BEN EASLER, BILLY HENRY JR, BRANDON BURGOON & DAVE DUBOIS ALL SCORE THEIR 1ST HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL WINS OF 2026

By Marcie Barlow

June 19, 2026             FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Pulaski, PA)...It was a big weekend for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Racing Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants with four of the five divisions in action.  Billy Henry, Jr. tallied his first win of 2026 in RUSH Late Model action as Raceway 7 finally got their 2026 season underway, while Ben Easler, Brandon Burgoon and Dave DuBois also visited victory lane for the first time this season in Colussy Chevrolet RUSH Late Model Weekly Series action.  Veterans Gale Ruth, Jr., and John Mollick scored victories in Hovis RUSH Sprint Car Rustler Sales & Service Weekly Series action, while William Baker, Jr. did the same in RUSH Stock Car action.  The RUSH Sportsman Modified season finally got underway with Kole Holden victorious at Raceway 7.

Raceway 7 finally managed to get their 2026 season opener completed on Friday.  Jacob Peterson and Cory Sines led the RUSH Late Model main event to green.  Peterson led the first four circuits before defending divisional champion Billy Henry, Jr. took the top spot.  Henry led the remainder of the 20-lap event to score his first win of 2026 Colussy Chevrolet Weekly Series action.  Peterson finished a career best second with Jeff Watson getting third.  Albert Bull and William Pinckney rounded out the top five.

Tommy Snyder, Jr. won his second of the season at Dog Hollow Speedway on Friday night in the RUSH Late Models.  Jeremy Wonderling won the $2,058 special in the 2026 opener at Freedom Motorsports Park on Friday night for his third overall win of 2026.  No results were available to date. 

Saturday evening at Woodhull Raceway, Marshall O’Brian and Rickie Loucks led the RUSH Late Model field to green.  O’Brian led the first eight laps as he held off the challenges of both Steve LeBarron and Brett Marlett. Lebarron made the winning pass on lap nine and went on to score his second victory of the season at the New York oval. Marlatt came home in second with O’Brian finishing third.  Garrett Heffner and Loucks completed the top five.

RUSH Late Model Weekly Series action at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway saw second place starter Brandon Burgoon take command to lead the first 11 laps before Jake Gunn wrestled the top spot away on lap 12.  Gunn also led lap 13 before Burgoon reclaimed the lead on lap 14. Burgoon went on to lead the final six circuits to score a 1.819 victory over Gunn.  Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr., Mike Reft, and Tony Magill rounded out the top five.

Colussy Chevrolet RUSH Late Model Weekly Series action at The Dirt Track at Genesee saw Jon Rivers lead the first lap of the main event before David Pangrazio took the top spot. By lap nine, ninth place starter Jimmy Johnson took the lead however another caution would slow the field. Johnson got too high, hit the turn four wall when the action resumed, and retired from the event giving Dave DuBois the lead.  DuBois would weather several more cautions and go on to score his first divisional win of the season over David Pangrazio by 0.517 seconds.  Doug Ricotta, Ohio invader Brian Nethers, and Rivers followed.

Devin Brannon scored his second consecutive win of the 2026 season and his fifth overall at Winchester Speedway in RUSH Late Model action Saturday evening.  Brannon led the entire distance of the 20-lap main event to score the win.  Kristopher Hutton posted his best finish of the season and came home in second position with Bobby Tharp, Jr. getting third. Branson Woodward and Davin Kaiser completed the top five.

The RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series returned to Stateline Speedway on Saturday to complete the ninth Annual Bill Law Memorial after three prior rainouts in May.  The event saw 43 cars in attendance from five states.  Ben Easler and Dave Hess, Jr. led the 26-car field to green however Ashton Briggs, Randy Hall and Austin Hauser tangled, negating the start.  When the action resumed Easler immediately took the top spot while Hess, Jr. and Austin Allen battled for second. Hess, Jr. finally broke free of Allen on lap 17 and began to track down Easler. Easler and Hess, Jr. then battled for the top spot with Allen slipping under Hess, Jr. for the second spot on lap 24. Easler withstood the challenge of Allen to score a 0.636 second victory and his career first RUSH Tour checkered and first RUSH Late Model win since 2024.  Easler also collected $4,000 for his efforts.   Allen matched his career best Tour finish in second with Jeremy Wonderling getting third.  Hess, and Daryl Charlier rounded out the top five.

RUSH Sprint Car teams started the weekend at Tri-City Raceway Park on Friday evening. The main event got off to a rough start with Zach Morrow and Luke Roessner making contact resulting in Morrow flipping. Morrow was not injured but his racing for the weekend was cut short.  Roessner led the first two circuits when the action resumed before veteran Gale Ruth, Jr. used the top side of the speedway to take command. Ruth, Jr. led the remainder of the 20-lap event to tally his second win of the season in Rustler Sales and Service Weekly Series action.  The win was also the 29th of Ruth’s career in the division.  Blaze Myers, Joe Buccola, Roessner, and Devon Deeter completed the top five.  Logen Lockhart was the recipient of the $100 "Kenny's Cash" in memory of Kenny Kent from Arnie Kent,

RUSH Sprint Car Rustler Sales & Service Weekly Series action continued on Saturday at Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.  Luke Mulichak and Gale Ruth, Jr. led the main event to the green,but it was third place starter John Mollick who would take the lead. A lap three caution closed the field, but Mollick wasted no time in taking command once the action resumed.  The Toronto, OH driver went on to lead the final 12 circuits and score the 3.682 victory over Wyatt Long. Ruth, Jr., Mulichak and Trent Marshall finished third through fifth, respectively.  T.J. Rosario was the recipient of the $100 "Kenny's Cash".

RUSH Sportsman Modified teams returned to action for the first time in 2026 at Raceway 7 on Friday.  Kole Holden held off the race long challenges of Doug Rutana to score the victory.  Todd English, Jacob Rutana and Russ King Racing Futures Cup driver Nolan Burns rounded out the top five.

Hovis RUSH Stock Car teams were in action at Tri-City Raceway Park Friday evening.  Raiddan Wilson and William Baker, Jr. raced side-by-side for the two laps with Wilson grabbing the top spot. A caution for Jim Buchanan slowed the field and on the double file restart that followed the duo continued their battle. Baker used the top groove to grab the top spot, but Wilson tried valiantly to take the top spot. At the checkered flag it was Baker earning a hard-fought $600 win- his third in the four events held at the speedway this season over Wilson. Billy Myers, Cole Laskey, and Buchanan rounded out the top five.

Weather claimed the events scheduled at Eriez Speedway and Bradford Speedway on Sunday.

Hovis Auto and Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Colussy Chevrolet Weekly Series action is scheduled for Friday at Dog Hollow Speedway and Raceway 7.  Saturday’s action includes The Dirt Track at Genesee, Muskingum County Speedway, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Stateline Speedway, Winchester Speedwayand Woodhull Raceway.  Sunday RUSH Late Model action is scheduled at both Bradford and Eriez Speedways.

Hovis RUSH Sprint Car Rustler Sales & Service Weekly Series action is scheduled for Tri-City Raceway Park on Friday evening. The lone RUSH Pro Mod event will take place at Stateline Speedway on Saturday.

Hovis RUSH Sportsman Modified teams have two nights of racing action scheduled.  They will start off the weekend Friday evening at Raceway 7 and then conclude the weekend at Tri-City Raceway Park for $600 to-win on Sunday evening.

Hovis  RUSH Stock Car competitors have another three-race weekend on tap.  They will be in action Friday at Tri-City Raceway Park, move to Stateline Speedway on Saturday and conclude the weekend at Eriez Speedway on Sunday.

Another great weekend of Hovis Auto and Truck Supply RUSH Racing Series action presented by Born2Run Lubricants is on tap so be sure to get out and enjoy a night or two at a local speedway near you.

The RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply together with Born2Run Lubricants along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Colussy Chevrolet Flynn's Tire, Gunter's Honey, Rustler Sales & Service, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Capital Contracting Service, Joseph J. Oliva Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Landrum Performance Springs, Russ King Racing, 3C Graphix, Velocita-USA, Wieland Metal Services, Real Merchant Services DMV, IllusionCoats Powder Coating, Hoosier Tire Western Pennsylvania/Big Daddy's Speed Center, Close Racing Supply, Keyser Manufacturing/Integra Racing Shocks, Seal-Tite Paving & Excavating, MotoRad, Schneider Trucks, Ontime Body & Graphic, Henry's Headers & Exhaust Systems, D&V Jewelers, AERO Race Wheels, Racing Electronics, Design Creations, and Competition Crate Parts.

E-mail can be sent to the RUSH Racing Series at [email protected] and mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. Office phone is 724-964-9300.  The RUSH Late Model website is www.rushlatemodels.com. Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rushlatemodels and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @RUSHLM.

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