Tim Buckwalter Now 4 for 4 in Action Track USA SpeedSTRs; Hutchison is $1k 600 Sprint Winner

Betz Nets First All Star Slingshot Victory; BP3 Makes It Two Straight in Juniors

Kutztown, PA (August 12)— In the nearly 14 year history of Action Track USA, no one had ever annexed four consecutive feature wins in the River Valley Builders SpeedSTR division.

Until Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

That is when Douglassville, PA throttle-jockey Tim Buckwalter achieved the feat…and he pulled it off after starting 14th in the 30 lap main event.

Joining Buckwalter in Wednesday’s winner’s circle were 14-year-old phenom Cullen Hutchison of Butler, PA (Hyper Racing 600 Sprints); Daniel Betz (All Star Slingshots); and Billy Pauch III (Junior Slingshots).

Buckwalter, known as “the WheelMaster General”, authored a three race SpeedSTR win steak in 2023, but he went one better in the final midweek racing program of the year at Berks County’s Baddest Bullring (the final two events are scheduled for Sunday, August 16, and Sunday, August 30).

Daniel Schumaker, from Lenhartsville, PA, dashed into the early lead as the 30 lapper went green. Buckwalter rocketed from his 14th starting spot to run third in just nine trips around the progressively banked oval. At that point, Schumaker and runner-up Jase Smith had checked out and were battling among themselves. But Smith fell victim to mechanical woes prior to the halfway mark, leaving Buckwalter as the main challenger to Schumaker, who was seeking his first career Action Track USA triumph.

Buckwalter steadily reeled in the No. 15s and just as he appeared ready to pounce, the yellow flag waved with a dozen circuits remaining. The top five at the time of the caution were Schumaker, Buckwalter, Bobby Butler, Dan Lane Jr., and Billy Pauch Jr.

Two tours after the restart, Buckwalter, utilizing the top shelf at both ends of the speedway, edged ahead of Schumaker to lead by a couple feet as they roared across the start/finish line. Ripping through turns one and two on the high side, Buckwalter used his momentum to clear Schumaker’s steed and pulled ahead by a couple of car lengths. Schumaker kept him honest, hugging the bottom of the race track and not allowing the Earl Fellin/ Bagel Rack No. 52 to run away and hide.

“I wasn’t real happy runnin’ the top early on,” admitted Buckwalter in Weaknecht Archery Victory Lane. “So I went to the bottom, but I didn’t feel good down there, either. So I went back to the high side and just kept cleaning it off until the car felt good up there. And it paid off,” said Buckwalter, who extended his point lead over Butler in his attempt to win a fifth SpeedSTR point championship at the track located on the Kutztown Fairgrounds.

Butler, Pauch, and Kenny Miller III waged a fierce fight for third through fifth positions, with Butler earning the final podium spot when the checkered flag waved.

He followed Buckwalter and Schumaker to the stripe, with Pauch settling for fourth and Miller rounded out the top five.

Wednesday’s first place prize was $1,000 for the driver who could take top honors in the Hyper Racing 600 Sprint feature on Outten Auto Group Night.

Young Cullen Hutchison, in his first-ever Action Track USA start, looked as though he’d been a weekly competitor for years at the ultra-competitive speedway. Hutchison, who won a Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shootout in January (first place in the Stock Non-Wing class), slipped past Geordan Marrero for second spot on the fourth trip around the clay. James Roselli wheeled into the lead on a lap two restart after point leader Connor Gross was involved in a slow rollover in turn three. Gross was able to tag the back of the field because his No. 14c sustained only minimal damage in the skirmish.

Yellow fever plagued the first half of the 25 lapper, and the numerous caution periods permitted Gross to weave his way back up to fifth by the seventh revolution.

Roselli held serve out front but Hutchison was on his tail as the leaders saw the crossed flags. Hutchison executed a nice slide job in one and two, but Roselli crossed back under him as they accelerated onto the backstretch. Carrying a ton of speed into the third turn, Roselli washed up the banking in the fourth corner, and Hutchison darted to his inside and assumed command as the 14th circuit was scored.

The teen in the No. 83H then waltzed away to a sizable advantage over Roselli with Gross racing into third on the 15th tour.

There was no catching the high flying Hutchison, who made the most of his first effort at Action Track USA by winning the $1k presented by Outten Auto Group of Hamburg, PA. Chasing him to the checkered was Roselli, who managed to gain a few points on championship leader Gross, the third place finisher. Lukas Kostic ran a strong race and finished fourth, with Zach Curtis completing the top five.

Adam Buchel picked up an extra $100 as the race’s hard charger, courtesy of Uncle Jeff’s Famous Pickles of Washington, NJ.

Buchel was also the recipient of the Rowland’s Performance Fast Time Award earlier in the night, which was worth another $100.

The 600 Sprint heat races also paid $100 to each winner on Wednesday. Connor Gross captured GJ Oliver, Inc. heat race #1, while Christian Bruno took the win in Washington Collision Center heat race #2. Lukas Kostic earned the $100 in Hummel’s Landscape Service heat race #3.

Daniel Betz from Whitehall, PA notched his first career Action Track USA victory in Wednesday’s 20 lap main for the All Star Slingshots.

Betz motored past pole sitter Amanda Angstadt on the opening trip around the playground of clay, then set sail and throttled into his own area code as the race went clean and green all the way to the checkered.

The leader had to deal with slower traffic as he caught the back of the pack, but Betz handled the traffic with relative ease. Dave Carraghan drove into the runner-up position on lap three, but could not get close enough to mount a serious challenge to the Betz No. 77.

At the finish it was Betz gassing to his initial victory, with Carraghan picking up second place cash. Point leader Brett Bieber wound up in the final podium spot, with Hannah Kormann and Dylan Hahn recording fourth and fifth place efforts.

The Junior Slingshots made a bid for “race of the night”, producing the best finish that class has ever seen at Berks County’s Baddest Bullring.

Race-long leader Billy Pauch III lost the top spot with five to go when Gavin Wolfe ducked under him after the duo engaged in an exciting side by side tussle for a few laps.

Pauch, the young charger from Frenchtown, NJ, did not give up. He drove deep in turn three on the final revolution, pulled even with Wolfe, then won the drag race to the checkered flag—by inches—over Wolfe. It was Pauch’s second consecutive Junior Slingshot win at the Kutztown Fairgrounds oval, and the fifth since he began racing the Junior Slingers. That ties him with current Junior Slingshot point leader Landon McNichol for third on the all-time Junior Sling win list at Action Track USA.

Behind Pauch III and Wolfe were McNichol, Aubrey Romig, and Dawson Gulick.

Action Track USA Sidebites:

While Tim Buckwalter became the first SpeedSTR pilot to win four straight at the speedway located across the street from Kutztown University, two drivers previously reached that mark while competing in the Junior Slingshot division.

Damon Paul (2014) and Reese Nowotarski (2016) registered four consecutive triumphs in Junior Slinger competition.

Buckwalter also holds the distinction of being the only driver to ever record three wins in one night at Action Track USA. On August 20, 2023, he reeled off victories in the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars, the Hyper Racing 600 Sprints, and the River Valley Builders SpeedSTR A-mains during the track’s annual Dick Tobias Classic.

And it just so happens that the 2026 edition of that event comes up this Sunday, August 16, when cars will take to the track at 6:30 p.m. Pit gates open at 4:30 and grandstand gates swing open at 5:30. Once again, the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars will join the SpeedSTRs and 600 Sprints in the fire breathing, clay spraying event.

There will also be a matinee program on Sunday afternoon, and it is free for spectators. Pit passes purchased for the afternoon program will be honored for the evening portion of the Dick Tobias Classic, too.

Classes competing on Sunday afternoon include the All Star and Junior Slingshots, along with the Keystone Sport Compact Four-Cylinder Series. Pits and grandstands open at noon and racing begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

RESULTS:
River Valley Builders SpeedSTRs, 30 laps: 1. 52-Tim Buckwalter[14]; 2. 15S-Daniel Schumaker[1]; 3. 04-Bobby Butler[7]; 4. 1R-Billy Pauch Jr[8]; 5. 86-Kenny Miller III[9]; 6. 24-Sammy Martz Jr[12]; 7. 78-Briggs Danner[13]; 8. C6-Jasper Zeigafuse[17]; 9. 1-Steven Drevicki[15]; 10. 04M-Mike Butler[10]; 11. 5S-Scott Houdeshell[3]; 12. 8-Earl Paules[18]; 13. 7-Cale Zangli[16]; 14. 21R-John Repsik[11]; 15. 25X-Dan Lane Jr[5]; 16. 28-Brad Arnold[2]; 17. 27-Jase Smith[4]; 18. 26-Tyler Kehs[6]; 19. 15-Dustin Morris[20]. (DNS) 23-Aidan Svanda.

Hyper Racing 600 Sprints, 25 laps: 1. 83H-Cullen Hutchison[3]; 2. 95-James Roselli[2]; 3. 14C-Connor Gross[9]; 4. 10L-Lukas Kostic[6]; 5. 21-Zach Curtis[12]; 6. 01-Geordan Marrero[1]; 7. 56-Tyler Henry[16]; 8. 86-Adam Buchel[23]; 9. 75K-Jarid Kunkle[11]; 10. 2J-Jace Marshall[22]; 11. 65Z-Jake Fisher[18]; 12. 78-Aidan Donaldson[10]; 13. 47-Hunter Wise[4]; 14. 17-Jack VanVarick[24]; 15. 1F-Charles Horvath[20]; 16. 5-Christian Bruno[7]; 17. 22M-Luke McCloskey[21]; 18. 23M-Kenny Miller III[13]; 19. 12S-Brianna Snyder[8]; 20. 46-Louie Horvath[19]; 21. 7-Gage Marrero[5]; 22. 24M-Brody Miller[14]; 23. 17M-Gavin Marrero[17]. (DNS) 99-Briggs Danner.

Speedway Entertainment All Star Slingshots, 20 laps: 1. 77-Daniel Betz[2]; 2. 3-David Carraghan[4]; 3. 32-Brett Bieber[6]; 4. 16K-Hannah Kormann[3]; 5. 42H-Dylan Hahn[5]; 6. 57-Hailey Eroh[7]; 7. 55A-Amanda Angstadt[1]; 8. 1T-Tyler Ulsh[11]; 9. 12-Brian Smith[9]; 10. USA1-Mason Lineman[10]; 11. 171-Isaac Graby[8]; 12. 18-Mackenzie Henn[12]; 13. 56-Makensey Miller[13]; 14. 8DS-Darren Shenk[15]; 15. X-Terry Noll[14]; 16. 2K-Colby Knappenberger[16].

Speedway Entertainment Junior Slingshots, 15 laps: 1. 15-Billy Pauch III[2]; 2. 23G-Gavin Wolfe[5]; 3. 72-Landon McNichol[4]; 4. 10S-Aubrey Romig[6]; 5. 7D-Dawson Gulick[9]; 6. 02-Joey Osowski[12]; 7. 44-Jonathan Severn[10]; 8. 48-James Labar[11]; 9. 5M-MJ Tralies[7]; 10. 39-Brody Shelton[3]; 11. 82-Chase Barachie[14]; 12. C19-TJ Crone[13]; 13. 44M-Dylan Miller[1]; 14. 5A-Anna Strachko[8].

[Photo by Mike Knappenberger]