FORMER BRP 360 STARS FITTINGLY PUT ON A SHOW IN “GARY MONTGOMERY MEMORIAL” AT
OUTLAW WITH BRYCE DAVIS WINNING A FURIOUS BATTLE OVER JEREMY WONDERLING & WAYNE
ROBERTSON FOR $2000 SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL TOUR WIN
By Mike Leone
June 2, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Dundee, NY)...The
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series powered by Pace
Performance continued its northern swing on Friday night as Outlaw Speedway
played host to the Series’ first ever visit for race #4 of the 2017 season.
Friday night was the inaugural "Gary Montgomery Memorial".
Montgomery passed away in November 2016.
Montgomery's passion was his lifelong involvement in stock car racing.
From spectator, driver, columnist, local track announcer to NASCAR radio
and DIRT television commentator and track promoter, he participated in every
aspect of the sport, resulting in lifelong friendships, within the auto racing
community. Montgomery most recently
promoted the BRP 360 Late Model Series, which has turned into a great stepping
stone for many of the top New York RUSH Late Model racers today.
And it was only fitting that Montgomery’s best former racers went at it hard in
the 30-lap feature. After a
heartbreaking end for early leader Jason Knowles, Series standouts Bryce Davis,
Jeremy Wonderling, and Wayne Robertson put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
The trio battled three-wide for the lead with Davis and Wonderling
trading slide jobs lap after lap, but Davis would get the last one in and pulled
away in the final laps for his first win of 2017.
Davis’ victory was worth $2,000 plus was selected as the Maxima Racing
Oil “Maximum Performance” award winner.
“I haven’t gotten chills like this from a race in a long time,” revealed the
26-year-old Hornell, NY driver. “I
can’t thank Jeremy (Wonderling) for running me clean like that.
We ran a hell of a race. I’m
speechless right now…that was awesome!
I think that was the most risky race I’ve run in my lifetime.
The bottom of three and four was the only place the track wasn’t glazed
over so I could get in there and get the right rear to stick pretty hard and get
the drive off. That’s what won us
the race. My dad puts a ton of time
into this race car. I have to thank
my sponsors, everyone that helps me, my mom, brother, sister, and my wife and
kids for allowing me to do this.
This is just a huge team effort.”
Davis earned the feature pole via the K&N Dash victory, but it was Knowles
powering into the lead using the topside of the track to nose ahead of Davis to
lead the opening lap. After falling
out of the top five, Series defending champion, John Waters, worked his way back
to fourth on lap two behind Wonderling.
On lap four, Davis got sideways exiting turn four allowing Knowles to
pull away.
Knowles continued to lead as he caught lapped traffic on lap eight with a
half-straightaway lead; meanwhile, Wonderling began to challenge Davis for the
runner-up spot on lap 10. Knowles’
excellent run and bid at his first career Sweeney Tour win ended when he got too
high on the backstretch in lapped traffic on lap 13 slamming the wall and ending
up over the track in turn three.
Knowles was awarded the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”.
Davis assumed the lead over Wonderling and Waters when racing resumed.
Waters looked like he may have a shot at his first win of the season as
he got by Wonderling for second on the restart, but one lap later Wonderling
regained the position. Debris
brought out the second caution of the event- this time with 17 laps scored.
Back under green, Wonderling threw a slide job to take the lead on lap 18, but
Davis gave one back to lead lap 19.
Wonderling returned the favor with one in turns one and two on lap 20 to regain
the lead. The two raced
side-by-side between laps 17 through 22 before Jason Genco got turned out in
turn one to bring out the final caution.
The winning move for Davis came on lap 24.
Davis dove low in turns three and four and slid Wonderling.
Wonderling got off the gas and tried to drive back under Davis, but this
time Robertson was underneath.
Wonderling squeezed between as it was three-wide racing down the frontstretch
for the lead. Davis nosed ahead at
the line over Wonderling and Robertson.
That would prove to be the winning move as Wonderling wouldn’t get any closer.
Davis slowly stretched his lead over the final five laps to win by 2.585
seconds in the Dave Davis-owned, Griswolds E.T.R. Services/ Close Racing
Supply/Jody's Hair Design/GRT Racecars-sponsored #94.
The victory was Davis’ eighth of his career in Sweeney Tour action moving
him into sole possession of second place on the all-time win list.
Wonderling followed up his season opening Sweeney Tour win at Stateline on May
20 with a fine runner-up to earn $1,000.
“That was a lot of fun,” expressed the 37-year-old Wellsville, NY driver.
“I’ve raced with Bryce forever.
I knew I could trust him. I
actually thought I screwed him up because I dove on the bottom and pushed.
I figured I was going to take him out and screw us both up, but he turned
and drove back underneath me so I figured well…we might as well keep this going!
It was definitely a lot of fun, but it was nerve-wracking at the same
time especially when I was running on the outside of Bryce.
I was coming down the frontstretch and was trying to leave Bryce room,
but also trying to leave enough room between me and the wall.
There were a couple times I didn’t think there was enough room.”
Robertson made his first Sweeney Tour start of the season a successful one in
third. Kurt Stebbins had an
impressive first ever Sweeney Tour start to finish fourth after starting
seventh. Brian Knowles, who won the
Sweeney Weekly Series opener at Outlaw, came from 12th to complete
the top five. Rounding out the top
10 were Andy Boozel, Sean Beardsley, Steve LeBarron, T.J. Downs, and Andy
Michael.
Beardsley earned the $100 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger gift
card. In his first ever Sweeney
Tour start, Beardsley raced from 17th to a seventh place finish.
“Futures Cup” racer, Kyle Murray, was 14th and the final car
on the lead lap to receive a $25 CrateInsider.com gift certificate.
Mesler laid down an impressive 15.543 lap for his first ever FK Rod Ends “Shock
the Clock” Qualifying top honors for $100.
Mesler then went out and won FK Rod Ends heat 1 for an additional $25.
Waters and Wonderling added $25 FK Rod Ends heat race wins.
Davis won his first K&N “Cold Air Induction” Dash of the season for a
$100 K&N certificate. Jason Knowles
was second for a $50 K&N certificate.
Wonderling and Waters received an additional $25 cash for finishing third
and fourth in the dash.
The Sweeney Tour will be in action on Saturday night (June
3) at Genesee Speedway for the first ever appearance at the Batavia, New York
facility in a $2,000 to-win event.
Pits open at 3 p.m. with warm-ups at 5:30 followed by $100 FK Rod Ends “Shock
the Clock Qualifying”.
Sweeney Chevrolet
Buick GMC RUSH Late Model Touring Series Race #3 "Gary Montgomery Memorial"
(30 laps, $2,000 to-win): 1. BRYCE DAVIS (94)
2. Jeremy Wonderling (3J) 3.
Wayne Robertson (20) 4. Kurt
Stebbins (26) 5. Brian Knowles (7)
6. Andy Boozel (12B) 7. Sean
Beardsley (10$) 8. Steve LeBarron
(29) 9. T.J. Downs (1)
10. Andy Michael (17x) 11.
J.J. Mazur (13) 12. Brian Swank
(12s) 13. Brad Smith (21)
14. Kyle Murray (21) 15.
Alan Chapman (64c) 16. Brad Mesler
(24B) 17. Jason Genco (29J)
18. John Waters (LeBarron 11)
19. Jason Knowles (4) 20.
Mike Wonderling (18).
Car Count:
20
Feature Lap Leaders: Jason Knowles (1-12), Bryce Davis (13-17, 19, 24-30),
Jeremy Wonderling (18, 20-23)
Margin of Victory:
2.585 seconds
Maxima Oil “Maximum Performance”: Bryce
Davis
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”:
Sean Beardsley (+10)
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night":
Jason Knowles
CrateInsider.com "Last Car on Lead Lap":
Kyle Murray
FK Rod Ends “Shock
the Clock” Qualifying ($100 for fast time): 1. Brad Mesler 15.543
2. John Waters 15.660 3.
Jeremy Wonderling 15.703 4. Jason
Knowles 15.722 5. Bryce Davis
15.735 6. Wayne Robertson 15.782
7. Kurt Stebbins 15.846 8.
Mike Wonderling 15.870 9. Jason
Genco 15.886 10. J.J. Mazur 15.917
11. Steve LeBarron 15.930
12. Brian Knowles 15.942 13. Kyle
Murray 16.064 14. Sean Beardsley
16.247 15. Alan Chapman 16.261
16. Andy Boozel 16.270 17.
Brian Swank 16.300 18. Andy Michael
16.311 19. T.J. Downs 16.404
20. Brad Smith 16.678.
FK Rod Ends Heat 1
(8 laps, $25 to-win) 1. Mesler
2. J. Knowles 3. Stebbins
4. Swank 5. Downs
6. Murray 7. Mazur.
FK Rod Ends Heat 2
(8 laps, $25 to-win): 1. Waters
2. Davis 3. M. Wonderling
4. LeBarron 5. Swank
6. Beardsley 7. Smith.
FK Rod Ends Heat 3
(8 laps, $25 to-win): 1. J. Wonderling
2. Robertson 3. Genco
4. B. Knowles 5. Michael
6. Chapman.
K&N "Cold Air
Induction" RUSH Late Model Dash (6 laps, $100 K&N certificate to-win): 1.
Davis 2. J. Knowles
3. J. Wonderling 4. Waters
5. Robertson 6. Mesler.
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, Maxima Racing
Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources,
Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric,
Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, Rocket Chassis, Landrum Performance Spring,
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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