Pauch wins SpeedSTR Main; Hocker scores big in 600 Sprint
One thing is for certain, Billy Pauch, the veteran racer from Frenchtown, N.J., knows how to spark a reaction from the crowd.
Pauch won his fourth USAC All Pro SpeedSTR main event of the season on Wednesday at the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA on the Kutztown Fairgrounds. Upon exiting his Mike Heffner owned, Lelands.com No. 27 in victory lane, Pauch was greeted by a chorus of boos (to be fair, there were some cheers mixed in, too) because the spectators were not pleased with the manner in which he took the lead from James Morris.
“Thanks to the fans for coming out tonight; I hope they enjoyed the race,” grinned Pauch, inciting an even louder response from the packed grandstands.
What the fans did not realize, though, was that Morris took full responsibility for losing the lead and had no issues with the way Pauch wrestled the top spot from him.
“I just ran it too hard into the corner and washed up the track,” said a dejected Morris afterward. “He got under me and I wasn’t sure if he would drift up the banking or not, so I ran it in way harder than I should have. It’s all on me, but I’m proud of the way we are running with this car. We’ll be back to try again on Sunday.”
Robbie Hocker, from Warwick, NY, captured the AEI Equipment 600 Sprint Fair Week National, a 60-lap affair in which Hocker led almost all the way but had to fight off a strong challenge from Doug Snyder at the end.
In a 20 lap NAPA All Star Slingshot main, Fleetwood, PA’s Kyle Smith cruised to the win over Zac Kistler in a non-stop, green-tocheckered race. The Slingshot feature was open to drivers who did not qualify for Tuesday’s Slinger Warehouse Super Slingshot Fair National.
National Dirt Week at the Kutztown Fairgrounds continues with Quarter-Midget and Junior Slingshot racing on Thursday, August 18, and the Daniel Boone 150 for Enduro style Stock Cars on Saturday, August 20. The 2016 racing season at Action Track USA wraps up with the fourth annual Dick Tobias Classic on Sunday, August 21. The SpeedSTRs will compete in the 75-lap Tobias Classic and will be joined by the Hyper Racing 600 Sprints and the NAPA Auto Parts All Star Slingshots as the 2016 point championships are decided for all three weekly divisions.
Billy Pauch Sr. started 12th in Wednesday’s SpeedSTR main and gradually worked his way to the runner-up position by the halfway point of the 30-lapper. Pauch trailed race leader James Morris by several car lengths as the laps wound down, but an untimely (for
SUBMITTED PHOTO - CARL HESS
Henry Anderson Jr. (#99) took a nasty flip and cartwheeled down the back straight during the running of the Super Slingshot Fair Nationals last week at Action Track USA.