HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE/GUNTER'S HONEY TOURING SERIES RELEASES 2024 SCHEDULE; RICHEST SCHEDULE TO DATE PART OF RECORD $76,200 POINTS FUND WITH $20,000 TO CHAMPION, $5000 BONUS DRAWING, 3C GRAPHIX ROY & MORE
By Mike Leone
February 4, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Pulaski, PA)...The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants is proud to release its powerful 2024 Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series schedule of events. The richest season in Series history will include 22 events at 13 different speedways all paying between $3,000 to $20,000 to-win and boasting a record $76,200 point fund with $20,000 to the champion! At least 12 of the events will pay more than the standard $3,000 to-win purse! Jeremy Wonderling is the defending champion winning four of the last six titles.
For the third time in four years, the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series points fund has been increased. In 2021, the points fund doubled from pre-COVID years with $12,000 to-win the title. Then in 2022, the point fund was increased 24% with $15,000 going to the champion. The 2024 points fund will see more than a 42% increase as the champion will receive a record $20,000 amongst the $68,200 points fund!
In addition, a drawing will be held at the season finale where one Touring Series member that competed in at least 75% of the completed events will receive a $5,000 bonus! And finally, 3C Graphix will present the new Rookie-of-the-Year with $3,000 going to a driver that competes in 75% of the 2024 events that has yet to do so in years past bringing the total points fund to $76,200!
Highlighting the schedule is the $20,000 to-win "Bill Emig Memorial" presented by Sunoco Race Fuels with associate sponsorship from TBM Brakes, which returns to Lernerville in conjunction with the renowned "Firecracker 100" weekend for the sixth straight year. Also featured in the schedule is the "Jook George Steel City Classic" and "Bill Hendren Memorial" events at Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway, which have continued to grow in stature. New stops on the schedule include Hummingbird and Ohio Valley Speedways, while McKean County Raceway returns to the schedule for the first time in nearly six years!
"The quality and competition of our RUSH Late Model Touring Series is incredible," acknowledged RUSH Director Vicki Emig. "The competition has definitely went to the next level and our car counts continue to be very strong averaging more than 35 each of the past five years. Without the strong support of our corporate marketing partners, speedways, and racers none of this would be possible."
For the first time, Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, WV will kick-off the Tour on Saturday, April 6 with their first of a record three events in 2024 all paying $4,000 to-win! April 13 will be utilized in the event of rain. Tyler County will be beginning their third year of RUSH Late Model City Chevrolet Weekly Series racing on March 30.
Another Saturday night City Chevrolet Weekly Series track in Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway will also host their earliest date in Series history on Saturday, April 20, while April 27 will be utilized in the event of rain. "Dirt's Monster Half-Mile" in Imperial, Pa. will be under the first full season of ownership by Blair Cress, Jr. For the first time, all four of PPMS' 2024 Tour events will pay a minimum of $4,000 to-win!
Winchester Speedway will be under the City Chevrolet Weekly Series banner for the 11th straight year in 2024. On Saturday, May 4, Greg Gunter's track will host their richest RUSH race since 2015 as $5,000 will be up for grabs at the Virginia red clay oval. Winchester has hosted eight Touring Series events all-time with six different winners. Last year, Charlie Sandercock became the first Canadian to win in the track's 88-year history as he topped a 42-car field.
The Touring Series then heads north to Stateline Speedway in Busti, NY for the seventh year for the "Bill Law Memorial" on May 11. Another of the Saturday night City Chevrolet Weekly Series tracks will host their only appearance by the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour in 2024. Wonderling has won four of the six "Bill Law Memorial" events including last year's. The only other victors are Damian Bidwell in 2018 and Joe Martin in 2022. The event has averaged 38 cars the last four years.
The following night (Sunday, May 12), Eriez Speedway will give racers back-to-back $3,000 to-win shows within just a 40-mile distance. Located just outside of Erie, Pa., this will be year number six of ownership for Dave Alexander, who will again host weekly Sunday night RUSH Late Model and RUSH Stock Car racing. There have been 13 RUSH Tour events completed all-time at Eriez. Max Blair leads the way with seven victories including the most recent event. Kyle Hardy is the only other repeat winner, while Rob Blair, Logan Roberson, Josh Ferry, and Wonderling have also been victorious.
For the eighth straight year, Outlaw and Genesee Speedways in New York have teamed up to host back-to-back "Marquee" Events on Friday and Saturday, May 24-25 with Bradford Speedway right across the border in Pennsylvania joining in for a Platinum Event on Sunday night.
Outlaw's show will again be dubbed as the "Gary Montgomery Memorial". Bryce Davis (2017) and Wonderling (2018-2019) have won in memory of BRP Series founder Montgomery. After COVID-19 and rain cancelled the Outlaw shows for three straight years, Joe Martin became the first non-New Yorker to win last year. Tyler Siri has done a tremendous job at transforming Outlaw, while Genesee promoter Kurt Stebbins hosts a very successful Saturday night weekly program featuring the RUSH Late Models at the Genesee County Fairgrounds in Batavia. Bradford is in year number five under Dennis Cummings hosting weekly Sunday night City Chevrolet RUSH Late Model racing. Bradford has had three Tour events all-time with Davis, John Waters, and Wonderling victorious.
For the first time since September 29, 2018, McKean County Raceway will host a Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series event on Friday, June 7! Stebbins took over the East Smethport, Pa. fairground oval late last year and 2024 will see a full slate of racing featuring the City Chevrolet RUSH Late Model Weekly Series. The following night (June 8), Marion Center Raceway will host their first of two Tour events in 2024. Last year saw the Series invade the Indiana County, Pa. oval for the first time ever with Wonderling winning a thriller with a last lap pass of local standout, Joe Martin, in front of a big crowd.
The Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey RUSH Late Model Tour will join up with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series four times in 2024 with the first being at the Big River Steel "Firecracker 100" weekend June 20-22 at Lernerville Speedway! This crown-jewel event for Super Late Models paying $50,000 to-win also showcases RUSH in the running of the "Bill Emig Memorial" for the sixth straight year. The Saturday night program for RUSH will again be highlighted by a 50-lap $20,000 to-win main event presented by Sunoco Race Fuels with associate sponsorship from TBM Brakes. Max Blair won the event the first two years totaling $20,000 then won $20,000 alone last year, while Florida's Mark Whitener won $10,000 in 2021 and $20,000 in 2022 for western Pa. car owner Dirk Neal and Brian Daugherty. D&V Jewelers annually awards a diamond championship ring valued at $7,500 to the victor.
The second of three appearances to Tyler County Speedway will take place on Independence Day (Thursday, July 4) followed up the next night by the first ever RUSH-sanctioned event at Ohio Valley Speedway near Parkersburg for a Mountaineer State doubleheader! These $4,000 to-win events will be presented by Poske's Performance Parts. Ohio Valley is owned by standout New York Modified racer, Rich Michael, whose brother Andy Michael competes in the RUSH Late Models and nephew Kaden Michael is a RUSH Stock Car racer.
For the eighth time, the "Jook George Steel City Classic" at PPMS will be a Tour event. The "Jook George" will once again be presented by All Interior Painting and will take place on Saturday, July 27 paying a minimum $6,010 to-win; however, that figure is expected to grow with contributions and bonuses as the event draws near thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Branden Lockwich. Last year, local Super Late Model star, Michael Norris, won the event for the third time in four years!
Last year, New York's Woodhull Raceway hosted their first Touring Series event in nearly nine years! A solid field of 34 cars were on hand for the midweek special that was won by Wonderling. This year's event will take place on Tuesday, August 6 with a rain date of the following night. Track owners Niki and Terry Brewer host Saturday night RUSH Late Model City Chevrolet weekly-sanctioned racing at their 1/3-mile oval for the sixth consecutive year.
Another two-race western Pa. weekend will take place on August 10-11 as both Marion Center and Eriez Speedways will host their second and final Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour events of the season. This will be the first time the "Snyder/Martz Memorial" will be a Tour event at Marion Center. Then on Sunday, Eriez will host the annual "Manufacturers Night" presented by MSD Performance for the fourth straight year. Eriez also hosted "Manufacturers Night" in 2015. The average car count for the event since the Mfg. Night debuted in 2012 is nearly 47. Last year, an Eriez record 52 cars were on hand! Over $30,000 of valuable and useful products is typically distributed to competing racers on this night.
For the first time ever, Hummingbird Speedway will host a RUSH Late Model event on Saturday, August 31 as the cars and stars of the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour convene on the 1/3-mile racey clay oval located minutes off I-80 in Reynoldsville Pa. This will be the first ever Chevrolet Performance crate engine Late Model race at the track. Last year, Hummingbird held two wildly successful RUSH Sprint Car events; in fact, it was the first time full-size Sprint Cars had ever raced at the track.
For the third straight year, the Tour returns to Tyler County on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend (September 1) for the $4,000 to-win "Cider Jug 40" part of the prestigious 56th annual "Hillbilly 100" that pays $30,000 to-win for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. This will be the second of four shows with LOLMDS in 2024, and final stop at "The Bullring" in 2024.
For the ninth straight year, the Tour will be part of the "Pittsburgher" joining LOLMDS for two complete shows on October 4-5. The "Bill Hendren Memorial" has been increasing in stature every year as 2020 was the first time to offer complete shows each night paying $3,000 to-win. For the third straight year, Friday night's preliminary will pay $4,000 to-win, while Saturday's show will boost a $10,000 to-win payoff alongside the $50,000 to-win "Pittsburgher" for LOLMDS. Sponsors such as FK Rod Ends, City Chevrolet, Pro Fab, Hendren Racing Engines, West Mifflin Collision, All Interior Painting, Keyser Manufacturing, Stan's Transmission, and Branden Lockwich have stepped up to really make this into a major event. In 2005, Bill Hendren, the patriarch of the Hendren family and founder of Hendren Racing Engines, had the foresight to begin building his affiliation with crate racing.
And as what been an annual tradition since RUSH's inception, the "Steel City Stampede" will bring down the curtain on the Touring Series season on October 11-12 at Lernerville paying $3,500 to-win. This year’s “Steel City Stampede” will be the 16th edition of this huge event that includes most of the region’s racing divisions. Max Blair is the only driver to win multiple events (2012, 2019-2020). Other past winners include Josh Holtgraver (2009), Bryan Force (2010), Butch Lambert (2011), Dennis Lunger, Jr. (2013), Chad Ruhlman (2014), Jacob Hawkins (2015), John Mollick (2016), John Waters (2017), Colton Flinner (2018), Kyle Hardy (2021), Logan Roberson (2022), and Michael Norris (2023).
All Tour events in 2023 will again pay a minimum of $3,000 to-win, $250 to-start with a $200 to-win non-qualifier (30 cars or more), and guaranteed $125 tow money. All events will utilize the group qualifying format featuring $100 FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock Qualifying” and $25 to-win FK Rod End heat races. Other nightly contingencies will be announced.
The championship points will be based off the cumulative Marquee Events; however, member drivers/owners will be able to use the Platinum Events to replace their worst Marquee Event point scores. Drivers can also use Platinum Events to replace missed Marquee Events.
Touring membership is available for $125 or drivers can join both Weekly and Touring for $225. The membership is available at the following link: https://rushlatemodels.com/memberships.html or through the Pit Pay App.
2024 Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series Points Fund ($68,200 + $5,000 bonus + $3,000 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year): 1. $20,000 2. $10,000 3. $7,500 4. $5,000 5. $4,000 6. $3,000 7. $2,500 8. $2,400 9. $2,200 10. $2,000. Drivers/Owners in the following positions must compete in 75% of the completed Tour events to receive point fund monies: 11. $1,500 12. $1,300 13. $1,200 14. $1,100 15. $1,000 16. $900 17. $800 18. $700 19. $600 20. $500.
2024 Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series Schedule*
· Sat, April 6 Tyler County Speedway (Middlebourne, WV) - $4,000 to-win (Rain date 4/13)
· Sat, April 20 Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway (Imperial, PA) - $4,000 to-win "Herb Scott Memorial" (Rain date 4/27)
· Sat, May 4 Winchester Speedway (Winchester, VA) - $5,000 to-win
· Sat, May 11 Stateline Speedway (Busti, NY) - $3,000 to-win "Bill Law Memorial"
· Sun, May 12 Eriez Speedway (Erie, PA) - $3,000 to-win
· Fri, May 24 Outlaw Speedway (Dundee, NY) - $3,000 to-win "Gary Montgomery Memorial"
· Sat, May 25 Genesee Speedway (Batavia, NY) - $3,000 to-win
· Sun, May 26 Bradford Speedway (Bradford, PA) - $3,000 to-win (Platinum)
· Fri, June 7 McKean County Raceway (East Smethport, PA) - $3,000 to-win
· Sat, June 8 Marion Center Raceway (Marion Center, PA) - $3,000 to-win
· Thr-Sat, June 20-22 Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA) - $20,000 to-win "Bill Emig Memorial" presented by Sunoco Race Fuels & TBM Brakes (Part of the "Firecracker 100" - (Rain date 6/23)
· Thr, July 4 Tyler County Speedway (Middlebourne, WV) - $4,000 to-win presented by Poske's Performance Parts
· Fri, July 5 Ohio Valley Speedway (Washington, WV) - $4,000 to-win presented by Poske's Performance Parts
· Sat, July 27 Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway (Imperial, PA) - Minimum $6,010 to-win "Jook George Steel City Classic" presented by All Interior Painting - (Rain date 8/3)
· Tue, Aug 6 Woodhull Raceway (Woodhull, NY) - $4,000 to-win (Platinum) - (Rain date 8/7)
· Sat, Aug 10 Marion Center Raceway (Marion Center, PA) - $3,000 to-win "Snyder/Martz Memorial"
· Sun, Aug 11 Eriez Speedway (Erie, PA) - $3,000 to-win "Manufacturers Night" presented by MSD Performance
· Sat, Aug 31 Hummingbird Speedway (Reynoldsville, PA) - $3,000 to-win
· Sun, Sept 1 Tyler County Speedway (Middlebourne, WV) - $4,000 to-win "Cider Jug 40" (Part of the "Hillbilly 100")
· Fri, Oct 4 Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway (Imperial, PA) - $4,000 to-win "Bill Hendren Memorial" Night 1 (Part of the "Pittsburgher")
· Sat, Oct 5 Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway (Imperial, PA) - $10,000 to-win "Bill Hendren Memorial" Night 2 presented by FK Rod Ends, Pro Fab & City Chevrolet (Part of the "Pittsburgher") (Rain date 10/6)
· Fri-Sat, Oct 11-12 Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA) - $3,500 "Steel City Stampede" - (Rain date 10/13)
*Schedule is subject to change. Additional date(s) may be added.
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, Gunter's Honey, Sunbelt Rentals, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Bilstein Shocks, 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, and Terry Bowser Excavating.
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 Racing Series website is www.rushracingseries.com. Like our various Facebook and Twitter pages by searching for the appropriate RUSH Series.
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