NITRO NICK RIDES HIGH FOR WIN AT PORT
Nitro Nick” Sweigart has made some heroic charges from the back of the field to good finishes this season, but the Myerstown racer got a good starting position draw Saturday and made the most of it, wiring the field for his second PA Sprint Series feature win of the season at Port Royal Speedway.
After finishing second in his heat race, Sweigart drew the pole position for the 20-lap IMCA/RaceSaver sprint feature, outdueled outside front row starter Kirsten Hess for the lead and held off charges from Doug Dodson and Garrett Bard to park the A.H. Moyer/Buckwalter Trucking/Gater Truck Sales RacerX #8 in victory lane.
Dodson made his most determined challenge in the race’s only restart, on a lap four following a caution for Branstin Shue and Dustin Young, both of who scraped the outside wall. Dodson went for an inside pass but couldn’t pull it off. Sweigart, Dodson and Bard then pulled away from the field, with all three cars running an extreme high line. With the race remaining green the rest of the way, that battle continued in traffic, but Sweigart handled the lapped cars and never allowed another serious challenge.
On lap 14, Bard slipped past Dodson for second, and three laps later, Dave Grube moved into the third spot, but Sweigart was in control the rest of the way.
The win was Sweigart’s third overall in an up-and-down season that has seen him finish in the top five in six of his 11 starts and outside the top ten in the remaining five.
He and Bard are the only PASS winners at the Port this year (three for Bard, two for Sweigart), and with this being the final regular-season points race (three events were canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions), the finish also set the field for the invitational race that will support the World of Outlaws event on October 10, with the top 26 in Port Royal points eligible to run.
Heat races for the 42 RaceSaver sprint cars on hand were won by Bard, Melair, Jimmy White and Dodson, who started tenth (last) in his heat. The 22-car B-Main was won by Dustin Smith, with the final qualifying spot going to rookie Dustin Young, who came from 20th starting spot to finish sixth.
Hard Charger was Landon Price, advancing from 17th starting position to eighth at the finish. Even on a slick track, there was plenty of other passing: Jaremi Hanson advanced eight spot during the feature, and Larry McVay and Erin Statler each advanced seven. The award was especially lucrative to Price, coming with both a right rear tire from Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic and $100 from Port Royal’s PASS sponsor, Penns Valley Meat Market.
PASS is at BAPS Motor Speedway next Saturday (August 29) for an event co-sanctioned by the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series (MASS). The special night also will include a 360/358 sprint challenge featuring the United Racing Club 360 sprints, the Super Sportsman cars and limited stocks. PASS will run a full program plus a make-up feature from August 1.
For more schedule information and the latest news, visit www.pasprintseries.com or the PA Sprint Series Facebook page.
Results from Port Royal Speedway, August 22
HEAT 1 – 1. 95-Garrett Bard; 2. M1-Justin Mills; 3. 3D-Dave Grube; 4. 83-Larry McVay; 5. 69-Landon Price; 6. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 7. 54M-Todd Lynn; 8. 86-Ron Aurand; 9. 23-Nathan Gramley; 10. 51-Dave Graber; 11. 92B-Don Wise.
HEAT 2 – 1. 55-Domenic Melair; 2. 99-Devin Adams; 3. 44K-Kirsten Hess; 4. 21-Andrew Boyer; 5. 79-Ian Cumens; 6. R6-Reed Thompson; 7. 39X-Scott Frack; 8. 71-Josh Spicer; 9. 19-Kruz Kepner; 10. 25K-Matt Kline; 11. 19Y-Drew Young (DNF).
HEAT 3 – 1. 53W-Jimmy White; 2. 8-Nick Sweigart; 3. 19A-Brody Adamsky; 4. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 5. 12F-Daryl Stimeling; 6. 03-Branstin Shue; 7. 88-Fred Arnold; 8. 83K-Kristina Pratt; 9. 80-Dave Wickham; 10. 27-Jenna Shotz.
HEAT 4 – 1. 20-Doug Dodson; 2. 17K-Kyle Keen; 3. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 4. 2-Erin Statler; 5. 4B-Jason Bergstresser; 6. 11-Dustin Smith; 7. 46-Mike Alleman; 8. 00-Jason Roush; 9. D57-Jeff Miller; 10. 25D-Dustin Young;
B-Main – 1. 11-Dylan Smith; 2. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 3. R6-Reed Thompson; 4. 03-Branstin Shue; 5. 88-Fred Arnold; 6. 25D-Dustin Young; 7. 39X-Scott Frack; 8. 71-Josh Spicer; 9. 23-Nathan Gramley; 10. 86-Ron Aurand; 11. 46-Mike Alleman; 12. 54M-Todd Lynn; 13-83K-Kristina Pratt; 14. 00-Jason Roush; 15. 19-Kruz Kepner; 16. 51-Dave Graber; 17. 25K-Matthew Kline; 18. 27J-Jenna Shotz; 19. 19Y-Drew Young; 20. 80-Dave Wickham; 21. D57-Jeff Miller; 22. 92B-Don Wise.
FEATURE – 1. 8-Nick Sweigart; 2. 95-Garrett Bard; 3. 3D-Dave Grube; 4. 20-Doug Dodson; 5. 55-Domenic Melair; 6. 83-Larry McVay; 7. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 8. 69-Landon Price; 9. 2-Erin Statler; 10. 99-Devin Adams; 11. M1-Justin Mills; 12. 44K-Kirsten Hess; 13. 53W-Jimmy White; 14. 36-Jaremi Hanson; 15. 17K-Kyle Keen; 16. 11-Dylan Smith; 17. 12F-Daryl Stimeline; 18. 19A-Brody Adamsky; 19. 41Z-Jared Zionkowski; 20. 88-Fred Arnold; 21. 21-Andrew Boyer; 22. 79-Ian Cumens; 23. R6-Reed Thompson; 24. 4B-Jason Bergstresser (DNF); 25. 25D-Dustin Young (DNF); 26. 03-Branstin Shue (DNF). DNQ – 39X-Scott Frack; 71-Josh Spicer; 23-Nathan Gramley; 86-Ron Aurand; 46-Mike Alleman; 54M-Todd Lynn; 83K-Kristina Pratt; 00-Jason Roush; 19-Kruz Kepner; 51-Dave Graber; 25K-Matt Kline; 27J-Jenna Shotz; 19Y-Drew Young; 80-Dave Wickham; D57-Jeff Miller; 92B-Don Wise.