By Barry Angstadt | Ty Garl photo
Kutztown, PA | Dec. 6, 2013 - There's simply no denying it...during the summer of '13, a noticeable buzz enveloped the grandstand each time a certain car made its way onto the clay playground known as the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA at the Kutztown Fairgrounds.
A youthful charger from Catasauqua, Pa, captured the admiration of the throng that filled the spacious aluminum bleachers week after week, as they pointed and cheered each time he planted the right-rear of his Bogar lookalike No. 99 on the cushion and authored yet another patented high-side, high speed journey to the head of the wingless 600cc Micro-Sprint pack.
Kyle Lick, a graduate of the Slingshot division who was coming off a wingless 600cc track championship at the Hamlin Speedway, quickly became a fan favorite at the renovated and reconfigured Berks County oval. His style, along with the throw-back paint scheme that paid tribute to the late, great Jan Opperman, excited the crowd as much as any of the other 100 or so competitors who made the trip to Kutztown each Wednesday.
Lick recorded three wins during the Action Track USA's initial campaign under the management of Rich Tobias and Doug Rose. That number is notable because there were seven different winners in the 12 features run by the Pioneer Pole Building Wingless 600's, and the ultra competitive class drew well over 30 cars per race. His three triumphs paced everyone else in the division, and he finished second in points, just 28 behind champion Jay Hartman.
The bad news is Lick and his dad, Terry, sold the popular and fast No. 99. The good news is that Kyle will return to the Action Track USA's 600cc wars in 2014 as a teammate to Billy Pauch, Jr. Both Lick and Pauch will steer cars out of the Lamar Schaffer stable.
And the news gets even better for the fans who can't wait for the new season at the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA, as they'll get to see twice as much of their sentimental favorite, Kyle Lick. He's been selected to buckle into a brand new SpeedSTR, owned by John Kovatch IV of Nesquehoning, and he's ready to take on the superstars of the division such as Kenny Brightbill, Billy Pauch Sr. and Jr., Rick Eckert, Brian Montieth, Jeff Strunk, and many more.
"I was able to meet - for the first time - several of those big name drivers who were running SpeedSTR's last year," explained Lick. "And they got to see me race the 600, along with the tons of fans who were there each week. I kind of got my name out there by running well at the Action Track, and it opened some doors for me."
Lick went on to reveal how he picked up the SpeedSTR ride for 2014. "I am friends with Mike Bednar, and he was driving one of the Kovatch cars last summer. He was struggling a bit, trying to get the car to handle the way he wanted, so he asked me to take it out and see what I thought. That was at Linda's Speedway last August, and I happened to win the race that night. After that, one thing led to another, and Kovatch offered me the ride in a brand new SpeedSTR for next season. So now I'll get to race against those big name drivers that I met this year."
While Lick will focus his SpeedSTR efforts primarily at Kutztown's Action Track USA - he admits that he'd dearly love to win the Sunoco USAC SpeedSTR point title at the fairgrounds due to the level of competition and the "name drivers" who race there on a weekly basis - he and the Kovatch team will also enter as many SpeedSTR Tour events as possible. And he's really hoping that the division will be invited to return to Linda's Speedway, the site of his first SpeedSTR victory in '13.
"It's awesome to race those cars at Linda's," he pointed out. "The layout is great for the SpeedSTR's, and the track was in great shape the night I won there. I hope we can go back next season."
Lick is also excited about the two races that have been inked on the asphalt of the Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, Pa. "My only pavement experience was last winter in Atlantic City (where he won the 600cc race on Friday night of the Boardwalk Bowl weekend). So the experience at Mahoning will benefit me, no doubt about it. It'll be a lot of fun when we get a bunch of cars out there and go racing," said Lick, who was part of a special test session at the Lehighton quarter-mile on Sunday, December 1st.
But his main focus will be to get the SpeedSTR into victory lane on another quarter-mile...of the clay variety; the one located in the shadows of Kutztown University and nestled into a corner of the fairgrounds in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
"It's big when you win and do well at Kutztown," he admitted. "The success I had there in 2013 definitely helped my career because they do such a great job of getting their news out to the public." Lick pointed to the speedway staff's use of social media (they've got their own Facebook page and utilize it heavily), the track's website, as well as other popular racing sites, Area Auto Racing News, and local print media. "When you do well at the Action Track USA, people hear and read about it, so it can have a real positive impact on a driver's career."
Lick has also undoubtedly noticed the money that is available to the winner of a SpeedSTR feature at the Action Track, as Rose and Tobias offer a $2,000 payday to the victor on a weekly basis, along with a solid payout to all the drivers who take the green flag in a main event.
Rose proudly pointed out that 77% of the SpeedSTR competitors realized a profit by the end of the Action Track's 2013 season. And Pauch Jr. announced that he earned an incredible $20,000 in SpeedSTR race winnings last season. That figure includes the 12 events held in Kutztown and a few Tour races at Path Valley, but the bulk of the money was earned at Kutztown.
When the calendar turns to 2014 in less than a month, Kyle Lick will be preparing to begin the new racing season in Atlantic City. He'll compete in the Slingshot event that will take place inside Boardwalk Hall. When the outdoor season begins in the spring, he will also follow the ARDC Midget series once again, attempting to improve on the two wins he registered last summer as an ARDC rookie. But he'll keep one eye on the calendar, too, waiting with tremendous anticipation for the end of May - which will signal the beginning of the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA's second season with Tobias and Rose at the helm. Because 2014 will see "Lick times two" at the fairgrounds, thrilling the spectators with his clay tossing, pitch it in sideways, and always run high, wide, and handsome style...and this year the excitement he generates will occur in both the wingless 600's AND the SpeedSTR's!
Media Contact: Barry Angstadt, Media Information Director/Announcer
610-781-0408 or Email: bwa39@comcast.net
0 comments:
Post a Comment