Restart move wins race for Balog

Nine-time Bumper to Bumper Interstate Racing Association champion Bill Balog of Hartland showcased his skill behind the wheel of a 410 Winged Sprint Car by outmaneuvering Sheboygan’s Scotty

Thiel in a heart-pumping, back-and-forth battle over the final five circuits on the way to his third IRA A-main victory of the 2020 season in the 30-lap headliner Saturday at the Plymouth Dirt Track (PDTR) in Plymouth.

Balo grabbed the lead on the opening lap from the pole position, while Thiel , who started on the outside of the front row, settled into second.
Balog built up a solid half-straightaway lead in the early going before the leaders encountered lapped traffic on lap eight, which allowed Thiel to drastically close the gap.

On lap 11, Balog found himself boxed in behind a pair of slower cars along the inside groove, which allowed Thiel to use the outside line of the well-prepared, multi-groove track to power into the lead in turn one on lap 12.  

Once out front, Thiel pulled away to a full straightaway cushion over Balog until the first of five caution flags was displayed for a spin in turn two involving IRA rookie Jack Routson of Waterman, Ill., on lap 17. Three laps later, Routson spun again in turn four right in front of Thiel, who had to take evasive action to avoid getting collected.

Thiel again bolted away to a big lead on the ensuing restart and had built up another full straightaway advantage over Balog when a red flag was displayed when Matt Vandevere of Zion, Ill., flipped in turn two on lap 25.

On the restart, Thiel again held the advantage over Balog, while two-time IRA champion Scotty Neitzel of Beaver Dam, who started third, moved low to duel with USAC Sprint Car standout Chase

Stockton of Fort Branch, Ind., who started fifth, for third.

The fourth caution period came on lap 26 when Scott Biertzer of West Bend stopped in turn two. Balog pulled off what proved to be the winning move on the restart has he ripped off a well-executed slide job in turn two to wrestle the lead away from Thiel, who battled back in turn four to briefly regain the top spot. However, Balog charged back in turn two on the following lap to take the lead for good.

The final caution flag appeared on lap 27 when Todd Daun of Pleasant Prairie spun in turn two. Thiel tried to execute a slide job of his own in turn two on the ensuing restart, but Balog held strong along the high groove to maintain the top spot.

Thiel was not done yet as he utilized the low line on the final circuit to nearly pull even with Balog in turn four. However, Balog held on to nip Thiel at the finish line by one car length en route to his 116th career IRA A-main victory.

“I got stuck in the middle there with the lapped cars twice and got boxed in,” Balog said. “He (Thiel) was able to get around and then he set out on a pretty good pace to build up a big lead. I didn’t think we would get him, honestly. We were just a little too tight for most of the race.

“On that restart, I just pulled the wing back and slid him in turn two and it worked out. On the last lap, I actually saw his front wheel coming out of turn four and that was pretty intense. It was a great race. Those kind of races are what we are here to do.”

Despite settling for second, Thiel enjoyed the competition.

“That was probably the most fun I’ve had racing with Bill,” he said. “We really pushed each other to the limits. On that second-to-last caution, I think he timed out what I had been doing on the previous restarts and pulled off that slider to get the lead. I tried fighting back and continued to push hard, but I also wanted to race clean. We just have to improve a little bit to get one spot better and beat the 17B next time.”

Stockton, who is a non-wing regular on the USAC National Sprint Car tour, finished third in his first appearance at PDTR.
“This a first-time experience for me here at this track,” Stockton said. “We had a good race car tonight. I’m not that used to running with wings and these guys race hard and clean. It was a fun 30 laps.”

Neitzel placed fourth and former IRA champion Jeremy Schultz placed fifth after starting seventh.

In other races:
•  Former PDTR 360 Sprint Car champion Brandon McMullen of Oshkosh captured his third A-main victory of the 2020 campaign in the 25-lap Kristine Hartmann Pleasant View Realty PDTR 360 Sprint Car main event.
Polesitter Tim Haddy of Waupun took the lead on the opening lap with outside front row-starter Scott Conger of Eagle slipping into second. Fourth-starter Brandon McMullen was third.
On lap four, McMullen used the high line to power around Conger into second. Haddy began to encounter slower traffic on lap 10, which allowed McMullen to considerably reel in Haddy.
Three laps later, McMullen dove low to slip underneath the high-riding Haddy for the lead in turn two. The three-time Midwest Sprint Car Association champion wasted no time in building up a solid lead along the middle to low grooves.
Haddy remained within striking distance in the second half of the race and drew within two car lengths of McMullen on the final circuit. However, McMullen held on to secure his 18th career PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main victory and 26th career MSA main event triumph to move into sole possession of third place on the all-time MSA win list and fourth on the all-time PDTR 360 Sprint Car A-main win list in the caution-free, nonstop race.
“Tim was really good in clean air early in the race, but I could tell when we got to the lapped cars that with the air getting taken off the wing, he was getting a little tight,” McMullen said. “I tried to work the middle and through the bottom and it worked out for us tonight.”
Haddy finished second and Travis Arenz of Sheboygan, who started seventh, placed third. Third-starter Anthony Knierim of Franksville placed fourth and Conger rounded out the top five.
•  In the 20-lap IRA Lightning Sprints A main, Ion Stear of Hebron, Ill., took the lead on the drop of the green flag from the pole. Starting on lap six, Stear worked skillfully through lapped traffic to extend his lead.
The first of two red flags appeared on lap 11 when Andrew Kiedrowski of Union Grove flipped in turn one. Following the restart, Mark Heinert of Oak Creek, who started second, moved in to pressure Stear, while fifth-starter Nick Petska of Spring Grove, Ill., worked his way into third on lap 15.
On lap 18, Heinert brought out another red flag when he flipped following contact with a slower car in turn two. Following a green-white-checkered flag restart, Stear held strong to secure the victory.
“The car felt real good throughout the race,” Stear said. “This place usually gets dry slick, but it was a really good racing surface tonight.”
Petska placed second and C.J. Malueg of Johnsburg, Ill., finished third after starting sixth. Defending IRA Lightning Sprints champ Mike Neau of Pleasant Prairie finished fourth after starting third and Jeff Schmidt of Slinger placed fifth after starting fourth.
•  Sean Rayhall of Woodstock, Ga., earn the fast qualifier award in IRA 410 Sprint Car Series time trails with a lap of 12.146 seconds. Balog and Thiel won the two IRA four-lap dashes to earn front row starting spots in the A main.

The all-Sprint Car program attracted a total field of 75 cars, including 23 IRA 410 Sprint Cars, 36 PDTR/MSA 360 Sprint Cars and 16 IRA Lightning Sprints.

This Saturday, PDTR will host its 360 Sprint Car, Late Model, Grand National and B Mod divisions.

Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 5:30 p.m. and racing to begin at 6 p.m.