10.23.21 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results

By: Frank Buhrman
Myerstown’s “Nitro Nick” Sweigart is planning to take his crowd- and sponsor-pleasing racing style and personality to the 410 sprint car world in 2022, and he made his likely final PA Sprint Series appearance a memorable one Saturday night, winning the Founder’s Cup portion of the Keystone RaceSaver Classic at Port Royal Speedway.

With nine feature wins in a five-year PASS career, Sweigart took advantage of his front-row starting position to lead all 15 laps in his Safeway Towing/Stauffer’s Diesel/Gator Truck Sales #8. The Founder’s Cup race is held for drivers failing to qualify for the Keystone RaceSaver Challenge. With 68 cars on hand for this year’s Keystone, competition was tougher than ever, and 16 cars did not qualify for the Founder’s Cup.

The race’s initial start lasted barely a lap before Andrew Boyer bounced off the fourth-turn wall and collected Cory Cornell, who tipped over. Boyer was able to continue, but Cornell was done for the night.

Sweigart’s fellow front-row starter, veteran Roger Irvine of Irvona, dove to the inside and claimed the lead briefly down the backstretch on lap two, but Sweigart reclaimed the top spot in turn three and was in command from there, even when the leaders encountered traffic. His final victory margin was 0.817 seconds over Dom Melair of Warrington, who had taken second from Irvine on lap four.

Kenny Heffner of Watsontown, Mike Alleman of Port Royal and Irvine grabbed the remaining top five spots.

Completing the top 10 were Branston Shue, Ryan Lynn, Dylan Smith, Nathan Gramley and Dustin Young.

Merrick & Fair’s More than Tires of Carlisle sponsored the Hard Charger Award, which went to Ryan Lynn, who advanced eight positions to his seventh-place finish.

Results from Founder’s Cup at Port Royal Speedway, October 23

Results – 1. 8-Nick Sweigart; 2. 55-Dom Melair; 3. 97-Kenny Heffner; 4. 46-Mike Alleman; 5. 12-Roger Irvine; 6. 03-Branstin Shue; 7. 26-Ryan Lynn; 8. 11-Dylan Smith; 9. 23-Nathan Gramley; 10. 25-Dustin Young; 11. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 12. 21-Andrew Boyer; 13. 9S-Rick Stief; 14. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 15. 19-Kruz Kepner; 16. 34-D.J. Cassler; 17. 1-Rowdy Heffner; 18. 4C-Cody Hackenberry; 19. 32A-Austin Greenland; 20. 54M-Todd Lynn; 21. 80-Dave Wickham; 22. 98-Croix Beasom; 23. 5-Logan Spahr (DNS); 24. 17-Owem Dimm (DNS); 25. 3-Cory Cornell. DNS – 23M-Tom Wise; R6-Reed Thompson; 51-Dave Graber.

By: Frank Buhrman
Justin Clark had enjoyed a dream season in 2022 with 16 IMCA/RaceSaver victories and the national IMCA/RaceSaver Championship, plus the Ohio state title, two RaceSaver series championships and one track title, but the Hamersville, Ohio, racer let his emotions show Saturday night when he put the icing on the cake at the 10th Annual Keystone RaceSaver Challenge.

“We won at Port Royal.”

A year ago Clark had finished second in this race to his predecessor as national champion, PASS’s own Garrett Bard of Wells Tannery. This year it all came together.

“Been running here for four years,” he said in victory lane, “and, man, we finally got it done.

“It’s been an amazing year.”

The race bore some similarities to 2020, when Bard pulled out to a big lead, only to have Clark nearly catch him in traffic. This time it was Derek Hauck behind the Walker Performance Filtration/Simpson Race Products/Hooser Sugar Daddy #78 – although Buddy Schweibinz of Petersburg, N.J., had ducked underneath Clark on a lap two restart and led down the backstretch before Clark recaptured the lead in turn three.

On lap four, Hauck got past Schweibinz, and when Clark got into traffic on lap nine, the Allenwood racer, with wins in his last two outings, began to whittle down the lead. During 20 straight green-flag laps, the two drivers skillfully negotiated lapped cars; Hauck closed to less than three car lengths on lap 20, but Clark had extended his lead again by lap 22, when the race’s final caution flew for a slowing Robbie Bartchey.

Hauck tried the inside on that final restart and came close to making it work, but Clark again used the outside to hold the lead, and he went relatively unchallenged for the final eight laps, winning by 1.842 seconds.

Besides the usual post-race thanks – his parents, crew and sponsors – Clark directed a “shout-out” to two-time PASS Champion Zach Newlin.

“He helped me out a lot tonight,” Clark said, “and what he gave me worked.”

While the battle for the lead was enough to keep spectators occupied, Dave Grube II of York Haven and Bard were deciding the track championship for the RaceSaver sprints. Both stated back in the pack – Grube on the eighth row and Bard on the tenth – and both moved forward quickly, but Grube, who had a five-point lead in the standings – never let Bard come close enough to threaten his advantage. At one point Grube climbed to fifth, but he slipped to seventh after the late restart. Bard came home ninth after taking fourth and first in his first two Keystone starts.

Veteran Kevin Nagy of Gilbert, the 2021 Mid Atlantic Sprint Series Champion, slipped past Schweibinz for third at the end, and Kassidy Kreitz, the event’s Penns Valley Meat Market $200 Hard Charger Award winner took fifth in the closing laps.

Kreitz advanced 11 positions during race, as did Bard, but her higher finished earned her the award. Grube moved up 10 spots, as did Will Brunson, who finished 14th.

Mike Melair, Grube, Doug Dodson, Bard and 2013 Keystone winner Jake Waters completed the top 10.

Clark, who won both the Ohio Thunder IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Series and the Schaeffer’s Oil Indiana RaceSaver Series this year, has been racing occasionally with PASS since 2018, and until this win, his runner-up finish in last year’s Keystone was his best performance. He finished fourth at Port in a race this past April. He won this year’s national IMCA/RaceSaver Championship by nine points over Bard and Marcus Thomas of Texas, who tied for second place.

An incredible 68 cars signed in for the race, necessitating six heat races and three B-Mains to set the field. Bartchey, Fred Arnold, Austin Reed, Clark, Hauck, and Jeff Geiges won the heats, with Drew Young, Dave Brown and Bard taking the B-Mains. The top 26 non-qualifiers ran in the Founder’s Cup race (see separate story).

The program was largely devoid of serious incidents, although Cale Reigle tangled with another car while lining up for the feature and rolled his #14, ending his racing early. He was not injured.

The turnout was the highest in the 10 years the KRC has been run.

The Keystone RaceSaver Challenge is part of Port Royal’s “Blue Collar Classic” program, which this year also featured racing for the limited late models and 4-cylinders. A total of 112 cars filled the pits.

The race ended the season for both PASS and Port Royal. Garrett Bard had previously been declared the PASS Champion for the second straight season (series points end in September).

For schedule and other information as the 2022 season plans are developed, visit www.pasprintseries.com, the PA Sprint Series Facebook page, or @pasprintseries on Twitter.

Results from the Keystone RaceSaver Challenge, Port Royal Speedway, October 23

HEAT 1 – 1. 29B-Robbie Bartchey; 2. 28R-Jason Roush; 3. 17K-Stevie Kenawell; 4. 22H-Rod Henning; 5. 8-Nick Sweigart; 6. 80-Dave Wickham; 7. 3-Cory Cornell; 8. 4C-Cocy Hackenberry; 9. 23M-Tom Wise; 10. 21-Andrew Boyer; 11. 34-D.J. Cassler; 12. R6-Reed Thompson (DNF).

HEAT 2 – 1. 88-Fred Arnold; 2. 20-Doug Dodson; 3. 18T-Tim Tanner; 4. 7-Drew Young; 5. 11-Dylan Smith; 6. 46-Mike Alleman; 7. 8-Will Brunson; 8. 51-Dave Gerber; 9. 98-Croix Beasom; 10. 11X-Robert Garvey. DNS – 56-Tyler Snook.

HEAT 3 – 1. 34-Austin Reed; 2. 54-Mike Melair; 3. 39X-Scott Frack; 4. 23-Nathan Gramley; 5. 12-Roger Irvine; 6. 2-Erin Statler; 7. 32A-Austin Greeland; 8. 32-Dale Eggert; 9. 6-Torrey Rose; 10. 9-Mariah Romig. DNS – 67-Ken Duke Jr.

HEAT 4 – 1. 78-Justin Clark; 2. 45-Kevin Nagy; 3. 14-Cale Reigle; 4. 44-Dave Brown; 5. 97-Kenny Heffner; 6. 03-Branstin Shue; 7. 7-Aiden Borden; 8. 9S-Rick Stief; 9. 26-Ryan Lynn; 10. 11W-Donnie Wise (DNF). DNS – 91-John Fiore.

HEAT 5 – 1. 33-Derek Hauck; 2. 10-Jake Waters; 3. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 4. 55-Dom Melair; 5. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 6. 5-Logan Spahr; 7. 1-Rowdy Heffner; 8. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 9. 15-Matt Rader; 10. 31-Roger Weaver; 11. 44C-Daren Bolac.

HEAT 6 – 1. 77J-Jeff Geiges; 2. 35-Buddy Schweibinz; 3. 3D-Dave Grube II; 4. 70-Eddie Wagner; 5. 95-Garrett Bard; 6. 25-Dustin Young; 7. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 8. 19-Kruz Kepner; 9. 5J-Logan Jones; 10. 17-Oween Dimm. DNS – 1M-Paul Moyer.

B-MAIN 1 – 1. 7-Drew Young; 2. 22H-Rod Henning; 3. 8-Nick Sweigart; 4-Will Brunson; 5. 46-Mike Alleman; 6. 11-Dylan Smith; 7. 80-Dave Wickham; 8. 3-Cory Cornell; 9. 4C-Cody Hackenberry; 10. 21-Andrew Boyer; 11. 34-D.J. Cassler; 12. 51-Dave Graber; 13. 23M-Tom Wise; 14. R6-Reed Thompson; 15. 98-Croix Beasom; 16. 11X-Robert Garvey (DNF). DNS – 56-Tyler Snook.

B-MAIN 2 – 1. 44-Dave Brown; 2. 2-Erin Statler; 3. 12-Roger Irvine; 4. 03-Branston Shue; 5. 97-Kenny Heffner; 6. 23-Nathan Gramley; 7. 7-Aiden Borden; 8. 26-Ryan Lynn; 9. 9S-Rick Stief; 10. 32A-Austin Greenland; 11. 54M-Todd Lynn; 12. 6-Torrey Rose; 13. 32-Dale Eggert; 14. 9-Mariah Romig (DNF). DNS – 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 11W-Donnie Wise; 91-John Fiore.

B-MAIN 3 – 1. 95-Garrett Bard; 2. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 3. 70-Eddie Wagner; 4. 55-Dom Melair; 5. 25-Dustin Young; 6. 1H-Rowdy Heffner; 7. 5-Logan Spahr; 8. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 9. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 10. 19-Kruz Kepner; 11. 17-Owen Dimm; 12. 44V-Daren Bolac; 13. 31-Roger Weaver; 14. 5J-Logan Jones. DNS – 15-Matt Rader; 1M-Paul Moyer.

KEYSTONE RACESAVER CHALLENGE FEATURE – 1. 78-Justin Clark; 2. 33-Derek Hauck; 3. 45-Kevin Nagy; 4. 35-Buddy Schweibinz; 5. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 6. 54-Mike Melair; 7. 3D-Dave Grube II; 8. 20-Doug Dodson; 9. 95-Garrett Bard; 10. 10-Jake Waters; 11. 34-Austin Reed; 12. 44-Dave Brown; 13. 18T-Tim Tanner; 14. 8-Will Brunson; 15. 7-Drew Young; 16. 88-Fred Arnold; 17. 2-Erin Statler; 18. 22H-Rod Henning; 19. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 20. 29B-Robbie Bartchey; 21. 77J-Jeff Geiges; 22. 70-Eddie Wagner; 23. 28R-Jason Roush; 24. 17K-Stevie Kenawell; 25. 39X-Scott Frack. DNS – 14-Cale Reigle. DNQ – 8-Nick Sweigart; 12-Roger Irvine; 46-Mike Alleman; 03-Branstin Shue; 55-Dom Melair; 11-Dylan Smith; 97-Kenny Heffner; 25-Dustin Young; 80-Dave Wickham; 23-Nathan Gramley; 1-Rowdy Heffner; 3-Cory Cornell; 7-Aiden Borden; 5-Logan Spahr; 4C-Cody Hackenberry; 26-Ryan Lynn; 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 21-Andrew Boyer; 9S-Rick Stief; 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 34-D.J. Cassley; 32A-Austin Greenland; 19-Kruz Kepner; 54M-Todd Lynn; 17-Owen Dimm; 51-Dave Graber; 6-Torrey Rose; 44V-Daren Bolac; 23M-Tom Wise; 32-Dale Eggert; 31-Roger Weaver; R6-Reed Thompson; 9-Mariah Romig; 5J-Logan Jones; 98-Croix Beasom; 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 15-Matt Rader; 11X-Robert Garvey; 11W-Donnie Wise; 1M-Paul Moyer; 56-Tyler Snook; 91-John Fiore.