7.23.21 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
By: Frank Buhrman
Nagy Sparkles at Big Diamond
Kevin Nagy ran his record to two-for-two Friday in Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series co-sanctioned events, dominating the 25-lap IMCA/RaceSaver sprint car feature at Big Diamond Speedway.
The Wind Gap veteran in his Nagy Excavating #45 passed Devin Adams on a seventh lap restart and was never challenged after that. He also won the season opener for both sprint series at Bridgeport Speedway in March.
Adams, from Lebanon, had taken the lead from outside front-row starter Cody West on lap two. He ran second until Tim Tanner got by him on the last lap.
West maintained his top-five position throughout the race and finished fourth, with Tyler Cochran holding on for fifth as his wing collapsed on the final lap.
Erin Statler, who had started 14th, advanced smoothly to a sixth-place finish, and the night’s hard charger, Austin Reed came home seventh after winning a B-Main to start 21st.
Doug Dodson, Dustin Young and pole-sitter Dale Eggert completed the top 10.
The race began on a sour note with a multi-car pileup at the green flag that sent Ken Duke Jr. and Alex Schmiedel flipping wildly. Both drivers were OK, but their cars were done, as was that of Vance Berry.
The race endured three more cautions in the first seven laps, the last for a turn four tangle that eliminated Jenna Shotz and Matthew Swift.
Adams had held off Nagy for the first two of those, but the winner executed the decisive pass on the final restart and held on comfortably over the last 18 nonstop laps.
Heat races for the 35-car field were won by West, Adams, Duke and Dodson, with Reed and Eddie Wagner taking twin B-Mains. The only serious incident in the preliminaries was a backstretch crash that eliminated Buddy Schweibinz, Dave Graber and Ronnie Rough from further competition.
The surprise of qualifying was 2021 IMCA/RaceSaver National Champion and PASS Champ Garrett Bard missing the feature. Bard had started last in his heat and then missed qualifying through his B-Main by one position.
Nagy came from sixth starting position for the win. Other notable charges besides Reed’s 14-position advance were Jared Zionkowski coming from 24th to 11th and Wagner from 22nd to 12th. Statler’s 14th-to-6th also was impressive among the front-runners.
The PA Sprint Series continued its three-race weekend Saturday night at Path Valley Speedway.
Next weekend the series is off, but action resumes at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, August 7.
For the latest news and schedule information, visit www.pasprintseries.com, the PA Sprint Series Facebook page, or @pasprintseries on Twitter.
Results from Big Diamond Speedway July 23
Heat 1 – 1. 56-Cody West; 2. 19-Tyler Cochran; 3. 24L-Ian Cumens; 4. 03-Matthew Swift; 5. 83-Larry McVay; 6. 18A-Alex Schmiedel; 7. 95-Garrett Bard; 8. 1M-Paul Moyer; 9. 9-Mariah Romig.
Heat 2 – 1. 99-Devin Adams; 2. 45-Kevin Nagy; 3. 25-Dustin Young; 4. 2-Erin Statler; 5. 18-Tim Tanner; 6. 52-Jeff Weaver; 7. 70-Eddie Wagner; 8. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 9. 3-Cody Cornell.
Heat 3 – 1. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 2. 32-Dale Eggert; 3. 4B-Jon Brennfleck; 4. 39X-Scott Frack; 5. 11-Dylan Smith; 6. 48G-George Loux; 7. 34-Austin Reed; 8. 5-John Walp; 9. 19-Tim Iulg.
Heat 4 – 1. 20-Doug Dodson; 2. 19-Kruz Kepner; 3. 78-Dale Schweikert; 4. 74-Vance Berry; 5. 27-Jenna Shotz; 6. 35-Buddy Schweibinz (DNF); 7. 51-Dave Graber (DNF); 8. 9-Ronnie Rough (DNF).
B-Main 1 – 1. 34-Austin Reed; 2. 18A-Alex Schmiedel; 3. 95-Garrett Bard; 4. 48G-George Loux; 5. 1M-Paul Moyer; 6. 5-John Walp; 7. 9-Mariah Romig; 8. Tim Iulg.
B-Main 2 – 1. 70-Eddie Wagner; 2. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 3. 3-Cody Cornell; 4. 52-Jeffrey Weaver (DNF). DNS – 35-Buddy Schweibinz; 51-Dale Graber; 9-Ronnie Rough.
FEATURE – 1. 45-Kevin Nagy; 2. 18-Tim Tanner; 3. 99-Devin Adams; 4. 56-Cody West; 5. 19-Tyler Cochran; 6. 2-Erin Statler; 7. 34-Austin Reed; 8. 20-Doug Dodson; 9. 25-Dustin Young; 10. 32-Dale Eggert; 11. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 12. 70-Eddie Wagner; 13. 24L-Ian Cumens; 14. 39X-Scott Frack; 15. 78-Dale Schweikert; 16. 11-Dylan Smith; 17. 27J-Jenna Shotz; 18. 03-Matthew Swift; 19. 83-Larry McVay (DNF); 20. 4B-Jon Brennfleck; 21. 19-Kruz Kepner; 22. 67-Ken Duke Jr. (DNF); 23. 74-Vance Berry (DNF); 24. 18A-Alex Schmiedel (DNF). DNQ – 95-Garrett Bard; 3-Cody Cornell; 48G-George Loux; 52-Jeffrey Weaver; 1M-Paul Moyer; 5-John Walp; 9-Mariah Romig; 19-Tim Iulg; 35-Buddy Schweibinz; 51-Dave Graber; 9-Ronnie Rough.