Paul Is 600 Speedweek Victor on July 19; Pauch Sr. Takes SpeedSTR Checkered
Kutztown, PA (July 19)— A field of 114, featuring some of the country’s best 600 Sprint pilots, converged on Championship Energy Action Track USA on Wednesday night. On tap was the second race of 2023 Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek presented by Performance Electronics. When the big night of high speed chaos ended, Stony Point, NY ace Damon Paul was standing tall in victory lane.
The Speedway Entertainment Al lPro SpeedSTRs were also on the July 19 menu, and Billy Pauch Sr. proved that he’s still got it by capturing the 30 lap feature, his first SpeedSTR triumph at the Kutztown Fairgrounds oval since 2016.
Tyler Hoch, from nearby Mertztown, PA, won his second of the year in All Star Slingshots competition.
Championship Energy Action Track USA rumbles right back with another four division program on Wednesday, July 26 featuring the All Pro SpeedSTRs, the Hyper Racing 600 Sprints, plus the All Star and Junior Slingshots. Then on Tuesday, August 1, for the first time ever, the mighty Modifieds of the Short Track Super Series will spray the clay of Berks County’s baddest bullring. Joining the STSS Modifieds will be the Hyper Racing 600 Sprints.
Competition Suspension Inc. presented the 600 Sprints at Action Track USA on Wednesday, July 19. Drivers from 17 states entered the 600 Speedweek event as the gigantic field of 114, highlighted by Richard Childress Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Sheldon Creed, was pared down to 26 throttle-stompers who took the green flag in the 35 lap A-Main.
Damon Paul jumped out to lead lap one from his pole position starting slot, but it was Alex Ruppert slipping past Paul to set the pace on the second tour of the ultra-competitive oval. Tim Buckwalter was sitting in third, right behind the front running duo as tenth-starting Kyle Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, navigated his way toward the front of the pack.
Paul threw a slider on Ruppert to lead lap nine, and it wasn’t long before Buckwalter and Busch dashed past Ruppert to run second and third. While Paul and Ruppert traded sliders (and the lead) during the first 15 circuits, it was now Buckwalter’s turn to harass and battle the Stony Point Stud in the No. 144. He and Paul raced hard for the top spot, throwing haymaker-style slide jobs at one another before Buckwalter, the all-time leading 600 Sprint winner at Action Track USA, secured the point on lap 24. A few laps earlier, Sam Johnson prevailed in a thrilling battle for third, dropping Busch to fourth.
Kyle Lick started 20th after winning B-Main #2, and he steered the Zach Light No. 11z into the top five when the yellow appeared with 25 revolutions in the books. The lap after the restart turned into the pivotal point of the race, as Buckwalter and Paul fought tooth and nail for the lead. Buckwalter muscled ahead on the home chute, but Paul ducked to the bottom in one and two to draw even with the Barry & Cheryl Greth owned No. 71. Both drivers went for the same piece of real estate as they gassed their mounts off turn two, getting together on the backstretch with Buckwalter turning completely sideways directly in front of the field. Johnson, Busch, and others were collected in the melee and knocked out of the race along with Buckwalter. Paul was able to continue without stopping, putting him back in front and Lick in the runner-up position as they restarted with ten circuits still to run.
Paul zipped away from Lick and went on to score his fourth career victory at Action Track USA. Lick earned a $100 Hard Charger bonus for his runner-up effort, with Ruppert notching his first podium result of the season (in Kutztown) by finishing third. Tommy Kunsman, Tuesday’s Speedweek winner at Clinton County, was fourth followed by Bobby Butler.
Frenchtown, NJ’s Billy “the Kid” Pauch sits third on the all-time SpeedSTR win list at Action Track USA behind his son, Billy Jr., and Tim Buckwalter. Now a part-time competitor, Pauch Sr. proved he still knows how to find the winner’s circle by taking the checkered flag in Wednesday’s 30 lap feature.
Pauch started third but moved up quickly because pole sitter Dustin Morris flipped off turn two on the opening trip around the clay. Pauch then had to fend off a very racy Shea Wills before Matt Janisch took over the runner-up slot. Janisch was good, but not quite good enough to offer a serious challenge to Pauch.
“This is still fun, but this place is a young man’s track,” grinned Pauch after the 745th triumph of his illustrious career (all divisions). “You’re up on the wheel all the time here, and these cars are a blast but they are not easy to drive. That’s what makes them fun.”
Janisch recorded a season-best finish of second, with Mike Bednar surviving a race long battle with Pauch Jr. to finish third. TJ Mayberry wound up fifth.
Tyler Hoch used a power move on the outside to sweep past early leader Griffin Hendershot in the All Star Slingshot 20 lap main. Hoch took the lead on lap three, then held off a stiff challenge from his older brother Dylan as they raced toward the halfway mark of the event. During the second half of the 20 lapper, Hoch had to deal with Dave Carraghan when the Emmaus, PA wheel-twister took some shots at the race leader. Hoch was up to each and every challenge, winning his fifth Action Track USA Slingshot feature since May of 2022.
Carraghan, who also has five career wins at the track located on the Kutztown Fairgrounds, chased T. Hoch to the checkered with point leader Brett Bieber placing third. Tyler Ulsh and Shawn Dengler finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The four weekly classes will compete on Wednesday, July 26 before the STSS Modifieds rumble into Kutztown on Tuesday, August 1. That huge show leads into the stretch run of the ‘23 season, with three events penciled in for Kutztown Fair Week on Tuesday, August 8, Wednesday August 9 (Xtreme Outlaw Midgets), and Friday, August 11. August 16, 20, and 30 are the final three dates when racing is scheduled at Berks County’s baddest bullring in 2023.
RESULTS:
Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek Feature, 35 laps: 1.Damon Paul, 2.Kyle Lick, 3.Alex Ruppert, 4.Tommy Kunsman, 5.Bobby Butler, 6.Billy Koch, 7.Mason Beinhower, 8.Sheldon Creed, 9.Zack Bealer, 10.Brian Carber, 11.Colin White, 12.Alec Quiggle, 13.Connor Gross, 14.Trevor Kline, 15.Christian Bruno, 16.Matt Smith, 17.Jesse Maurer, 18.Bubba Hughes, 19.Mason Peters, 20.Steven Snyder Jr., 21.Tim Buckwalter, 22.Sam Johnson, 23.Kyle Busch, 24.Jace McIntosh, 25.Braden Jones, 26.Kenny Miller III.
All Pro SpeedSTR Feature, 30 laps: 1.Billy Pauch Sr., 2.Matt Janisch, 3.Mike Bednar, 4.Billy Pauch Jr., 5.TJ Mayberry, 6.Kyle Herve, 7.Shea Wills, 8.Tim Buckwalter, 9.Sammy Martz Jr., 10.Nick Arment, 11.Briggs Danner, 12.Doug Snyder, 13.Aidan Ohst, 14.Gary Wagner, 15.Dustin Morris.
All Star Slingshots Feature, 20 laps: 1.Tyler Hoch, 2.Dave Carraghan, 3.Brett Bieber, 4.Tyler Ulsh, 5.Shawn Dengler, 6.Gavin Danner, 7.Amanda Angstadt, 8.Mason Lineman, 9.Austin Kroboth, 10.Luke McCloskey, 11.Faith Turnbaugh, 12.Brendan Lilick, 13.Colton Lineman, 14.Tyler Lilick, 15.Andrew Turpin, 16.Dylan Hoch, 17.Griffin Hendershot, 18.Nolan Layser, 19.Mike Maguire, 20.Lucas Pittenger.
