2014
NEW - 270 Aluminum Shifter Handle $19.25
05-06 Billet Oil Pan Price: $399.00
Wed – Thurs- Sun of Action Track USA Fair Week Coverage of the 2014 Labor Day Shootout at Lanco
A look back at Speedweek Reading Fair Racing in Photos Dylan Hcch Gets a Little Hot Under the Collar
Brandon HeistDanny Buccafusca
Cover Photo: Dennis Takacs catches a full house at the Action Track USA Photo: The Slingshots power around the Reading Fair in a Mike Feltenberger Photo
What did I just read?
The High Groove Winged or Wingless II
Slingshot Speedweek
What Stock Cars Need
September 2014 ~ 5
I left the Action Track USA on July 30th under the assumption that James Morris had gone to the hospital after a nasty wreck in the second of twin 600 feature races but was ok. When I sat down at my computer at home and got on Facebook my thoughts changed. The first status I saw simply read "God Speed James Morris." My heart dropped and my throat closed. Morris was ok wasn't he? The guy that's going to be a dad soon, The person that I talked to a few hours ago, The guy that was talking when he left the track. I developed a panic and started scrolling fast to find more information. As if Facebook was a reliable source for information. After scrolling for about five minutes, I regained my thoughts and realized I had seen not one other person say anything to this extent. I returned to the previous status to find comments. The first comment was a sad face followed by someone like me who responded "WHAT?!?". Person A responded by saying they heard Morris was in a bad crash at Action Track and they hope he is ok. Their thoughts were kind but their wording could use some work. After I thought about it for a little bit I began to wonder what would have happened if I would have over reacted and began questioning people about this wreck and the fact that it might have been more serious than any of us thought. How quickly the word would have spread and how quickly a bad situation could have been made worse. (Ie The Kevin Ward/ Tony Stewart situation)
This article was written before the incident that night in Ny, The whole deal was tragic. The media and social media made it worse. Kevin Ward was pronounced deceased by three New York news channels before the coroner ever spoke. Were they correct? Yes. Did they know for sure? No. Keep in mind these are the people reporting the news every night. This is just a situation where we saw their flaws first hand. Back to the Morris thing. The guy was fine. He posted on Facebook the next day saying he was grateful for all the thoughts. We then watched his journey to rebuild a car to be back in the field the next week at the Action Track. Facebook can be such a good thing and such a bad thing at the same time. We all know that. The heartfelt well wishes to Morris had to make him feel a little better after a crappy night. On our end, it was cool to watch like an "insider" behind the scenes as he built that new car. The bad? "What if" is the bad in this instance luckily. What if it had been blown out of proportion? What if the speculation had begun sooner? The thing that always upsets me is Facebook, Twitter Instagram are the scapegoat here. They are merely platforms. We are the users! Facebook didn't say anything that night. Twitter didn't report on the tragic events in NY. It was us. Please remember that the next time you post something. It is we, the users on the platform. 6 ~ The Inside Track
September Shellhammers Speedway Wed. 3- Wingless 270s, Slingshots ($500 to win GARENTEED) Shellhammers Speedway Wed. 10- Wingless 270s, Slingshots ($500 to win GARENTEED) Deerfield Raceway Sat. 13- Season Championships - Mike Borawiec Sr. Micro Sprint Race Lanco Saturday Sat. 13- Season Finale Sportsman, 125s, 4stroke, 270s, 600s Bridgeport Speedway Sun. 14- 270, Wingless 600s, Slingshots, and 4 cyl Shellhammers Speedway Wed. 17- Wingless 270s, Slingshots ($500 to win GARENTEED) Linda's Speedway Friday 19- 270s, Wingless 600s, Modifieds, Lebanon Valley Classic for SPEEDSTR's TrailWays Speedway Sat. 20- KEVIN GOBRECHT MEMORIAL 600s, 270s,Legends, ACMS 600S Limerock Speedway Sat. 20- Sprints for the Cure Female only Winged and Wingless 600 Event plus Regular Winged and Wingless 600 Race Sunday 21- SPRINTS FOR THE CURE Rain Date Selinsgrove Raceway Park Sun. 21- 8th Annual Roger Spencer Memorial 270cc+ Slingshot National Tour Shellhammers Speedway Wed. 24- Wingless 270s, Slingshots ($500 to win GARENTEED) Linda's Speedway Friday 26- Wingless 600s Iron Cowboy 30, 270s,125s, , Slingshots Linda's Speedway Sat. 27- Lebanon Valley 100 for Slingshots, Leon Gruber Memorial 50 for Modifieds, Charger Championship October Path Valley Raceway Sat. 4-14th Annual Sprint Nationals Greenwood Valley Action Track Sat. 11- 270s, Rookie 270s, 125s, 600s #14th Annual Blaise Alexander Memorial
Volume 1 Issue 1 Customer Service and other information: Theinsidetrack@usa.com Publisher: Michael Batz Copyright 2014 by Mike Co
The Inside Track assumes no liability or is not responsible for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories ect. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the individual author and are not necessarily the view of The Inside Track. Reproduction of any content in any form without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Readers should also be made aware that some items listed for sale in advertisements may not be legal on all states.
September 2014 ~ 7
The Wingless 270's closed out the program as the skies continued to worsen. The five car field pushed onto the track behind heat race winner Toby Blumenshine. Blumenshine took the race lead. Steve Drevicki looked set up to run the outside line in what would have been a close battle. Drevicki went to the pits after he slowed with problems. Blumenshine stretched a lead nearing half a strait away. Just then, Blumenshine's car got out of shape and before he could recover Tyler Ulrich flew around his outside into the race lead. Ulrich had a comfortable lead but as half way was given, Mike Rutherford was coming. So was the rain... Drops began to fall but not enough to stop the race as Rutherford caught Ulrich. With five to go Ulrich was fully engulfed in a battle with the 5k. Rutherford put his nose under Ulrich every chance he had to try to rattle his cage. Rutherford gave up the bottom with two to go and ran the top through turns 3&4. Ulrich got two car lengths back that and would fly under the checkered flag. Rutherford and Blumenshine were the top three. The win was worth $500 for Ulrich. Photo by Mike Fry
Blaine Leppo of Spring Grove, PA won his first Keystone Legends main event of the season Friday night at Linda’s Speedway after a torrid battle with Jason Rochelle and Chris McKinney. The night to honor the 1994 Keystone Legends Tour champion, Ronnie Dunstan, attracted a stellar field including nine more former Tour champions. Ronnie Dunstan Tribute (20 Laps) 1- Blaine Leppo 2- Jason Rochelle 3- Chris McKinney 4- Travis McClellan 5- Tim Henry 8 ~ The Inside Track
Tyler Walton made quick work of the field in the 20-lap 600cc micro-sprint feature, charging from his 12th starting spot to take the lead from Travis Scott on lap eight and drive away to a 1.03-second win over tenth-starting Cale Reigle. Dwayne Gutshall, Aaron Spahr, and Scott completed the top five. Heats for the 27 600cc Micro-Sprints were won by Walton, Spahr, and Reigle, with Cheyenne Topper winning the consolation. Lincoln Speedway Feature (20 Laps) 1- Tyler Walton 2- Cale Reigle 3- Dwayne Gutshall 4- Aaron Spahr 5-Travis Scott 6- Austin Quick 7- Hannah Riser 8- Greg Stephens 9- Austin Bishop 10- Bruce Ginther, Jr
Photo Via the Sportsman Speedway web site Wingless Feature (15Laps) 1- Kyle Colwell 2- Barry Lucas 3- Dave Stemmerich 4- Dave Hawkins 5- Ryan Fredericks 6- Jeff Haefke 7- Lee Lehnerd 8- Brandon Hawkns 9- Brian Forester 10- Scott Hawkins
Tristan Huffman at Greenwood Valley (Sherrys Photos)
Photographers: Supply your Âź Midget pictures for display in the Stars of Tomorrow section of the magazine by sending them to Theinsidetrack@usa.com September 2014 ~ 9
Which Is More Popular…Winged or Wingless? Let’s Look At The Numbers… PART II This season, at the speedways running winged 600’s, car counts have averaged just over 29 per race meet at Clyde Martin. Linda’s has drawn approximately 18-19 cars when the wings are bolted on, while Greenwood Valley always seems to be in the low-to-mid 20’s. Bridgeport has been in the teens to around 20 for most of its events. Tracks offering wingless 600cc clay tossing each week are led by Kutztown’s Action Track USA. The Berks County oval has attracted an average of almost 46 cars (45.857 to be exact) per week, with a high of 55 entries on July 9. Yes, it’s true that the track’s Wednesday slate of activity means there’s no competition from other speedways who are running on the same night. But Rich Tobias and Doug Rose have pretty much created the perfect layout and size for wingless 600’s, and the drivers come in droves each week because they love the place and the intense action it produces. Airport’s 600cc car count has increased since they decided to go wingless with the 600’s, although they’re still in the teens on most Saturdays. Hamlin still draws a nice field of wingless 600cc warriors; most weeks find a full field (24) or very close to that number signing in for broadsliding fun and games in the Poconos. Linda’s has drawn a slightly higher car count when they pencil in the non-wing version of the 600cc division; Mike Batz says they get around 22-23 cars when the wings stay home. He estimates there are 10 drivers who are there every week, no matter which style of racing is inked for the Jonestown quarter-mile. What do all these numbers mean? I have no idea, except that it appears the wingless car counts are just a bit higher, overall, than their winged counterparts. That’s as of right now, with roughly half a season left in the 2014 campaign. You never know; things could change by the end of the year. And there are certainly other factors that entice drivers to compete at certain tracks, not just whether or not a speedway hosts non-wing (or winged, if that’s your preference) competition. But there’s no denying that wingless 600cc action has caught up to, and right now possibly surpassed, the winged style of racing that has been the dominant product in the northeast for years. What’s your opinion on this subject? I can be reached at Twitter.com/bwa39. Thanks for reading; hope you enjoyed it. 10 ~ The Inside Track
Strictly Dirt Photo
14 ~ The Inside Track
Tuesday : Rain Wednesday : Wingless 600cc Sprint
(40 laps) 1.Billy Pauch Jr. 2.Tony DiMattia 3.Alex Bright 4.Tim Buckwalter
5.Kyle Lick 6.Jay Hartman 7.Mike Rutherford 8.James Morris 9.Jarid Kunkle 10.Eddie Strada
All Star Slingshot
5.Jordan Knepp (20 laps) 6.Louden Reimert 1.Mark Sensenig 7.Billy Osmun 2.Danny Buccafusca 8.Dave Carraghan 3.Larry Raifsnider 9.Donny Hockman 4.Joe Nemeth 10.Brett Bieber
Thursday : Wingless 270cc Sprint
(25 laps) 1.Richie Hartman 2.Mike Rutherford 3.Ross Perchak 4.Darren Miller
5.Toby Blumenshine 6.Ronald Helmick 7.Trevor Dunn 8.Robbie Watson 9.Tyler Galatro 10.Marty Gorr
Junior Slingshot National Tour
Junior Slingshot Feature 2
(20 laps) 1.Damon Paul 2.Dillon Steuer 3.Kyle Smith 4.Dylan Swinehart 5.Chloe Andreas
(15 laps) 1.Damon Paul 2.Tyler Peet 3.Dylan Swinehart 4.Dillon Steuer 5.Gavin Santee
Sunday : Dick Tobias Classic SpeedSTR’s
Wingless 600cc Sprint
All Star Slingshots
(60 laps) 1.Brad Brightbill 2.Rick Eckert 3.Billy Pauch Sr 4.Billy Pauch Jr 5.Anthony Perrego 6.Mike Bednar 7.Tim Buckwalter 8.Kyle Weiss 9.Kenny Brightbill 10.Wayne Weaver
(25 laps) 1.James Morris 2.Tim Buckwalter 3.Eddie Strada 4.Brandon Azzalina 5.Mike Rutherford 6.Blaine Emery 7.Billy Pauch Jr. 8.Will Butler 9.Joey Jarowicz 10.Dave Dimaio
(20 laps) 1.Louden Reimert 2.Travis Bieber 3.Danny Buccafusca 4.Mark Sensenig 5.Larry Raifsnider 6.John Bockhorn 7.Joe Nemeth 8.Cody Kline 9.Dylan Hoch 10.Matt Massone September 2014 ~ 13
Fair Night #2 – Wingless 600 Fair NATIONALS, SpeedSTR NATIONALS, & Slingshots
Kutztown, PA – Billy Pauch Jr's road to victory was not an easy one on Wednesday, August 13, as the 143rd Annual Kutztown Fair served as the backdrop for an exciting night of racing at the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA on the Kutztown Fairgrounds. Mike Rutherford passed Tony DiMattia for the top spot in the Pioneer Pole Buildings, 40-lap Fair Week Nationals for the wingless 600cc Sprints. A couple of laps later, DiMattia returned the favor, sweeping past Rutherford on the top side. As the dicing up front continued, eighth-starting Billy Pauch Jr. was maneuvering his way through the heavy pack of traffic. Headed off turn four and about to complete the 15th trip around the clay, “the kid’s kid” shot the middle off turn four, darting between Rutherford and Alex Bright to snare the runner-up position. And then the fun really began…
FFN Photo
FFN Photo
Pauch Jr. and DiMattia traded slide jobs over several laps at each end of the race track until, finally, Pauch Jr. drifted up in front of DiMattia in turn two and prevented the Malvern, Pa. chauffeur from driving back underneath him. Pauch Jr., from Frenchtown, NJ, went on to notch his second win of the season over DiMattia, who held off Bright for the runner-up cash. Tim Buckwalter, finished fourth and Kyle Lick, who started at the back of the pack because he came out late for the feature, rumbled all the way to fifth at the finish. Leesport’s Mark Sensenig passed polesitter and early leader Austin Stufflet on the fourth circuit, and he was never out of the lead from that point on. Danny Buccafusca moved into second, passing Billy Osmun at the halfway mark of the 20lapper. Danny B then ran down Sensenig, the race leader, but could not pull alongside. A restart with one to go did not alter the outcome, as Sensenig drove to victory over Buccafusca, last week’s winner Larry Raifsnider, Joe Nemeth, and Jordan Knepp. Point leader Brett Bieber was collected in an early tangle, then fought his way back to a tenth place finish. Buccafusca’s runner-up effort chopped 55 points off Bieber’s cushion in the standings, setting up a tense duel for the championship in the Sunday night, August 17th, season finale. Brad Brightbill was the Speedstr Winner.
14 ~ The Inside Track
FFN
James Morris won the Hump Day Challenge for the Wingless 600′s. Morris, from Rieglesville, PA, recorded the win in the special race for this year’s feature winners who took the Hump Day Challenge of starting 18th or worse in the race following their feature victory. No one collected the bonus – which rolled over from race to race – so the 5-lap, winner-take-all match race was set between Morris, Pauch Jr., Kyle Lick, Mike Rutherford, and the most recent 600cc winner, Jarid Kunkle. Morris started third but made a quick move to snatch the top spot from Kunkle. He then held off Kyle Lick for the $1,000 triumph. Lick finished second with Pauch Jr., Kunkle, and Rutherford rounding out the finishing order.
Strictly Dirt
September 2014 ~ 15
Fair Night #3 – Wingless 270 Fair NATIONALS & Junior Slingshots
Strictly Dirt Photo
Kutztown, PA – The 270cc Micro-Sprints don’t get many opportunities to compete without wings bolted to the top of their rollcages. When they do, though, they put on one heck of a show. Thursday night’s Kutztown Fair program at the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA was highlighted by a terrific, 25-lap main event for the wingless 270′s. Three of the division’s best racers showcased their talents and, when the checkered flag waved, Temple’s Richie Hartman parked his Jared Davis Motorsports, Valley Forge Inc., Kim’s Kreations, RTS Chassis No. 39 in the winner’s circle. It was Hartman’s first feature win of the season (anywhere), and his first in non-winged competition. And he had to pass a five-time track champion at the Kutztown Fairgrounds in order to achieve the victory. Ross Perchak, from Hazleton, went three-wide on the start to grab the early lead. On the third trip around the progressively banked oval, Hartman zipped under Perchak and went to the front. On a restart with six complete, Perchak launched his RTS Chassis, Perchak Trucking No. 4 off the turn two banking and moved to the top spot once again…but his advantage would last just seven more circuits, as Hartman decided to try the high side and blasted around Perchak to reclaim the lead at the halfway point. Mike Rutherford made his presence known as the race entered its final stages. Rutherford, from Lititz, throttled his No. 5k into the top three, then slipped past Perchak to snare the runner-up position with four to go. By that time, Hartman had checked out on the field and Rutherford, who likely would have made things interesting had he gotten a yellow in the closing laps, had to settle for second. Hartman flashed across the stripe, almost 2.5 seconds in front of Rutherford, to score the $750 triumph. Perchak ended up third, with Darren Miller surviving an entertaining battle with Toby Blumenshine to finish fourth.
16 ~ The Inside Track
FFN
A nice field of 23 cars took part in the 270cc Fair Week National, with wingless heat races going to John Vreeland, Hartman, and Perchak. Damon Paul, from Stoney Point, NY, picked up his third and fourth (consecutive) victories at Action Track USA on Thursday. The pint-sized kid with the heavy right foot captured the 20-lap Junior Slingshot National Tour win, then followed it up with another dominating run in the Junior Slingers second main event of the night. In the National Tour 20-lapper, Paul started fifth, worked his way to second with a pass of Andrew Kreis, then wrestled the top spot from Dylan Swinehart as they raced down the backstretch. He went on to win by a comfortable margin over Dillon Steuer, Kyle Smith, Swinehart, and Chloe Andreas. The second feature for the Juniors, a 15-lap affair, saw Paul again start fifth and quickly propel his No. 144 to the front of the pack. Paul darted by Tyler Peet to snatch the lead on lap three, then cruise to his second win of the evening and his fourth straight triumph at Kutztown’s Action Track USA. Peet finished second, with Swinehart, Steuer, and Gavin Santee making up the top five. There were 17 Junior Slingshots in action on Thursday. Heat race victories went to Chloe Andreas and Swinehart.
PhilMar
FFN
September 2014 ~ 17
Fair Night #4 – “DICK TOBIAS CLASSIC” SpeedSTR’s,600’s, Slingshots, plus Championship Night for all 3 divisions
Kutztown, PA- It was the final night of racing at JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA on the Kutztown Fairgrounds and the annual running of the Dick Tobias Classic for the USAC SpeedSTRs. How appropriate that this race would be won by a driver whose last name appeared many times in the same results as that of Tobias? Instead of it being the Shillington Slingshot, Kenny Brightbill it was his son, Brad Brightbill who would stand in Victory Lane with Mary Tobias after sixty hard fought laps of competition. The 2014 point championship was on the line. There was a $5,000 pay day to the race winner. There was plenty of excitement in the air and around the speedway as a large crowd filled the Kutztown Fairgrounds for the 2014 season finale. As always, the luck of the draw determined the starting line-up. Brad Brightbill drew the pole and Billy Pauch Jr. Brad Brightbill took the lead on the drew the outside pole start as Pauch Jr. ran second. Tim Buckwalter, making for the start of the sixty only his second start in SpeedSTR competition, lap feature event. The challenged Pauch Jr. for second as lap five was field was led to the start completed. Anthony Perrego took to the high, outside by two of the second of the track to try to make his way to the front as he generation drivers in the raced into third on lap six. With ten laps complete, field. Brad Brightbill led Pauch Jr., Perrego, Buckwalter and Kenny Brightbill. Pauch Jr. used the outside line on a restart to power into the lead on lap eleven but Brightbill was never far behind. Pauch Jr. rolled the top to hold a slight advantage over Brightbill as they raced across the line for laps eleven through seventeen. On lap eighteen, the leaders were a virtual dead heat and one lap later, Brightbill regained control of the lead as they exited turn two. When the caution flag waved, it was Brad Brightbill who was out in front on the restart. And Brightbill never faltered for the remaining laps. "I knew who was behind me," Brightbill stated. "You know that you have the best drivers in the Northeast here. I didn't see anyone stick a nose along side of me so I thought we were okay. I was hoping that the track would keep getting slicker," Brightbill continued. "I went with a tight set-up and the track just came to me. The car was just on a rail!" 18 ~ The Inside Track
FFN
When the caution was needed with twenty-nine laps complete, the cars were brought to a stop for the midrace pit stop. Brad Brightbill went right back into the lead over Pauch Jr as Rick Eckert and Perrego now battled for third. Perrego took over second on lap thirty-one as Pauch Jr. was now challenged by Eckert for his position. Eckert took over third with forty laps complete. Billy Pauch Sr. went to the extreme outside to try to improve his position with the final twenty laps to be run. Pauch Sr. raced by Bednar for fifth and then by Pauch Jr. and Perrego to move into third. The battle to the checkered was between Perrego and Pauch Jr. for fourth. The challenging of positions behind him kept the pressure off Brad Brightbill as he raced to the $5,000 pay day and his second win in a row in SpeedSTR competition. Eckert finished second with Pauch Sr. in third. Pauch Jr. finished fourth and captured the 2014 SpeedSTR Championship. Perrego completed the top five at the finish. With the Championship foremost on his mind, Pauch Jr. admitted to "settling" for his position at one point in the race. But after he was passed for several positions, "I worked my way back up," Pauch Jr. explained. The Real Deal, James Morris of Rieglesville, PA raced to his third Pioneer Pole Building Wingless 600 win of the season at the ActionTrack. Morris, who took a very wild ride down the backstretch and into turn three just a few weeks ago, raced his third car of the season to the win in the Sunday night finale. After racing his way into the lead, Morris dropped to second on a restart when Tim Buckwalter moved the Greth #71 into the lead. Morris knew what he needed to do and did so on the next restart when he retook the lead from Buckwalter. Morris raced to the checkered flag for the win ahead of Buckwalter, Eddie Strada, Brandon Azzalina and Mike Rutherford. In spite of being sidelined in a lap one incident on the homestretch, Jay Hartman had a big enough lead to win his second consecutive Wingless 600 Championship at the Action Track over Billy Pauch Jr. Louden Reimert saved it all for the end of the night as he powered by Travis Bieber on the final lap of the NAPA Auto Parts All Star Slingshot feature to take the final checkered flag of the 2014 season at the Kutztown Fairgrounds. Bieber had to settle for second. Reimert slowly worked his way to the front while race long leader Bieber paced the field. Danny Buccafusca's third place finish gave the young driver of the S&S Speedways #55 his second Slingshot title. Brett Bieber was the point leader at various times throughout the race as he and Buccafusca battled, but Bieber was caught up in a mid race wreck that put him track side. Mark Sensenig and Larry Raifsnider rounded out the top five at the finish. September 2014 ~ 19
Did you ever hear anyone say "that guy could have started at home and would have won"; Aaron Bowes was that guy at Lincoln in the biggest 600 Modified race ever. Doug Borger took the Modifeds on the road to Lincoln Speedway to run in front of a packed house on Pepsi night with the 410 Sprint cars. On this night, the winner of the Modifieds would make only $100 less than the 410 winner. That is a pretty good accomplishment for the small car world. Lincoln Speedway Exert:
Nazareth’s Aaron Bowes took the $3,000 top prize in the highest-paying Xcel Chassis 600 Modified Tour event ever held over the 10-year history of the division. It was Bowes’ four straight Tour win. Because he won the last event, Bowes was forced to start ninth in the event. He proceeded to pass a car a lap to take the lead from polesitter and race-long leader Ian Williamson on the ninth lap. Bowes led the rest of the way, crossing a half-second in front of Richie Hitzler, with Jonathan Pepe, Cody Coons, and 15th-starting Jason Dunkleberger rounding out the top five. "I can't thank Xcel Chassis enough for making it possible to run such a low cost super competitive small car class and yet run for such big payouts every week! We won a total of $4750 over the last 4 races with the win last night at Lincoln Speedway and a sweet $3000." stated Bowes. The two weeks before the race were a roller coaster for the 21 year old with motor issues for himself and teammate Nate Brinker. Bowes is in the mist of two point battles with Richie Hitzler in the tour division and at Lindas Speedway. Both drivers are vying to be the first one to win a tour championship and a weekly track championship. This is no easy feat with the caliper of drivers the series has week in and week out. Ian Williamson and Cody Coons were on the front of the 24 car field. Williamson would hold of the hard charging field until lap eight. Bowes dove under him for the lead coming out of turn 4. The long Lincoln strait away produced a drag race to turn one in which Bowes would win. His drive from eighth was complete. Williamson stayed on the bumper of the 64 for the next two circuits until he had to hold brothers Jon and Josh Pepe off. Hitzler was just within striking distance of the top three and a lap 16 caution would reset the field. Hard charger Jason Dunkleberger garnered 10 spots putting himself in the top five after a classic battle with Josh Pepe who drove the wheels off the car to bring it back up the field and finish a solid 6th place. Bowes had to withstand a daring outside move from Hitzler on a late restart that almost gave Hitzler the $3000 payday. Bowes held Hitzler off while Pepe followed a close third. The win was the biggest of Bowes young career with a payday of $3000. Doug Borger, series promoter, had raced Lincoln almost 30 years ago and looked forward to his return trip. "This time around was a little different for me. I can understand why Lincoln has the reputation of one of the premier racetracks as a driver and now as a promoter I can't say enough of the hospitality shown to me and my staff. They have been nothing but top notch from the time we booked the date up to the race." Just like Bowes had a win, I think we all are winners tonight. My drivers had one heck of a show and some made a 6 hour hike one way just to race here. Lincoln is a track that is on every drivers list to be at in their career.“ Heats for the 35 600 Modifieds were won by Abbey Price, Bowes, Hitzler, and Jonathon Pepe, with Kyle Fallis winning the consolation. Contributing to the story were Joann Mady, Lincoln Speedway, and Michael Batz 20 ~ The Inside Track
Barry Skelly & Allan Yeager
York, PA, July 29, 2014 - Red Lion Chevrolet and The Central PA Legends are proud to announce that Red Lion Chevrolet has signed on again as the primary series sponsor for the 2015 season. Deeply rooted in the community, Red Lion Chevrolet makes it mark as a stand out 3rd year sponsor. Giving back to the community is important to Wes McCullar, Red Lion Chevrolet’s General Manager, and his team is committed to making this another great year for Central PA Legends. The Central PA Legends, one of the top Legend dirt track series in the United States, is entering their 18th season. What started in 1996 with five cars and a nine-race schedule has grown to over 50 cars competing in a 39 race schedule. Central PA Legends continue to grow under the synergistic partnership with Red Lion Chevrolet and will be one of the premier largest Legends Car points funds in the country in 2015. Red Lion Chevrolet is part of the Apple Automotive Group and is located on Route 24 in Red Lion, PA. They offer a full range of automotive services. Red Lion Chevrolet also offers a huge variety of new and pre-owned vehicles. Red Lion Chevrolet is big enough to serve all your needs, but small enough to care. We are your hometown Chevy dealer! “At Red Lion Chevrolet, you can expect the lowest prices and the best value for your trade. We are proud to support the Central PA Legends.”, said McCullar. Red Lion Chevrolet is located at 3220 Cape Horn Road in Red Lion, PA. More information is available on our website at www.redlionchevy.com or by phone at 717-244-4036.
Xcel Sportsman Modifieds to Return Doug Borger of Xcel Chassis has brought back the 600 sportsman Modified division for the 2015 season. The opportunity on most Saturday nights will come with Shellhammers Speedway hosting the division. Shellhammers Speedway is an 1/8th mile dirt track in Shoemakersville PA. They race every Saturday night with warm-ups beginning at 3:30pm. "We have run the 600 Modifieds there a couple of times this year and the response was overwhelming so bringing back the 600 sportsman division seemed to be a perfect fit. The track is the perfect size for the cars. Kids must be 10 years or older to participate and there is no maximum age limit. If you haven't raced before and always wanted to get into a car, this is the chance to make it happen", exclaimed Borger. The biggest difference between the modified and the sportsman will be a restrictor plate mounted in the air box. This will allow a team to go modified racing one night and sportsman the other night. Doug will have a weight rule which is not expected to be that much off the Modifieds to make it easy on the wallet also. This will also be a stock class with tech being after each race. On the few Saturdays that the sportsman will not be appearing , teams will have the option of running a big money show with the Modifieds. It seems to be the options and opportunity are endless. Final rules will be in place by the yearly fall meeting held in the beginning of November. As soon as the date is confirmed, it will be posted on the Xcel Chassis website. Doug can be reached at 610-681-2689 for any questions or for more info. September 2014 ~ 21
Coming into the Speedweek opener for the Savage Hyundai Slingshots, Justin Thompson was the point leader. Thompson is yet to win in 2014 but in Friday's non point event Thompson seemed to be the car to beat. Thompson earned the pole after the duel heat race format. Thompson took the race lead and led the 30-lap event until lap 14; One lap shy of halfway. That is a crucial point because at half way the restarts would be single file. Instead, a double file restart saw race long runner up Alex Schoffstall lean on Thompson into the race lead from the front row. Once Schoffstall got to the front, he didn't look back going onto his second win of the season at Linda's Speedway. Thompson settled for second with the defending National Slingshot champion Brett Bieber coming home third. Dylan Hoch moved into the top five to stay from tenth starting spot while Mark Sensenig held onto fifth. Damon Paul moved from 12th to finish sixth with Sam Scicchitano, Don Schmidt, Louden Reimert, and Larry Raifsnyder the top ten finishers. Heat race winners for the 24 car were Schoffstall, Thompson, Bieber, Sensenig, Raifsnyder, and Dave Carraghan.
Aug 1 Aug 2 Aug 4 Aug 6
Linda's Speedway Shellhammers Speedway Reading Fairgrounds Action Track USA
Alex Schoffstall Louden Reimert Mike McLaughlin Larry Raifsnider
Aug 8
Selinsgrove Speedway
BJ Antonio
Aug 9
Hamlin Speedway
Trevor LaBagh
Louden Reimert came out on top of night number two of the 2014 Speedweek at Shellhammers Speedway. Third place starting Reimert took the lead after race lead Larry Raifsnyder got tangled up with a lap car. Late race challenged from runner up Joe Nemeth for the race lead would go unrewarded, as Nemeth would settle for second. John Bockhorn, Raifsnyder, and BJ Antonio rounded out the top five finishers. Raifsnyder recoreded the fastest lap at the 1/8 mile at 43.470mph. The Slingshots were part of the card with the regular Saturday night Go Kart classes.
Mike McLaughlin led all the way in the Reading Fair's 10th annual Nostalgia Nationals for the All Star Slingshots, but fought an ill handling car at the end. He was barely a half-car length in front of Simon Egan at the checkered. McLaughlin earned $1,000 for the victory, as well as National, Regional, and Speedweek points. He also picked up the "Early Registration Bonus" of $109. The bonus consisted of 25% of the night's 50/50 drawing, and it was designated for the highest finishing driver who pre-registered for the race. One lucky fan took home half of the 50/50 proceeds ($218) and the remaining 25% went to the Reading Fair's coffers. Speedweek point leader Larry Raifsnyder was third, Mark Sensenig was fourth, and defending National Point champion Brett Bieber was fifth. John Bockhorn was the biggest mover of the race, finishing tenth after making the main event on a provisional and starting 25th.
FFN
The All Star Slingshots took part in a Slinger Speedweek event at Action Track, and Bernville’s Larry Raifsnider picked up his first win of the season. Raifsnider darted into the lead on lap one, accelerating past polesitter Dave Carraghan off corner number four on the first revolution of the progressively banked oval. Raifsnider’s McCoy Home Improvement No. 11R survived a few restarts, including one with 24 of the 25 circuits complete, to register the popular victory. That final, frantic lap saw Raifsnider scoot away from the pack, but a three-car fight for the runner-up spot had Louden Reimert work the inside lane in three and four, sneaking past Joe Nemeth and Carraghan in a wild run to the checkered. Reimert ended up second with Carraghan scoring a career-best third and Nemeth, winner of the previous week’s Dutch Classic, finishing a close fourth. Jerry Schott Jr. and his Slinger Warehouse teammate, Mark Sensenig, wound up fifth and sixth.
FFN
September 2014 ~ 23
16 cars entered the second to final night of the 2014 Slingshot Speedweek. BJ Antonio led from the pole spot while fellow front row starter Brett Bieber chased. Bieber had a good run on Antiono heading into turn 3 but could not keep the line coming out of turn 4 and Antonio stayed out in front with two to go. Bieber continued to close on Antonio at the end but to no avail as Antionio went on for the win. Dylan Hoch had the fastest lap of the race that was run in 8:23:70
MRF
RSR
Trevor LaBagh was the runner-up in points in 2013 at Hamlin but a lack of funds forced the LaBagh Motorsports team to one car early in the 2014 racing season. Trevor was finally able to begin racing just before the halfway point of the season and has been a welcome addition back to the talented Hamlin roster. He claimed a win shortly after his return but Saturday night was a crowning achievement for the talented young New Yorker as he completely handled a talent laden Slingshot field to claim win number two of the season and in doing so shattered the existing track record formerly held by his brother Jared on four consecutive laps. The old mark by Jared was 13.201 seconds but Trevor quickly made the record obsolete as he knocked the record down to 13.024 seconds on his way Final Points to a determined and popular victory. National Tour great "The Jet" Brett Bieber stayed close in the S&S Speedways Rental machine for second and Larry Raifsnider made his first ever 1. Larry Raifsnider- 605 Hamlin appearance memorable as he drove from 12th place 2. Brett Bieber- 590 to claim a hard fought third at the end of the event. "The Brass 3. Louden Reimert- 529 Section" John Bockhorn was steady all evening to claim fourth and former track regular Henry Anderson returned to the 4. Joe Nemeth- 463 speedway to enjoy a great run in fifth place. Another former 5. Kyle Gruber- 445 track regular Joe Howey was sixth with a great run after 6. Dylan Hoch- 429 starting the event from 18th position. "The Jonestown Jet" Kyle Gruber was seventh with another returning Hamlin star "The 7. Kurt Bettler- 422 Cadillac Man" Kurt Bettler in for eighth place. First time visitor 8. David Carraghan- 385 Joe Nemeth finished ninth in a solid run and "The KO Kid" 9. Mark Sensenig- 380 Kevin Olver rounded out the top ten as the close racing action found 22 of the 26 starters finishing the required distance. 10. Don Schmidt- 379
SPEEDWEEK
24 ~ The Inside Track
Dylan Hock gets a little hot under the collar in this PhilMar Photo
26 ~ The Inside Track
In 2007 Rich Tobias wanted to give the Slingshots a chance to experience what the local sprint cars do with their annual Speedweeks weeks that sees the teams visit different tracks in a short period of time and race for a mini-series point fund. With not much time to prepare for it's inaugural run, Speedway Entertainment's Mike Feltenberger was looking at dates, tracks and a payout that would attract race teams. It was Linda's Speedway, Hamlin Speedway, Reading Nostalgia Nationals, Kutztown Fairgrounds, Selinsgrove Raceway Park, and Greenwood Valley Action Track as the original tracks selected with a late July ,early August schedule planned out to include Reading. The first season produced some outstanding racing and quite a mini-tour following with over 30 cars at Linda's, 40 cars at Hamlin, 40 cars at Reading and 20 plus at the remaining tour races.
The success of the first season has translated into a revised schedule, addition and subtraction of 2 tracks and some teams actually planning work vacations for this mini-series. Linda's has always opened the Speedweeks schedule but with Shellhammers replacing GVAT on the schedule, Shellhammer's took the 2nd night of racing with Hamlin Speedway being the closing race. Action Track USA accepted the former Kutztown Fair Speedway date and the Wednesday night part of the schedule remained. The original format was 6 races in 9 days and except for one year when weather caused another week added to get the required races run, it has been a mainstay on the Slingshot schedule since first planned. The $1000 total point fund is shared by the top 5 drivers after the final checkered is thrown. Many of the Speedweek champions have had success in their Slingshot careers with Bill Weaver, Cody Kline and Brett Bieber dominating the now 8 year old mini-series. A new name entered the Speedweeks champions ranks as Larry Raifsnider outdistanced Brett Bieber and Louden Reimert to claim the 2014 Speedweeks title. With the 2015 touring schedule being readied in November, the Speedweeks tour will again be a part of the planning. As in the past some drivers captured their 1st major wins during a Speedweeks event with Mike McLaughlin getting his sharp ,black 122 to victory lane at the Reading Nostalgia Nationals this year and BJ Antonio finding the winning set-up at Selinsgrove's Raceway Park. 28 ~ The Inside Track
The winged 600cc feature was postponed on Saturday, August 30, due to curfew. That 30-lapper was the first race run on Sunday the 31st, and the battle for the win was well worth the wait. Heath Hehnly, a two-time winner and current 600cc point leader at the Clyde, was in control for most of the event. Hehnly, from Manheim, earned the right to start on the pole by setting the quickest time in Knockout-style group time trials among the top 12 in passing points (a dual heat race format, with passing/finishing points used to determine the top 18 qualifiers was in effect for every division at the Shootout). Hehnly set the pace and seemed to have luck on his side as well, with timely yellow flags appearing on several occasions, just as he was about to become mired in heavy lapped traffic. The final caution period, however, proved to be his undoing. On the restart, with just four laps remaining, runner-up Alex Bright pounced, throwing a slide job in turns one and two and sliding up in front of Hehnly. Bright jumped back in the gas before Hehnly could turn left and shoot back under him, and it was the ARDC Midget hotshoe from Collegeville, Pa. with the advantage as they rumbled down the backstretch. Bright went on to score the $1,000 victory in Greg Stevens' No. 20, with Hehnly settling for second place money. Chris Gerhart drove a steady race to finish third, with 11thstarting Mike Rutherford climbing to fourth at the checkered. Shaun Brandel was fifth.
Shred
Alex Bright after the races Saturday celebrates his Winged 600 victory
Amy Williams
Shred
The Winged 600’s ran qualifying Saturday night and the Feature Sunday afternoon September 2014 ~ 31
Shred
Wingless 270 heat race action for the first time at the Labor Day Shootout (Above) The Winner Jason Swavely (Left)
The 270cc wheel-twisters are not used to running without wings bolted to the top of their mounts; they simply don't get many opportunities to compete in non-winged events. That fact was nearly impossible to detect on Sunday night, though, as a solid 38-car field of wingless 270cc jockeys put on an incredibly good show. The quality of the racing in the heats and B-Main was terrific, and the intensity was ratcheted up even higher in the AMain as the top five cars could have been covered with a blanket, although it would have needed to be a large blanket because they (literally) were using every inch of the banked oval. Jason Swavely earned the pole by accumulating the most passing points, and he led all the way...but it was far from easy during the 23 laps that were completed before the rains came and washed away all the fun and what surely would have been a tremendously exciting final seven circuits. Mike Rutherford, a three-time 270cc Shootout winner over the past seven seasons, challenged Swavely in the early going, but Rutherford was passed by Brandon Heist and Richie Hartman on the sixth trip around the clay. Hartman slipped past Heist for second, then began his assault on Swavely, nipping at the heels of the leader for several circuits until Heist, Rutherford, and 13th-starting Kyle Spence entered the picture. With 22 revolutions scored, Swavely turned down to shut the door on Hartman as they entered turn three. Heist immediately went up the banking to try and sweep around Hartman and Swavely, while Rutherford remained on the bottom. Spence followed Heist, and the five car hornet's nest swarmed down the front chute with Heist now threading the needle between Swavely and Hartman and Spence looking to make a big high side jaunt into corner number one as lap 23 was completed. Just like that, with the leaders storming into turn one, an actual rain storm swept across the speedway and the yellow was thrown. The rain intensified as the cars quickly exited the speedway, and it was soon determined that the track was lost and the wingless 270 race was deemed official. Swavely, the Douglassville resident, was a relieved winner, with Heist scored as the runner-up when they crossed the line to complete lap 23. Spence wound up third with Hartman fourth and Rutherford fifth and everyone agreed it was a darn shame that those final seven laps could not be completed. This race was just that good. 32 ~ The Inside Track
In Saturday's A-Main for the winged 270cc Micro-Sprints, Maurer scored his first win of the Shootout weekend, as he closed in on race long leader Bradley Brown, who dominated most of the 30-lapper. With Brown committed to the high groove, Maurer saved his best for last, as he drove deep to the bottom in the middle of three and four, then slid up in front of Brown's No. 23. The final lap, last turn maneuver paid off as Maurer dashed to the stripe in front of Brown, who was forced to settle for runner-up laurels. Kyle Spence, Rutherford, and Swavely made up the top five. The triumph was worth $1,000 to Maurer in the race.
Amy Williams
Amy Williams
(1) Eveutual 270 Sprint Winner Jesse Maurer in heat race action. (2) The 270’s race three wide. (3) Maurer working by Jas Hehnly for second in the 125 Feature
Shred
Jesse Maurer registered his second victory of the LDS on Sunday, taking the checkered for the sixth time in the last eight Labor Day Shootout A-Mains for the 125cc division. Evan Krautwald, in Dave Grube's No. 3D, set the pace for 22 of the 30 laps before sixth-starting Maurer, from Mount Joy, Pa., ducked under him in turn four, then forged ahead as they blasted down the main straightaway. Maurer went on to win by almost 1.5-seconds over Krautwald, the Drexel Engineering student. Jas Hehnly was an impressive third and Heath Hehnly finished fourth ahead of Kenny Miller III. September 2014 ~ 33
Saturday's first main event was contested by the Sportsman/250cc Stock division, and it was an interesting race, to say the least. Phil Durham started on the pole and led early, while Jarid Kunkle and Rutherford dueled for second. Curtis R. Miller, a four-time winner at the Clyde this season, sliced his way to the runner-up spot just past the halfway mark, and he would be involved in a race-changing moment on a restart with 18 complete. Durham's No. 32 did not come up to speed on the restart, and a charging Miller had no choice but to climb over the left side of Durham's car. Kunkle and Rutherford shot by the duo, but the contact between the leaders knocked the pipe off Durham's car, causing another yellow flag and allowing Miller to go back to the head of the pack. Kunkle spun out of second place with three to go and Rutherford passed Miller for the top spot with two tours remaining. Rutherford went on to win his second Shootout main since 2007 in the Sportsman Class, with Miller hanging on for second as the checkered fell. Tyler Reinhardt, who started 12th, ended up in third and Ken Miller finished fourth. Alex Swift threaded his way from 19th on the starting grid to a fifth-place finish. Rutherford, who lives in Lititz, earned $600 for the Sportsman/250cc Stock victory.
The Wingless 600 Sprints never got their feature event under way because of the rain Sunday night. Alex Bright kept his strength from the first feature win by gaining the third most passing points. Chris Panczner had the highest amount of passing points after two rounds of heat races while Austin Quick, in the Hyper 44, was second. All three drivers won their heat races in round two. A huge number of entrants, the most of any Labor Day Shootout in the last eight years, participated during the weekend. A total of 247 entries were split as follows: on Saturday, there were 32 Sportsman/250cc Stock; 48 of the winged 270's; and 47 winged 600cc Micros. On Sunday, 29 of the 125cc racers signed in, while 38 wingless 270cc drivers joined a whopping 53 of the wingless 600's in competition on the banks of the Clyde. 34 ~ The Inside Track
Amy Williams
Wingless 600 Sprints by Bonnie Goshert
Mod Lite by Mike Johnson 36 ~ The Inside Track
Todd Hoover by Qeek
270 Sprints by Amy Williams
Fair Week by Tim Krysiuk
September 2014 ~ 37
www.theinsidetrackmagazine.com
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Amy Williams Photo
The Pit Crew for the Jesus Race Team: (Left to Right)
Alan Shepard, Aaron Shepard, David Ginther, Driver Bruce Ginther, Becky Ginther
Samantha Bowen Photo September 2014 ~ 39
FFN Photo
MRF Photo
40 ~ The Inside Track
Slingshots (40 Laps) 1...........Mike McLaughlin 2....................Simon Egan 3............Larry Raifsnyder 4..............Mark Sensenig 5..................Brett Bieber
Jr Slingshots (20 Laps) 1................Dillon Steuer 2................Andrew Kreis 3...........Dylan Swinehart 4..............Chloe Andreas 5..................Bobby Flood
MRF Photos
270 Sprints (25 Laps) 1...................Ken Andreas 2...............Richie Hartman 3.................Jason Swavely 4..................Darren Miller 5.....................Josh Stoyer
Sportsman Sprints (20 Laps) 1...................Jarid Kunkle 2..................Ken Andreas 3..................Curtis Miller 4..................Kerry Lengle 5.............Anthony Yerger
125 Sprints (25 Laps) 1..............Darren Miller 2...............Devin Adams 3...............Dylan Adams 4.................Dave Grube 5...............Eddie Nocera
Stage One Modified Winners Tuesday……….......Joel Smith Friday...........Bobby Smith Jr
Contributing Photographers: MRF, FFN, & Shred Photos
Xcel Modified Winner Friday...........Scott Washburn
The Thunder car division has been a local favorite for a while, but for some reason the division almost seems to be struggling to have a full field every week at Linda's Speedway, Shippensburg, and Path Valley that run the class. Each track has been having a difficult time fulfilling a full field. One reason that the cars could have a low car count at the 3 tracks that run them could be that the tracks running are running on the same nights. This makes it all but impossible to have a full field on a regular night. Path Valley for example races every Friday and Saturday, Shippensburg Speedway races every Saturday Night, and Linda's Speedway hosts the cars about every other Friday night at their 1/4 mile. From a fans perspective it would be nice to see the tracks work together on scheduling so more cars can have the ability to travel and race on certain nights or for a big championship type race. Like when Linda's Speedway has their Charger Championship night on September 29th, it would be nice to see both PV and Shippensburg move the 4 Cyl off the schedule and ask them to travel for the experience of racing at another track. The rules and the teching of the cars from track to track is another reason that the car counts are low at the tracks. The three tracks in the area that race Thunder cars all have slightly different rules on anything ranging from the motors on to the how far rub rails can come off the body. The tech at the tracks has been a hot button for a lot of the drivers as to why they are not racing, sighting that the tech is not always the same the tech man will say one thing is ok, then the next week it is not ok for the part to be there. If all the tracks could again work on one set of rules to make it easier for people to run without having to worry about a misinterpretation. Also even if a driver decides to travel to a new track one weekend it would be lovely to see the track allow that driver to race with his home tracks rules for that night even if it is a championship night, I am a believer in never turning a driver around if he wants to race for just one night. If the tracks in our area want to help this division survive and prosper, they need to start working together on everything from schedules and the rules to make it easier to attain a full field of cars week in and week out for what should be a affordable class for the 9-5 racer who just wants to race for fun and not spend an arm and a leg. 44 ~ The Inside Track
600 Micro Sprint driver Shelby Harper’s New Helmet from CR Graphics
September 2014 ~ 45
Mike Fry Photo
Brandon Heist won his first race with a dramatic last lap pass coming off turn four to the checkered flag. A moment that no driver could ever forget. Heist has run 270 Sprints for six years now competing for a majority of the time at Linda's Speedway in his hometown of Jonestown, Pa. He has three wins over his career but recently, Wingless 270 racing, he has come close to adding to that total at both Lanco and Shellhammers. Heist started racing after his brother Brian competed in the 125 Micro Sprint class. Brandon ran quarter midgets for two years before moving into the 270s. Since then he has competed in the Linda's National Open, Greenwood Valley's Dream at the Green, and the Labor Day shootout both winged and wingless. Heist hopes to move into the 600 Sprint class starting next year and eventually run full sized 46 ~ The Inside Track
Sprint Cars. The team has a 305 Sprint in their garage they plan to begin to put together for the future. Heist hopes to win a track championship before he stops racing and run with the Posse in a 410 like his dads uncle George Heist who ran Sprint Cars.
Type of Car: 270 Micro Sprint Car Number: 99
Heist will continue to race, but he may have another racer on the way through the ranks pretty soon. Brandon and his wife Tiffany welcomed their first child this year. There is no doubt the Heist racing blood line will continue on.
Home Town: Jonestown, Pa Date of Birth: 9/17/1992
Sponsors: GW Transport, Heist Racing and RTS Chassis
Sherry’s Photos
Heist runs car 99. His lucky number is 9 but that was taken when he started racing so he decided to double his luck and try the number 99.
“Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 September 2014 ~ 47
Rick Schwindenhammer Photo
As of just a couple of weeks ago Danny Buccafusca or Danny B as he is called for obvious reasons, became a two time Action Track champion in Slingshots. Buccafusca also pilots a Wingless 600 Sprint at Hamlin on Saturday Nights. When Buccafusca started racing he says all he knew was Nascar so he took Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Sr's numbers and combined the 4 from Johnsons car and the 3 and got 43. He has run the number since on all his own cars. The number 43 has traveled from Rockaway, New Jersey to every race at Hamlin Speedway since 2008 in one form or another. Buccafusca has garnered the nickname the "Rockaway Rocket" for his success. "I've won races at Accord, Action Track USA, Hamlin, Wyalusing, Oakland Valley, and Snydersville in Champ Karts, Slingshots, and 600 Micro Sprints," says the 15 year old Buccafusca. Just this past season he won three times at Hamlin in the Wingless 600 Micro Sprints and once at the Action Track USA in Slingshots bringing his win total to 45. Buccafusca started racing Champ Karts when he was eight at Hamlin and has moved up the ranks since then. By the time he was eleven he was in the All Star Slingshots and now he pilots a 2012 MMF chassis weekly. Buccafusca began his interest in racing when his dad ran an Xcel 600 Modifieds. Since 48 ~ The Inside Track
he has begun racing he has competed in many Slingshot Nationals. He also competed in The Firecracker 100, in which he won in 2011, and the King of the Catskills at Accord that he won in 2010. Winning the Firecracker 100, winning the Action Track USA championship twice, promoting a race at Lanco, and winning his first 600 race are the moments in racing that will stick with him for a while. "I like to have fun when I'm not racing. Whether it would be at S&S, or whether it would be at home with my friends from school. Memories are what make us I think, I like to give myself more than the average person." Buccafusca has laid out plans for what he hopes to do in the future as well. "If I could one day run alongside people like Kyle Lick, Hartmans, Buckwalter, Morris, and all the big names in a 600, I'd be satisfied. I'm a realistic person, it takes a lot of money to do anything past that. My racing wish is a different story. One day I want to be wheeling alongside the Sprint Car people 3-4 times a week. I'm going to try as hard as I can to make it there!" Buccafusca says he would like to win the Linda's National Open, and maybe promote another couple of races before he stops racing. He also said he will stay behind the wheel of a Slingshot until he wins a National Slingshot event. "That's always bugged me since I've came so close so many times."
Type of Car: Wingless 600/ Slingshot Car Number: #43 Home Town: Rockaway, Nj Date of Birth: 7/14/1999 Sponsors: AMV Trucking, Birchwood Boys, Denville Line Painting, Kenny Baadshaug Trucking, PJ Diguiseppi Paving, and Tilcon
FFN Photos
"Overall though, I would just like to be considered different than anyone else both on the track and off the track. I would like to know that I affected the racing world and made some noise one way or another. I feel like I owe that to racing."
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September 2014 ~ 49
Ryan Greth & Jim Radney’s exhibition laps at Lanco’s Labor Day leave us all wishing for a short track ARDC schedule
Amy Williams Photo
52 ~ The Inside Track