6.6.20 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
By: Frank Buhrman
2019’s super-rookie Garrett Bard took advantage of a front-row starting spot and held back multiple challengers to win the 20-lap PA Sprint Series feature Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway.
The Wells Tannery driver in the CG Racing Engines/Barnett Self-Storage/Lias Tire #95 drew the outside front row for the feature after finishing second to Ken Duke Jr. in a hotly contested heat race, then used a strong run off the second turn to take the opening lap lead from veteran Nathan Gramley, who brought out the race’s first caution on the next lap, stopping in turn 2 and collecting Jared Zionkowski.
After the restart, Devin Adams moved past John Walp into second and began to pressure Bard, but his night ended in the third turn wall on lap 9.
That put Walp back into second, but this on lap 10, the Wapwallopen racer was passed by Port Royal’s Mike Alleman, who then challenged for the lead before he had to fight off a charge from defending national IMCA/RaceSaver and PASS champion Duke. Their battle was interrupted by a lap 13 caution for Josh Spicer.
The restart saw an intense battle behind Bard, with Alleman, Duke, Kenny Heffner, Walp and “Nitro Nick” Sweigart all involved, but it quickly ended when Heffner made contact with Alleman, hit the third turn wall and rolled over, bringing out the red flag. Heffner was not injured.
The race’s final restart saw Bard pull away, while 19th-starting Derek Hauck sliced through the field and took second from Alleman on lap 14. Two laps later, Sweigart moved into third, and while the intensity continued to the checkered flag, that’s how the running order remained: Bard the winner, Hauck second (in only his fourth PASS start, besting a previous-best 15th), Sweigart third, Alleman fourth, and Duke fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 were Doug Dodson, Walp, Johnny Scarborough, Will Brunson and Jake Frye.
Alleman’s finish was at least a recent career best. The veteran racer from Port Royal, only 41, is the only currently active PASS driver to have taken part in the series’ first official race 21 years ago. Available records only date back about 12 years, and a pair of fifth-place finishes had been his top performances during that period.
Alleman also was a winner of one of the four heat races for the 41-car field, with others going to Dodson, Brunson, and Duke. Landon Price, last week’s Selinsgrove runner-up, had to qualify by winning the C-Main and then taking the final qualifying spot in the B-Main, which was won by Kassidy Kreitz.
Next Saturday the PASS tour makes its season debut at the quarter-mile Path Valley Motor Speedway bullring, and a Sunday date at Port Royal Speedway has just been added to the schedule. For updates and other PASS news, visit www.pasprintseris.com or the PA Sprint Series Facebook page.
Results from Selinsgrove Speedway Saturday, June 6, 2020
HEAT 1 – 1. 20-Doug Dodson; 2. 99A-Devin Adams; 3. 23-Nathan Gramley; 4. 83-Larry McVay; 5. 71-Josh Spicer; 6. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 7. 4J-Jacob Gomola; 8. 69-Landon Price; 9. 38-Marie McVay; 10. M1-Mike Potts; 11. 57D-Jeff Miller.
HEAT 2 – 1. 8B-Will Brunson; 2. 51-Dave Graber; 3. 17K-Kyle Keen; 4. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 5. R6-Reed Thompson; 6. 8-Nick Sweigart; 7. 812-Zach Berghof; 8. 21M-Cassandra Minium; 9. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 10. 19-Cruz Kepner (DNF).
HEAT 3 – 1. 46-Mike Alleman; 2. 97-Kenny Heffner; 3. 5-John Walp; 4. 56-Jake Frye; 5. 2H-Derek Hauck; 6. 86-Ron Aurand; 7. 55-Dominic Melair; 8. 00S-Randy Sterling; 9. 25D-Dustin Young; 10. 19K-Chris Kreider.
HEAT 4 – 1. 67-Ken Duke; 2. 95-Garrett Bard; 3. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 4. 61-Johnny Scarborough; 5. 88-Fred Arnold; 6. 2-Erin Statler; 7. 27J-Jenna Shotz; 8. 55B-Rick Romig; 9. 21-Andrew Boyer; 10. 4P-Neil Petock (DNF).
C-Main – 1. 69-Landon Price; 2. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 3-38-Marie McVay; 4. 21M-Cassandra Minium; 5. 25D-Dustin Young; 6. 55B-Rick Romig*; 7. M1-Mike Potts; 8. 57D-Jeff Miller; 9. 19K-Chris Kreider; 10. 21-Andrew Boyer. DNS: 19-Cruz Kepner; 4P-Neil Petock; 00S-Randy Sterling. (*penalized for jumping the final restart)
B-Main – 1. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 2. 812-Zach Berghof; 3. 27J-Jenna Shotz; 4. 17K-Kyle Keen; 5. 86-Ron Aurand; 6. 69-Landon Price; 7. 88-Fred Arnold; 8. 55-Dominic Melair; 9. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 10. 38-Marie McVay; 11. 21M-Cassandra Minium; 12. 4J-Jacob Gomola (DNF).
FEATURE – 1. 95-Garrett Bard; 2. 2H-Derek Hauck; 3. 8-Nick Sweigart; 4. 46-Mike Alleman; 5. 67-Ken Duke Jr. 6. 20-Doug Dodson; 7. 5-John Walp; 8. 61-Johnny Scarborough; 9. 8B-Will Brunson; 10. 56-Jake Frye; 11. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 12. 17K-Kyle Keen; 13. 69-Landon Price; 14. 51-Dave Graber; 15. 2-Erin Statler; 16. 86-Ron Aurand; 17. 83-Larry McVay; 18. R6-Reed Thompson; 19. 812-Zach Berghof; 20. 27J-Jenna Shotz; 21. 97-Kenny Heffner (DNF); 22. 36-Jaremi Hanson (DNF); 23. 71-Josh Spicer (DNF); 24. 99A-Devin Adams (DNF); 25. 23-Nathan Gramley (DNF); 26. 41Z-Jared Zionkowsky (DNF). DNQ: 88-Fred Arnold; 55-Dominic Melair; 83K-Kristina Pratt; 38-Marie McVay; 21M-Cassandra Minium; 4J-Jacob Gomola; 25D-Dustin Young; M1-Mike Potts; 57D-Jeff Miller; 19K-Chris Kreider; 21-Andrew Boyer; 19-Cruz Kepner; 55B-Rick Romig; 4P-Neil Petock; 00S-Randy Sterling.