pennsylvaniasprintseries Archives

Dodson Scores 2025’s First PASS Three-peat With Path Valley Score

By Frank Buhrman PATH VALLEY, Pa. (Aug. 9, 2025) — Doug Dodson became the River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series’ first three-time winner of 2025 Saturday night with a wire-to-wire victory in the extra-purse 25-lap feature at Path Valley Speedway. The veteran racer from Middletown, who also owns wins in other sprint divisions, won his heat race in the George Stevens no. 20. He then drew the pole for the feature and jumped out to the initial lead, but after a late caution, had to fend off a determined bid from Kyle Hart to seal the win. The checkered flag made Dodson PASS’s winningest driver so far this season, ahead of four other two-time winners and seven racers with a single victory. The win also came with one of the year’s biggest paydays for PASS competitors. Path Valley co-promoter and veterinarian Dr. Zach Crouse had increased the purse for last month’s Dr. Crouse’s Night of Power program, which was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday as another Dr. Crouse promotion. Hart, who had started fourth, quickly [Read More]

Bittner Perseveres, Wins at Racy Port Royal

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Aug. 2, 2025) — While the other divisions running at Port Royal Speedway Saturday night were completing their preliminary races, Timmy Bittner was going back and forth on the access road behind the backstretch, trying to sort out an ignition problem. Persistence paid off. With the problem finally under control, Bittner fought his way into second place behind Erin Statler in the early running, then caught Statler in traffic on lap 13, came out with the lead after a furious three-way battle that also included Doug Dodson, and finally held off Dodson and Josh Spicer in another hotly contested battle to earn the 20-lap feature win. It was the Beech Creek racer’s second career River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series win – although he has won features elsewhere – and his second this year at Port Royal. Perhaps more importantly, it strengthened his position atop the RaceSaver IMCA National points over defending series champion Lee Goos Jr. of South Dakota. With the ignition issues, the evening hadn’t always looked that [Read More]

Heffner Wins With Late Pass at Big Diamond

By Frank Buhrman MINERSVILLE, Pa. (Aug. 1, 2025) — Kenny Heffner was in the right place at the right time, and it earned the Watsontown veteran his second River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series win of 2025 in Friday night’s 20-lap feature at Big Diamond Speedway. Heffner had spent most of the race trailing Mike Alleman, who was looking for his first PASS win in decades after ending a long winless streak earlier this year in a Laurel Highlands Sprint Series event. Alleman built a sizeable lead, but Heffner began steadily cutting into the margin over the final six laps. Then, just a quarter-lap before taking the white flag, Alleman drifted high in turn four, opening the door for Heffner to sneak by on the inside. Moments later, Jeff Weaver spun in the same corner, triggering a caution and setting up a one-lap shootout for the win. Heffner held his ground on the restart and crossed the finish line with a one-second advantage. The victory made him the fourth two-time PASS winner of the season. Alleman’s [Read More]

Young Lasso’s Sprint Car Field at Winchester

By Jim Haines WINCHESTER, Va. (July 26, 2025) – Drew Young spent years on the rodeo circuit, but on Saturday night, it was horsepower of a different kind that he wrangled. The former rodeo cowboy turned racer put a lasso on the field at Winchester Speedway, scoring his first RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car victory of the season in Virginia Sprint Series competition. The event was co-sanctioned with the Laurel Highlands and PASS Sprint Series under hot and humid skies at the Northern Virginia clay oval. Young and Matthew Leach brought the field to green in the main event. Young shot to the front early, with Leach dropping into second while Ryan Lynn, A.J. Barton, and Landon Price followed closely behind. The laps clicked by quickly as Young found a rhythm and held Leach at bay until a stalled car brought out a quick yellow to bunch the field back up. On the restart, Young returned to his groove and kept the field behind him, lap after lap. A second yellow for a spin set up a [Read More]

Dodson Powerful in Port Royal Win

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (July 19, 2025) — Doug Dodson’s starting position – outside of the second row – presented an opportunity the veteran racer from Middletown wasn’t going to pass up. On the initial start of Saturday’s 20-lap River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature at Port Royal Speedway, Dodson quickly moved into second place and was challenging early leader Mike Melair when the caution flew on lap three for Croix Beasom, who flipped at the fourth turn end of the frontstretch. Melair fired off strong on the restart, but Dodson wasted no time getting back to work. Just two laps later, he executed a clean slide job in turns one and two to take the lead—a position he never gave back. Dodson, smooth in traffic over the final four laps, cruised to the checkered flag for his 11th career PASS win, crossing 1.705 seconds ahead of last week’s Port Royal winner Josh Spicer. Spicer stormed from seventh to second, passing Melair on the final circuit. Melair, piloting the Rod Ort-owned entry, settled [Read More]

Spicer Breaks Through with PASS at Port Royal

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Jul. 12, 2025) — Josh Spicer is a proven frontrunner, with multiple wins to his credit, but in 86 prior starts with the River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series dating back to 2018, his best finishes were a pair of seconds. Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway, the racer from Julian – in Centre County just northwest of State College – took care of that issue and became the fourth racer to score his first ever PASS victory in 2025, leading all the way to claim the 20-lap feature. Spicer used the outside line to grab the early lead from his second starting position, with Friday night’s Selinsgrove winner Ken Duke Jr. following him. On lap eight, the defending PASS Champion slowed with engine failure. That moved Drew Young into the runner-up slot, and he would challenge Spicer on this and each subsequent restart, but Spicer was not to be denied. On lap 10, Tyler Schell and Dustin Young tangled, with Young hitting the outside wall between turns three and [Read More]

Duke Takes First PA Sprint Series Win of ’25 at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (Jul. 11, 2025) – Ken Duke Jr. of Selinsgrove is the winningest active driver in the River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series and the reigning series champion, but 2025 had kept him out of victory lane—until Friday night, when “The Ice Man” used his home turf at Selinsgrove Speedway to score a decisive first win of the season. Three PASS championships and the 2019 RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car national title already give Duke a full trophy case, but there’s always room for another. Starting third in the 20-lap feature, Duke wasted no time making a veteran’s move—slipping past front row starters Jarrett Cavalet and Christian Rumsey exiting turn two on the opening lap to claim the lead. From there, he was in command, pulling ahead by more than three seconds on multiple occasions before traffic bunched the field. A lone caution on lap nine briefly erased his advantage, but Duke stayed composed and crossed the finish line 1.396 seconds ahead of Rumsey, collecting his eighth PASS win at Selinsgrove. That brings [Read More]

Sweigart Breaks Record with Third KRC Win At Port Royal

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Jun. 28, 2025) — “Nitro” Nick Sweigart has made no secret of his 2025 goals revolving around Port Royal Speedway, and he checked a big one off his list Saturday in the River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series Keystone RaceSaver Challenge, becoming the first driver to win the Port Royal Speedway classic three times. Sweigart, from Myerstown, led the 14th annual KRC feature nearly all the way, but a furious challenge from runner-up Christian Rumsey of New York turned the last four laps into a lead-swapping race for the ages. When the top two encountered slower traffic on lap 17, it looked like Sweigart’s lead was far too great for that factor to make any difference, but Rumsey found something that helped him slice off large chunks of the margin in the third and fourth turns, and with four to go he slipped underneath Sweigart and into the lead. Undaunted, Sweigart came back exiting turn four, and for the next two laps the lead switched hands a couple more times before [Read More]

Moyer Breaks Through at Selinsgrove with PA Sprint Series

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (Jun. 4, 2025) — Paul Moyer, a hard-working guy who largely funds his own team and brings his car to the track on an open trailer, scored his first career win Wednesday night in the 20-lap River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series feature at Selinsgrove Speedway. A second-place finish in his heat race enabled Moyer to draw for his feature starting position, and he drew the pole. From there, the Beaver Springs resident out-dragged Christian Rumsey for the early lead and wired the field in a non-stop race that took less than seven minutes to complete. His margin of victory was 1.385 seconds. Rumsey, from Middletown, New York, fought off a challenge from Josh Spicer and held onto second.

Bittner and Kepner Take PA Sprint Series Checkers at Port Royal

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (My 31, 2025) — Timmy Bittner kept the streak alive, then Kruz Kepner smashed it. On a cold night, Port Royal Speedway officials heated up the action by dividing the 50-car River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series field in half and running two complete features. Bittner extended the series’ run of new 2025 winners to eight with an impressive 2.694-second win over Mike Melair in the first feature. Kepner then became the season’s first repeat winner in the second feature, finishing 1.279 seconds ahead of Logan Spahr. For Bittner, from Beech Creek in Clinton County, it also was his first career PASS victory, although he has won elsewhere and is a former RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car Pennsylvania State champion. It was his second win in about 48 hours, coming after he took the checkers Thursday night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in an Allegheny Sprint Tour event. Kepner’s win was his eighth with PASS – again, augmented by victories in other IMCA events – and it strengthened his hold on [Read More]