8.29.21 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
By: Frank Buhrman
George Riden had been trying to get his RaceSaver sprint car out to the track more often. It paid off Sunday night, when the Elizabethtown veteran won his first PA Sprint Series race in nine years, taking the 20-lap feature at BAPS Motor Speedway.
After finishing fourth in his heat race, Riden drew the outside pole for the feature and took the lead from pole-sitter Drew Young on lap three. He then fought off a ferocious challenge from Dom Melair, whose efforts to go past the Tool Shed of America/Gutshall’s Automotive/Carlisle Cement Products #99 on the outside fell just short.
“Work has gotten pretty busy,” Riden said in victory lane. “Racing had to be put on the back burner, but these guys over here have been working their butts off, and we finally found some speed. It’s been a long time, man, so I’m just happy, just happy.”
The win was Riden’s seventh with PASS but his first since September 29, 2012. All six previous wins were at Path Valley Speedway.
The veteran racer was a PASS regular from 2005-13 but has run sporadically since then and didn’t compete at all in 2020. This was his sixth start of 2021, and a fifth-place finish at Selinsgrove back in May showed that driver and car still had it in them. The combination really paid off Sunday.
Melair, of Warrington, who started third, moved past Young on lap four and did everything possible to get by Riden but had to settle for second, only 0.150 seconds back. Derek Hauck of Allenwood, who had started eighth, advanced past several other stout runners and appeared to have something for Melair and even Riden near the end, but he wound up one-and-a-half seconds back of the leader in third.
Mid Atlantic Sprint Series regular Tim Iulg of Bridgetown, N.J., ran to a solid fourth, and Doug Dodson of Middletown finished fifth and claimed the Auto Core Recycling Hard Charger Award, coming from 13th starting position.
Ken Duke Jr., Justin Mills, Rick Stief, Erin Statler and Tim Tanner Jr. completed the top 10.
After a caution on the initial restart for a Mike Melair spin, the race ran 14 straight green flag laps before defending IMCA/RaceSaver National Champion and 2020 PASS Champ Garrett Bard rolled over in turn four and brought the red flag out. He was uninjured. Another caution two laps later slowed the field when Drew Young stopped in turn three. After his strong run, Young received the Auto Core Recycling Hard Luck Award.
That set the stage for a final battle over an open track, and Riden, Dom Melair and Hauck kept the crowd on edge until the checkered flag fell.
Besides Dodson, other notable chargers included John Walp and Aiden Borden, each of whom improved by seven positions, and last-starting John Fiore, who advanced six places. Hauck topped the chargers who started in the top 10 with his move of five spots.
Heats for the 27-car field went to Justin Mills, Tim Iulg and Ken Duke Jr. The only incident during the heats came in the first when Donavyn Knokey spun his #17K and collected Frank Rusnock in the 17R. Both 17s had problems again in the B-Main when Rusnock failed to start after a mechanical problem during the line-up laps, and Knokey spun midway through the race and retired. Mike Melair was the B-Main winner.
This Saturday the PASS sprinters return to Path Valley Speedway and join the wingless super sportsman cars, 270 and 600 micro sprints, 4-cylinder thunder cars and 4-cylinder strictly stocks. Gates will open at 4:00 p.m. with warm-ups starting at 6:00.
For the latest news and schedule information, visit www.pasprintseries.com, the PA Sprint Series Facebook page, or @pasprintseries on Twitter.
Results from BAPS Motor Speedway, August 29
HEAT 1 – 1. M1-Justin Mills; 2. 7-Drew Young; 3. 33-Derek Hauck; 4. 95-Garrett Bard; 5. 20-Doug Dodson; 6. 1M-Paul Moyer; 7. 74-Vance Berry; 8. 17K-Donavyn Knokey (DNF); 9. 17R-Frank Rusnock (DNF).
HEAT 2 – 1. 19A-Tim Iulg; 2. 36-Dom Melair; 3. 11-Dylan Smith; 4. 2-Erin Statler; 5. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 6. 83-Larry McVay; 7. 54-Mike Melair; 8. 5-John Walp; 9. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet.
HEAT 3 – 1. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 2. 9S-Rick Stief; 3. 6-Tim Tanner Jr.; 4. 99-George Riden; 5. 34-Austin Reed; 6. 03-Branstin Shue; 7. 31-Roger Weaver; 8. 7-Aiden Borden; 9. 91J-John Fiore.
B-MAIN – 1. 54-Mike Melair; 2. 5-John Walp; 3. 7-Aiden Borden; 4. 31-Roger Weaver; 5. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 6. 91J-John Fiore; 7. 74-Vance Berry; 8. 17K-Donavyn Knokey (DNF). DNS – 17R-Frank Rusnock.
FEATURE – 1. 99-George Riden; 2. 36-Dom Melair; 3. 33-Derek Hauck; 4. 19A-Tim Iulg; 5. 20-Doug Dodson; 6. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 7. M1-Justin Mills; 8. 9S-Rick Stief; 9. 2-Erin Statler; 10. 6-Tim Tanner Jr.; 11. 11-Dylan Smith; 12. 34-Austin Reed; 13. 5-John Walp; 14. 7-Aiden Borden; 15. 54-Mike Melair; 16. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 17. 1M-Paul Moyer; 18. 91J-John Fiore; 19. 31-Roger Weaver; 20. 83-Larry McVay (DNF); 21. 7-Drew Young (DNF); 22. Garrett Bard (DNF); 23. 03-Branstin Shue (DNF); 24. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet (DNF). DNS – 74-Vance Berry; 17K-Donavyn Knokey; 17R-Frank Rusnock.