9.22.19 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
By: Frank Buhrman and Stephanie Stevens Dodson
Drew Ritchey won his seventh IMCA/RaceSaver race of 2019 Sunday by leading every lap of the 25-lap feature at Hagerstown Speedway. It was his third win in the PA Sprint Series and the fifth different track on which the Everett racer has claimed a victory.
Hagerstown joined Bedford, Path Valley, Cumberland and Hesston speedways on Ritchey’s trophy list, with Bedford and Path Valley having fallen twice to the 24-yeaer-old’s R&N Tire/LaSalle’s Racing Engines/Bedford Valley Petroleum #880.
Ritchey survived an early duel with national IMCA/RaceSaver points leader Ken Duke Jr. and then a wild lap 20 restart, during which eventual runner-up Ryan Lynn and Dave Grube challenged for the top spot.
National points runner-up Scott Lutz reclaimed third place in the final laps, with Grube coming home fourth and Jaremi Hanson fifth. Lutz and Hanson had come through from fifth-row starting spots.
Completing the Top 10 were Doug Dodson, Tim Stallings, Christian Rumsey; Dylan Proctor and 2018 PASS points cham Zach Newlin.
Duke, who got the nose of his car inside of Ritchey early, tangled with the leader on lap 14 and spun, but he recovered and came home 11th, clinching the 2019 PASS points championship in his Fairfield Chevrolet/Apache Tree Service/sprintcarunlimited.com #67.
The featured showcased the passing talents of several racers, with Christian Rumsey charging the hardest, coming from 19th starting position to finish eighth.
Heat races for the 30 sprinters on hand were won by Grube, Brad Mellott and Ryan Lynn, with Rumsey taking the B-Main. The worst incident of the night came in the first heat when Kurt Knepper and Jimmy White wrecked in turn two. Neither driver was injured, but both were done for the night.
The season’s final 2019 points race also was the final PASS event before the Eighth Annual Keystone RaceSaver Challenge, the “Blue Collar Classic,” on Saturday, October 12, at Port Royal Speedway. RaceSaver competitors from throughout the region are expected to take part in that interregional event.
HEAT 1 – 1. 3D-Dave Grube; 2. 20-Doug Dodson; 3. 2-Erin Statler; 4. 880-Drew Ritchey; 5. 83-Larry McVay; 6. 44K-Tim Stallings; 7. 56-Jake Frye; 8. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 9. 13-Kurt Knepper (DNF); 10. 53W-Jimmy White (DNF).
HEAT 2 – 1. 6X-Brad Mellott; 2. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 3. R6-Reed Thompson; 4. 33-Scott Lutz; 5. 44V-Daren Bolac; 6. 44-Jake Waters; 7. 1R-Christian Rumsey; 8. 107-Colton Hoover; 9. 88VA-Bill Rice; 10. 43-Chris Ware.
HEAT 3 – 1. 26-Ryan Lynn; 2. 00S-Randy Sterling; 3. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 4. 17K-Kyle Keen; 5. 11Z-Zach Newlin; 6. 92-Dylan Proctor; 7. 86-Ron Aurand; 8. 54M-Todd Lynn; 9. 80-Dave Wickham; 10. 90-Charlie Ware.
B-MAIN – 1. 1R-Christian Rumsey; 2. 56-Jake Frye; 3. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 4. 86-Ron Aurand; 5. 54M-Todd Lynn; 6. 88VA-Bill Rice; 7. 107-Colton Hoover; 8. 80-Dave Wickham; 9. 90-Charlie Ware; 10. 43-Chris Ware. DNS – 13-Kurt Knepper; 53W-Jimmy White.
FEATURE – 1. 880-Drew Ritchey; 2. 26-Ryan Lynn; 3. 33-Scott Lutz; 4. 3D-Dave Grube; 5. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 6. 20-Doug Dodson; 7. 44K-Tim Stallings; 8. 1R-Christian Rumsey; 9. 92-Dylan Proctor; 10. 11Z-Zach Newlin; 11. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 12. 44-Jake Waters; 13. 83-Larry McVay; 14. 2-Erin Statler; 15. 6X-Brad Mellott; 16. 56-Jake Frye; 17. 44V-Daren Bolac; 18. R6-Reed Thompson; 19. 00S-Randy Sterling; 20. 86-Ron Aurand; 21. 88VA-Bill Rice; 22. 54M-Todd Lynn; 23. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 24. 17K-Kyle Keen. DNS – 107-Colton Hoover; 90-Charlie Ware; 43-Chris Ware; 13-Kurt Knepper; 80-Dave Wickham; 53W-Jimmy White.