Bard Bounces Back With Path Win during PASS Tour
Bard Bounces Back With Path Win
Garrett Bard put disappointment behind him and scored a convincing victory Saturday night in the PA Sprint Series 25-lap feature event at Path Valley Speedway.
The Wells Tannery driver in his family-supported CG Racing Engines/Barnett Self Storage/Environmental Earth Tech #95 had endured a rare failure-to-qualify Friday night at Big Diamond Speedway, but racing life was clearly back in balance 24 hours later. After a sixth-place start in his heat, Bard finished second, the drew the pole position for the feature and led all the way, taking the win by 1.391 seconds over Austin Reed.
The win was Bard’s fifth of 2021 and 20th in a PASS career that now spans just over two years. It was his third career win at Path Valley. In victory lane, Bard said he welcomed the race’s two late cautions, because the handle on his car was going away, and the restarts took him out of heavy traffic.
Reed, who had started eighth, hung with Bard on the final restarts but couldn’t get around. The Etters driver’s ESS/Save Rite Auto Sales & Service/Signarama of York #34 turned in an impressive run to the front but fell just short of his first win of the season.
Scott Frack of Gilbertsville, who won his heat and started fourth in the feature, ran in the top five all race and finished third, one of several competitors scoring PASS career-best finishes. Rookie Zach Rhodes of McVeytown was another of that group with his fourth. Ken Duke Jr. of Selinsgrove, recovering from a nasty green-flag accident Friday at Big Diamond, charged from 14th starting position to finish fifth.
Completing the top ten were Stevie Kenawell (whose father was a three-time winner at Path Valley), Donnie Hendershott, Alyssa Rowe (in only her third PASS start), Kenny Heffner and defending Path Valley RaceSaver points champion John Walp.
Hendershot claimed the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Hard Charger award, moving from 20th starting position to his seventh-place finish.
The race was slowed by four cautions, one of which sidelined top five-running Andrew Boyer, who spun and hit the front stretch wall. He was awarded the Austin Gelwicks Hard Luck Award, a cash award donated by the family of the driver whose memorial race is run annually at Path Valley.
Reed collected the VP Racing Fuels Award as the top finisher using VP products and displaying the company’s decal.
Heat races for the 22-car field were won by Boyer, Frack and Kennawell.
After a rare off weekend this week, the PASS sprinters return to action Saturday, August 7, at Port Royal Speedway. 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 July 24
HEAT 1 – 1. 21-Andrew Boyer; 2. 5-John Walp; 3. 34-Austin Reed; 4. 97-Kenny Heffner; 5. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 6. 4C-Cody Hackenberry; 7. 19-Kruz Kepner; 8. 17-Eric Hendershot.
HEAT 2 – 1. 39X-Scott Frack; 2. 95-Garrett Bard; 3. 91J-John Fiore; 4. 03-Branstin Shue; 5. 11M-Mikell McGee; 6. 88-Fred Arnold; 7. 31-Donnie Hendershot.
HEAT 3 – 1. 17K-Stevie Kenawell; 2. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 3. 71-Alyssa Rowe; 4. 26-Ryan Lynn; 5. M1-Justin Mills; 6. 32A-Austin Greenland; 7. 46-Mike Alleman.
FEATURE – 1. 95-Garrett Bard; 2. 34-Austin Reed; 3. 39X-Scott Frack; 4. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 5. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 6. 17K-Stevie Kenawell;7. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 8. 71-Alyssa Rowe; 9. 97-Kenny Heffner; 10. 5-John Walp; 11. 03-Branstin Shue; 12. M1-Justin Mills; 13. 88-Fred Arnold; 14. 32A-Austin Greenland; 15. 11M-Mikell McGee (DNF); 16. 26-Ryan Lynn (DNF); 17. 91J-John Fiore (DNF); 18. 4C-Cody Hackenberry (DNF); 19. 19-Kruz Kepner (DNF); 20. 21-Andrew Boyer (DNF); 21. 46-Mike Alleman (DNF); 22. 17-Eric Hendershot (DNF).
Photo credit: Teal Beard WRT Article by:Frank Buhrman