Melair wires field at BAPS
10-14-24
By: Frank Buhrman
Mike Melair’s mom drew the #1 pill for her son’s starting position in Friday night’s River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series feature at BAPS Motor Speedway, and he showed his gratitude by putting the Ort Racing #36 sprinter out front for all 20 laps and scoring his second IMCA/RaceSaver win of the 2024 season.
After finishing sixth in the 2024 PASS points in the College Hunks Moving & Hauling car, Melair brought home his fourth career win in the series and his first at BAPS, where his RaceSaver career began in 2020.
He made it look almost easy. Traffic briefly came into play, at about the halfway point, but the race’s only yellow flag came out on lap 11 when Alan Rhodes of Milroy stopped in turn four, ending a strong run. Melair didn’t get much of a jump on second-place Ian Cumens of Lyndell on the restart, but he pulled away quickly.
Cumens, who recently returned to PASS after a four-year layoff, held onto the runner-up spot and scored his best career finish in the series (although he has won elsewhere).
2023 PASS Champion Logan Spahr of Lewisberry and Doug Dodson of Middletown, who moved up from seventh and eleventh starting positions, respectively, were third and fourth, and Owen Dimm of Mifflintown came from 13th to finish fifth.
Completing the top ten were Landon Price, Dylan Smith (his best finish in two years), Kasey Weaver, Kenny Heffner, and newly crowned 2024 River Valley Builders PASS Champion Ken Duke Jr.
Weaver, who started the race 23rd, earned the W.C. Eshenaur & Son Hard Charger Award with his climb of 15 positions. Duke had started just ahead of him and moved up 11 spots. Dylan Smith’s climb of ten spots also was notable.
The feature got off to a rough start. Tyler Snook of Selinsgrove, making his first start of the year, held the opening lap lead briefly through the first two turns, but Melair grabbed the top spot entering the backstretch. In turn three, Snook tried to duck inside but spun after minor contact, and in the scramble to dodge the stopped #56, Drew Young of Beaver Springs was forced into the fence and flipped wildly. Young was unhurt, but the car, which ran for the first time at Hagerstown two weeks ago, was a mess.
A false start on the second try forced yet another effort, and this time Dustin Young of Danville, who had inherited the outside front-row starting spot from Snook, spun in turn one and collected John Braim of Turbotville and Kyle Hart of Thompsontown. All three were done for the night, although once again, drivers were OK.
Finally, on start #4, Melair was able to outrace new outside front-row starter Alan Rhodes of Milroy for the lead, and the Warrington driver never looked back. Behind him, Spahr and Dodson quickly moved into the top five, but neither could challenge Cumens for second, and Cumens in turn had nothing for Melair.
Heat races for the strong, 36-car field were won by Alan Rhodes, Dodson, Braim, and Melair, with Duke taking the B-Main. Early lap problems were a theme for the night, with the third heat requiring a restart after Croix Beasom spun following a front-end problem, and the fourth heat having two cautions in the first two laps, due to spins.
The race program was an unusual one in that PASS was the only division running a full show. Four classes of Legends and the track’s extreme stocks also raced, but they ran qualifying events for features Saturday night. Despite that, cold weather, and a show that ran late due to the number of events, a good crowd stuck around for the sprint car feature.
The River Valley Builders PASS tour concludes its 2024 season Saturday (Oct. 19) with racing at Path Valley Speedway, its most frequently visited track, with more than 200 races having been run there since 2000.
PASS is dedicated to the heritage of RaceSaver with stable and enforceable rules, consistent rules application and fair purse distribution paying 24th place one half of first place. Learn about our policy and how to support the series at pasprintseries.com and the heritage of RaceSaver at frenchgrimes.com. We’re on social media at Facebook and X.
Results from BAPS Motor Speedway, Friday, October 12
HEAT 1 – 1. 15-Alan Rhodes; 2. 7-Drew Young; 3. 56-Tyler Snook; 4. 17-Owen Dimm; 5. 11-Dylan Smith; 6. 61-Johnny Scarborough; 7. 4W-Kasey Weaver; 8. 98-Chad Phillips; 9. 32A-Austin Greenland.
HEAT 2 – 1. 20-Doug Dodson; 2. 5-Logan Spahr; 3. 69-Landon Price; 4. 7H-Kyle Hart; 5. 5-John Walp; 6. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 7. 21-Andrew Boyer; 8. 2-Erin Statler; 9. 80-Dave Wickham.
HEAT 3 – 1. 44-John Braim; 2. 31-Donnie Hendershot; 3. 97-Kenny Heffner; 4. 28R-Jason Roush; 5. 1M-Paul Moyer; 6. 21M-Hunter McFadden; 7. 99-A.J. Barton; 8. J2-John Smith; 9. 98-Croix Beasom (DNF).
HEAT 4 – 1. 36-Mike Melair; 2. 79-Ian Cumens; 3. 25-Dustin Young; 4. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 5. 1-Phil Meisner; 6. 31Z-Zach Rhodes; 7. 5W-Kolby Weaver; 8. 19K-Chris Kreider; 9. 1J-Reece Raudabaugh (DNF).
B-MAIN (incomplete results) – 1. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 2. 61-Johnny Scarborough; 3. 4W-Kasey Weaver; 4. 31Z-Zach Rhodes; 5. 21-Andrew Boyer; 6. 5W-Kolby Weaver; 7. 2-Erin Statler; 8. 98-Croix Beasom; 9. 32A-Austin Greenland; 10. 21M-Hunter McFadden; 11. 98-Chad Phillips; 12. 19K-Chris Kreider; 13. 99-A.J. Barton; 14, 80-Dave Wickham; 15. J2-John Smith; 16. 1J-Reeece Raudabaugh.
FEATURE – 1. 36-Mike Melair; 2. 79-Ian Cumens; 3. 5-Logan Spahr; 4. 20-Doug Dodson; 5. 17-Owen Dimm; 6. 69-Landon Price; 7. 11-Dylan Smith; 8. 4W-Kasey Weaver; 9. 97-Kenny Heffner; 10. 67-Ken Duke Jr.; 11. 21C-Jarrett Cavalet; 12. 1M-Paul Moyer; 13. 56-Tyler Snook; 14. 31Z-Zach Rhodes; 15. 61-Johnny Scarborough ; 16. 28R-Jason Roush; 17. 1-Phil Meisner; 18. 31-Donnie Hendershot (DNF); 19. 15-Alan Rhodes (DNF); 20. 5-John Walp (DNF); 21. 25-Dustin Young (DNF); 22. 44-John Braim (DNF); 23. 7H-Kyle Hart (DNF); 24. 7-Drew Young (DNF). DNQ – 21-Andrew Boyer; 5W-Kolby Weaver; 2-Erin Statler; 98-Croix Beasom; 32A-Austin Greenland; 21M-Hunter McFadden; 98-Chad Phillips; 19K-Chris Kreider; 99-A.J. Barton; 80-Dave Wickham; J2-John Smith; 1J-Reeece Raudabaugh.