Sweigart sprints to second Keystone RaceSaver title

Nick Sweigart led every lap Saturday at Port Royal Speedway on his way to becoming just the second two-time winner of the Keystone RaceSaver Challenge. (Photo by WRT Brian Rhoad)

By Frank Buhrman and Stephanie Dodson 

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (July 20, 2024) – Nick Sweigart wired the field at Port Royal Speedway Saturday to become only the second driver ever to win the River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series’ biggest race, the Keystone RaceSaver Challenge, twice.

The veteran driver, who returned to PASS last season after a couple of seasons running 410 sprints, collected his 11th career victory with his latest win. Seven of those have come at Port Royal.

Sweigart joins Jeff Miller as the only drivers to win the Keystone RaceSaver Challenge twice in its 13 runnings. His seventh Port Royal win overall moved him into third place in overall PASS wins at the track, trailing only Miller and Garrett Bard, each with 12.

In victory lane, the winner revealed that he plans to retire at the end of this season, making the win all the more meaningful.

Owen Dimm, who joined Sweigart on the front row for the race start, finished second. Dimm was able to cut into Sweigart’s lead several times in traffic but couldn’t wrestle the lead away.

2022 KRC winner and 2023 series champion Logan Spahr came home in third place, with Jeff Weaver and Mike Alleman fourth and fifth, respectively. Weaver and Alleman also had posted top five finishes Friday night at Path Valley Speedway’s Night of Power program, giving them strong performances in two extra-dollar races.

Sixth was Ken Duke, who won the rain-delayed 2023 KRC this past April.

The race ran nonstop, with 21 of the 26 starters still running at the finish. Forty-five IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car teams were entered.

Counting unofficial events, Sweigart became the first driver to take three checkered flags on Keystone RaceSaver Challenge night, having also won a Founder’s Cup feature for KRC non-qualifiers in 2021.

Saturday, the River Valley Builders PASS teams head into Virginia to make PASS’s debut at Winchester Speedway. The event will be co-sanctioned by the Virginia Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series.

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