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Heinert Third 11-75 Sports Complex & Eatery IRA Lightning Sprints 2025 Feature Winner Going Flag To Flag At Plymouth Dirt Track

(Plymouth, WI, Saturday, May 17, 2025)--Waukesha's Mark Heinert went flag to flag to become the third different 11-75 Sports Complex & Eatery IRA Lightning Sprints Feature winner this season taking the checkered in the 20-lap main on Scott Semmelmann Memorial at the Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, May 17.

"These are getting harder to come by, especially with all of these young guns and I am getting older," said Heinert, joined in victory lane by his 80-year-old Father Ed. "The car was set up perfect."

"I saw Nick (Petska) stick his nose in once, and knew I had to try to keep him back," said the 2-time and reigning IRA Lightning Sprints Champion after scoring his first Plymouth feature win since September 30, 2023. "I have to thank everyone who worked to put this event on, and especially the great fans who came out on a cool night."

Heinert, who won the Fox Lake Harbor Presents the All Star Performance 1st 8-lap Heat, jumped into the lead from his outside front row starting spot, maintaining a consistent run in the bottom groove. Petska, of Spring Grove, who captured the Game Day Men's Health Presents Rod End Supply 2nd Heat, worked into contention as he reeled in the leader who caught traffic.

Body Craft Fast Qualifier Brian Strane Jr. of Paris joined the battle making it a three-some as the laps wound down.

Petska made a couple moves going hard into turn one on the high side, while Heinert maintained his low and middle groove run sifting through traffic.

At the checkered it was Heinert with the victory. Strane caught Petska by .046 seconds taking runner-up as the two crossed side by side. Bristol's Tucker Richards, 14-year-old eighth grader, picked up the Behling Racing Hard Charger Award moving up five spots from ninth to fourth. Big Bend's Chad Stouthamer was fifth.

Richards won the Lightning Sprints May 3 season opener at Wilmot Raceway with Stouthamer, the 2024 rookie of the year, taking the win May 10 at Sycamore Speedway, as both picked up their first feature wins of their career.

Strane's Body Craft fast qualifying mark of :12.919 seconds nearly eclipsed the Plymouth track record of :12.786 set by Mike Neau of Pleasant Prairie on September 25, 2021.

Next up for the Lightning Sprints 35th Anniversary Season is a return to their original home track of Wilmot Raceway on Memorial Day Weekend Saturday, May 24, part of the IRA Founders Night presented by Body Craft. Wilmot's Bandit 4-Cylinder Stock Cars complete the card.

Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints and AutoMeter Wisconsin WingLESS Sprints join the all IRA and sprint car program. The IRA was formed in the fall 60 years ago by the late Ray Toft and Junior Dodd, along with Whitey Harris, with the initial IRA races being run the next spring, thus the sprint cars are celebrating their 59th year of competition. The WingLESS are in their 11th season, also having begun at Wilmot.

For tickets and information check WilmotRaceway.com or the Wilmot or IRA MyRacePass pages.

The Lightning Sprints have a double-header holiday weekend joining their big brothers, the 410 Winged Sprints, in a Sunday Funday, May 25, at 141 Speedway in Maribel, WI. IMCA Sport Compacts and Pro Legends are on the card as well. For information and tickets check 141-speedway.com.

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