2016 SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL TOURING SERIES KICKS OFF WITH $2000 MARQUEE EVENT FRIDAY AT SHARON WITH LUCAS OIL LM

By Mike Leone

April 21, 2016                       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Hartford, OH)…After officially putting the wraps on the 2015 season last Saturday at Sharon Speedway with the “Apple Festival Nationals” make-up, the cars and stars of the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Series powered by Pace Performance will return to Sharon this Friday night (April 22) to open the 2016 Touring Series campaign.  RUSH will be coupled at with the inaugural appearance by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.  Warm-ups begin at 6:15 p.m.

Friday’s $2,000 to-win event will be a designated Marquee Event.  This will be the first of two appearance with the LOLMDS on the season as RUSH will be at the “Pittsburgher” on October 7-8.  It’ll also be the first of two appearances at Sharon as the Sweeney RUSH Tour returns to the Hartford, Ohio oval on Friday and Saturday, September 16-17 for the “Apple Festival Nationals” in the “Gary Knollinger Memorial”

“We always enjoy being able to be part of national events,” stated RUSH Co-Director Vicki Emig.  “This is a great opportunity for us to showcase our Series and racers in front of a large crowd and many new fans on a big stage.  The drivers always enjoy it as well and turn out in large numbers.  The response for this show has been tremendous.  This is a great way to open our season.  Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate.”

Last Saturday, Matt Latta held off staunch challenges by defending two-time Sweeney Touring Series Champion Max Blair and 2015 Wayne County Speedway Champion Charlie Duncan to capture his first career RUSH Tour win!  All three racers will be back Friday night to try and duplicate their success.  Duncan is one of several new racers that will be campaigning on the RUSH Tour along with some familiar faces from in the past like former tour champs Mike Pegher, Jr. and Alan Dellinger. 

The 2016 Touring Series will feature 12 premier Marquee Events paying a minimum of $2,000 to-win featuring $100 Bobby Lake Motorsports “Shock the Clock Qualifying” and $25 to-win heat races.  In addition, another six "optional" Platinum Events are scheduled paying a minimum of $1,500 to-win.  Drivers will be able to use a maximum of one of the Platinum Events as a substitution race for a missed Marquee Event.  Drivers will also be able to use up to a maximum of three Platinum Events to replace their worst Marquee Event finishes.  If a driver uses one of the Platinum Events as a substitution for a Marquee Event, he or she will then only be able to use up to two additional Platinum Events to replace their worst Marquee Event finishes.

For every four consecutive Marquee Events attended, Touring member drivers will receive a free $100 entry fee at their next event.  This will be an additional $300 to those drivers that have perfect attendance.  Touring drivers that have perfect attendance for the season (12 Marquee Events or 11 Marquee Events and 1 Platinum Event) will also be guaranteed to win a valuable contingency prize(s) at the season ending awards banquet.  Special contingency product drawings will also be held for drivers during the season for drivers that are part of the Loyalty Program.

The K&N “Cold Air Induction” Dash will be run Friday night paying a $100 K&N certificate to win, $50 K&N certificate for second with $25 cash for third and fourth place.  The K&N Dash will also set the beginning of the 30-lap feature lineup for the top two finishers in the heat races if there are less than five heats or for the heat winners if there are five or more heats. 

Precise Racing Products will award a $100 gift card for the "Pedal Down" Hard Charger that passes the most cars in the feature.  The TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night” will award three bottles of Xtreme6 Racing Brake Fluid valued at approximately $45 along with a certificate for a discount off any TBM Brakes purchase.  

RUSH Officials will choose the "Maxima Performance" Award for a driver that exhibits a performance worthy of such.  The winner will receive a free case of either Maxima Semi-Syn High Performance Racing Oil or Maxima Performance Racing Oil of your choice.  In addition, the winner will receive one can of SC-1 clear coat, one 16-oz bottle of Maxima Cool-Aide concentrate, one 32-oz quart of Maxima PSF power steering fluid, and a Maxima t-shirt.  The value of this prize package is $170!  

Also, CrateInsider.com will award a $25 gift certificate to the driver that finishes last on the lead lap at the finish.

RUSH Late Model Feature payoff: 1. $2,000  2. $1,000  3. $650  4. $550  5. $470  6. $435  7. $410  8. $370  9. $340  10. $310  11. $280  12. $270  13. $260  14. $250  15. $240  16. $230  17. $220  18-24. $210. 

Non-Qualifier payoff: 1. $175  2. $150  3. $140  4. $135  5. $130  6. $125  7. $120  8. $115  9. $110  10-24. $105. Tow $100.

You do not have to a member of RUSH to compete.  The red AMB transponders will be used.  RACEceivers will be mandatory.  The entry fee is $100. 

Pits will be open throughout the day with passes being sold at 3 p.m.  The drivers meeting will take place at 5:45 p.m. with pill cutoff at 6.  Warm-ups will begin at 6:15 p.m. following by group qualifying and racing.  Sharon Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt track with a GPS address of 3241 Custer-Orangeville Rd. NE, Burghill, OH 44404.  For more information, check out their website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481.  As for their social media outlets, you can like their page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SharonSpeedway or follow them on Twitter @SharonSpdwy.

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, FK Rod Ends, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, Rocket Chassis, Bobby Lake Motorsports 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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