EATON WINS 1ST ON THE BILSTEIN BANDITS SHOCKS AT WINCHESTER ; MOLLICK, MARKHAM,
DUBOIS, BIDWELL & LEDINGHAM ALSO WIN SEASON'S 1ST SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL RACES
By Jim Zufall & Mike Leone
June 14, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Pulaski, PA)…For
the first time this season,
a weekend of great
weather was on tap for the family of tracks in the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC
RUSH Racing Series powered by Pace Performance as all of the scheduled events
were able to be completed! Six
drivers picked up their first Sweeney RUSH Late Model wins of the season, while
there was also a new winner in both the RUSH Sportsman Modified and RUSH Pro Mod
events!
The weekend started early
on Thursday
night at McKean County Raceway for the East Smethport, Pa's make-up event from
the prior week. Jeremy Wonderling
led the field to green in the RUSH Late Model feature.
Through a few caution periods that saw a
lead change to John Waters, Max Blair was charging from his ninth place starting
spot and carving his way to the front. With five laps remaining and Blair up to
second, Waters tangled with the lapped car of Josh Ayers.
Waters limped to the pits handing the
lead to Blair who made history with his 200th career overall win.
Following Blair to the finish were Damian Bidwell, Jeremy Wonderling, Eric
Wilson and Mikey Wonderling.
“Every one of my wins is special to me,” stated Blair.
Then he used the opportunity to mention
his dad. “I hope I can be half as good as he is. Without him I’d have nothing”.
Many of Blair’s 200 wins came at McKean County Raceway with him noting that he
always enjoys racing there. McKean’s next “Thursday
Night Thunder” race program will be on June 30.
Current Sweeney Weekly Series point leader, John Water,s started up front in the
20-lap feature event
on Friday
night at Dundee, New York’s Outlaw Speedway. Waters
would go on to lead every lap of the event, beating out the likes of Jason
Knowles Wayne Robertson, Brian Knowles and Frank Guererri Jr.
It was a good rebound from losing a heartbreaker on Thursday night at
McKean. The victory was Waters' third
overall of the season. Outlaw’s next
event is their Mid-Season Championship this Friday (June 17).
Friday
night at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, MD, John Imler redrew for the pole
position in the 25-lap feature event. He
would go on to hold the top spot for the entirety of the race to score his
second win of the 2016 campaign. Not the easiest of tasks though as Darin
Henderson remained in Imler’s rear-view for most of the feature. "What a race!"
Exclaimed Imler as he stood in Potomac's victory lane. "This is the first time
my wife has been able to see me win in the crate car and I was glad she was here
to see it." Henderson settled for runner up while Logan Roberson took third with
14th starting David Williams and Jeff Pilkerton completing the top-five.
The RUSH Late Models return to Potomac
on Sunday, July 3 for a special holiday show.
Saturday
night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Ben Policz led the field to
green in the Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Model feature. Outside pole
sitter Brandon Burgoon would take the early lead. Policz and Burgoon traded the
top spot again on lap seven. Sixth starting John Mollick would use a lap 10
restart to improve his position to second to battle Policz for the lead.
Once again a caution period benefited
Mollick as he powered by the #14B of Policz. Mollick
went on to score his first career win in a RUSH Late Model.
The rest of the top five included
Policz, Daryl Charlier (from 12th), Justin Lamb (from 11th)
and Point leader Kyle Lukon. Next week
at PPMS will be a special winged sprint car show with the best sprint car
drivers in the area battling on the big half-mile along with the five regular
divisions.
Saturday
at Winchester Speedway, former Limited Late Model champ Kris Eaton took the win
in the 20-lap feature event for the RUSH Late Models.
The win came on the $135 sealed, spec Bilstein Shocks as Eaton is going
after the $5,000 "Bilstein Bandits" title. Matt
Hill took the early lead with Eaton just behind.
Eaton took the top position on the 16th lap and held on for
the win. Hill was a close second with Darin Henderson, Logan Roberson and Dave
Friedrich completing the top-five. The RUSH Late Models return to Winchester
Speedway this Saturday (June 18).
Jason Genco took an early lead in the RUSH Late Model feature at Stateline
Speedway in Busti, NY
on Saturday
night. And while Genco led for the
entire feature, the racing behind him was a great show with Andy Boozel, Darrell
Bossard, Damian Bidwell, Scott Gurdak and Max Blair trading spots and competing
for position for the duration of the race. In the end it was Genco with the win.
Bossard settled for second with Dave Lyon, Boozel and Bidwell making up the top
five.
Stateline was also the site of Justin Carlson and Jason Covey pacing the field
for the RUSH Pro Mods feature event. After
some difficulty getting a clean start, Scott Gurdak took control of the race on
lap five with Carlson and Covey falling to second and third. Gurdak held on for
his first win in the class with Carlson, Covey, RUSH point leader Kelly Frederes
and Dennis Asel making up the top five.
Stateline is back to racing
this Saturday
night for a Father’s Day Special including Vintage Modifieds.
Orrville, Ohio’s Wayne County Speedway returned to action
on Saturday
night with Matt Aber jumping into the lead early on in the RUSH Late Models.
Alan Dellinger put on an early challenge
for the lead, but Ryan Markham powered into second on lap three. Two laps later
Markham took the lead from Aber and never looked back for his first win of the
season. Dellinger, another runner on the
Bilstein Bandits Shocks held off Justin Chance who came from 10th for
the runner up spot. Aber fell to fourth
and Charlie Duncan made up the top five. Wayne County will be dark the next two
Saturday nights due to Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
New York’s Fulton Speedway saw Tony Finch II lead the opening three laps in the
Billy RUSH Late Model feature. Alan Fink
drove into the lead next until a lap seven yellow flag bunched up the field.
That gave defending track champ Chris
Fleming his chance to power to the front and hold the spot for the balance of
the 20 lapper. It was Fleming’s second of the year with Bret Belden, Johnny
Hill, Kevan Cook and Jason Parkhurst finishing second through fifth.
Racing action returns to Fulton Speedway
on Saturday night.
Genesee Speedway was the site of a first time win for Dave Dubois of Corfu, NY
in the RUSH Late Model feature event. Dubois, a regular in the "360" Late
Model division at Genesee, would lead every lap from his outside pole starting
spot. Dubois, who became the track's
fifth different winner in six races, remained on the high side of the 1/3 mile
track to out-race runner up Andy Michael. Beamer Guzzardi , T.J. Downs and Jimmy
Johnson rounded out the top five. A “Five Star” race program is on tap for
this Saturday
with the added "360" Late Models.
At Hartford, Ohio’s Sharon Speedway
on Saturday
night, it was East Liverpool, Ohio’s Rocky Kugel shaking off the early season
demons and coming away with his first win of the 2016 season in the RUSH
Sportsman Modifieds. Kugel, who rode the
top of the track and steamed forward from his eighth starting position, took the
lead from Jeremy Weaver at the halfway point of the 15-lap event and never
looked back. “I was hooked up on the top,” stated Kugel. “We watched every race
before ours. Hats off to Dave (Willoughby)- they prepare a nice race track for
us to race on.” Behind Kugel in the end was 15-year-old Weaver, who recorded his
career best finish as did Josh Deems in third.
Kole Holden and Jerry Schaffer were fourth and fifth.
Sharon will be the middle of a busy, first-ever three-race weekend for the RUSH
Sportsman Modifieds. On Friday
night, Thunder Mountain Speedway in Brookville, Pa. will host its first ever
show in a $500 to-win Bicknell Racing Products Weekly Series event.
Then after a regular event at Sharon on Saturday, the Bicknell Touring
Series will kickoff Sunday for $600 to-win at Tri-City.
Erie County’s Eriez Speedway
Sunday
night results included the RUSH Late Models, where Jason Genco took the win over
the always dangerous Max Blair, Dave Lyon, Andy Boozel, Scott Gurdak and Bruce
Hordusky. It was Genco's second Sweeney
Weekly Series win in as many nights backing up his win at Stateline on Saturday
night, and was his season's second checkered flag at Eriez.
Finally Bradford Speedway was blessed with a sunny Sunday as they kicked off the
2016 season. Damian Bidwell was
glad Bradford finally got going as he captured his season's first win on the
Sweeney Weekly Series circuit besting brothers Mikey Wonderling and
Brady Wonderling with Andy Michael and
Jeff Hoffman completing the top five.
At the Sweeney Weekly Series' third Sunday night speedway, “The Fireball”
Colton Ledingham dominated the RUSH Late Models at Port Colborne, Ontario’s
Humberstone Speedway. With considerable
action behind him including a serious challenge from Rob Pietz, Ledingham led
wire-to-wire in the 20-lap race for his first of the 2016 season and became the
fifth different winner in six races. Pietz settled for runner up with John
McIntire, Dennis Lunger, Jr., and Jeff Dayman making up the top five. This
Sunday at Humberstone is Autograph Night and a full six-division program.
The RUSH Late Models had the night off last Friday at Delevan, New York's
Freedom Motorsports Park, but they'll return this Friday night.
The next Sweeney Weekly Series event at Path Valley Speedway Park in
Spring Run, Pa. will be on Friday, June 24- a off night for Potomac Speedway.
RUSH Late Model marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace
Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race
Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing
Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM
Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, FK Rod Ends, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink
USA, Rocket Chassis, Bobby Lake Motorsports High Gear Speed Shop,
CrateInsider.com, B.R.A.K.E.S., RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.
RUSH Sportsman Modified marketing partners: Sweeney
Chevrolet Buick GMC, Bicknell Racing Products, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire,
Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, MSD Ignition, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones
Racing Products, FK Rod Ends, Sherwood Racing Wheels, Velocita-USA, Precise
Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, K&N Filters, TBM Brakes, Lincoln
Electric, CrateInsider.com, Rocket Racing, and B.R.A.K.E.S.
E-mail can be sent to the RUSH Racing Series at [email protected] and
snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. Office phone is 724-964-9300
and fax is 724-964-0604. The RUSH Racing Series website is
www.rushracingseries.com. Like our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/rushlatemodels and follow us on Twitter @RUSHLM.
###