pennsylvaniasprintseries Archives

Defending PASS champion holds off rookie challenger for third 2019 win

YORK HAVEN, Pa. (June 22) – Defending champion Zach Newlin held off a determined last-lap effort by rookie Jake Frye and claimed the victory in Saturday’s Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature race at BAPS Motor Speedway. The IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car win was his third this season with PASS, following seven in 2018, and his second at BAPS. Newlin led the caution-free 20-lapper all the way but had to edge fellow front-row starter Dominic Melair to the front before withstanding the efforts of teenager Frye, running the most impressive start of his young PASS career. Frye, who started fourth, passed Melair for second on lap five and then closed on the veteran Newlin in traffic over the last half of the race before trying a slide job going into the third turn on the final lap. Newlin’s high-line momentum carried him out of the fourth turn in front, however, and Frye finished on his bumper. Melair also posted his best finish in a brief PASS career, holding on for third, with Cale Reigle fourth and another [Read More]

Harris hustles to Hagerstown IMCA RaceSaver win

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (June 15) – His return visit to Hagerstown Speedway ended with Jerald Harris in victory lane. Eighteenth in the main event at last month’s East Coast Nationals, Harris showed he had a good handle on the setup he needed on a super-fast sticky track as he went up high on the start and streaked to the Saturday IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car win. David Grube II and Drew Ritchey were second and third, respectively, in the co-sanctioned Laurel Highlands Sprint Series, Pennsylvania Sprint Series and Virginia Sprint Series event. Erin Statler and Harris paced the field to the initial green with Harris staying high and taking the lead with Statler right on his tail and Grube in tow. Ken Duke, Zack Newlin and Ritchey worked their way up as Grube got by Statler, but Harris stayed straight smooth and fast as traffic came into play. After a red for a car getting in to the guardrail it was back at it for a run to the checkers. Harris took off and [Read More]

Adams a graduate and a PASS winner

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (June 8) – Recent graduate Devin Adams worked hard for his high school diploma, then put that work ethic to good use on the race track, earning his first career Pennsylvania Sprint Series victory in Saturday’s 20-lap feature at Port Royal Speedway. Adams, a Northern Lebanon High School graduate, took the lead from Jonathan Jones on the second lap and then held off repeated determined challenges from Jones to score the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car win. “I knew he was there the whole race,” Adams said, “and I knew if I could protect the bottom (in turns one and two), then I could hold him off, but I wasn’t sure. It was a little close at the end . . . closer than I’d like.” Jones electrified the crowd when he spun in the fourth turn during one last desperate pass attempt for the lead. His car did a complete 360 and kept going, with Jones still salvaging a top five finish. Christian Rumsey took second, defending PASS champion Zach Newlin, Dave [Read More]

Ellerman sprints to IMCA East Coast Nationals crown

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (May 24-25) – Scott Ellerman used his outside front row starting spot to the best possible outcome Saturday night, staying smooth and never letting challengers move him off his line to the finish of the East Coast Nationals main event at Hagerstown Speedway. The IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car checkers were good for $1,000. Ellerman, who admitted to not having much luck at the draw, had run third in the final heat and was left with the number two pill and outside pole start. “This win means a lot,” said Ellerman, who beat fellow Pennsylvania Sprint Series regular Ken Duke to the finish by maybe a car length. “We’ve had motor trouble and we’ve had car trouble. It’s been real frustrating. We definitely got our confidence back.” Christian Rumsey, Steven Kenawell and Jonathan Jones rounded out the top five in the holiday weekend special, co-sanctioned by PASS, the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series and the Virginia Sprint Series. Jacob Gomola and Ellerman paced the field to green, with Ellerman grabbing the lead [Read More]

Second chance precedes Walp’s first PASS win

YORK HAVEN, Pa. (May 18) – Second chances don’t always happen, so when John Walp got one Saturday night at BAPS Motor Speedway, he took full advantage, leading from start to finish and winning the 20-lap PA Sprint Series feature. It was Walp’s first feature win. Walp had spun out while leading Friday night’s IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature at Clinton County Speedway, so getting another chance at a front-row starting spot was too good to pass up. Walp grabbed the lead from fellow front-row starter Jaremi Hanson and held Hanson at bay to score a 2.319-second victory. “The car was awesome,” an emotional Walp said in victory lane. “The track held moisture all night. We were spot on. I couldn’t ask for anything better.” BAPS was a likely place for Walp’s breakthrough in his no. 5 Sprinter. His best previous PASS finish was a runner-up showing at this track last August, and he finished third in the feature on April 20 Hanson stalked Walp throughout the event but never able to complete a challenge. [Read More]

Duke tops Port Royal for fourth PASS win of season

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (May 11) – Ken Duke Jr. outran fellow front-row starter Jonathan Jones for the first-lap lead in Saturday’s Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature at Port Royal Speedway and made that advantage hold up for the 20-lap distance to score a wire-to-wire victory, his fourth of the season. The win was Duke’s second of the year at the Port “Speed Palace.” He has finished no lower than sixth in seven IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car features run so far.With 12 straight green-flag laps to the finish, lapped traffic became an issue, but Duke finessed that issue and held his lead to the end. Jones chased Duke for the entire race and collected his third straight runner-up finish at Port Royal. Roger Irvine, Doug Dodson and Devin Adams completed the top five. Zach Newlin, who only qualified for the feature with a last-lap, last-turn pass in his “B” main, advanced from 24th starting spot to 10th, earning the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Burnin’ Rubber Award for hard charger. PASS is now averaging 41 cars per appearance at [Read More]

Sweigart blasts past PASS foes at Port Royal Speedway

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (April 27) – In a performance worthy of his nickname, “Nitro” Nick Sweigart blasted the Pennsylvania Sprint Series field to earn his first victory since 2017 in the 20-lap feature Saturday at Port Royal Speedway. Flying past competitors on the outside from his 10th starting position, Sweigart took the lead from Jaremi Hanson on lap seven and never looked back, scoring the win by a 1.448-second margin over Jonathan Jones, who passed Hanson in the fourth turn of the final lap. Zach Newlin finished fourth, with Ryan Lynn taking fifth. Sweigart raced to seven top five finishes last year, including two runner-ups, but he hadn’t visited victory lane since August of 2017 at BAPS Motor Speedway. He had added two more top fives this season and had finished in the top 10 in all five previous PASS IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car events. A stellar field of 39 cars was in the pits and with the large field, Port Royal lead promoter Steve O’Neal added two starting positions to enable 26 cars to [Read More]

Newlin, Reigle race to PASS wins at BAPS Motor Speedway

YORK HAVEN, Pa. (April 20) – Defending Pennsylvania Sprint Series champion Zach Newlin joined Cale Reigle in visiting victory lane for the first time this season Saturday at BAPS Motor Speedway. Newlin led all the way to win the regularly scheduled 20-lap IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature after Reigle led all 19 laps of the evening’s first race, which completed a feature rained out two weeks earlier with one lap run. In the make-up feature, Devin Adams, Billy Ney, Newlin and Ken Duke Jr. followed Reigle across the finish line. The first feature was stopped following an early flip by Jake Frye but from that point Reigle sailed in front of the field while Ney, Larry McVey and Newlin dueled behind him. Duke put on the evening’s charge, coming from 11th to fourth over the final seven laps. Ney surprised regular fans by racing low, the opposite of his norm. The scheduled feature saw Ganoe follow Newlin across the finish line, with John Walp, Ken Duke Jr. and Landon Price completing the top five. Newlin [Read More]

Duke prevails at Path Valley for third straight PASS win

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 [Read More]

Duke prevails in PASS feature at Port Royal

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (April 6) – Ken Duke Jr. grabbed the lead from Nathan Gramley in turn two on lap 12 and went on to win Saturday’s 20-lap Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature at Port Royal Speedway. It was Duke’s second straight IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Series victory for 2019. The largest field in Central Pennsylvania Sprint Car racing so far this year, 43 cars, entered the race, and 25 of the 26 starters completed the distance. Entries came from as far away as Vermont and North Carolina. Late-charging Johnathan Jones got past Gramley with two laps to go and took second place. Gramley held on for third, followed by Nick Sweigart and Ryan Lynn. From his fourth starting position, Duke has quickly assumed the runner-up spot behind Gramley, with Dabrosky, Lynn and Scarborough giving chase. Traffic gave Duke his chance on lap 12 and the 2016 PASS champ made the best of it. At one point his lead stretched to more than three seconds before Jones, who moved from sixth to second over the last five [Read More]