Tim Buckwalter Wins SpeedSTR Race & Championship at Action Track USA

Lattomus Flies to 600 Sprint Triumph While White Claims Point Title

Kutztown, Pa (August 28)— Remember when slugger Reggie Jackson was called “Mr. October” because he always seemed to shine during the World Series? Well, it may be completely appropriate to refer to Tim Buckwalter as “Mr. Kutztown”.
On Wednesday, August 28, in the final point race of the season at Foley Cat Action Track USA on the Kutztown Fairgrounds, Buckwalter won his third All Pro SpeedSTR race of the year. That victory did two things for the driver from Douglassville, PA…it clinched his third consecutive (and fourth overall) SpeedSTR point championship and; the win moved Tim into first place on the all-time SpeedSTR win list at the Berks County oval. Oh, and he is also the track’s winningest 600 Sprint racer, and he is a two-time point champ in the 600’s.
And lest we forget, this year’s SpeedSTR point crown, his fourth at Action Track USA, ties him with Billy Pauch Jr. for the most titles in that division.
Delaware’s Preston Lattomus put on quite a show in winning the Hyper Racing 600 Sprint main, while Colin White sewed up his second point championship with a fourth place finish.
Tyler Hoch recorded his third All Star Slingshot triumph of the year as his brother, Dylan, notched his fourth Slinger point crown at the track located across the street from Kutztown University. That ties Dylan with Brett Bieber for the most All Star Slingshot championships at Action Track USA.
And Carter Mullins, who makes the weekly trip to Kutztown from his home in Harrington, DE, finally captured his initial Junior Slingshot victory. While Mullins took Wednesday’s battle, Matthew Laubach won the war, as he nailed down his second straight Junior Slinger point championship.
Billy Pauch Jr. took the lead on lap two of the Foley Cat SpeedSTR feature. For most of the 30 lapper, it appeared as though “the Kid’s Kid” was going to end a long dry spell and steer his Ralph Rehrig owned No. 1R into victory lane.
But tenth-starting Tim Buckwalter had other ideas. Buckwalter motored into the runner-up spot just prior to the halfway mark, then spent several circuits tracking down the leader. He caught Pauch with ten to go, then stalked his prey before making a bid for the lead with just two tours remaining. Buckwalter dashed to the inside of Pauch in turns one and two, muscling his Earl Fellin/ Bagel Rack No. 52 to the top spot after banging wheels with Pauch in the corner.
“I didn’t want to show him my nose too soon,” explained Buckwalter afterward. “He’s really good here, and he was REALLY GOOD tonight. If he’d seen me trying to get under him, he would have changed his line to block me. And if I managed to pass him too soon, he’d have had time to get me back.”
Dan Schumaker finished third with Mike Bednar and Bobby Butler completing the top five.
In the 25 lap feature for the Hyper Racing 600 Sprints, Connor Gross grabbed the lead from Tyler Lindsay on the second trip around the clay. Gross, who still had a mathematical shot at the championship, would stay at the head of the pack until a fateful incident with five to go.
As he set the pace, point leader Colin White roared from the tenth starting position to secure third spot by lap seven. He then took on Zack Weisenfluh for the runner-up position while eighth-starter Preston Lattomus began winging his way forward. Lattomus, utilizing the top side of the speedway, blasted into the top four and joined the scrum for second between White and Weisenfluh.
With five circuits remaining, Gross closed on a slower car in turn one. In the middle of one and two, the slower car suddenly snapped loose and spun. Unable to avoid contact, Gross clipped the back end of the spin out victim, significantly damaging the tie rod and front end of his No. 77. He was able to continue, but the damage left him wrestling with the car as it was extremely difficult to turn.
Weisenfluh was soon the leader as he, Gross, Lattomus, and White scuffled for the top four positions. They took the white flag and then Lattomus gassed his mount past Weisenfluh at the exit of turn two. Lattomus went on to record his first Foley Cat Action Track USA victory over a disappointed Weisenfluh and an even more disappointed Gross. White was happy to finish fourth and clinch the second 600 Sprint point title of his career at the speedway located across the street from Kutztown University. Billy Koch wound up fifth.
Mertztown, PA’s Tyler Hoch entered the final point-paying event for the All Star Slingshots tied for third in the standings with Brett Bieber. He started third in the 20 lap feature, and took advantage of it by driving into second on the start, then passing Patrick Weiss for the lead on the second tour of the oval. As Tyler Hoch built a commanding lead over the first 18 laps that went clean and green, Weiss and Tyler Ulsh diced for the runner-up spot. A yellow with two to go did not alter the outcome, as Tyler Hoch captured his eighth career All Star Slingshot triumph, tying him with Dave Carraghan for third on the division’s all-time win list.
Weiss scored a career best second place finish with Ulsh, Chase Schott, and Bieber making up the top five.
Car count eliminated Schott from title contention on Wednesday, as Dylan Hoch locked down his fourth Action Track USA Slingshot point title, even though a deflating left-rear tire led to a spin and a 17th place finish for the new champion. Facing a deficit of 135 points heading into the finale combined with an 18 car field, Schott simply could not gain enough points, no matter where he finished, to overtake D. Hoch for the title.
Tyler Hoch’s win, along with Schott’s fourth place effort, actually propelled Tyler into second place in the final point standings.
Carter Mullins and his family have been making the three hour trip (one way) to Kutztown each week this season to compete with the Junior Slingshots. And the young driver has been impressive, showing lots of speed but just not able to crack open the door to victory lane. Until Wednesday night, that is…
Mullins started on the outside of the front row, blasting to the lead on lap one and never looking back. He registered his first Junior Slingshot victory by holding off the class’s all-time leading winner, Matthew Laubach over the final two frantic laps.
Laubach’s runner-up finish was plenty good enough to secure his second consecutive Junior Slinger point crown over Landon McNichol, who finished third in Wednesday’s race. Charlie Moore raced home in fourth with Hannah Kormann placing fifth in the 15 lapper.
While Wednesday’s program was the final point race of 2024 at Berks County’s #1 Bullring, it was not the last race of the year. Coming up on Sunday, September 8 is the Dick Tobias Classic, the big event that was rained out on August 18.
On September 8, the early afternoon matinee will feature the winged 270cc Micro Sprints along with the All Star and Junior Slingshots. Their portion of the day/night doubleheader will begin at 12:30 p.m. with gates opening at 11:00.
The USAC East Coast Sprint Cars, All Pro SpeedSTRs, and Hyper Racing 600 Sprints will battle in the Dick Tobias Classic in the evening, with warm-ups commencing at 6:15. The three classes will each compete in qualifying races and a 30 lap feature.
For additional information on the curtain-closing event, check out the track’s website at www.actiontrackusa.com or its Facebook page at Facebook.com/Action Track USA.
RESULTS:
All Pro SpeedSTR Feature, 30 laps: 1.Tim Buckwalter, 2.Billy Pauch Jr., 3.Daniel Schumaker, 4.Mike Bednar, 5.Bobby Butler, 6.Matt Janisch, 7.Sammy Martz Jr., 8.Scott Houdeshell, 9.Cale Zangli, 10.Kyle Herve, 11.Cole Stangle, 12.Austin Graby, 13.Tyler Kehs, 14.Dustin Morris, 15.Briggs Danner, 16.Gary Wagner, 17.Jax Yohn. DNS: Paulie Hartwig III.
2024 Point Champion: Tim Buckwalter.

Hyper Racing 600 Sprints Feature, 25 laps: 1.Preston Lattomus, 2.Zack Weisenfluh, 3.Connor Gross, 4.Colin White, 5.Billy Koch, 6.Briggs Danner, 7.Lukas Kostic, 8.Matt Warner, 9.Tyler Lindsay, 10.Christian Bruno, 11.Joe Nemeth, 12.Tim Buckwalter, 13.Kenny Miller III, 14.JT Bierman, 15.Jacob Severn, 16.Connor Mirabelli, 17.James Roselli, 18.Jasper Ziegafuse, 19.Jake Fisher, 20.Zach Curtis, 21.Ronnie Dawson, 22.Trent Warner, 23.Tyler Henry, 24.Jarid Kunkle, 25.Sonny Tete, 26.Danny Buccafusca, 27.Sammy Martz Jr.
DNQ: Dakota Barlet, Jacob Homnick, Chase Wehr, Gavin Danner, Aidan Donaldson, Brendan Hires, Cole Dewease, Richie Baker, Colton Colaluce, Jase Smith, Kyle Lick.
2024 Point Champion: Colin White.

All Star Slingshot Feature, 20 laps: 1.Tyler Hoch, 2.Patrick Weiss, 3.Tyler Ulsh, 4.Chase Schott, 5.Brett Bieber, 6.Daniel Betz, 7.Amanda Angstadt, 8.Dave Carraghan, 9.Austin Kroboth, 10.Tyler Lilick, 11.Luke McCloskey, 12.Shawn Dengler, 13.Faith Turnbaugh, 14.Matt Kiefert, 15.Brianna Snyder, 16.Troy Kline, 17.Dylan Hoch, 18.Nathan Abrahim.
2024 Point Champion: Dylan Hoch.

Junior Slingshot Feature, 15 laps: 1.Carter Mullins, 2.Matthew Laubach, 3.Landon McNichol, 4.Charlie Moore, 5.Hannah Kormann, 6.Brandon Lilick, 7.Mile Zehner, 8.Billy Pauch III, 9.Mackenzie Henn, 10.Colton Henry, 11.Kaleb Stofflet, 12.Sadie Creeden, 13.Lily Esterly, 14.Jon Severn.
2024 Point Champion: Matthew Laubach.