MAX BLAIR WINS 3^RD STRAIGHT BAZELL/SUNOCO SOUTHERN TOUR EVENT SUNDAY AT WAYNE COUNTY WITH SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODELS

By Mike Leone

September 6, 2015            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Orrville, OH)…The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Series headed west on Sunday night to Wayne County Speedway for a Bazell/Sunoco Race Fuels Southern Touring Series event for the third and final time this season.  RUSH, which is winding down its inaugural season as part of the weekly program at the Orrville, Ohio oval, joined Tony Stewart’s All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series once again as packed grandstand witnessed the special Labor Day Eve program.    

Max Blair has been on a mission this season.  Sunday night he raced from the fifth starting spot to the lead on lap five and never looked back winning his third straight Bazell/Sunoco Southern Touring Series event and eighth overall on the combined Sweeney Touring Series.  More impressively, Sunday’s $1,500 victory was Blair’s 30^th overall in 2015 action between Super Late Model and RUSH Crate Late Model racing throughout the region!  Blair also inched closer to the $10,000 Sweeney Touring Series Championship clean sweep.

“The track was definitely different than the first two times we were here,” stated the 25-year-old Centerville, Pa. driver.  “The first time I thought we had it won, but got snookered on a late race restart.  Tonight we had plenty of them, but I was careful not to let that happen again.  I didn’t know if I should pick the top or bottom, but it worked out.  My dad always told me to go out and win every race you can and add the points up at the end of the year.  We don’t worry too much about that, but in a couple weeks we will.  I have to thank my dad first and foremost; it’s really tough he’s not here.  He’s racing at Eriez (Speedway).”

Former “Futures Cup” Champion, Eric Wilson, took off in the lead over three-time Wayne County winner Ryan Markham, former Sharon Speedway Champion Josh Double, and Blair after one lap.  Following a caution for debris with two completed, Blair used the outside to pass Markham for third on the restart.  One lap later it was three-wide for second with Blair getting the spot over Double and Markham. 

Current “Futures Cup” point leader, Clinton Hersh, made the long tow from Somerset, Pa., and would bring out the caution when he spun with four laps scored.  It was a costly caution for Wilson, who now had Blair alongside for the restart.  Wilson chose the bottom, but he couldn’t fend off Blair who sped by to lead lap five. 

Blair quickly pulled away on lap six as the battle was on for second with Wilson trying to hold off Double and Markham.  Markham would make the pass of Double on lap 11 and fellow three-time Wayne County winner, Charlie Duncan, followed past Double for fourth on lap 16.  Duncan continued moving forward taking third from Markham on lap 18.

Back-to-back cautions for Cody Endlich, who was making his RUSH Tour debut, slowed action with 22 and 24 laps completed respectively.  Wilson and Duncan would have one more shot hoping Blair would make a mistake, but it didn’t happen as Blair still won by 0.591 of a second in the one-lap shootout to the finish.  Blair’s all-time leading 13^th career Sweeney Tour win came in the R&J Poultry/Moody & Son Welding/Specialty Products/Genesis Shocks/Murphy’s Logging/C&J Dairy-sponsored #111.

Wilson’s career best runner-up beat his prior season’s best Tour finish of fourth at Expo on July 15, and was able to move into second place in the Bazell/Sunoco Southern Tour points.  That earned the Cortland, Ohio teenager the Maxima Racing Oil “Maximum Performance” Award.  Duncan’s third was his career best Sweeney Tour finish as he was fifth in the first Wayne County show and fourth in the second event. 

“There’s no doubt Max is the man- he’s tough to beat this year,” expressed Wilson.  He’s a force to be reckoned with.  It was a really good race and I gave it my all.  Wayne County does a great job with the track and I couldn’t ask for anything better.” 

Double inherited fourth when Markham suffered a flat tire on the final lap and was able to hold off Justin Chance for the spot.  Completing the top 10 were Jim Nicely, Jason Knowles, Paul Harriger, Rick Mardis in his first ever Sweeney Tour start, and Brian Knowles.

Harriger earned the $100 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger gift card for gaining five positions as he improved from a 15^th place finish in the first show to 10^th in the second show and finally eighth on Sunday.  Markham, who won Saturday night’s Super Late Model race at Attica Raceway Park, was awarded the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”.  Hersh was the final car on the lead lap and earned the $25 CrateInsider.com gift certificate.  

Wilson won his heat race from the fifth starting spot, while Blair raced to the heat two win from the sixth starting spot.  Charlie Duncan became the 12^th different K&N “Cold Air Induction” Dash winner of the season and earned a $100 K&N certificate.  Mardis received a $50 K&N certificate for second, while Brian Knowles and Nicely will receive an extra $25 cash for finishing third and fourth respectively.

The next Sweeney Tour event will be this Friday and Saturday, September 11-12 at Sharon Speedway for the $2,000 to-win “Gary Knollinger Memorial” as part of the “Apple Festival Nationals” in a Bazell/Sunoco Southern event.

Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Bazell/Sunoco Race Fuels Southern Touring Series Race #9 (25 laps, $1,500 to-win): 1. MAX BLAIR (111)  2. Eric Wilson (27W)  3. Charlie Duncan (Hall 240)  4. Josh Double (38)  5. Justin Chance (01)  6. Jim Nicely (22)  7. Jason Knowles (4)  8. Paul Harriger (6)  9. Rick Mardis (X3)  10. Brian Knowles (4)  11. Clinton Hersh (16)  12. Ryan Markham (5M)  13. Cody Endlich (1E).

Car Count: 13
Feature Lap Leaders: Eric Wilson (1-4), Max Blair (5-25)

Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”: Paul Harriger (+5)

Maxima Oil “Maximum Performance”: Eric Wilson

TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night": Ryan Markham

CrateInsider.com "Last Car on Lead Lap": Clinton Hersh

Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Wilson  2. Chance  3. Double  4. Mardis  5. B. Knowles  6. Hersh  7. Harriger.

Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Blair  2. Markham  3. J. Knowles  4. Duncan  5. Nicely  6. Endlich.

K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash (4 laps): 1. Charlie Duncan  2. Rick Mardis  3. Brian Knowles  4. Jim Nicely.

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 Ignition, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Crate Innovations Inc., Velocita-USA, High Gear Speed Shop, CrateInsider.com, B.R.A.K.E.S., 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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