Action Track USA primed for 2017 season
The fans who pack the grandstand each week at the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA definitely know their racing and they are certainly passionate about it. And they often liken the clay-churning, three- and four-wide, sideways and inches apart competition presented by the 600 Sprints to the outstanding wingless shows waged by the Midgets and Sprint Cars in the Midwest. And those wingless 600 warriors who gas their mounts at the Kutztown oval absolutely love to “get up on the wheel” for the Action Track USA crowd on Wednesday nights from the middle of May through mid-August.
The Fourth Annual Dick Tobias Classic, set to kick off the fifth season of competition on Sunday, May 14, will once again pay tribute to one of the best drivers and innovative minds that dirt track racing has ever known, the late, great Dick “Toby” Tobias of Lebanon.
Before the races begin on Sunday, however, Action Track USA co-promoters Rich Tobias and Doug Rose will honor the memory of another Berks County racer by naming a section of the grandstand in his honor.
The late Ernie McCoy, whose real name was Ernest Musser, was born in Reading and did much of his racing in Sprint Cars and Midgets at speedways in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But the driver who earned the nickname “Lover Boy McCoy” also managed to compete – twice – in the Indianapolis 500. Ernie finished a very respectable eighth in his first attempt in 1953, which was also one of the hottest 500’s in history, with race day temperature at more than 100 degrees. Ernie was one of only three drivers who did not need a relief driver that day, making his top-ten finish all the more remarkable.
McCoy returned to the Speedway in ‘54 and finished 16th in what would be his final start in the Indianapolis 500. He attempted, but did not qualify for the 1955 edition of the 500.
Some of Ernie’s career highlights include a second place finish in AAA Eastern Sprint Car points in 1952 and third in ‘54. In the late ‘50’s, he returned to his first love, the ARDC Midgets, where he once again became one of the stars, and a fan favorite, in the traveling series. McCoy recorded a total
of 22 ARDC victories during his career, placing him 17th on the star-studded all-time win list.
McCoy was born on February 19, 1921 in Reading and passed away on February 4, 2001, just a few weeks shy of his 80th birthday.
Several family members are expected to attend Sunday’s dedication ceremony at Action Track USA and one of them will be racing that night. Shillington’s Seth Spayd, a rising star in the All Star Slingshot division, is the great-grandson of Ernie (Musser) McCoy. Seth’s mother, Heather Musser Spayd, is McCoy’s granddaughter.
This will be the fifth section of the Kutztown Fairgrounds grandstand to be named in memory of a former Berks County driver since Tobias and Rose took the helm and created Action Track USA. Others who have received the honor include Freddy Adam, Russell “Red” Coffin, Vince Conrad, and just last year, Jimmy Keppley.
After the dedication, attention will turn to the first race of the 2017 season at the progressively banked oval. The USAC All Pro SpeedSTRs will compete in the Dick Tobias Classic, a 75-lap main event that pays $5,000 to the winner.
Joining the SpeedSTRs will be the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 Sprints and the All Star Slingshots. Pit gates open at 2 p.m. while the grandstand gates will open at 4:00. The Ernie McCoy grandstand dedication will take place at approximately 5 p.m. and warmups get underway at 5:15, with qualifying events immediately following the hot lap sessions.
Adult general admission is $20, with a discount for Senior Citizens. Children five-and-under are admitted free.
It will be a very busy week for the speedway, as the Goldie & Elton Meitzler Memorial Race takes place on Wednesday, May 17, just three days after the Tobias Classic.
The “Big 3” races for the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 Sprints will return in 2017, and that is one-quarter of the season’s schedule. Beginning with the King of No Wing 40-lapper on May 24, the first two events of the “Big 3” will pay $1,000 to win (with Gambler’s Challenge). The second of the $1,000 to win (with Gambler’s Challenge) races is the 4th Annual Tri-Track Challenge presented by AEI Equipment on July 12.
The biggest race of the Action Track USA season for the 600 Sprint drivers is the annual Kutztown Fair Nationals on August 16. The winner of the 60-lap main event will grab a $2,000 pay envelope (with Gambler’s Challenge) and rest in the knowledge that he/she just captured glory in the longest 600 Sprint race in the country.
Back again is the popular Mad Scramble, the tenlap dash that kicks off the evening of high speed adventure each Wednesday. The race is limited to drivers who did not qualify or did not attend the previous week. The Mad Scramble winner transfers directly to that night’s feature and gets a $25 perk from the Hosensack Poker Club.
The JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA and Linda’s Speedway in Jonestown, Pa. will combine efforts once again in 2017 for a series of five Action Track Takeover Nights at Linda’s.
The first one was April 21st with other Action Track Takeover Nights at Linda’s Speedway in Jonestown happening on June 9, July 7, September 1, and September 15.
When the new season takes the green flag on Sunday, May 14, at Action Track USA in Kutztown (yes, the opener is on a Sunday this year), a nice bonus has been posted by Lamar Shaffer of LHS Racing Engines. For the Mother’s Day Opener on May 14, Shaffer is offering an extra $200 to the first driver across the Wingless 600 finish line using an LHS power plant. The second highest finisher with an LHS engine will receive $100, and the third pilot taking the checkered flag with an LHS motor will get an extra $50.
Local tracks were rained out last weekend, including Big Diamond and Grandview Speedways. Ernie Saxton can be reached at esaxton144@ aol.com.