SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODELS SET TO KICKOFF SEASON THREE; OVER $80,000 IN CASH POINT FUNDS UP FOR GRABS IN WEEKLY, TOURING, SUMMER CHASE, FUTURES CUP & BILSTEIN BANDITS

By Mike Leone

April 3, 2015               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Pulaski, PA)…After an offseason that saw tremendous growth, the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Series is primed to begin its third year of operations.  All told over $80,000 in cash point funds will be up for grabs amongst the Series' programs including the Sweeney Weekly and Touring Series, Pace Performance "Summer Chase", "Futures Cup", and the new Bilstein Bandits.  An additional $70,000 of contingencies will also be distributed.

The Sweeney Weekly Series is scheduled to get underway Friday (April 3) at Potomac Speedway, weather permitting.  Potomac and sister track, Winchester Speedway, have both lost an event for the Series already this season due to the weather.  The Weekly Series will continue through September.  Member drivers' best 12 finishes will be utilized at all RUSH-sanctioned events; however drivers can only accumulate their best two finishes per weekend. 

"I don't think we have ever experienced an offseason like the one we just went through," stated RUSH Co-Director Vicki Emig.  "Beginning three weeks after the checkered flag fell on our final event at Lernerville, almost every weekend has been filled with activities surrounding the Series; however with that said, the end results have been overwhelming as 20 different speedways will present a RUSH-sanctioned event in 2015 and our region transcends a 600-mile span from Brighton, Ontario to Potomac, MD.  And this doesn’t even include our growth in the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds and our new pilot RUSH Pro Stock program.”               

The top 50 drivers in points will share in $27,525 with $5,000 going to the champion.  Max Blair, won the inaugural championship in 2013, while last season saw Chad Ruhlman win the crown.

For the time ever in the Northeast, the Sweeney Touring Series has been split into a Northern and Southern Touring Series due to the wide expansion of the Series.  Each Tour will offer approximately 12 events with $4,000 to-win each title.  The driver that accumulates the most points overall will earn a $2,000 bonus meaning one driver could win $10,000 by touring!  Ryan Montgomery was the 2014 Sweeney Tour champion.

The Pace Performance "Summer Chase" will offer a $10,000+ point fund with $3,000 to the champion and paying back 10 positions.  This system looks at member racers' average point scores in a minimum of six events from July 1 through Labor Day.  To be eligible for the Chase, drivers must be in the top 10 of weekly track points or the Tour as of June 30.  Rick Singleton won the 2014 title.

The Bilstein Bandits championship program has been well documented throughout the winter.  Member drivers that elect to campaign the $135 Bilstein "sealed" spec shocks will be eligible for an additional $13,150 cash point fund.  The same point system as the Sweeney Weekly Series will be utilized with $5,000 going to the champion as well!

The final major RUSH Late Model program is the popular "Futures Cup" for eligible teenage racers.  The top 10 drivers will share in $3,000 with $1,000 going to the champion.  The Sweeney Weekly Series point system will be utilized for this as well with the possible addition of a stand-alone "Futures Cup" race.  Past "Futures Cup" champions include Ryan Montgomery, Nico Dabecco, Eric Wilson, and Michael Lake.

Other programs such as the K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash Championship Series and the "Wheelman" Bonus Event Challenge Series will also offer cash and contingencies. 

And besides all of these great cash point funds, many other programs will return to the Series like the $30,000 "Manufacturers Night" at Eriez Speedway on July 26 and the "Bill Hendren Memorial" night with contingencies at Winchester Speedway on June 12.  Also contingency programs like Precise Racing Products "Pedal Down Hard Charger", Maxima Racing Oil "Performance Award", TBM Brakes "Tough Brake of the Night", Bobby Lake Motorsports "Shock the Clock & the Beat the Heat", ARbodies "Nosed Out", and the K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash will be part of the Sweeney Touring Series events.

"This is going to be our biggest season yet," stated RUSH Co-Director Mike Leone.  "Our Weekly, Summer Chase, and Futures Cup return and we've added to our Touring Series with the two regions plus the addition of the Bilstein program.  We did lower the number from 15 to 12 best finishes in the Weekly and from a minimum of eight to six races for the Summer Chase.  We looked at last year's numbers and with several speedways not running a large schedule of events, we felt this change will give a lot more racers the ability to have a better chance at earning money.  The days or running two, three or more nights per week simply isn't realistic for many racers today."

"It's possible a driver could win $8,000 or even $13,000 if they run the Bilstein spec shocks by simply racing at their local tracks," continued Leone.  "And now by splitting our touring series it's conceivable for a driver to win $10,000 and a sweep of all of the programs could be worth over $23,000!"

The 20 tracks hosting Sweeney Weekly and/or Touring Series events in alphabetical order include Brewerton Speedway (Brewerton, NY), Brighton Speedway (Brighton, ON, Can.), Can-Am Motorsports Park (LaFargeville, NY), Eriez Speedway (Erie, PA), Expo Speedway (Cortland, OH), Freedom Motorsports Park (Delevan, NY), Fulton Speedway (Fulton, NY), Humberstone Speedway (Port Colborne, ON, Can.), Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA), McKean County Raceway (East Smethport, PA), Merrittville Speedway (Thorold, ON, Can.), Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway (Imperial, PA), Potomac Speedway (Mechanicsville, MD), Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex (Markleysburg, PA), Sharon Speedway (Hartford, OH), Stateline Speedway (Busti, NY), Tri-City Raceway Park (Franklin, PA), Wayne County Speedway (Orrville, OH), Winchester Speedway (Winchester, VA), and Woodhull Raceway (Woodhull, NY).

Membership forms are available on the membership tab at www.rushlatemodels.com.  The cost of a Weekly or Touring membership is $125 or $225 for both.  While membership isn't mandatory, it does make drivers eligible to accumulate points and earn point fund monies.  Also, drivers will receive an additional $100,000 of excess participant accident insurance when competing at a RUSH event over and above the track's policy and one's health insurance. 

Sweeney Weekly Series ($27,525):  1. $5,000  2. $3,000  3. $2,500  4. $2,000  5. $1,500  6. $1,200  7. $1,000  8. $900  9. $800  10. $700  11. $600  12. $500  13. $400  14. $390  15. $380  16. $370  17. $360  18. $350  19. $325  20. $300  21. $295  22. $290  23. $285  24. $280  25. $275  26. $270  27. $265  28. $260  29. $255  30. $250  31. $245  32. $240  33. $235  34. $230  35. $225  36. $220  37. $215  38. $210  39. $205  40. $200.     

Northern Touring Series ($13,025): 1. $4,000  2. $2,000  3. $1,500  4. $1,000 5. $800  6. $700  7. $600  8. $550  9. $525  10. $500  11. $450  12. $400.

Southern Touring Series ($13,025): 1. $4,000  2. $2,000  3. $1,500  4. $1,000 5. $800  6. $700  7. $600  8. $550  9. $525  10. $500  11. $450  12. $400.

Pace Performance "Summer Chase" ($10,050): 1. $3,000  2. $1,500  3. $1,000  4. $800  5. $750  6. $700  7. $650  8. $600  9. $550  10. $500.

Bilstein Bandits ($13,150 cash): 1. $5,000  2. $2,500  3. $1,500  4. $1,000  5. $750  6. $500  7. $400  8. $350  9. $325  10. $300  11. $275  12. $250  13. 2 Bilstein sealed spec shocks 14. 2 Bilstein sealed spec shocks 15. 2 Bilstein sealed spec shocks.

"Futures Cup" ($3,000): 1. $1,000  2. $500  3. $400  4. $300  5. $200  6. $150  7. $125  8. $115  9. $110  10. $100.

RUSH Late Model marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, MSD Ignition, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, The Brake Man, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Crate Innovations Inc., Moroso Performance Products, Velocita-USA, High Gear Speed Shop, CrateInsider.com, B.R.A.K.E.S., RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.

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.
 

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