Hauck Romps at Selinsgrove with PASS
Derek Hauck put on a clinic Saturday night to post an emphatic, start-to-finish victory in the PA Sprint Series 20-lap feature at Selinsgrove Speedway.
The Allenwood driver, now in his second full season of sprint car competition in the Fultz Auto Body of Lock Haven/Hills Garage/White Horse Graphics #33, took advantage of a front-row starting position to grab the lead in the second turn of the opening lap and never looked back, negotiating traffic and holding off a late charge by Austin Reed to win by 1.246 seconds in a nonstop race. Work responsibilities have limited Hauck’s racing this season to nine PASS starts (plus a few with the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series), but this was his second win and sixth top-five finish in those nine events.
While Hauck was roaring through the field in the lead, a battle including as many as four cars was raging behind him, first for the runner-up spot, until Reed of Etters laid claim there, then for third, where a late charge by Doug Dodson of Middletown gave him that spot. Veteran Fred Arnold of Richfield, who started on the pole and was in the thick of the top-five battle all race long, finished a career-best fourth, with Dom Melair of Warrington, also a race-long combatant in the top five, coming home fifth.
Completing the top 10 were rookie Paul Moyer (career-best sixth), 2020 PASS Rookie of the Year Dustin Young (career-best seventh), 2020 PASS and IMCA/RaceSaver National Champion Garrett Bard, Will Brunson and Mike Melair.
2019 PASS and IMCA/RaceSaver National Champion Ken Duke Jr. of Selinsgrove got into the field as first alternate and started 24, then advanced to 13th at the finish to earn the Hard Charger Award for the race with his 11-position improvement. Justin Mills moved up nine spots to finish 11th.
Heat races for the 29-car field were won by Moyer, Tom Wise and Dom Melair, with Mike Alleman taking the B-Main. The evening’s only serious incident took place in the first heat. Nick Sweigart, who had been scheduled to start on the pole, was penalized to the third position after two false starts, then hit new pole-sitter Erin Statler on the third start, causing her car to spin and his to flip. Neither driver was hurt, and Statler continued on in the race.
This Saturday, PASS teams join those of other RaceSaver groups for the interregional Nittany 40 at Clinton County Speedway. Original plans had two races that day, with teams competing earlier at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Raceway, but that race was cancelled. For the latest news and schedule information, visit www.pasprintseries.com, the PA Sprint Series Facebook page, or @pasprintseries on Twitter.
Results from Selinsgrove Speedway, September 25
HEAT 1 — 1. 23M-Tom Wise; 2. 20-Doug Dodson; 3. 33-Derek Hauck; 4. 56-Tyler Snook; 5. 54-Mike Melair; 6. 31-Roger Weaver; 7. 2-Erin Statler; 8. M1-Justin Mills (DNF); 9. 8-Nick Sweigart (DNF). DNS – 19-Kruz Kepner.
HEAT 2 — 1. 1M-Paul Moyer; 2. 5-Logan Spahr; 3. 25-Dustin Young; 4. 34-Austin Reed; 5. 8-Will Brunson; 6. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 7. 46-Mike Alleman; 8. 11W-Donnie Wise; 9. 98-Croix Beasom; 10. 51-Dave Graber (DNF).
HEAT 3 — 1. 55-Dom Melair; 2. 95-Garrett Bard; 3. 88-Fred Arnold; 4. 14-Cale Reigle; 5. 99-Devin Adams; 6. 7-Drew Young; 7. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 8. 28R-Jason Roush; 9. 67-Ken Duke Jr. (DNF).
B-Main — 1. 46-Mike Alleman; 2. M1-Justin Mills; 3. 2-Erin Statler; 4. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz; 5. 28R-Jason Roush; 6. 19-Kruz Kepner; 7. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 8. 11W-Donnie Wise; 9. 98-Croix Beasom; 10. 51-Dave Graber; 11. 8-Nick Sweigart (DNF).
FEATURE — 1. 33-Derek Hauck; 2. 34-Austin Reed; 3. 20-Doug Dodson; 4. 88-Fred Arnold; 5. 55-Dom Melair; 6. 1M-Paul Moyer; 7. 25-Dustin Young; 8. 95-Garrett Bard; 9. 8-Will Brunson; 10. 54-Mike Melair; 11. M1-Justin Mills; 12. 99-Devin Adams; 13. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 14. 7-Drew Young; 15. 14-Cale Reigle; 16. 46-Mike Alleman; 17. 0Z-Zach Rhodes; 18. 2-Erin Statler; 19. 23M-Tom Wise; 20. 28R-Jason Roush; 21. 5-Logan Spahr; 22. 56-Tyler Snook (DNF); 23. 69K-Kassidy Kreitz (DNF); 24. 31-Roger Weaver (DNF). DNS — 19-Kruz Kepner; DNQ — 11W-Donnie Wise; 98-Croix Beasom; 51-Dave Graber; 8-Nick Sweigart.
Photo credit: Frank Buhrman Article by:Frank Buhrman