9.11.21 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
By: Frank Buhrman
Ken Duke Jr. did everything he could to get past Mike Melair in Saturday’s PA Sprint Series IMCA/RaceSaver feature at Lincoln Speedway, then got the win after racing had finished, when Melair was disqualified for failing to report for a post-race weigh-in.
The 18th win of Duke’s PASS career was the first with no victory lane ceremony – Melair had enjoyed that – but it will count in the record books, nonetheless.
The Selinsgrove veteran in the Fairfield Chevrolet/Apache Tree Service/Bud Godek Auto Body #67 was scheduled to start third in the race but moved up a spot when Kristina Pratt was penalized for a poor start in the first effort to get the event underway. Nevertheless, he couldn’t keep Melair from taking the lead in search of his second career PASS win. Three restarts largely kept the leaders out of traffic, and the race was one of Duke making a bid for the lead and Melair holding him off.
With the race manually scored, there was no precise victory margin, but it was close. Unfortunately, in the post-race excitement, Melair did not take his car to the scales as required, and his victory became a 24th-place finish, with Duke moving up to the win.
Garrett Bard, who spent the race trying everything he could to get past Duke and challenge for the lead, ended up second, putting the last two IMCA/RaceSaver National Champions and PASS Champs on the podium together. Likewise, New Yorker Justin Mills battled in the top five within striking distance of the lead all night and came home third.
Mikell McGee and Doug Dodson completed the top five, with the later overcoming yet another poor position redraw and advancing from 12th starting position.
Rounding out the top ten were George Riden, Jarrett Cavalet (up eight spots from his start), Pratt, Devin Borden, and Pittsburgh invader Rob Felix (up nine positions).
None of those chargers could hold a candle to Red Lion’s Rowdy Heffner, though. Heffner had failed to qualify for the race, but Donnie Wise was unable to start, and first alternate John Fiore left the speedway after qualifying, putting Heffner into the starting line-up, and he finished 11th after starting 24th.
Riden and Austin Reed, who came home behind Heffner in 12th, officially advanced 3 and 11 spots but actually did much more, because they were involved in the night’s first caution and went to the rear. Reed then was involved in a lap 10 caution as well, so he may have passed some cars a couple of times.
That lap 10 incident was the feature’s most serious, sidelining Dom Melair and Erin Statler and also involving Reed and Donnie Hendershot, who were able to continue.
Heat races went to Mills, Kenny Heffner, Statler and Bard, with Jeff Geiges claiming the B-Main. J.R. Booth flipped in the fourth hear for the only serious incident during qualifying for the 32-car field.
Duke became the 22nd winner of a PASS feature at Lincoln, joining Bard (2 wins) and Statler (1) as the only active drivers with victories at the Pidgeon Hills oval.
This weekend the PASS sprinters make their only appearance of the year (a spring race was weathered out) at Williams Grove Speedway Friday night. Then on Saturday they return to Path Valley Speedway for a full program plus a make-up feature from a show halted by rain last month after qualifying.
For the latest news and schedule information, visit www.pasprintseries.com, the PA Sprint Series Facebook page, or @pasprintseries on Twitter.
Results from Lincoln Speedway, September 11
HEAT 1 – 1. M1-Justin Mills; 2. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 3. 11M-Mikell McGee; 4. Larry McVay; 5. 71-Alyssa Rowe; 6. 77J-Jeff Geiges; 7. 87-Austin Graby; 8. 58-Nate Emig.
HEAT 2 – 1. 97-Kenny Heffner; 2. 54-Mike Melair; 3. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 4. 7-Aiden Borden; 5. 36-Dom Melair; 6. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 7. 11-Dylan Smith; 8. 34-Austin Reed (DNF).
HEAT 3 – 1. 2-Erin Statler; 2. 20-Doug Dodson; 3. 99-George Riden; 4. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 5. 21-Rob Felix; 6. 1-Rowdy Heffner; 7. 91J-John Fiore; 8. 17K-Donavyn Knokey (DNF).
HEAT 4 – 1. 95-Garrett Bard; 2. 80-Dave Wickham; 3. 25-Dustin Young; 4. 51-Dave Graber; 5. 11W-Donnie Wise (DNF); 6. 50-Michael Keen; 7. 43-J.R. Booth. DNS – 19A-Tim Iulg.
B-MAIN – 1. 77J-Jeff Geiges; 2. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 3. 87-Austin Graby; 4. 34-Austin Reed; 5. 91J-John Fiore; 6. 1-Rowdy Heffner; 7. 58-Nate Emig. DNS – 11-Dylan Smith; 43-J.R. Booth; 17K-Donavyn Knokey; 50-Michael Keen; 19A-Tim Iulg.
FEATURE – 1. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 2. 95-Garrett Bard; 3. M1-Justin Mills; 4. 11M-Mikell McGee; 5. 20-Doug Dodson; 6. 99-George Riden; 7. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 8. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 9. 7-Aiden Borden; 10. 21-Rob Felix; 11. 1-Rowdy Heffner; 12. 34-Austin Reed; 13. 80-Dave Wickham; 14. 83-Larry McVay; 15. 77J-Jeff Geiges; 16. 97-Kenny Heffner; 17. 87-Austin Graby; 18. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 19. 71-Alyssa Rowe; 20. 25-Dustin Young; 21. 51-Dave Graber; 22. 36-Dom Melair (DNF); 23. 2-Erin Statler; 24. 54-Mike Melair (DQ). DNS – 11W-Donnie Wise. DNQ – 91J-John Fiore; 58-Nate Emig; 11-Dylan Smith; 43-J.R. Booth; 17K-Donavyn Knokey; 50-Michael Keen; 19A-Tim Iulg.