By Frank Buhrman
PORT ROYAL, Pa. (April 4, 2023) – The anticipation was already sky high. Now it’s much higher.
Foiled by Mother Nature in its effort to get the season started last weekend, the River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series re-charges and heads to Port Royal Speedway this Saturday for its Silver Anniversary inaugural race.
The IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car portion of the program will include qualifying events and a 20-lap feature.
Nearly a week before the race, 35 drivers had already indicated their intentions of racing, including nine of the top 10 from 2022 points.
They include runner-up Austin Reed, third-finishing Doug Dodson, fourth-finishing and two-time former champ Ken Duke and fifth-finishing Kruz Kepner.
Dodson was a Port winner in last season’s PASS opener at the track, and Duke scored the first of his two Port wins four years ago this weekend. Reed and Kepner have both posted runner-up finishes and are ready to move up a spot.
Logan Spahr is the most recent Port winner in a RaceSaver car, having claimed last year’s Keystone RaceSaver Challenge in October, the season’s biggest event.
A sizable number of teams have indicated interest in running the majority of this year’s 34 races, indicating a heated battle to succeed Garrett Bard as champion.
Other former Port winners planning to run include Kenny Heffner and Johnny Scarborough, who makes his tow all the way from Bomoseen, Vt.
Adult general admission for Saturday’s race is $20 ($10 for students; kids free), and pit admission is $35. Racing is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.; however, weather forecasts might result in a change so check the track’s social media pages beforehand.