Danner Wins Breath-Taking SpeedSTR Main; Bruno Prevails in Exciting 600 Sprint Feature at Action Track USA Shelby McLaughlin Is All Star Slingshot Winner; Schott Takes Junior Slingshot Checkered
Kutztown, PA (July 28) — After Wednesday night’s racing program at Championship Energy Action Track USA, Kutztown Pennsylvania might be renamed. And the signage at both ends of town will read, “Welcome to Slide Job City.”
The always exciting “sliders” were plentiful in the main events for both the All Pro SpeedSTRs and the wingless 600 Sprints, with fierce scuffles for top five positions highlighting each feature race. When the checkered flag waved over the Bob Hilbert Sportswear SpeedSTR main, it was Allentown, PA’s Briggs Danner picking up his second victory in the past three races, and it was anything but easy.
Christian Bruno, fresh off his Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek championship, notched his first triumph of the season in the 600 Sprint headliner. Bruno, from Deptford, NJ, held off a fast-closing Tim Buckwalter over the final few laps to secure the victory.
In a non-stop, green to checkered 20-lap romp for the All Star Slingshots, Shelby McLaughlin finally registered her first win of the campaign at Action Track USA after several top three efforts. Chase Schott won the caution-free 15 lapper for the Junior Slingshots.
The 30 lap feature for the All Pro SpeedSTRs powered by VP Racing Fuels saw Justin Thompson jump from the pole to lead the early circuits, with Mike Bednar and TJ Mayberry hounding him while dicing with one another for the runner-up spot.
Yellow flags slowed the pace on a few occasions during the early stages of the race, and some of the division’s biggest names were involved in a couple of scrapes. Tim Buckwalter, Billy Pauch Sr., Steve Buckwalter, and Billy Pauch Jr. all went to the rear at least once, with Pauch Jr. even making a quick pit stop under caution to change a flat tire.
Up front, it was Bednar finally wrestling the lead from Thompson on the tenth tour, with Briggs Danner motoring into second place on the same lap. And then the fun began in earnest…
Danner threw some huge haymakers at Bednar, sliding the leader at both ends of the speedway. Bednar, the opening night SpeedSTR victor, was ready each time as he turned left and crossed back under Danner on the straightaways. Dillon Steuer joined the fun to make it a three-car scuffle for the point. As the race passed its halfway point, Pauch Jr. and Tim Buckwalter climbed back into contention, and a four-car dogfight ensued for the top spot.
With nine circuits remaining, Danner blasted by Bednar to assume command of the event. He eased away from the fast and furious three-way tussle for second position, as Bednar worked hard to maintain the bridesmaid’s spot over slide job lovin’ Pauch Jr. and T. Buckwalter. On two or three occasions, Bednar threaded the needle, shooting through the middle of three-wide, hold-your-breath battles with Pauch Jr. and T. Buckwalter.
A final yellow with three to go did not alter the outcome for first and second. Danner pulled away as the green returned, and Bednar opened a bit of daylight over the duel for third between Pauch Jr. and T. Buckwalter. Danner scored his second SpeedSTR triumph of the season over Bednar, with Pauch Jr. just nipping Buckwalter for third at the stripe by .007 seconds. Billy Pauch Sr. came from the back of the pack to finish fifth.
Fred Heinly darted from the pole to lead the first five trips around the oval in the Hyper Racing/ EVO Injection 600 Sprint main. Former track champion Eddie Strada was pounding the top and it eventually paid off, as the Lake Ariel, PA driver powered past Heinly to take command on lap six. He would soon be joined at the head of field by eighth-starting Christian Bruno, whose car was dialed in and working extremely well on the bottom lane. As he felt the pressure from Bruno, Strada switched lines and moved to the low groove.
The driver on the move during the second half of the 25 lapper was Tim Buckwalter. The Douglassville, PA hot shoe rumbled up to third place with nine to go, then closed quickly on the lead duo as he ripped the lip at the top of the banking.
With three to go, Bruno–who was forced to switch to the high groove when Strada went to the low lane–swept to the outside of the No. 1E to grab the lead, just barely getting his nose in front of Strada as they crossed the stripe. Buckwalter threw his hat into the ring as well, snagging second from Strada and trying to slide Bruno for the race lead. All three drivers were in the hunt as Mike Fry waved his white flag, with Bruno fending off the challenges of Buckwalter on the final revolution.
Bruno captured his second career win at Action Track USA by just under a half-second over Tim Buckwalter with Strada a car length behind the second place car as the checkered flag flew. Preston Lattomus finished an impressive fourth with Briggs Danner rounding out the top five.
Stroudsburg’s Shelby McLaughlin dashed from the outside of row one to the lead at the outset of the All Star Slingshot feature, beating pole sitter Amanda Angstadt into turn one. McLaughlin proceeded to drive away from the field as the previous week’s winner, Scott Neary, worked his way into the runner-up slot. Brett Bieber eventually muscled into third and Danny Buccafusca took over the fourth position, but the caution they desperately needed (in order to challenge the leader) never came…
McLaughlin finally knocked down the door to victory lane, winning her first of the year and the second of her Slingshot career at the Berks County oval. Neary wound up second with Bieber, the three-time winner and current point leader, rounding out the podium. Buccafusca and Angstadt completed the top five.
Chase Schott led all the way to win the Junior Slingshot feature. Schott had a three-quarter lap lead at the finish, with Austin Kroboth finishing a distant second. Jase Smith wound up third and Mason Lineman raced home in fourth.
Randy and Donna Bailey posted cash bonuses for the feature winners. The extra dollars were given in memory of the Bailey’s son, Mike, who passed away while racing a Modified on July 28, 2015.
Keith Gerhart put a bounty on Steven Snyder Jr., who won three in a row and four of the past five races for the 600 Sprints. Gerhart’s bounty stipulated that and extra $50 would go to the driver who could beat Snyder in Wednesday’s main event. If Snyder won again, he would collect the money. At the end of the night, Gerhart presented Christian Bruno with the bounty. Snyder finished seventh on Wednesday.
Coming up next at Championship Energy Action Track USA is the return of the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship series on Wednesday, August 4. Joining the mighty midgets in their third appearance at the Kutztown Fairgrounds will be the Hyper Racing 600 Sprints. Grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. with warm-ups commencing at 6:15.
RESULTS:
Speedway Entertainment All Pro SpeedSTR Feature, 30 laps: 1.Briggs Danner, 2.Mike Bednar, 3.Billy Pauch Jr., 4.Tim Buckwalter, 5.Billy Pauch Sr., 6.Ryan Godown, 7.Andy Haus, 8.Steve Buckwalter, 9.TJ Mayberry, 10.Justin Thompson, 11.Jason Musser, 12.Josh Dalrymple, 13.Nick Pecko, 14.Dillon Steuer, 15.Nick Havens, 16.Dustin Morris, 17.Rich Rutski, 18.Alex Yankowski, 19.Kevin Graver Jr., 20.Gary Wagner, 21.Louden Reimert, 22.Tom Mayberry, 23.Matt Janisch, 24.Ryan Godown Jr.
Hyper Racing 600 Sprint Feature, 25 laps: 1.Christian Bruno, 2.Tim Buckwalter, 3.Eddie Strada, 4.Preston Lattomus, 5.Briggs Danner, 6.Colin White, 7.Steven Snyder Jr., 8.Fred Heinly, 9.Joey Kay, 10.Michael Nolf, 11.Logan Rumsey, 12.Zach Weisenfluh, 13.Adrianna Dellaponti, 14.Jarid Kunkle, 15.Jackson White, 16.Jacob Fisher, 17.Trevor Dunn, 18.Joe Nemeth, 19.Sammy Martz Jr., 20.Corey Colaluce, 21.Teddy Reed, 22.Connor Gross, 23.John Barnett. DNS: Don Smith.
All Star Slingshot Feature, 20 laps: 1.Shelby McLaughlin, 2.Scott Neary, 3.Brett Bieber, 4.Danny Buccafusca, 5.Amanda Angstadt, 6.Tyler Ulsh, 7.Nate Freed, 8.Blaire Schoenly, 9.Jax Yohn, 10.Corbin Carraghan, 11.Gavin Danner, 12.Tim Roeder, 13.Cooper Schoenly, 14.Chase Bixler, 15.Molly Struss, 16.Colton Lineman.
Junior Slingshot Feature, 15 laps: 1.Chase Schott, 2.Austin Kroboth, 3.Jase Smith, 4.Mason Lineman.
