LOGAN ROBERSON
CAPTURES 1ST CAREER SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL TOUR WIN BECOMING 3RD
DIFFERENT “BATTLE OF THE BAY” PRESENTED BY PANCHO’S WINNER IN AS MANY NIGHTS
TOPPING 41-CAR FIELD AT POTOMAC
By Mike Leone
April 20, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
(Mechanicsville,
MD)...The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series
powered by Pace Performance was back in action on Friday night at Potomac
Speedway for the first time in four years at the Maryland oval.
It was night three of the four-night inaugural “Battle of the Bay”
Mid-Atlantic Speedweek presented by Pancho’s Racing Products, which attracted 41
cars from six states (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania
& New York) along with Ontario, Canada.
After finishing fifth in the first two nights at Delaware
International and Georgetown Speedways, Logan Roberson passed “Battle of the
Bay” point leader, Ross Robinson, on lap 14 to capture his first career Sweeney
Tour victory at his Friday night home track- Potomac Speedway.
For Roberson, it was milestone win number 50 of his young Crate Late
Model career, but first career National Touring victory of any kind.
Roberson became the third different winner in as many nights of the
“Battle of the Bay” presented by Pancho’s to keep him right in the Series
champion hunt.
“It’s been my wish for quite awhile to win one of these Tour
races,” expressed the 20-year-old Waynesboro, VA driver.
“Vicki (Emig) and Mike (Leone) put on such a great Series.
I’m just blessed to be able to race and win against the type of
competition. I can’t thank my team
enough for giving me a good car to race.
I just had to hold the steering wheel tonight.
This thing is awesome. Ross
(Robinson) is no slouch. I tried
everything in my books and luckily I got him.
He had a good run and I’d like to thank him for running me clean.
We raced hard and run aggressive, but that’s how it goes in crate racing.
Nothing makes me prouder when I pull into victory lane and see the smile
on my mom and dad’s face. I couldn’t
ask for anything else.”
After winning the K&N Dash, Robinson took off in the lead in the
30-lap feature event looking to repeat Thursday night’s victory at Georgetown.
Roberson meanwhile started third and passed track regular, Jamie Sutphin,
on the opening lap for second.
Roberson began to pressure Robinson, while Amanda Whaley was all over Sutphin in
the battle for third. Whaley tried
to get under Sutphin on lap nine, but got sideways and lost a lot of ground;
however, was still able to maintain fourth.
She began to feel the pressure from Blair and Darren Alvey, who entered
the night with a two-race win streak at Potomac.
Robinson caught lapped traffic on lap 13, but a caution for the
slowing Billy Beachler, who was making his “Battle of the Bay” debut, changed
the course of the event after 13 non-stop laps.
When racing resumed, Roberson got a good restart and made the outside
work to steal the lead from Robinson on the 14th circuit.
It was a mad scramble behind as Alvey and eighth starting John Waters
made their way into fourth and fifth.
Six cautions would then slow the event between laps 15 and 21 as
drivers were fighting for the bottom of the speedway.
After dropping back to as far as eighth, Blair worked his way forward and
back into contention getting under and past Whaley for third on lap 24.
Two laps later, another fine run by Whaley ended when she slowed with
electrical issues, and was chosen as the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”
recipient.
As the laps wound down, Robinson would be unable to make a
challenge on Roberson as Roberson’s Dirt Defender/BTS Towing Service/Pancho's
Racing Products/QA1 Shocks/Race 1/Sunoco/All About Wraps-sponsored #17 Rocket
Chassis became the 31st different driver all-time to win a Sweeney
RUSH Tour event.
Robinson’s runner-up gave him three podium finishes in as many
“Battle of the Bay” races as he leads Blair by four points heading into
Saturday’s finale. “He got me- the
best car won,” stated the 27-year-old Georgetown, DE driver.
“He has a lot of laps around this place in a crate car.
They do their homework and go on the road to do what they have to do to
get better. I had a couple shots at
him, but couldn’t get him. He earned
it, and congrats to his guys- they go a great job.
It’s going to be a dog fight heading into Winchester, but hopefully the
experience I have there will pay off.”
Blair was third and maintained the Sweeney Tour point lead.
Ninth starting Matt Hill was able to get by Chuck Bowie on the final lap
to finish fourth for his third top five of the week.
Bowie, who failed to qualify for the feature in the first two “Battle of
the Bay” events, had a solid fifth at his home track.
Sutphin dropped to sixth in his first “Battle of the Bay” start.
Matt Glanden was seventh for his best finish of the week as was Jason
Knowles in eighth, who earned the $100 Precise “Pedal Down” Hard Charger for
advancing 15 positions. Braeden
Dillinger was ninth in his first Tour start since the 2016 season finale at
Lernerville Speedway. Darrell
Bossard went from 16th to 10th for his third top 10 of the
week.
In his first ever Crate Late Model start, Jimmy Jesmer, Jr. led all
10 laps of the non-qualifier race in dominating fashion.
Jesmer celebrated the $175 win in victory lane with his father, who was
celebrating his birthday. The
24-year-old Pasadena, Maryland driver became the 29th different
“Wheelman” Bonus Event Challenge Series winner in 33 races run all-time in his
PJ Motorsports/Penske Racing Shocks-sponsored #747.
Track regular Jeff Pilkerton passed Beamer Guzzardi on the opening lap
for second then fended him off the entire way.
Megan Mann was fourth. Cory
Lawler, whose father Pancho is presenting the “Battle of the Bay” Speedweek,
raced from 10th to fifth.
Blair earned his first $100 FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” top
honors of the season with a lap of 16.168 in qualifying.
Blair, Roberson, Sutphin, Whaley and Robinson picked up $25 FK Rod Ends
heat race victories. Canadian Adam
Ferri was selected as the Dirt Defender “Defensive Drive” award winner by
holding off track regular, Mike Franklin, to capture the first of two last
chance B mains. Trevor Collins won
the first B main.
The Sweeney Tour will resume action on Saturday night (April 21) at Winchester
Speedway in Winchester, Virginia for the first time in three years in night four
of the “Battle of the Bay” presented by Pancho’s Racing Products.
Pits open at 2 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 5, warm-ups at 5:30
followed by qualifying and heat races.
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Late Model Touring Series Race #3 "Battle of
the Bay" presented by Pancho’s Racing Products
(30 laps, $2,000 to-win): 1. LOGAN ROBERSON (17)
2. Ross Robinson (11D) 3. Max
Blair (111) 4. Matt Hill (84)
5. Chuck Bowie (14C) 6. Jamie
Sutphin (18) 7. Matt Glanden (01)
8. Jason Knowles (4) 9.
Braeden Dillinger (14) 10. Darrell
Bossard (Winans 213) 11. Garret
Paugh (03) 12. Jeremy Wonderling
(3J) 13. Damian Bidwell (1/2-Pint)
14. Trevor Collins (11) 15.
Billy Beachler (21) 16. Charlie
Sandercock (57) 17. Darren Alvey
(30) 18. Adam Ferri (66)
19. John Waters (LeBarron 11)
20. Amanda Whaley (4) 21. Bruce
Hordusky, Jr. (3) 22. Brady
Wonderling (Ralyea 2R) 23. Jason
Genco (Craig 29J) 24. Mike Franklin
(74) 25. Cody Dawson (36).
(Note: Cody Dawson took a Series
provisional)
Non-Qualifier
(10 laps, $175 to-win): 1.
Jimmy Jesmer, Jr. (747) 2. Jeff
Pilkerton (8) 3. Beamer Guzzardi
(12) 4. Megan Mann (55)
5. Cory Lawler (93) 6. Ronnie
Martin, Jr. (15JR) 7. Bill Kessler
(09) 8. James Marshall (5)
9. Joe Watson (35) 10. Bob
Schwartzmiller (28s) 11. Christian
Schneider (Maniecki 1ST)
12. Jimmy Duncan (55) 13. Jimmy
Johnson (39J)-DNS 14. J.J. Mazur
(13)-DNS 15. Scott Gunn (14G)-DNS
16. Brandon Sturgis (Smedley 91)-DNS.
Car Count:
41
Feature Lap Leaders: Ross Robinson
(1-13), Logan Roberson (14-30)
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”:
Jason Knowles (+15)
Dirt Defender “Defensive Drive of the Night”:
Adam Ferri
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night":
Amanda Whaley
FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying
($100 for fast time): 1. Max Blair 16.168
2. Logan Roberson 16.215 3.
Jamie Sutphin 16.280 4. Amanda
Whaley 16.362 5. Ross Robinson
16.385 6. Darren Alvey 16.470
7. Jeremy Wonderling 16.473
8. John Waters 16.491 9. Matt
Glanden 16.494 10. Damian Bidwell
16.519 11. Darrell Bossard 16.551
12. Braeden Dillinger 16.583
13. Charlie Sandercock 16.617 14.
Matt Hill 16.620 15. Jason Genco
16.624 16. Chuck Bowie 16.644
17. Mike Franklin 16.678 18.
Jason Knowles 16.683 19. Garret
Paugh 16.702 20. Billy Beachler
16.710 21. Trevor Collins 16.746
22. Jimmy Jesmer, Jr. 16.770
23. Brady Wonderling 16.777 24.
James Marshall 16.777 25. Brandon
Sturgis 16.793 26. Christian
Schneider 16.838 27. Bruce Hordusky,
Jr. 16.961 28. Beamer Guzzardi
16.964 29. Jimmy Johnson 17.004
30. Ronnie Martin, Jr. 17.028
31. Adam Ferri 17.031 32. J.J. Mazur
17.037 33. Scott Gunn 17.095
34. Cody Dawson 17.161 35.
Megan Mann 17.182 36. Jimmy Duncan
17.187 37. Jeff Pilkerton 17.224
38. Cory Lawler 17.432 39.
Joe Watson 17.610 40. Bob
Schwartzmiller 17.619 41. Bill
Kessler 17.768
FK Rod Ends Heat 1
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 4 transfer) 1. Blair
2. Alvey 3. Bowie
4. Bossard 5. Collins
6. Ferri 7. Schneider
8. Duncan 9. Kessler.
FK Rod Ends Heat 2
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 4 transfer): 1. Roberson
2. J. Wonderling 3. Dillinger
4. Hordusky 5. Franklin
6. Jesmer 7. Mazur
8. Pilkerton.
FK Rod Ends Heat 3
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 4 transfer): 1. Sutphin
2. Waters 3. Sandercock
4. B. Wonderling 5. Knowles
6. Guzzardi 7. Gunn
8. Lawler.
FK Rod Ends Heat 4
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 4 transfer): 1. Whaley
2. Hill 3. Glanden
4. Paugh 5. Marshall
6. Johnson 7. Dawson
8. Watson.
FK Rod Ends Heat 5
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 4 transfer): 1. Robinson
2. Bidwell 3. Genco
4. Beachler 5. Schwartzmiller
6. Mann 7. Sturgis
8. Martin.
Last Chance B Main 1
(10 laps, Top 2 transfer): 1. Collins
2. Knowles 3. Jesmer
4. Pilkerton 5. Schneider
6. Johnson 7. Kessler
8. Watson 9. Schwartzmiller
10. Gunn 11. Sturgis-DNS.
Last Chance B Main 2
(10 laps, Top 2 transfer): 1. Ferri
2. Franklin 3. Guzzardi
4. Mann 5. Duncan
6. Martin 7. Mazur
8. Lawler 9. Marshall
10. Dawson.
K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash
(4 laps): 1. Robinson 2. Sutphin
3. Roberson 4. Whaley
5. Blair.
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, Holley
Performance Products, Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology, FK Rod
Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Racing Electronics, Dirt
Defender, Dynamic Drivelines, Wrisco Industries, Frankland Racing Supply,
Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters,
Lincoln Electric, Pancho's Racing Products Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA,
Landrum Performance Spring, Schwartzmiller Ground Maintenance,
CrateInsider.com, 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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