MAX BLAIR WITHSTANDS LATE RACE CHARGE FROM RUSSELL KING AT ERIEZ TO SECURE 1ST
SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL TOUR WIN OF 2017
By Mike Leone
July 30, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Erie, PA)...The
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series powered by Pace
Performance headed to Eriez Speedway on a beautiful Sunday evening.
Race #9 of the 2017 season was to be the second "Marquee" event of the
year at the racey, 3/8-mile northwest Pennsylvania speedway; however, the May 28
event was rained out. Sunday
attracted 31 teams from all over Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and West Virginia
to compete.
2015 Sweeney Tour Champion, Max Blair, made just his second start of the season
a winning one by capturing the 30-lap $2,000 to-win feature.
Blair took the lead early on from Chad Wright then withstood challenges
from both him and a late race charge by Russell King to become the sixth
different winner in nine events this season.
Max has now won four of the five Sweeney Tour events at Eriez over the
past three seasons with his father Rob winning the other one in a substitution
role! Blair was also named the
Maxima Racing Oil "Maximum Performance" award winner as he nearly swept the
night setting fast time, winning his heat, the feature, but had a second place
dash finish. All told, Blair won
$2,125 in cash plus contingencies.
"Russ (King) is one of the best in our area and anytime you line up side-by-side
with him you have to worry about it," expressed the 27-year-old Centerville, Pa.
driver. "Chad (Wright) has been
real good all year and is one of my best friends.
He's one of our Team Blair Racing cars.
It's a lot of fun getting to race with him.
I'm not sure what happened to him there.
It's too bad he didn't get the finish he deserved.
It's been an unreal season.
I haven't been able to race as many of these Tour races as I would have liked to
due to the Super Late Model commitments, but I always enjoy racing them when I
can and look forward to the next one."
Wright earned the feature pole via his K&N Dash win and immediately raced to the
early lead over Blair and fourth starting King.
Jason Genco was on the move from the sixth starting spot as he passed
Bryce Davis on the opening lap then Matt Latta for fourth on lap two.
Genco moved in on King for the battle for third on lap five, while up
ahead Blair pulled even with Wright.
Blair would make his winning move on lap six driving to the inside of
Wright in turns three and four.
Blair was in traffic on lap eight and two laps later Wright closed back in;
meanwhile, Davis, the Sweeney Tour point leader, caught King and Genco in the
race for third on lap 12. Genco
nosed ahead of King to take third on lap 13.
After Blair opened up a little ground, Wright was right on the leader on
lap 18 and pulled alongside on lap 19; however, a caution for Hunter Hulley may
have taken away Wright's shot at regaining the lead.
Blair chose the bottom on the double file restart and took off in the lead;
meanwhile, King found traction on the outside as he drove around Genco and
Wright in turns one and two for second.
The top three of Blair, King, and Wright began to distance themselves
from the field before a spin by Latta slowed action for the second time of the
event- this time with 21 laps scored.
When racing resumed, King continued to hound Blair, but was unable to find a way
by while Wright kept the pressure on King.
On lap 26, King changed lanes as he tried the middle entering turn one,
but Wright had a run on the bottom and ran out of real estate as both racers
were fighting for the same spot on the track with Wright spinning.
Wright was awarded the TBM Brakes "Tough Brake of the Night" distinction.
The last five laps saw Blair keep King at bay for his all-time leading 17th
career Sweeney Tour victory in his
Murphy's Logging/C&J Dairy/Previty's Auto Wrecking/Specialty Products/Sons of
American Legion-sponsored #111.
Though he's not in the Sweeney Tour Championship hunt, Blair continues to lead
the $5,000 to-win Sweeney Weekly Series points as well as the $3,000 to-win Pace
"Summer Chase" standings.
King earned $1,000 for his runner-up finish in his fourth Sweeney Tour start of
the season as he's yet to finish worse than fourth.
"I don't like making excuses but
he has more laps around this place than I do," explained the Bristolville, Ohio
driver. "We were pretty decent and
I had the outside going, but I made a mistake when I touched his quarter panel.
We had that caution and someone must have told him because he backed up
his entry wider and kind of blocked mine.
His car was good and he's the guy to beat.
If you want to be that guy you have to
come up here and whip his ass.
That's why we came up here so we'll keep on trying."
Genco also made his fourth Sweeney Tour start of the season and recorded his
second straight podium finish and third top six.
Davis and defending Sweeney Tour Champion, John Waters, had a quiet
fourth and fifth place finish as they maintained their first and second place
position in points. Kyle Zimmerman
was sixth. Darrell Bossard raced
from 15th to seventh to earn the $100 Precise Racing Products "Pedal Down" Hard
Charger gift card. Eriez regulars
Andy Boozel, Mike Knight, and Scott Gurdak were eighth through 10th.
After just missing out on transferring to the feature to earn the ARbodies
"Nosed Out" nose kit contingency award, Jamie Wrightsman ended the night leading
all six non-stop laps of the non-qualifier event.
The $175 victory was the 27-year-old Cortland, Ohio driver's second
career non-qualifier win and came in his father's Hover Racing Inc/Quaker Steak
& Lube (Warren/Cortland)/Holko Roofing/King Sanitary/Russ King Racing/Hovis
Tire/Reese Pavement Sealing-sponsored #21J.
Brady Raynor was second.
Sweeney Tour regular and two-time "Wheelman" Bonus Event Challenge Series
Champion, Tony White, was third after Matt Sipes spun.
Blair set fast time in FK Rod Ends "Shock the Clock" Qualifying with a lap of
16.129 and also won the first FK Rod Ends Heat Races to add an additional $125.
Other $25 FK Rod Ends Heat Race winners were King, Waters, and Davis.
Wright's first K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash win of the season earned him
a $100 K&N certificate over Blair, who received a $50 K&N certificate.
Latta and King earned an extra $25 cash for their third and fourth place
dash finishes.
The Sweeney Tour will resume action on Saturday, August 12 for the "Jook George
Memorial" at Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway in Imperial, Pa. paying a season
high minimum $4,010 to-win. That
will be followed by the McKean County Fair event on Thursday, August 17 in East
Smethport, Pa. for a $1,500 to-win "Platinum" Event.
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Late Model Touring Series Race #9
(30 laps, $2,000 to-win): 1. MAX BLAIR (111)
2. Russell King (56) 3.
Jason Genco (Craig 29J) 4. Bryce
Davis (94) 5. John Waters (LeBarron
11) 6. Kyle Zimmerman (z17)
7. Darrell Bossard (Winans 213)
8. Andy Boozel (12B) 9. Mike
Knight (Harvey 55) 10. Scott Gurdak
(Hollabaugh 5G) 11. J.J. Mazur (13)
12. Eric Wilson (27W) 13.
Jeremy Wonderling (3J) 14. Jason
Knowles (4) 15. Mike Pegher, Jr.
(Swank RJ1) 16. Brian Swank (12s)
17. Mike Wonderling (18) 18.
Wyatt Scott (X3) 19. Matt Latta
(B1D) 20. Brian Knowles (7)
21. Khole Wanzer (01W) 22.
Hunter Hulley (09) 23. Paul Norman
(6) 24. Chad Wright (6)
25. Beamer Guzzardi (94B).
(Note: Brian Knowles took a Series
provisional.)
Non-Qualifier
(8 laps, $175 to-win): 1. Jamie Wrightsman (21J)
2. Brady Raynor (33R) 3.
Tony White (27T) 4. Matt Sipes (25)
5. Jeff Haynes (64)-DNS 6.
Mike Lozowski (41)-DNS.
Car Count:
31
Feature Lap Leaders: Chad Wright (1-5), Max Blair (6-30)
Maxima Oil “Maximum Performance”:
Max Blair
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”:
Darrell Bossard (+8)
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night":
Chad Wright
CrateInsider.com "Last Car on Lead Lap":
Hunter Hulley
ARbodies "Nosed Out:
Jamie Wrightsman
FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying
($100 for fast time): 1. Max Blair 16.129
2. Russell King 16.203 3.
Matt Latta 16.290 4. Bryce Davis
16.320 5. Chad Wright 16.348
6. Kyle Zimmerman 16.446 7.
John Waters 16.465 8. Mike Knight
16.471 9. Mike Wonderling 16.482
10. Mike Pegher, Jr. 16.485
11. Jason Knowles 16.493 12. Jason
Genco 16.521 13. Scott Gurdak
16.651 14. Jeremy Wonderling 16.652
15. Darrell Bossard 16.659
16. Andy Boozel 16.741 17. Wyatt
Scott 16.769 18. Beamer Guzzardi
16.818 19. Eric Wilson 16.854
20. Matt Sipes 16.884 21.
Brady Raynor 16.912 22. Brian
Knowles 16.921 23. J.J. Mazur
16.966 24. Khole Wanzer 16.984
25. Brian Swank 17.045 26.
Paul Norman 17.101 27. Jamie
Wrightsman 17.129 28. Hunter Hulley
17.401 29. Jeff Haynes 17.655
30. Mike Lozowski 17.739 31.
Tony White 18.344.
FK Rod Ends Heat 1
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 5 transfer) 1. Blair
2. Wright 3. Gurdak
4. M. Wonderling 5. Swank
6. Scott 7. Raynor
8. Haynes-DNS.
FK Rod Ends Heat 2
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 5 transfer):
1. King 2. Zimmerman
3. Pegher 4. J. Wonderling
5. Guzzardi 6. Norman
7. B. Knowles 8. Lozowski.
FK Rod Ends Heat 3
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 5 transfer): 1. Waters
2. Latta 3. Wilson
4. Bossard 5. Mazur
6. J. Knowles 7. Wrightsman
8. White.
FK Rod Ends Heat 4
(8 laps, $25 to-win, Top 5 transfer): 1. Davis
2. Genco 3. Knight
4. Boozel 5. Hulley
6. Wanzer 7. Sipes.
Last Chance B Main
(10 laps, Top 4 transfer): 1. J. Knowles
2. Scott 3. Wanzer
4. Norman 5. Wrightsman
6. B. Knowles 7. Raynor
8. White 9. Sipes
10. Haynes 11. Lozowski-DNS.
K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash
(6 laps, $100 K&N certificate to-win): 1. Wright
2. Blair 3. Latta
4. King 5. Davis
6. Genco 7. Zimmerman
8. Waters.
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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