JEREMY WONDERLING WINS $4350 “DARWIN DAVIS MEMORIAL” IN HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL
FLYNN’S TIRE TOUR RETURN TO WOODHULL AFTER 9 YEARS
By Mike Leone
August 8, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
(Woodhull, NY)...After unseasonably cool and damp conditions blanketed
New York’s Southern Tier for much of Tuesday, skies cleared late afternoon for
the return of the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire Touring
Series to Woodhull Raceway after 9 years.
Despite the weather conditions and midweek event, an excellent field of
34 cars turned out for race #16 of the 2023 season.
Thank you to Davis Electric & Lightning and Empire Crushing for making
the “Darwin Davis Memorial” possible.
Jeremy Wonderling grew up 30 miles from Woodhull
Raceway and cut his teeth on the high-banked bullring.
On Tuesday night, Wonderling led all 30 laps of the feature winning in
the return of the Series to Woodhull for the first time since the Series’ only
appearance on September 27, 2014.
Wonderling held off the staunch challenges by 2017 champion Bryce Davis for his
eighth Flynn’s Tire Touring Series victory of the season, which was worth $4,000
plus a $250 bonus from Mike Kerr’s Recycling and $100 from Lane Porter.
Wonderling’s eight Tour victories have come in the last 12 events!
“Winning this race is a big deal,” expressed the
43-year-old Wellsville, NY racer.
“I’m sure it would have been cooler if Bryce (Davis) won.
I did race with Darwin (Davis) back in the ‘360’ (Late Model) days and
talked to him a little bit, but I really didn’t know him that well before he
passed. Starting position meant a
lot tonight but my car was pretty good.
I just wanted to make sure I didn’t overdrive the corners and let someone
get underneath me especially in traffic when the dust made it hard to even see
the corners. I felt some bumps a few
times and I wanted to be sure to slow down to hit the bottom.
This race car is something really special
and works well. I’m glad all these
fans came out on a Tuesday night.”
Wonderling earned the feature pole following his
fourth Sunoco Dash victory of the season and took off the lead, while Davis
moved past Austin Hauser for second.
Three cautions slowed action.
Throughout the 30-lap event, Davis pressured Wonderling, especially in lapped
traffic over the final nine laps, but Wonderling was able to hold on by 0.461
seconds.
Wonderling's 22nd career Flynn’s Tire Tour win came in his Terry Prince Contracting/Close Racing Supply/Cummings
Trucking/Shuttleworth Sales/Penske Shocks by JDS/Swift Springs-sponsored #3J.
Davis, who won on May 27 at Genesee Speedway, earned
$2,000 in his uncle Darwin’s memorial event.
“It was tough pass and I didn’t want to go a lane or two up or Joe
(Martin) would have passed me,” explained the 32-year-old Canisteo, NY driver.
“I was just trying to be conservative and take what was given to me.
My entire family is here and it was nice as it’s been 10-12 years since
we’ve had a memorial for him. It was
a nice night with a great turnout of cars and I’m happy with it.
I means a lot to have it at Woodhull.
I grew up racing here when I was 13 years old and live 10 minutes down
the road.”
Martin earned $1,000 for his fourth podium finish of
the season. “We’ve been struggling a
lot lately,” acknowledged the 38-year-old Punxsutawney, Pa. driver.
“Any time you end up on the frontstretch
though it’s a good night and we’ll take them anyway we’ll get them.
It was a long night and a new track for us that I’ve never even seen
before so we’re happy with third.”
Sixth starting Austin Allen, who has two City
Chevrolet Weekly Series victories at Woodhull this season, finished fourth as
the third year RUSH Late Model driver recorded his first career Series top five.
Hauser, who is in his first year on the Tour, was fifth for his seventh
top seven finish in 12 starts. Kurt
Stebbins was sixth. Chad Homan went
10th to 7th.
Track regular Brian Knowles was 8th after starting 12th.
Mike Wonderling, who is third in Tour points, rebounded from a 16th
place starting spot with a 9th place finish.
Logan Jaquay was 10th.
Craig Graham earned the $50 Precise Racing Products
“Pedal Down” Hard Charger gift card after going 25th to 15th,
while his son Brandt finished 16th and received a spoiler kit from
Ontime Body & Graphic. Chuck LaFleur
was chosen as the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night” recipient after getting
involved in an opening lap accident, which ended his night.
Woodhull regular Noah Talada made his first career Tour start and was the
first feature non-qualifier and received a $100 Performance Bodies gift card for
the “Nosed Out” contingency.
Alan Chapman ended the night winning the D&V Jewelers
Non-Qualifier. The eight-lap race
had three different leaders with Chapman getting by RUSH Futures Cup rookie
Marshall O’Brian on lap three. The
40-year-old Syracuse, NY driver earned $200 in his Chapman Racing/IDM
Innovations/Absolute Powerwashing Pros/Brian & Sue Chapman-sponsored #64c.
The five-time 2023 Skyline Raceway Motorsports City Chevrolet Weekly
Series winner and current Track Pack leader became the amazing 69th
different winner in 85 races run all-time!
Tubbs, who started fifth, was second over Hunter Proctor, seventh
starting Patrick Parker, and O’Brian.
Allen earned his first career $100 FK Rod Ends “Shock
the Clock” Qualifying honor setting fast time over the 34-car field with a lap
of 16.669. The FK Rod Ends heat
races paid $100 thanks to $75 from Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway “Jook George
Steel City Classic” promoter Branden Lockwich and $25 from FK Rod Ends, and were
won by Allen, Stebbins, Jaquay, and Davis.
Jeremy Wonderling’s Sunoco Dash victory earned him a
$100 Sunoco fuel card, while Mike Wonderling and Davis also received $100 Sunoco
fuel cards in random drawings. The $50
Sunoco fuel card random drawing winners were Rickie Loucks, O’Brian, Tubbs, and
Todd Chapman.
The Flynn’s Tire Tour will now be off until Sunday,
August 27 for the rescheduled “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance
at Eriez Speedway in a $3,000 to-win Marquee Event.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire Touring Series Race #16
(30 laps, $4,350
to-win) (Platinum): 1. JEREMY WONDERLING (3J)
2. Bryce Davis (94) 3. Joe
Martin (Snyder 10s) 4. Austin Allen
(32) 5. Austin Hauser (51)
6. Kurt Stebbins (26) 7. Chad
Homan (91) 8. Brian Knowles (7)
9. Mike Wonderling (18) 10.
Logan Jaquay (Briggs 99*) 11. Aaron
Miller (20) 12. Dusty Waters (14)
13. Jason Knowles (4) 14.
Brad Mesler (Sturdevant 87S) 15.
Craig Graham (98) 16. Brandt Graham
(14) 17. Jim Rasey (Wrightsman 21J)
18. Zack Carley (2) 19. Brett
Marlatt (99) 20. Steve LeBarron (29)
21. John Waters (LeBarron 11)
22. Rickie Loucks (4R) 23. Cody
Dawson (36) 24. Joe Layfield (121)
25. Chuck LaFleur (61) 26.
Brock Pinkerous (555)-DSQ (unsportsmanlike conduct).
D&V Jewelers
Non-Qualifier
(8 laps, $200 to-win): 1. Alan
Chapman (64c) 2. Jacob Tubbs (89JR)
3. Hunter Proctor (432) 4.
Patrick Parker (99) 5. Marshall
O’Brian (32) 6. Todd Chapman (T54)
7. Noah Talada (5W). DNS:
Jason Dobson (75).
Car Count: 34
Feature Margin of Victory:
0.461 seconds
Feature Lap Leaders: Jeremy
Wonderling (1-30)
Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert” Spoiler Kit:
Brandt Graham
Performance Bodies “Nosed Out”:
Noah Talada
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger:
Craig Graham (+10)
Sunoco Fuel Card Winners:
Jeremy Wonderling ($100), Bryce Davis
($100), Rickie Loucks ($50), Marshall O’Brian ($50), Jacob Tubbs ($50), Todd
Chapman ($50)
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”:
Chuck LaFleur
FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying
($100 for fast time):
1. 32A-Austin Allen, 00:16.669[16]; 2.
26-Kurt Stebbins, 00:16.673[19]; 3. 99*-Logan Jaquay, 00:16.706[27]; 4. 4-Jason
Knowles, 00:16.726[7]; 5. 36-Cody Dawson, 00:16.740[2]; 6. 10S-Joe Martin,
00:16.741[31]; 7. 51-Austin Hauser, 00:16.746[6]; 8. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling,
00:16.815[34]; 9. 61-Chuck LaFleur, 00:16.824[22]; 10. 91-Chad Homan,
00:16.848[12]; 11. 20-Aaron Miller, 00:16.923[17]; 12. 94-Bryce Davis,
00:16.934[10]; 13. 99M-Brett Marlatt, 00:16.975[33]; 14. 555-Brock Pinkerous,
00:17.051[21]; 15. 14-Brandt Graham, 00:17.054[28]; 16. 89JR-Jacob Tubbs,
00:17.104[26]; 17. 14W-Dusty Waters, 00:17.109[11]; 18. 32M-Marshall O'Brian,
00:17.109[13]; 19. 4R-Rickie Loucks, 00:17.123[3]; 20. 7-Brian Knowles,
00:17.130[8]; 21. 21J-Jim Rasey, 00:17.184[4]; 22. 11L-John Waters,
00:17.274[18]; 23. 5W-Noah Talada, 00:17.288[1]; 24. 29L-Steve LeBarron,
00:17.325[30]; 25. 121-Joe Layfield, 00:17.380[32]; 26. 87S-Brad Mesler,
00:17.386[15]; 27. 2C-Zack Carley, 00:17.447[14]; 28. 18-Mike Wonderling,
00:17.585[9]; 29. 75-Jason Dobson, 00:17.886[24]; 30. 98-Craig Graham,
00:17.904[20]; 31. T54-Todd Chapman, 00:18.125[29]; 32. 64C-Alan Chapman,
00:18.242[23]; 33. 432-Hunter Proctor, 00:18.397[5]; 34. 99P-Patrick Parker,
00:18.460[25].
FK Rod Ends Heat 1 (8
laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $100 to-win): 1. 32A-Austin Allen[1]; 2. 36-Cody
Dawson[2]; 3. 14W-Dusty Waters[5]; 4. 61-Chuck LaFleur[3]; 5. 99M-Brett
Marlatt[4]; 6. 21J-Jim Rasey[6]; 7. 121-Joe Layfield[7]; 8. 75-Jason Dobson[8];
9. 432-Hunter Proctor[9].
FK Rod Ends Heat 2 (8
laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $100 to-win): 1. 26-Kurt Stebbins[1]; 2. 10S-Joe
Martin[2]; 3. 91-Chad Homan[3]; 4. 11L-John Waters[6]; 5. 87S-Brad Mesler[7]; 6.
555-Brock Pinkerous[4]; 7. 98-Craig Graham[8]; 8. 32M-Marshall O'Brian[5]; 9.
99P-Patrick Parker[9].
FK Rod Ends Heat 3 (8
laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $100 to-win): 1. 99*-Logan Jaquay[1]; 2. 51-Austin
Hauser[2]; 3. 20-Aaron Miller[3]; 4. 4R-Rickie Loucks[5]; 5. 14-Brandt
Graham[4]; 6. 2C-Zack Carley[7]; 7. 5W-Noah Talada[6]; 8. T54-Todd Chapman[8].
FK Rod Ends Heat 4 (8
laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $100 to-win): 1. 94-Bryce Davis[3]; 2. 3J-Jeremy
Wonderling[2]; 3. 7-Brian Knowles[5]; 4. 18-Mike Wonderling[7]; 5. 29L-Steve
LeBarron[6]; 6. 4-Jason Knowles[1]; 7. 89JR-Jacob Tubbs[4]; 8. 64C-Alan
Chapman[8].
Last Chance B Main 1
(8 laps, Top 2 transfer to A): 1. 555-Brock Pinkerous[2]; 2. 21J-Jim Rasey[1];
3. 98-Craig Graham[4]; 4. 75-Jason Dobson[5]; 5. 121-Joe Layfield[3]; 6.
432-Hunter Proctor[7]; 7. 32M-Marshall O'Brian[6]; 8. 99P-Patrick Parker[8].
Last Chance B Main 2
(8 laps, Top 2 transfer to A): 1. 4-Jason Knowles[2]; 2. 2C-Zack Carley[1]; 3.
5W-Noah Talada[3]; 4. T54-Todd Chapman[5]; 5. 64C-Alan Chapman[6]; 6. 89JR-Jacob
Tubbs[4].
Sunoco Dash
(6 laps, $100
Sunoco fuel card to-win): 1. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling[1]; 2. 51-Austin Hauser[2]; 3.
94-Bryce Davis[4]; 4. 26-Kurt Stebbins[3]; 5. 10S-Joe Martin[5]; 6. 32A-Austin
Allen[7]; 7. 99*-Logan Jaquay[6]; 8. 36-Cody Dawson[8].
The RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply together
with Born2Run Lubricants along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Rick Hendrick
City Chevrolet, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance,
Flynn's Tire, Sunbelt Rentals, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK
Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Bilstein
Shocks, Performance Bodies & Parts, Racing Electronics, Wieland Metal Services,
Frankland Racing Supply, Landrum Performance Spring, Ontime Body & Graphic,
Sherwood Wheels, Precise Racing Products, Velocita-USA, Wedge Motorsports, 3C
Graphix, D&V Jewelers, CrateInsider.com, and Terry Bowser Excavating.
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.
The RUSH Late Model website is www.rushlatemodels.com. Like our Facebook page
at www.facebook.com/rushlatemodels and follow us on Twitter @RUSHLM.
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