JEREMY WONDERLING WITHSTANDS PRESSURE FROM KYLE LUKON TO WIN “GARY MONTGOMERY
MEMORIAL” FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR AT OUTLAW; HIS 2ND
STRAIGHT SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL TOUR WIN EXTENDS POINTS LEAD
May 31, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
(Dundee, NY)...The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt
Late Model Touring Series presented by Pace Performance headed to Outlaw
Speedway for the annual trip to the Finger Lakes Region.
Race #5 of the 2019 season brought out an all-time record high RUSH car
count for the Dundee, NY track with 29 cars from all over New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada making the trip for the third annual
“Gary Montgomery Memorial” on the beautiful race day.
2018 Sweeney Tour Champion, Jeremy Wonderling,
appears primed to defend his title.
One year after winning his season’s first Tour race in the “Gary Montgomery
Memorial” that appeared to propel him to the Series crown, Wonderling not only
repeated that special victory for the former Can-Am “360” Late Model racer on
Friday night, but captured his second straight Tour win of the season.
Wonderling took the lead on lap 12 and held off a valiant charge from 12th
starting Kyle Lukon for the $2,000 victory and receive a Sunoco 5-Gallon Race
Jug.
“Not only was Gary (Montgomery) a promoter, but he
was one of my best friends and it was sad to see him go,” acknowledged the
39-year-old Wellsville, NY racer.
“If we wouldn’t had that caution on the backside I would have had Waters.
Then we’d run for awhile and the caution came out and I looked at the
board and saw 84 and I was like ‘who’s 84’ then it took me awhile to realize
that’s 184 and figured he must be pretty good.
I just kept doing what I was doing.
I figured the only way he was really going to get me was on a restart.
He was trying everything he could do; push me up the race track and stuff
like that, but I don’t blame him I’d have done the same thing- it was good
racing.”
2017 Tour Champion, John Waters, who was making his
season debut, took off in the early lead after earning the pole following his
dash win with Chad Homan, Wonderling, Michael Duritsky, Jr., and Braeden
Dillinger in tow. Wonderling ducked
under Homan and made the pass for second on lap two as Duritsky made the
identical move one lap later for third.
Waters had a straightaway lead on Wonderling when the caution was
displayed for Kyle Murray, Chris Fleming, and Sam Pennacchio with three laps
completed.
When racing resumed, Wonderling powered around Waters
for the apparent lead, but a multi-car accident mid-pack occurred on the
backstretch involving seven cars.
Everyone was okay, but several were done for the night.
Under caution, Duritsky pitted and yielded third back to Homan.
This time, Waters chose the outside for the restart and would maintain
the lead.
Lukon, who started 12th, was up to fifth
for the restart then took over fourth from Dillinger on lap five.
By lap six, Waters and Wonderling distanced themselves from the pack.
Wonderling really put the pressure on Waters beginning on lap eight.
The last two years’ champions really went at for five laps until
Wonderling decided to go under Waters racing into turn three to lead lap 12.
Lukon’s car was really working well on the bottom as
he drove under Homan in turn three for third on lap14 then two laps later snuck
under Waters in turn four for second.
Wonderling had a straightaway lead built by the time Lukon got to second.
Wonderling caught lapped traffic on lap 19, but it was short-lived as the
caution was displayed for Steve LeBarron.
Under caution, LeBarron’s teammate, Waters, became the second driver to
pit while running second and once again Homan re-assumed third for the restart.
Waters was selected as the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”.
While Wonderling took back off in the lead on lap 19,
Lukon stayed right with the leader.
It appeared Lukon may have had a shot to grab the lead, but Murray spun to bring
out the event’s final caution with 26 laps scored.
Wonderling would keep Lukon at bay over the final four laps to earn his
sixth career Tour win in his Close Racing Supply/Terry Prince Contracting/Pine
Grove Collision/The Store in Scio/Ultra Force Machine/Wonderling Pit
Stop-sponsored #3J.
Lukon came up 0.530 of a second back for a great
runner-up effort in his first ever visit to Outlaw, which moved him into second
in points behind Wonderling. Lukon
earned $1,000 plus the $100 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger
gift card for advancing 10 positions.
Homan was third for the second straight year at Outlaw.
Ryan Frazee, who turned 16 on Monday, recorded his best career Sweeney
Tour finish in fourth after starting ninth for the “Futures Cup” racer and Tour
rookie.
Jon Rivers, who was making his 2019 Tour debut, had a
great run in fifth after starting 14th.
Rivers also picked up the “Spoiler Alert” contingency and received a $150
spoiler kit from Ontime Body & Graphic.
Brian Knowles was sixth for his best Tour finish of the season.
Last year’s Tour runner-up, Jason Genco, struggled all night for speed,
but still managed a seventh place finish after starting 13th.
Kurt Stebbins had a good run going 17th to eighth in his first
Tour start of the season. Dillinger
dropped to ninth, but was awarded the Dirt Defender “Defensive Drive of the
Night” for holding off 15th starting J.J. Mazur by just 0.187 of a
second.
Dillinger, who was making his first ever visit to
Outlaw, set a new Outlaw track record in FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock”
Qualifying to earn $100 with a lap of 15.340.
In fact, the top five qualifiers all shattered the previous standard of
15.543 set by Brad Mesler on June 2, 2017.
Picking up $25 FK Rod Ends heat races were Waters, Wonderling, and
Duritsky. Canadian Sam Pennacchio
garnered the last chance B main victory.
RUSH Late Model racer, Dennis Cummings of Cummings
Trucking in Wellsville, NY, co-sponsored the Zarin Truck & Automotive “$500
Club” drawings for drivers in the top 15 of Fulton Speedway and Woodhull Raceway
track points. Picking up $100 were
Chris Fleming, Steve LeBarron, Kurt Stebbins, Sam Pennacchio, and Jason Knowles,
who were all randomly drawn at the drivers meeting.
The Sweeney Tour will continue action on Saturday night at Genesee Speedway in
Batavia, NY followed by Eriez Speedway on Sunday night in Erie, Pa.
Both Marquee events will pay $2,000 to-win with racing scheduled for 6:30
p.m.
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Late Model Touring Series Race #5 (30 laps, $2,000
to-win): 1. JEREMY WONDERLING (3J)
2. Kyle Lukon (184) 3. Chad Homan
(91) 4. Ryan Frazee (11F)
5. Jon Rivers (85) 6. Brian
Knowles (7) 7. Jason Genco
(Badgley/Craig) 8. Kurt Stebbins
(26) 9. Braeden Dillinger (14)
10. J.J. Mazur (13) 11.
Michael Duritsky, Jr. (90J) 12. Andy
Michael (17x) 13. Kyle Murray (21)
14. John Waters (LeBarron 11)
15. Steve LeBarron (29) 16. T.J.
Downs (1) 17. Sam Pennacchio (311)
18. Chris Fleming (10) 19.
Jason Knowles (4) 20. Scott Waters
(53) 21. Logan Zarin (1z)
22. Zach Wiech (6) 23. Bill
Kessler (09) 24. Billy DuBois (21B)
25. Wayne Robertson (20)-DNS.
DNQ for the
feature:
Dennis Cummings
(74D), Chad Sines (15), Jamie Freeman (8), Kane Stebbins (2).
Car Count: 29
Feature Margin of Victory:
0.530 of a second
Feature Lap Leaders: John Waters
(1-11), Jeremy Wonderling (12-30)
Zarin Truck &
Automotive “$500 Club” co-sponsored by Cummings Trucking: Chris Fleming,
Steve LeBarron, Kurt Stebbins, Sam Pennacchio & Jason Knowles
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”: Kyle Lukon (+10)
Dirt Defender “Defensive Drive of the Night”:
Braeden Dillinger
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night":
John Waters
Sunoco 5-Gallon Race Jugs:
Jeremy Wonderling
Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert”: Jon Rivers
FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying
($100 for fast time) (Track record
15.543 by Brad Mesler 6/2/17): 1. Braeden Dillinger 15.340 (NTR)
2. Chad Homan 15.462 3. Ryan
Frazee 15.466 4. John Waters 15.523
5. Jeremy Wonderling 15.529
6. Michael Duritsky, Jr. 15.608 7.
Steve LeBarron 15.620 8. Jon Rivers
15.649 9. Kyle Lukon 15.673
10. Chris Fleming 15.690 11.
Brian Knowles 15.696 12. J.J. Mazur
15.706 13. Jason Genco 15.757
14. Kurt Stebbins 15.777 15.
Logan Zarin 15.789 16. Kyle Murray
15.854 17. Scott Waters 15.888
18. Jason Knowles 15.905 19.
Sam Pennacchio 15.952 20. Dennis
Cummings 16.074 21. Wayne Robertson
16.108 22. Andy Michael 16.159
23. Zach Wiech 16.233 24.
T.J. Downs 16.353 25. Jamie Freeman
16.421 26. Bill Kessler 16.443
27. Billy DuBois 16.618 28.
Chad Wines 16.951 29. Kane Stebbins
DQ.
FK Rod Ends Heat 1 (8
laps, Top 6 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. J. Waters
2. Dillinger 3. Fleming
4. LeBarron 5. Genco
6. Murray 7. Pennacchio
8. Michael 9. Sines
10. Freeman.
FK Rod Ends Heat 2 (8
laps, Top 6 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Wonderling
2. Homan 3. B. Knowles
4. S. Waters 5. Rivers
6. Ku. Stebbins 7. Wiech
8. Cummings 9. Kessler-DNS
10. Ka. Stebbins-DSQ.
FK Rod Ends Heat 3 (8
laps, Top 6 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Duritsky
2. J. Knowles 3. Frazee
4. Lukon 5. Mazur
6. Zarin 7. Downs
8. Robertson 9. DuBois.
Last Chance B Main
(10 laps, Top 6 transfer to A): 1. Pennacchio
2. Wiech 3. Michael
4. Kessler 5. Downs
6. Robertson 7. Cummings
8. DuBois 9. Sines
10. Freeman 11. Ka.
Stebbins-DSQ.
Dash (6 laps): 1. J.
Waters 2. Homan
3. Wonderling 4. Duritsky
5. Dillinger 6. J. Knowles.
RUSH Racing Series is brought to
you by Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC & Pace Performance along with the support of
Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger
Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, Hovis Auto & Truck
Supply, FK Rod Ends, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones
Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Performance Bodies & Parts, Racing Electronics,
Dirt Defender, Wrisco Industries, Frankland Racing Supply, Landrum Performance
Spring, Ontime Body & Graphic, Trailer-Alarms.com, Bonnell's Rod Shop, Sherwood
Wheels, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, Lincoln Electric,
Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, CrateInsider.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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