A terrific battle for fourth between Brad Brightbill and Weaver ended
with 24 down as Brightbill, Paules, and Craig Whitmoyer were knocked
out after tangling in turn four. On the restart, Cozze hung with Pauch for
a few laps, challenging the leader with a few attacks in the low groove,
but Pauch eventually pulled away once again. One final restart, with
just one tour remaining, did not alter the outcome as Pauch motored to
the victory over Cozze, Tim Buckwalter (who rallied from sixth to third
late in the race), Weaver, and Frank Yankowski.
"They watered the top just before the feature, and that was nice because it gave us a top groove
for a while, and that's what I used to pass my way to the front," noted race winner Pauch Sr.
Mike Fry Photo
"But I knew it was going to rubber up, and I think I may have been the first one to find the
rubber," he added. "And that got me to the lead. After that, it was just trying to save the tires, but
the track wasn't really too rough on the tires today."
The battle for the All Star Slingshot's National title was a three horse race, with Mertztown, Pa.'s
Dylan Hoch holding a narrow advantage over Larry Raifsnider and three-time National Champ Brett
Bieber.
Hoch's title-clinching philosophy was simple: win the race and the championship would be his...so
that is precisely what the high school student did.
With Bieber and Raifsnider sharing the front row for the 20-lap main event, it was Bieber
snatching the early lead as fourth-starting Hoch dueled with his good buddy, Cody Kline, for third.
Hoch eased in front of Kline on the fourth circuit, then set his sights on Raifsnider, who was losing
ground to the Oley Jet in the No. 32 as Bieber continued to extend his lead. Hoch darted past
Raifsnider, then reeled in Bieber as the race headed toward its halfway point.
28 ~ The Inside Track