Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, Wis., in June 1998, and they have been together ever since, marrying on Feb. 14, 2005. Lynn spent her working career in the banking industry, retiring in 2017 after 39 years as an assistant vice president at a local Manitowoc bank.
Lynn’s interest in racing started when she attended the races at the 141 Speedway as a child with her dad, Andy Endries. RIP ANDY!
Don’s interest in racing started when he bought Dean Divine’s Modified in the early 1970s. Don’s driving experience involved Modifieds and Mini Sprints, as well as 360 Sprint Cars at Manitowoc Expo Speedway in 2011 and 2012.
Don spent four years in the United States Air Force, enlisting the night of his graduation party. He was honorably discharged after four years in 1967 as an Airman First Class. Don was a Minuteman Missile electrician serving as team chief his last year and got to take part in the test firing of four Minuteman Missiles at Vandenburg Air Force Base in Lompoc, Calif. Don was based at F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., for 41 months.
Don started flying in Cheyenne at the age of 19, secured his first flying job three days after his honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force at age 22, and retired at age 60. He retired as Senior Captain on the 300-passenger Airbus A330-300 flying to London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. He has logged over 30,000 hours of flying time with a lot of stories to tell.
For a glimpse of Don’s career, Google Don Kiel Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame. For a view of his favorite aircraft that he owned for four years, check out the Warbird Takeoff by looking up Beech 18 Takeoff Great Radial Engine Sound on YouTube. Click on the 32-second video. Don and Lynn continue to fly his 1952 Cessna 170B, both on wheels and skis in the winter.
Don loves to say, “It’s pretty cool when your vocation and avocation are one and the same!”
“We started out sponsoring Travis Arenz by buying him a set of rear tires five years ago, and the rest is history,” Don Kiel said. “Travis is a very talented racer, from the tiniest detail to the actual racing. I love to watch Travis feel the track out and then work his magic. I sponsor Travis as I feel he is one of the best!”
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.
Travis Arenz Motorsports
2026 Upcoming Schedule
Friday, August 28 – Jacksonville Speedway, Jacksonville, Ill. (IRA)
Friday, September 4 – Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway, Beaver Dam, Wis. (IRA)
Saturday, September 5 – 141 Speedway, Francis Creek, Wis. (IRA)
Sunday, September 6 – The Hill Raceway, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (IRA)
Travis Arenz Motorsports
2026 Statistics
Total Events – 20
IRA Events – 16
World of Outlaws Events – 1
Midwest Open Wheel Association Events – 1
Butler Motor Speedway Events – 1
Wilmot Raceway Events – 1
A-Main Victories – 2
Podium Finishes – 5
Top Five A-Main Finishes – 8
Top 10 A-Main Finishes – 14
Top 15 A-Main Finishes – 16
Top 20 A-Main Finishes – 17
Heat Race Victories – 4
B-Main Victories – 0
Dash Appearances – 15
Dash Victories – 3
Fast Qualifier Awards – 1
Comments