1ST SWEENEY RUSH
LATE MODEL WINS FOR COSSELL & GLANDEN; LUNGER STILL PERFECT AT STATELINE IN PRO
MODS; NEW WINNERS ON ASPHALT AT JENNERSTOWN
By Jim Zufall & Mike Leone
June 27, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Pulaski, PA)...Various
storm systems and scheduled track nights off made for a short field of tracks
completing events in the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series powered
by Pace Performance family of tracks and divisions.
Two drivers were able to win their first RUSH Late Model races, while
Dennis Lunger, Jr. continues to dominate the RUSH Pro Mods, and new winners were
featured at Jennerstown Speedway on the asphalt.
All three
Friday night tracks, Potomac, Outlaw and
Lernerville Speedways did not have events scheduled for their respective RUSH
divisions or were simply closed. Brewerton
Speedway had a special Sweeney Late Model Weekly Series event planned for
Friday, but was rained out. Saturday night also saw Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania
Motor Speedway close their gates for a night to step aside for Lernerville
Speedway’s annual three-day "Firecracker 100" weekend.
Adding to that, Fulton Speedway scheduled
the night off for high school graduation, while Sharon Speedway succumbed to
heavy rains that left the grounds saturated.
However, it was a different story in Winchester, Virginia where Allen Brannon
made the winning move on leader Mike Franklin on the eighth lap to take the top
spot at Winchester Speedway. Brannon went
on for his second straight win and fifth in nine starts at Winchester this
season. Kris Eaton, Logan Roberson,
Franklin and Scott Sweeney made up the rest of the top five.
A season high 21-car field was on hand.
The RUSH Late Models will be part of the Independence Day Classic Series
on Saturday July 1st. The
three-day series also includes stops at Georgetown Speedway on Sunday night for
the richest ever Crate Late Model race in Delaware paying $1,776 to-win and
wraps up on Monday at Potomac Speedway when the RUSH Lates will run two 20-lap
feature events.
Saturday
night at Delaware International Speedway, the first order of business was to run
a 15-lap make up feature from a race that fell victim to a curfew two weeks
prior. Matt Glanden held off all comers with just two yellow flag periods in the
feature to take his first win of the season. He
held off the likes of five-time champion Joe Warren, who ultimately came in
third behind Sparky White. Fourth and
fifth went to Matt Hill and Tyler Reed. In
the regularly scheduled 15-lap feature, it was Glanden again setting the pace
with Warren just behind. But in a caution-free event the field started to lap
slower traffic and Warren was able to get around Glanden for the win, his fourth
of the year. Glanden settled for
runner-up, capping off a great night. White, Hill and Reed made the top five in
feature number two. Delaware gets back to
racing this Saturday, July 1st.
Last Tuesday at McKean County Raceway, John Waters started on the outside front
row and took the victory in the RUSH Late Model event serving as one of the
support events to the visiting World of Outlaws Late Models.
Jeremy Wonderling moved up from his sixth
starting spot to take the runner up spot ahead of Jason Knowles, who gave
Sweeney Touring Series regulars a sweep of the podium.
Brad Mesler was fourth as Eric Wilson
improved his starting position by 10 spots as he finished fifth.
On a side note, multi-time RUSH Champion,
Max Blair, bested the WoO Late Model portion to take the very popular hometown
$10,000 win! McKean will have
another midweek special on Thursday where the RUSH Late Models will be the
undercard to the Patriot Sprint Tour.
Genesee Speedway refused to give into the rain and held on for a full night,
which culminated with the featured race of the night, the RUSH Late Models.
The track, which remained very fast even
for the last feature, was much to the liking of J.J. Mazur as he took the lead
just before halfway from Zack Carley. After a few cautions, the race went
non-stop for the final 14 circuits and brought lapped traffic into the mix.
Mazur made some impressive moves made his
way through the traffic to take his second win of the season over Brad Mesler,
Carley, Bill Holmes and Jimmy Johnson. A
solid of field of 20 cars were on hand.
Genesee has averaged over 20 cars per night this year in their second
full season of running the RUSH Late Models weekly.
No racing
this Saturday
as Genesee prepares for a mid-week show for the ULMS Super Late Models.
The RUSH Late Models return on July 8.
Saturday
night in RUSH Pro Mod action at Stateline Speedway’s "Open Wheel Mania" event,
Dennis Lunger kept his perfect streak alive as he raced his seventh win in as
many starts this season at the Busti, NY oval. Lunger
clearly had the field covered as he sped away at the start of the race and then
again on the event’s sole restart. Lunger's
win came at the expense of Ryan Scott, Scott Gurdak, Justin Carlson, and Matt
Harvey. Lunger is now five wins away
from a perfect score in the Sweeney Weekly Series standings.
Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex continues to be able to complete events.
Saturday night was their leading 11th RUSH Late Model show and it was a
new face in victory lane as Bobby Cossell IV earned his first career
RUSH-sanctioned win. Cossell's win came
in just his sixth start of the season at the Markleysburg, Pa. oval and came
over Michael Duritsky, Jr., Mark Wells, Bob Nelson, and Joe Moyer.
The Cossells will sponsor a special $1,000 to-win program this Saturday
night at Roaring Knob.
Saturday
night in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, the three divisions of RUSH Asphalt
Racing Series at Jennerstown Speedway each saw a new face in victory lane.
Jeremiah Kuntz took the win in the Late
Models over Barry Awtey, Mike Hemminger, Brian Shipp and last week’s winner Matt
Sever. In the RUSH Modifieds, Jason Busch
moved from his eighth starting spot to take the win over Pete Rech, Zane
Ferrell, Patrick Waugh and Dustin Gursky. And
in the RUSH Street Stocks, Josh Coughenour passed under the checkers ahead of
Aaron Van Fleet, Lauren Butler, Andrew Kostelnik and Anthony Aiello. This
Saturday night (July 1) is Autograph Night as well as Pittsburgh Circle Track
Club Night.
On to
Sunday
when Rob Pietz took the early lead in the RUSH Late Model feature at Humberstone
Speedway in Port Colborne, Ontario. But
that lead vanished on the 14th lap when New York's Chad Homan went
low under Pietz and took the lead. Homan
stretched his lead as the laps wore down taking his second win in three starts
over Pietz, Sam Pennacchio, Paul Grigsby and Jeff Dayman. A full card of racing
is on tap for Canada Day Weekend at Humberstone this Sunday featuring a $1,000
to-win RUSH Late Model race.
At Eriez Speedway Max Blair, fresh off his win with the World of Outlaws Late
Models earlier in the week, took the win from his eighth starting spot
on Sunday night besting the likes of Kyle Zimmerman, Darrell
Bossard, Mike Knight and Scott Gurdak. The
win was Blair's first of the season in the RUSH Late Models at Eriez and fourth
overall for the defending Sweeney Weekly Series Champion.
Finally,
Sunday
night saw the running of the "Bill Emig Memorial" at Tri-City Motorsports Park
near Franklin, Pennsylvania where both the Sweeney RUSH Late Model Touring
Series and Bicknell RUSH Sportsman Modified Touring Series were in the
spotlight. Originally scheduled for
Father’s Day, the "Bill Emig Memorial" pays tribute to one of the most
successful car owners in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, and the father
of RUSH Racing Series Co-Founder Vicki Emig. Jeremy
Wonderling inherited the lead when Mike Pegher, Jr. had a flat tire on lap 15
and then held off Pegher's challenges from the tail for his second RUSH Touring
Series win of the season and third of his career.
John Waters, Bryce Davis and J.J. Mazur were third through fifth.
In the RUSH Sportsman Modified portion of the event, it was Kyle Martell leading
for green-to-checkered for his second straight Bicknell Tour win.
Chelsie Kriegisch, Rocky Kugel, Nick Ritchey and Chas Wolbert were second
through fifth. A strong field of 26
cars were on hand for the second straight Tour race.
Both the RUSH Late Models and Sportsman Modifieds move to Lernerville Speedway
this Friday in a Touring Series doubleheader to join the RUSH Pro Stocks as companion
races to the BOSS Wingless Sprint Cars. The RUSH Sportsman Modifieds
will then move to Sharon Speedway on Saturday night for their rescheduled
Bicknell Touring Series event plus "Manufacturers Night" presented by MSD
Performance where over $19,000 in products will be given away.
On Sunday, the Sweeney Late Model Tour will make its first ever visit to
Old Bradford Speedway for a $3,000 to-win event.
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, Holley Performance Products,
Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology, FK Rod Ends, Maxima Racing
Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources,
Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric,
Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, Rocket Chassis, Landrum Performance Spring,
CrateInsider.com, RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.
RUSH Sportsman Modified marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC,
Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks,
Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance,
Holley Performance Products, Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology,
FK Rod Ends, Maxima Racing Oil, Sherwood Racing Wheels, Schoenfeld Headers,
Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, TBM
Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA,
CrateInsider.com, RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.
RUSH Pro Mod and Pro Stock marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick
GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell
Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products,
Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology, FK Rod Ends, Maxima Racing
Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Precise Racing Products, TBM
Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA,
CrateInsider.com, 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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