Duke prevails at Path Valley for third straight PASS win

Results

SPRING RUN, Pa. (April 13) – Ken Duke Jr. preserved his 2019 Pennsylvania Sprint Series winning streak Saturday night, winning the 20-lap feature race at Path Valley Speedway more than four tenth’s of a second over Doug Dodson. 

The Selinsgrove racer has now captured all three IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car features run so far, but this was hardly an easy win. With 21 of the 22 sprinters on hand making the call for the feature, traffic was an incessant issue on the wide Path Valley quarter mile. 

Mike Alleman grabbed the early lead but just as the leaders were moving into heavy traffic, a lap seven caution bunched the field. On the restart, Duke, who had moved from sixth starting position into third, shot to the front. 

The longest green-flag run of the night followed a lap nine restart and Duke made it through traffic well enough to keep his challengers at bay. Terry Schaeffer got into the turn three wall with two laps remaining, but on the restart, Duke chose the middle lane and held off the outside-running Dodson for the win. 

Nick Sweigart, Jake Frye and Alleman rounded out the top five. 

The second-place finish was also the season’s best for Dodson, a PASS rookie with extensive experience in other sprint car divisions and super sportsman. This year’s large PASS/IMCA rookie class includes several drivers who are rookies in name only: Keith Prutzman has been racing for more than four decades. 

On Saturday night, April 20, PASS returns to BAPS Motor Speedway to complete a feature called due to rain on April 7 after one lap had been completed. A full show of heats and another 20-lap feature will be run as well. 

On Friday, April 26, PASS will join the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series for a co-sanctioned event at Clinton County Motor Speedway, and it will return to Port Royal Speedway on April 27. 

Feature results – 1. Ken Duke Jr.; 2. Doug Dodson; 3. Nick Sweigart; 4. Jake Frye; 5. Mike Alleman; 6. Zachery Newlin; 7. Tyler Cochran; 8. Drew Ritchey; 9. John Fiore; 10. Devin Adams; 11. Kyle Ganoe; 12. John Walp; 13. Brad Mellott; 14. Cale Reigle; 15. Colton Hoover; 16. Terry Schaeffer; 17. Donnie Hendershot; 18. Keith Prutzman; 19. Dave Wickham; 20. Jim Kennedy; 21. Dave Graber; 22. Ryan Lynn.

Related Articles

Events

First doubleheader of season this weekend for PASS

PORT ROYAL, Pa. – The first two-race weekend of the season for the IMCA RaceSaver Pennsylva­nia Sprint Series should bring out the largest sprint car fields seen so far in 2019 in Cen­tral Pennsylvania. A 40-car field or even better is expected Saturday, April 6 when PASS is at Port Royal Speedway for that venue’s first night race of the season. Gates open at 4 p.m. and racing is set to start at 6 p.m. at the historic Juniata County Fairgrounds track.  Zach Newlin, last year’s point champion, is among those planning to be on hand, as are several other former Port Royal winners and a good selection of 2019’s large rookie field.  On Sunday, BAPS Motor Speedway in York County, now 65 years since its opening, will feature an all-open wheel racing night. More than 30 pre-entries have been received for this show, which will begin at 5 p.m. Again, the field will include multiple former BAPS winners and members of this year’s rookie class.  BAPS and Port Royal are the two speedways appearing [Read More]

Results

Sweigart rides high for Port Royal PASS win

By Frank Buhrman  PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Aug. 22) – “Nitro” Nick Sweigart has made some heroic charges from the back of the field to good finishes this season, but he got a good starting position Saturday and made the most of it, wiring the field for his second Pennsylvana Sprint Series feature win of the season at Port Royal Speedway. Sweigart drew the pole for the 20-lap IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature, outdueled outside front row starter Kirsten Hess for the lead and then held off charges from Doug Dodson and Gar­rett Bard. Dodson made his most determined challenge in the race’s only restart, on lap four. Dodson went for an inside pass but couldn’t pull it off. Sweigart, Dodson and Bard then pulled away from the field, with all three cars running an extreme high line.  With the race remaining green the rest of the way, that battle continued in traffic, but Sweigart handled the lapped cars and never allowed another serious challenge. On lap 14, Bard slipped past Dodson for second, and three [Read More]

Results

PASS record is on the line at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (May 18, 2023) –  In 25 years of River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series competition, no driver has ever won five consecutive feature races. Logan Spahr of Lewisberry will go for that record Saturday night, May 20 at Selinsgrove Speedway. Actually, the driver of the Eshenaur Racing no. 5 KR MacDonald/High Tech Metals/RL Snyder Electric Sprint Car has already won five straight, but that streak extends back to the final race of 2022, the Keystone RaceSaver Challenge. It’s the 2023 streak that sets the record. Last week at Path Valley Speedway, Spahr won his fourth in a row this year, a feat accomplished by only one other driver in PASS history: Logan Wagner in 2011. Several accomplished PASS competitors have won three straight, including Garrett Bard, Tyler Reeser, Mark Watkins, Craig Robinson, Ritchie Fitz, Judi Bates, Vince Snyder and Joe Davis. Only Spahr and Wagner have won four straight. A strong field of IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car challengers will do their best to deny Spahr the record Saturday, including Seth [Read More]