Danner, Snyder, Bieber, & Schott Saluted For Action Track USA Titles
Macungie, PA (January 14)— It has been said, many times, racing is a family sport, and that sentiment was echoed several times by the 2021 point champions at Championship Energy Action Track USA as the speedway celebrated its season on Friday night.
The annual awards gala, after a one year absence due to the pandemic, was once again held at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, PA. All four champions repeated the fact that they would not have achieved their point crowns had it not been for the physical, financial, and emotional support of their parents and families.
Two of the new track champions, Briggs Danner (SpeedSTRs) and Steven Snyder Jr. (Hyper Racing 600 Sprints), were unable to attend the banquet because they were competing at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as were others who finished in the top ten in the standings. Danner and Snyder sent video messages which were played for the banquet attendees.
Allentown, PA’s aDanner thanked his parents, Roy and Melissa, for their constant support of his efforts. His dad handles much of the crew chief duties on each of the multitude of race cars wheeled by his oldest son. And Roy believes, of all those high speed machines,a the SpeedSTRs provide the “best bang for the buck.”
“Yeah, we’ve got the SpeedSTR pretty well figured out,” he said as he accepted Briggs’ championship hardware at the banquet. “And I’ll tell ya, for the cost of those things, compared to the money you run for, makes them the most economical class and it just makes sense to race them.”
In the nine race season at Action Track USA, Briggs Danner finished inside the top five on seven occasions. He won twice and cruised to his first point crown since his days in Quarter Midgets.
Steve Buckwalter, Mike Bednar, Tim Buckwalter, and Tom Mayberry completed the top five in SpeedSTR points.
Steven Snyder Jr. authored a breakout year in which he captured five victories—his first wins at the Berks County oval—and he utilized a three race win streak at mid season to put a chokehold on the championship chase in the Hyper Racing/ EVO Injection 600 Sprints.
“Have to thank my parents for allowing me to live out my dream,”said Snyder, who hails from Rising Sun, Maryland.
Colin White, Christian Bruno, Tim Buckwalter, and Mike Nolf rounded out the top five in 600 Sprint points.
Brett Bieber, from Oley, PA, recorded his second title in the All Star Slingshots. Bieber triumphed in the season’s first two races, then finished every race (but one) inside the top five while adding two more victories to earn the championship. Bieber also credited his dad, Marlin, for all his hard work in the garage and at the track, for the team’s success.
Shelby McLaughlin, Tyler Ulsh, Scott Neary, and Amanda Angstadt finished second through fifth in the standings.
There were four Junior Slingshot events held at Action Track USA during the ‘21 campaign, and point champion Chase Schott won them all. Schott easily captured the crown over Jase Smith, Austin Kroboth, Mason Lineman, and Ryan Rochelle.
Schott reeled off a long list of sponsors and supporters in his banquet speech, but gave special mention to his parents for providing him with the opportunity to race, along with a real fast car.
Action Track USA co-owner Rich Tobias told attendees the 2022 season will begin on May 8, and the 10th year under the Tobias/ Doug Rose regime will be unlike the previous nine. “We plan to have special entertainment in addition to our fantastic racing,” said Tobias. “We’ll bring in free-style motorcycles, bull riders, and other forms of non-racing entertainment while sticking to our three to 3 1/2 hour program length. Other weeks will be special races, so there won’t be any ‘regular’ shows at Kutztown this year.”
Tobias also noted the SpeedSTRs will see a $500 increase in the winner’s payout, with the victorious driver now earning a nifty $2,500 for his/her efforts.
The 600 Sprints run a Mad Scramble at the start of each night, with the Scramble winner earning a starting spot in the night’s feature race, while drivers finishing second through seventh receive valuable contingency prizes. The Mad Scramble is a race for drivers who did not qualify or did not attend the previous event. This season, the Scramble will also pay $200 to the winner.
Flo Racing returns once again with live coverage of all Action Track USA events. The exposure produced by Flo’s live stream, along with more money for the stellar fields that provide insanely intense competition on a weekly basis, combine to make Action Track USA the place to race (and spectate) in 2022!
