SWEENEY RUSH SERIES ENGINE REBUILDER/REPAIR SEMINAR A GREAT SUCCESS AGAIN; ATTENDEES FROM 5 STATES & CANADA

By Mike Leone

 

December 7, 2015                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

(Pulaski, PA)…The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series held its third annual Authorized Engine Rebuilder/Repair Facility Seminar on Saturday (December 5) at the Hampton Inn & Suites Grove City (PA).  For the second consecutive year, attendance to this was "mandated" for those facilities authorized to rebuild engines for the RUSH Late Model and Pro Stocks and repair engines for the Sportsman Modified side.  Nineteen different engine facilities along with some speedways were represented as attendees came from five states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, New York, and North Carolina along with Ontario, Canada. 

 

The seminar started at 11 a.m. and continued until nearly 5 p.m. with a break for lunch.  Sweeney RUSH Series Directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone organized the meeting; however, a five-person panel led the seminar including RUSH Competition Director Travis Harry, Sweeney/Pace Performance Circle Track Director Don Blackshear and leading authorized engine rebuilders Steve Hendren and Mike Ingram. 

 

Special guest speakers were Gene Jones of Maxima Racing Oils and Joe Skotnicki of Sunoco Race Fuels.  Maxima became the “Official Oil of the RUSH Racing Series” this year and was a great contingency partner of all three of the Series’ divisions providing great product to the racers.  Skotnicki spoke about the new mandated Sunoco 110 and Sunoco/RUSH 91 pump fuels.  Late Model racers will have a choice of either, while Sportsman Modified racers must run the Sunoco 91 pump fuel.

    

The first half of the meeting was a discussion on the rebuilders hand guide and sealing process, while part two included discussions on teching and teardown procedures focusing around the mandated GM 604 and 602 crate engines. 

 

Topics of discussion also included awareness of responsibilities of the authorized rebuilders to the Series and its racers, the utilization of networking amongst their rebuilder peers and Series officials, and the importance of understanding and staying true to the GM Technical Manual. 

 

“There is no question that that the integrity of any healthy crate racing series lies in its teching and rebuild/repair programs," stated Emig.  "With that said, it’s our belief to mandate attendance for  those that are authorized to rebuild or repair GM crate engines that will be running throughout our region; we feel we owe that to our sanctioned speedways and racers.  This is just another service that we offer as part of the RUSH Racing Series.  We have to thank everyone that took time out of their busy schedules to attend.  Special thanks to our three Canadian rebuilders, Brighton Speedway promoter Mark Rinaldi, and Steve Hendren, who made the long trip in." 

 

"We're all a team, from the racers to the Series officials, to the Authorized Rebuild/Repair Facilities," said RUSH competition director Travis Harry.  "It's great that we can all gather in one location annually to review things to ensure that everyone stays on the same page.  Those interested in becoming newly authorized rebuilders had the opportunity to interact with some of those that have been involved for several years in a much more relaxed environment than at the race track and gave us as competition directors the opportunity to speak face-to-face with those we that we talk to throughout the year."   

 

Fifteen of the previous 17 RUSH Authorized Rebuild/Repair Facilities attended with two others having prior excused absences and will be briefed on the topics discussed.  Two new engine shops were authorized in areas needing service including Marty Brown Race Engines in Glen Burnie, Maryland and John Saunders Racing Enterprises & Automotive Machine in Watford, Ontario.    

 

Engine facilities represented included the following: 955 Automotive, Brougher’s Machine Shop, C.Smith Machineshop, Campbell’s Engines, C.J. Rombold Engine, Craiger Race Engines, Cresap Automotive Machine, Donath Motor Worx, Empson Automotive, Hendren Racing Engines, Ingram Engines, John Saunders Racing Enterprises & Automotive Machine, Jennerstown Engine Technologies, Luke’s Auto Machine, Marty Brown Race Engines, Race 1, Ray’s Precision Machine (RPM), Rams Engines, and Workman Automotive Machine.

 

The next event for the Sweeney RUSH Series will be the annual awards banquet and dinner on Saturday, January 23, held at Dwandi’s in Franklin, Pa.  Ticket order forms will be mailed out and are available on our website.  

 

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

 

RUSH Sportsman Modified marketing partners: Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Bicknell Racing Products, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, MSD Ignition, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing Products, FK Rod Ends, Sherwood Racing Wheels, Velocita-USA, Precise Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, K&N Filters, TBM Brakes, Lincoln Electric, CrateInsider.com, Rocket Racing, and B.R.A.K.E.S.

 

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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