9.4.21 Pennsylvania Sprint Series Results
By: Frank Buhrman
It took Dom Melair 60 PA Sprint Series starts over four seasons to claim his first career win in IMCA/RaceSaver competition, but he clearly remembered how to do it. After finishing second in both starts following that first win, the Warrington driver led all 25 laps Saturday at Path Valley Speedway to put the Glen Del Labradors/Black Rock Container #55 in victory lane for win number two.
The first win had come in the Ort #36, which Melair has driven much of this year, but with that ride not available Saturday, the family #55 came out and scored its first win. Mother Eileen and brother Mike, who finished third Saturday, joined in a family celebration in victory lane.
Melair drew the outside pole starting position for the feature race and outgunned Andrew Boyer into the lead, while the other driver on the move was Derek Hauck to had charged from sixth to second by the time Melair hit lapped traffic. At one point, the Allenwood driver’s Hills Garage/Fultz Auto Body of Lock Haven/White Horse Graphics #33 was on Melair’s bumper, but the eventual winner responded to the challenge, opened a small-but-significant gap between the cars, and held the advantage, winning by just over half a second in a race that went non-stop.
Brother Mike Melair was in the lead group mix for most of the race and advanced from eighth starting spot to his third-place finish, with Larry McVay of Bordentown, N.J., and Kyle Colwell of Knox holding top-five spots for the entire race and coming home fourth and fifth.
Defending IMCA/RaceSaver National Champion and PASS Champ Garrett Bard came from 14th starting position to finish sixth and take home the Hard Charger cash award posted by Dr. Zach Crouse.
Justin Mills, Zach Rhodes, Will Brunson and Mike Alleman completed the top 10. Alleman advanced seven spots for his finish, and farther back in the pack, rookie Alyssa Rowe moved up six positions for her 17th-place finish.
Despite the furious pace of the non-stop event, which took barely five minutes to complete, only one starter failed to finish. Ironically, the feature’s only incident took place after the checkered flag when Chris Kreider spun in turn two and collected Boyer, earning the latter a Hard-Luck Award also posted by Dr. Crouse.
Heat winners for the 25-car field were McVay, Donnie Hendershot and Mikell McGee.
PASS will return to Path Valley in two weeks (September 18) for a regular program, plus the feature from a show August 13 that was rained out after qualifying events had been run and the lineup set.
This week PASS has an unusual Thursday-Saturday doubleheader. On Thursday the RaceSaver sprinters will join the FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions at Port Royal Speedway. Then on Saturday, PASS will be at Lincoln Speedway along with super late models, 358 sprints and an Eastern Museum of Motor Racing exhibition.
For the latest news and schedule information, visit www.pasprintseries.com, the PA Sprint Series Facebook page, or @pasprintseries on Twitter.
Results from Path Valley Speedway, September 4
HEAT 1 – 1. 83-Larry McVay; 2. 33-Derek Hauck; 3. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 4. M1-Justin Mills; 5. 52-Jeffrey Weaver; 6. 1-Rowdy Heffner; 7. 14X-Cale Reigle; 8. 03-Matthew Swift. DNS – 14-Logan Spahr.
HEAT 2 – 1. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 2. 54-Mike Melair; 3. 32A-Austin Greenland; 4. 55-Dom Melair; 5. 95-Garrett Bard; 6. 46-Mike Alleman; 7. 19K-Chris Kreider; 8. 71-Alyssa Rowe.
HEAT 3 – 1. 11M-Mikell McGee; 2. 8-Will Brunson; 3. 21-Andrew Boyer; 4. 80JR-Kyle Colwell; 5. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 6. 80-Dave Wickham; 7. 17R-Frank Rusnock; 8. 15-Matt Rader.
FEATURE – 1. 55-Dom Melair; 2. 33-Derek Hauck; 3. 54-Mike Melair; 4. 83-Larry McVay; 5. 80JR-Kyle Colwell; 6. 95-Garrett Bard; 7. M1-Justin Mills; 8. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 9. 8-Will Brunson; 10. 46-Mike Alleman; 11. 11M-Mikell McGee; 12. 52-Jeffrey Weaver; 13. 1-Rowdy Heffner; 14. 21-Andrew Boyer; 15. 14X-Cale Reigle; 16. 80-Dave Wickham; 17. 71-Alyssa Rowe; 18. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 19. 32A-Austin Greenland; 20. 15-Matt Rader; 21. 03-Matthew Swift; 22. 17R-Frank Rusnock; 23. 31-Donnie Hendershot (DNF); 24. 19X-Chris Kreider. DNS – 14-Logan Spahr.