5.24.19 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
Newlin wins intense duel with Duke to capture Hagerstown feature
PA Sprint Series defending champion Zach Newlin held off a determined challenge by this year’s top winner, Ken Duke Jr., and won the opening night feature of the East Coast Nationals for IMCA/RaceSaver sprint cars Friday night at Hagerstown Speedway.
The East Coast Nationals conclude with a $1,000-to-win, $500-to-start, 25-lap feature Saturday night at Hagerstown, with racing scheduled to begin with hot laps at 7:00 p.m. Another stellar field of RaceSaver competitors from several regions is expected to contend for the win.
In Friday’s race, Newlin (Millerstown, Pa.) outran Lock Haven’s Dylan Proctor for the early lead, making the top groove work to perfection. Duke (Selinsgrove) had started 13th but sliced through the field, using a lower line, and by the time Newlin began to encounter lapped traffic, Duke was right behind him.
For the last half of the 25-lapper, the two racers thrilled the crowd with an intense battle for the lead, topped by three restarts in the last five laps. The final restart came with just one lap to go, and Duke got a strong start on the bottom and tried to slide in front of Newlin exiting Turn 2. Newlin didn’t lift, though, and squeezed between Duke and the wall to maintain his lead and hold on for his second win of 2019.
Trailing the top two were Christian Rumsey (Middletown, N.Y.), Scott Lutz (Jonestown, Pa.) and Jaremi Hanson (Dillsburg, Pa.), with Ryan Lynn, Larry McVey, Brad Mellott, Scott Ellerman and Doug Dodson completing the Top 10.
Heat races for the 41-car field were won by Mellott, Jacob Gomola, Jonathan Jones and Jared Zionkowski. Dodson and Jake Frye captured the two B-Main races.
Lutz advanced all the way from 19th starting position to his 4th-place finish; other big movers were Duke (13th to 2nd) and Dodson (21st to 10th).
The field included racers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina.
Hagerstown officials announced that a non-qualifiers race, paying $300 to the winner, will be added to Saturday’s schedule. Hobby stocks and pure stocks will join the sprinters on the card.
Results from Hagerstown Speedway, May 24, 2019
HEAT 1 – 1. 6X-Brad Mellott; 2. 11Z-Zach Newlin; 3. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 4. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 5. 5K-Jake Karklin; 6. 2-Erin Statler; 7. 6L-Tyler Denochick; 8. 5-John Walp; 9. 28-Keith Prutzman; 10. 23-Samantha Lieberman.
HEAT 2 – 1. 4J-Jacob Gomola; 2. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 3. 92-Dylan Proctor; 4. 83-Larry McVey; 5. 69K-John Karklin; 6. 56-John Frye; 7. 25K-Matthew Kline; 8. 7-Ben McCall; 9. 88VA-Bill Rice; 10. 99 Cale Reigle.
HEAT 3 – 1. 12J-Jonathan Jones; 2. 1R-Christian Rumsey; 3. 26-Ryan Lynn; 4. 88-Greg Dobrosky; 5. 33-Scott Lutz; 6. 86-Ron Aurand; 7. 20-Doug Dodson; 8. 880-Drew Ritchey; 9. 6-Tony Harris; 10. 90-Charlie Ware.
HEAT 4 – 1. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 2. 12-Roger Irvine; 3. 8D-Scott Ellerman; 4. 44V-Daren Bolac; 5. R6-Reed Thompson; 6. 77-Mike Leraas; 7. 17K-Steve Kenawell; 8. 39-Tom Humphries; 9. 00S-Randy Sterline; 10. J9-Jerald Harris.
B MAIN 1 – 1. 20-Doug Dodson; 2. 6L-Tyler Denochick; 3. 86-Ron Aurand; 4. 2-Erin Statler; 5. 5-John Walp; 6. 23-Samantha Lieberman; 7. 6-Tony Harris; 8. 90-Charlie Ware; 9-13-Kurt Knepper; DNS – 28-Keith Prutzman; 880-Drew Ritchey.
B MAIN 2 – 1. 56-Jake Frye; 2. 77-Mike Leraas; 3. 39-Tom Humphries; 4. 00S-Randy Sterling; 5. J9-Jerald Harris; 6. 25K-Matthew Kline; 7. 88VA-Bill Rice; 8. 17K-Steve Kenawell; 9. 99-Cale Reigle; DNS – 7-Ben McCall.
FEATURE – 1. 11Z-Zach Newlin; 2. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 3. 1R-Christian Rumse; 4. 33-Scott Lutz; 5. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 6. 26-Ryan Lynn; 7. 83-Larry McVey; 8. 6X-Brad Mellott; 9. 8D-Scott Ellerman; 10. 20-Doug Dodson; 11. 12J-Jonathan Jones; 12. 44V-Daren Bolac; 13. 77-Mike Leraas; 14. R6-Reed Thompson; 15. 56-Jake Frye; 16. 6K-Jake Karklin; 17. 88-Greg Dobrosky; 18. 4J-Jacob Gomola; 19. 6L-Tyler Denochick; 20. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 21. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 22. 12-Roger Irvine; 23. 92-Dylan Proctor; 24. 69K-John Karklin.