Rhodes scores PASS win at BAPS

Results, Sprint Car

Zach Rhodes was perfect on each restart in leading Sunday’s PASS IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car main event wire to wire Sunday at BAPS Motor Speedway. (Photo by Rod Ort)

By Frank Buhrman

YORK HAVEN, Pa. (May 19, 2024) – The River Valley Builders PA Sprint Series’ return to BAPS Motor Speedway Sunday was just what Zach Rhodes and the Weaver Racing team needed, as they posted a wire-the-field performance for win number one in 2024.

The McVeytown driver had finished 16th and 10th in the first two events of this overly wet season, decidedly disappointing after ending 2023 with a win at Port Royal Speedway before a World of Outlaws crowd.

On this night, though, Rhodes took advantage of the best weather so far in 2024 to show the magic is still there.

After grabbing the initial lead from fellow front-row starter Ken Duke, Rhodes used five perfect restarts to hold off Duke – and several other would-be challengers within striking distance – and crossed the finish line nearly three-quarters of a second ahead of the two-time PASS and 2019 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car national champion.

If anything, Duke had his hands even more full of challengers, fighting off determined bids by Dave Brown, defending PASS champion Logan Spahr and defending two-time Mid Atlantic Sprint Series champ Buddy Schweibinz.

Brown, who was determined to make the high line around the York County oval work, made the most dramatic runs at Duke, but to no avail.

Schweibinz was followed by Doug Dodson, who had to fight his way from 10th starting, and Tim Tanner Jr., another MASS regular.

With 37 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint teams on hand, qualifying was tough with the 24-car main event field set through four heats and a ‘B’ feature.

Sunday also was the series’ first attempt at a new promotion, the sticker-arounder award. Several drivers took custom stickers featuring their team photo and gave to fans and thanking them for coming out. The stickers encouraged fans to “stick around” for the main event. One young fan and her friends came to victory lane and collected the prize!

The race marked the River Valley Builders PASS tour’s return to BAPS, where it last ran in late 2022. Rhodes had only raced there once previously, late in 2021.

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