8.15.20 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
By: Frank Buhrman
Garrett Bard’s dominance of the PA Sprint Series continued Saturday with a 20-lap feature win during Selinsgrove Speedway’s Showdown on Sand Hill program.
The Wells Tannery driver ran down early leader Kyle Keen with an outside move on the third lap and then worked heavy race traffic well enough to hold off closing charges by Keen and Ken Duke to take his sixth victory of the 2020 season.
Bard now has scored 11 wins and six runner-up finishes in just 29 starts in the CG Racing Engines/Barrett Self Storage/Lias Tire #95 since joining PASS last July.
“I knew I had about five to ten laps to do what I wanted to do,” Bard said in victory lane of his decision to mount an early charge on the high side of the track. “Towards the end we need to get to the bottom here.”
“When we got to traffic, it was pretty hard. You had to pick your time to get around them,” he said, explaining that the top became treacherous late. “I’d better not get back up there,” he recalled thinking to himself. “I don’t want to give this one away.”
For Keen, whose stronger runs this year had not yet brought great results, the second place was a career-best. After losing the lead, the held onto the runner-up spot the rest of the way and closed the gap to only three-quarters of a second at the end.
Duke, the defending PASS and IMCA/RaceSaver national champion, closed strong for the second straight week to take third, ahead of Johnny Scarborough and Kassidy Kreitz.
Scott Frack, Jake Frye, rookie Dustin Young, Landon Price and Erin Statler rounded out the top ten.
Heat races for the 30 RaceSaver teams on hand were won by Price, Kruz Kepner and Frye, with Dave Grube taking the B-Main.
The hard charger award went to Domenic Melair, who advanced six positions from 18th starting spot to 12th. Bard and 11th-finishing Larry McVay each advanced five spots.
Apache Tree Service sponsors PASS at Selinsgrove, and the VP Racing lubricants case of oil went to Bard.
On Saturday, August 22, the PASS sprinters return to Port Royal Speedway to join 410 and USAC 360 wingless sprints for an “Open Wheel Madness” program.
Visit www.pasprintseries.com or the PA Sprint Series Facebook page for updated news and schedule information.
Results from Selinsgrove Speedway, August 15, 2020
HEAT 1 – 1. 69-Landon Price; 2. 67-Ken Duke; 3. 1R-Christian Rumsey; 4. 25D-Dustin Young; 5. 23M-Tom Wise; 6. 83-Larry McVay; 7. 7X-Andrew Jacobus; 8. 8B-Will Brunson. DNS – 2H-Derek Hauck; 79-Ian Cumens.
HEAT 2 – 1. 19-Kruz Kepner; 2. 61J-Johnny Scarborough; 3. 71-Josh Spicer; 4. 39X-Scott Frack; 5. 86-Ron Aurand; 6. 88-Fred Arnold; 7. 23-Nathan Gramley; 8. 27-Craig Pellegrini; 9. 55B-Rick Romig; 10. 21-Andrew Boyer.
HEAT 3 – 1. 56-Jake Frye; 2. 17K-Kyle Keen; 3. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 4. 95-Garrett Bard; 5. 2-Erin Statler; 6. 55-Domenic Melair; 7. 3D-Dave Grube; 8. 8-Nick Sweigart; 9. 97-Kenny Heffner; 10. 19Y-Drew Young.
B-Main – 1. 3D-Dave Grube; 2. 23-Nathan Gramley; 3. 8-Nick Sweigart; 4. 8B-Will Brunson; 5. 97-Kenny Heffner; 6. 55B-Rick Romig; 7. 27-Criaig Pellegrini; 8. 19Y-Drew Young; 9. 7X-Andrew Jacobus (DNF); 10. 21-Andrew Boyer. DNS – 2H-Derek Hauck; 79-Ian Cumens.
FEATURE – 1. 95-Garrett Bard; 2. 17K-Kyle Keen; 3. 67-Ken Duke; 4. 61J-Johnny Scarborough; 5. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 6. 39X-Scott Frack; 7. 56-Jake Frye; 8 25D-Dustin Young; 9. 69-Landon Price; 10. 2-Erin Statler; 11. 83-Larry McVay; 12. 55-Domenic Melair; 13. 88-Fred Arnold; 14. 19-Kruz Kepner; 15. 3D-Dave Grube; 16. 23-Nathan Gramley; 17. 1R-Christian Rumsey; 18. 8-Nick Sweigart; 19. 71-Josh Spicer; 20. 55B-Rick Romig; 21. 23M-Tom Wise; 22. 86-Ron Aurand; 23. 97-Kenny Heffner; 24. 8B-Will Brunson (DNF). DNQ – 27-Craig Pellegrini; 19Y-Drew Young; 7X-Andrew Jacobus; 21-Andrew Boyer; 2H-Derek Hauck; 79-Ian Cumens.