selinsgrovespeedway Archives

Spahr Takes Impressive Selinsgrove Win

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGOVE, Pa. (May 16, 2025) — This might be a rivalry. For the second week in a row, the River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series feature at Selinsgrove Speedway came down to a duel between Logan Spahr of Lewisberry and Kruz Kepner. Last week, Kepner got to visit victory lane; this week, Spahr earned the trip. The 2023 PASS champion, Spahr battled the “hometown” racer through the middle circuits of the 20-lap event before pulling off the decisive pass for the lead on the backstretch of lap 14, just before the leaders hit lapped traffic. From there, Spahr steadily pulled away to a .873-second win over Kepner for his first win of 2025 and 15th of his PASS career. The win positions the top finishers as favorites for the BrokersRealty.com Speed Weekend payoff of $750 for the top overall points finisher, with $500 going to the runner-up, and $250 to third. Another hometown driver, Ken Duke Jr., completed an impressive run to the front, coming from 11th starting position to take third from Kenny Heffner [Read More]

Kepner Selinsgrove Winner

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE. Pa. (May 10, 2025) — If you looked at Kruz Kepner’s record in the first two River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series races in 2025, this was inevitable. First the veteran from Kreamer fell victim to circumstances and started 25th in the season opener at Port Royal, then roared through the field to finish sixth. Then, at his home track, Selinsgrove, less than 10 miles away, he started fourth and finished a strong third. Saturday night, back at Selinsgrove, he drew the pole, led all the way and scored his first win of this year, second at Selinsgrove, and seventh of his career. But it wasn’t easy. Josh Spicer trailed the no. 19 “Kruz Missile” for most of the show, but he lost his position to Logan Spahr in the closing laps. Spahr then made a determined effort to get by Kepner, only to have third-place Spicer spin with three laps to go, taking the leaders out of traffic and setting up a duel at the finish. Despite intense pressure from Spahr, Kepner held [Read More]

Lamphere wins NY-Penn Series thriller at Selinsgrove

By Michael Benjamin SELINSGROVE, Pa. (July 7, 2024) – The Close Racing Supply NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series presented by Insinger Performance got its second race scheduled at Selinsgrove Speedway in and the Sunday show did not disappoint. Keith Lamphere pocketed $100 after leading his heat race flag to flag, then followed with the $1,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win, his first of the season and good for Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. Rodney Morgan and Jacob McConnell brought the feature field to green and Morgan took off with the lead on the initial start. Morgan looked to be the dominant car throughout the feature, only being challenged for the lead by fellow Alpha Chassis driver Jared Spalding. With two laps to go, however, Morgan gave up the lead to Lamphere, who pulled away and won ahead of Morgan and Spalding. Force Flow Pressure Services Hard Charger Brandon Smith, and James Lamphere rounded out the top five. Next for the Close Racing Supply NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series presented by Insinger Performance is Saturday, July [Read More]

Young scores first PASS victory

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (June 8, 2024) – Just over four years ago, Dustin Young, with no prior climbing experience, strapped on his hiking boots and set off to scale a mountain. He celebrated on the peak Saturday night. The mountain in this case was the River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Car Series, the boots were a driving uniform, and the mountain was the sweeping half-mile Selinsgrove Speedway. Standing “up top” on the wing of his number 24 Sprint Car in victory lane, Young waved the checkered and screamed out in victory at the end of Saturday’s 20-lap IMCA RaceSaver feature, which he had led from start to finish. Mountain climbers everywhere would have understood. The Danville resident began his racing career – no prior experience at all – at Selinsgrove little more than a week beyond exactly four years ago, and he failed to qualify for his first event. But improvement came quickly and he was the 2020 PASS Rookie of the Year. Since then, he has become a regular contender, earning a [Read More]

Duke is first 2024 PASS repeater

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (June 2, 2024) – Ken Duke put all his experience to work, masterfully handling lapped traffic to hold onto the lead and become the first River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series repeat winner of 2024, taking the 20-lap feature for IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars Sunday at Selinsgrove Speedway. The hometown driver, a two-time PASS champion and 2019 IMCA RaceSaver national champ, fought off a determined bid by Nick Sweigart – also seeking to become the season’s first repeat winner – and came home first by 2.617 seconds, building most of that margin in the last couple of laps after overcoming a final challenge in race traffic. The win was also the 24th in Duke’s career. He leads all active PASS competitors in victories. The race went non-stop … there were no caution flags in any of the PASS racing Sunday … with Duke taking the checkered flag after six minutes and 41 seconds of incredible racing, and that made lapped traffic the defining factor. Duke had taken the lead from fellow [Read More]

Heffner bags PASS ‘Hunting Season’ checkers

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (Sept. 16, 2023) – If you want somebody else to win, it’s probably not a good idea to let Kenny Heffner start up front. The Watsontown racer drew the outside front-row starting position Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway, raced out ahead of fellow front-row starter Nick Sweigart, fought off an early challenge (and another one later on) from Ken Duke, and led all 20 laps to win one of the biggest River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series races of the season, the Race to Hunting Season sponsored by the Pennsylvania Game Commission as part of the 25th FANiversary Tour, marking a quarter century of PASS/IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car competition in Central Pennsylvania. A six-year veteran of RaceSaver competition, Heffner collected his fifth career victory, his second of 2023 and his career second at Selinsgrove. He won by 1.090 seconds over Kruz Kepner, whose late charge through the top five earned him the runner-up spot. Hometown veteran Duke, who leads active PASS racers with five career wins at Selinsgrove, held on for third, [Read More]

Melair steers to Selinsgrove PASS win

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (Aug. 26, 2023) – Whether fighting for the early lead, flying on a clear track, or cutting through traffic, Mike Melair had the edge Saturday night, taking home the victory in an exciting, non-stop River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series 20-lap feature at Selinsgrove Speedway. The Warrington driver took the no. 36 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car across the finish line .466 seconds ahead of Nick Sweigart to score his first win since June of 2021 at Hagerstown. He appeared to win a race later that year at Lincoln, but in his excitement forgot to go straight to the scales after the race and was disqualified. This year he was leading at the white flag at Path Valley Speedway but came home second, and he had another runner-up finish at Port Royal Speedway. Unfortunately, he also had an unwelcome amount of bad luck and bad pill draws for starting position. Saturday, the feature start re-draw was kind, giving Melair the pole position after a runner-up finish in his heat. From there [Read More]

PASS to joins All Stars Sunday at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (Aug. 18, 2023) – The River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series joins Tony Stewart’s Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions this Sunday at Selinsgrove Speedway to honor the memory of one of the region’s legendary sprint car drivers, Kramer Williamson, with the running of the Kramer Cup. The IMCA RaceSaver sprinters will run qualifying events and a 20-lap feature in support of the All Star’s $10,000-to-win feature. Coming off a super successful weekend that saw 41-car fields at both Lincoln and Bedford Fairgrounds Speedways, PASS will be looking for another strong turnout to turn heads among those on hand for the traveling All Stars. Leading the group will be point leader Logan Spahr, who has won nine of the first 20 PASS features run this year and is looking at the possibility of setting a single-season victory record, set by Logan Wagner in 2013 and tied by Garrett Bard last season, with 12 wins each. Spahr scored a dominating victory Sunday in the Junior Ritchey Tribute at Bedford, but he [Read More]

Young is fastest at Selinsgrove for second PASS win

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (July 29, 2023) – Drew Young’s breakout season kicked up another notch Saturday night when the Beaver Springs driver took his second career victory in the River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature at Selinsgrove Speedway. Young drew the pole position, traded the lead with Doug Dodson and led the last half of the 20-lap race, followed throughout by Dodson, who finished 2.068 seconds behind. Friday night’s Big Diamond winner Zach Rhodes started and finished third, followed by Kenny Heffner and Austin Reed. Young had started on the pole and led the field into turn one on the opening lap, only to have Dodson use the high side to assume the lead coming off turn two. Dodson led nine laps before Young slipped past him on the inside and grabbed the lead for good. It was the second career win for Young, who had no prior racing experience and is in his third full season with PASS. The breakthrough IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car victory came less than two months ago, on [Read More]

Reed repeats PASS win at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (July 8, 2023) – Austin Reed squeezed past Zach Rhodes on the outside after a brief but furious battle for the lead and went on to win the 20-lap River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway. It was the second straight win at the Snyder County oval for the veteran from Etters, who finished second in PASS points last season, and it came on a night that saw misfortune strike several front-runners, while those with better luck entertained the fans with some great on-track action. Reed claimed a victory margin of 1.77 seconds at the checkers. Rhodes, who drew the pole position after winning his heat race, led the first 17 laps and nearly scored his first career PASS win – he won an IMCA RaceSaver feature earlier this year with the Virginia Sprint Series at Winchester, Va. He hung on for second place ahead of a hard-charging Doug Dodson, who took third from Kruz Kepner on the final lap after starting ninth. Thirteenth starting [Read More]