KRUZ KEPNER WINS P.A.S.S. 305 FEATURE AT PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY
By Judy McGee Timmons
The PA Sprint Series 305 racers made an appearance at Path Valley Speedway on Saturday night, with a competitive 23 car field, running a non-stop 25 lap feature with speeds as high as 73 MPH on the quarter mile oval.
Kyle Hart & Timmy Bitner were in the front of the pack on green with Hart taking the lead, as Bittner, Austin Greenland, Kruz Kepner & Drew Young, positioning in the top five. Kepner pulled by Greenland & Bittner to take 2nd on lap 10, then on to put the pressure on Hart for 4 laps till he took the lead on lap 14. Greenland moved into 3rd, as Young & Bittner raced in the top five for 3 laps till Jarrett Cavalet came on the scene, passing Bittner. Kepner & Hart held the top 2 spots as the competition intensified with the last 5 laps counting down. Drew Young moved by Hart & Cavalet, moving into 4th as Greenland passed Bittner to collect the top 5 position as Kepner collected the checkered flag. Kyle Hart had the fastest lap speed traveling 73.958mMPH in 12.169 seconds.
The Cisney’s Auto Sales 4 Cylinder Thunder Cars Division evidently had some effects of the full moon as Travis Burkholder & Roger Traxler led the 24 car field to the green, with Burkholder taking a brief lead, till Traxler took the position, immediately before a caution for Michael Danner, who got into turn 3, and was put to the rear.
The reline had Traxler at the front, Jeremy Eutzy, Robert McQuade, & Charlie Stallman in the top 5. Traxler, Eutzy, & Parker Starr were door to door out of turn 3 when other drivers moved into the space, causing contact which put the leader into the pits & McQuade to the rear. Two laps were complete when Michael Danner continued with his spree of bad luck, coming to a stop on turn three, from which his racer was towed. Traxler returned to the circuit on the restart joining the rear as Eutzy, Starr, Stallman, Ott, & Kenny Hill moved to the top 5 where they remained for 4 laps until Aaron Updegraff & Kenny Hill went door to door, with Updegraff claiming 5th. The top competitors were inches apart as Ott moved by Stallman for 3rd place. Eutzy, Starr, & Ott went 3 abreast in the turns, with Eutzy & Ott making contact, putting Eutzy into a spin, which created a track call putting Eutzy & Ott back to their 1st & 3rd positions. Another contact situation on the next lap, put leaders Eutzy & Starr to the rear of the pack & Ott took his ride to the pits on lap 14.
The readjustment to the front put Updegraff in the lead, followed by Stallman, Hill, Tara Kerlin, & Nicholas Barthalow for the top 5, who kept the action going for the final 6 laps. Jamie Rhone, who sat in 6th place on the restart, got into some 3 abreast combat with Kerlin & Barthalow, resulting in Rhone moving to 4th position, where he finished behind Updegraff, Stallman & Hill as the checkered flag waved. Charlie Stallman had the best speed lap traveling 62.823 MPH in 14.326 seconds.
The T.A. Ward Construction 270 Sprints took the green with Tyler Clowes & Cory Myers at the bow with Clowes taking the lead, till a prelap caution for Noelle Ebersole slowed the field as her racer was pushed to the pits. Three laps were on the books when leader Clowes & Cory Myers went wheel to wheel, when suddenly Clowes went towards the exit ramp wall, stopping his ride till he returned to the back of the line-up. Myers, Jason Houtz, Dakota Yeingst, Bret Cronrath, & Craig Myers were now in the top 5 for the restart , as Cory Myers increased his lead while Craig Myers moved into 3rd position. Six laps were remaining when Stephanie Welk & Jamie Connelly made contact, putting Connelly’s racer in the pits & Welk to the rear. Two laps remained when 4th place runner, Dakota Yeingst, got his racer into the turn 2 wall; retiring him for the evening; while Myers, Myers, Houtz, Cronrath, & Noah Martin relined for the final green. As the flag waved, Houtz passed Craig Myers to finish 2nd, as Cronrath & Martin finished in the top 5. Cory Myers had the fastest lap, piloting his racer at 76.033 MPH in 11.837.
The Cordell Construction Late Model division had D.J. Myers, & Randy Burkholder at the top of their starting line-up, but Mike Walls took the lead on green with Burkholder, Kyle Moser, D.J. Myers & Jake Moser filling in the top five runners, where they remained for 6 laps till a caution for John Moser was flown when his ride got into the turn 2 infield. Walls, Burkholder, Kyle Moser, Myers, & Jake Moser were now in the top five as the flag went green; completing another 5 laps before John Moser’s racer got into the turn 4 infield.
On the reline, John Moser again got his racer into a spin, putting him to the pits, as the lineup formed for the 12 remaining laps. Walls, Burkholder, Kyle Moser, D.J. Myers and Jake Moser were in the top- spots with Kyle Moser & Myers going wheel to wheel for 5 laps before Myers took the spot, continuing his elimination of competition as he moved to 2nd, before a caution for Dylan Brown occurred in the turn 2 infield. The reline had the racers in order with 2 laps remaining, putting Walls, Myers, Burkholder, Kyle Moser & Jaxton Garman into the final finish as Walls claimed the checkered flag. A discrepancy was found in the late model division, creating a change to the finish so that the top five were: Walls – Burkholder - Kyle Moser- Garman & Jake Moser. Michael Walls had the best speed lap going 72.869 MPH in 12.351 seconds.
Brent Shearer & Jim Young chauffeured the Macri Concrete 600 Sprints to the wave of green with Jim Young taking the lead. Two laps were complete when Cole Thompson pulled to the infield & Dawson Walls, Dylan Anderson got together in turn 4, having to be towed to the pits. The reline was Young, Cole Dewease, Brent Shearer, Travis Keiser, & Randy Kunkle Jr. A caution for Darrin Adair slowed the field to prepare for a restart, as Adairs racer went to pits. Young held the lead on green till Cole Dewease came from 5th place to pass Young; as Shearer, Kunkle Jr., & Keiser, ran in the top five spots for 8 laps with Dewease gaining momentum & a marginal lead.
Fifteen laps were recorded when a caution for Rick McMichael came out when he spun out in turn 4, resulting in his racer going to the rear. On the restart, Dewease led the runners to the checkered, as Brent Shearer & Young were running side by side to win the 2nd place. Young took control of 2nd behind Dewease and before Shearer, Kunkle & Keiser. Cole Dewease had the best speed running at 76.459 MPH in 11.771 seconds.