Quote from Tim Buckwalter after his third place run in the
SpeedSTR main: "I wish it was 40 laps, instead of 35...under the
one yellow, I found an adjustment in the car that I had no idea
was there...and I am still not sure what it does, exactly, but I was
running so bad that I decided to turn it as far as I could. It did
something, because the car was awesome after that...it's how I
got to third at the end. I think it (the adjustment) has something
to do with the brake bias..."
Fall Jamboree Fodder...
Despite losing Day One to rain and facing a cold, blustery Sunday, a total of 114 entries took part in the
Fourth Annual Jamboree which, until this year, was held at New Egypt Speedway (2011) and Path Valley
Raceway Park (2012 and 2013). The car count breakdown is as follows: 28 SpeedSTR's; 29 Wingless 600cc
Sprints; 39 of the All Star Slingshots; and 18 Junior Slingshots.
Billy Pauch Sr. set the tone for his SpeedSTR victory by turning the quickest lap, with Kyle Lick second
fastest and Duane Howard, in his maiden voyage in a SpeedSTR, clocking in with the third-fastest lap. Brett
Bieber and Larry Raifsnider were the two quickest drivers in All Star Slingshot timed dashes, while Damon
Paul was the fastest Junior Slinger over Justin Mills and Dillon Steuer.
Tim Buckwalter, James Morris, and Bobby Butler were heat race winners in the Wingless 600cc division,
while Howard, Kyle Weiss, and Frank Cozze captured heat race victories for the SpeedSTR's.
Claiming Junior Slingshot heat race triumphs were Paul, Mills, and Steuer. The four heats for the All Star
Slingers went to B. Bieber, Raifsnider, Cody Kline, and Dylan Hoch.
Tex Snyder, the ageless wonder who steers a 600cc Sprinter, was launched into a scary series of flips in the
Wingless 600 main when his right-rear wheel broke off and the axle dug into the turn one racing surface.
Snyder exited the car (with some help) and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation after being
examined by the EMT's at the track.
Kris Graver, who won his second SpeedSTR race of the year on the Mahoning Valley Speedway pavement
the week before the Fall Jamboree, was not as fortunate on Grandview's dirt surface. Graver started on the
pole of Sunday's feature, but fell back fairly quickly. He dropped into heavy traffic in the middle of the pack
and appeared to get squeezed into the backstretch wall as several cars scrambled for position with 12 laps
complete. Graver's No. 29b flipped wildly at the midpoint of the back chute, but he emerged unhurt after
the tumble.
Damon Paul, even though he's only 13-years-old, handled his defeat in the Junior Slingshot feature with a
maturity and professionalism that is sadly lacking in many racing divisions and sports in general.
When the final points were tallied, of course, Paul, who won four consecutive Junior Slingshot features at
the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA this season, could break into a smile because his runner-up
finish was good enough to win the National Championship for the Junior Slingers.
November 2014 ~ 31