JEREMY WONDERLING CAPTURES 1ST EVER HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN’S TIRE/GUNTER’S HONEY TOUR EVENT AT OHIO VALLEY TO BECOME 5TH DIFFERENT WINNER OF 2025 IN 6 RACES

By Mike Leone

 

July 4, 2025               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

(Washington, WV)...The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Series completed the two-race West Virginia swing on Friday night in the first ever appearance by the Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series at Ohio Valley Speedway.  Race #6 of the weather-plagued 2025 season was also the second of a trifecta of Dave Poske’s Performance Parts Mid-Ohio Valley Series of events in three nights over the Independence Day holiday weekend.

 

After standout Kyle Thomas defended home turf against four-time Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series Champion Jeremy Wonderling on Thursday night at Tyler County Speedway, Wonderling flipped the script 24 hours later.  Wonderling fended off Thomas throughout the 30-lap feature to make history by becoming the first ever Tour winner at Ohio Valley Speedway worth $4,000.  With his first win of 2025, Wonderling became the fifth different winner in six races this season to celebrate in the Landrum Performance Springs Victory Lane.

 

“It's good to go anywhere new and pull off a win,” expressed the 45-year-old Wellsville, NY driver.  “Kyle (Thomas) races hard and is one of the best down here so it means something.  We tried some stuff over the winter that we thought would be better and it was completely wrong.  We haven’t been really good all year long and have been mediocre.  We changed everything back to what it was at the beginning of last year and the thing was really, really good.  The track was a lot of fun.  I was sitting there under the red and saw everyone was cleaning the cushion off.  Kyle (Thomas) had a run on me once so obviously the top was coming around and I thought ‘oh boy’.  An old boy in the pits that’s friends with Jim Stevens told me early in the night the bottom would clean up in (turns) three and four and you could race to the top in (turns) one and two, so that stuck in my head.”

 

Following the Dave Poske’s Performance Parts “Feel the RUSH” Four-Wide Salute, Wonderling and Thomas led the field to green with Wonderling taking the early advantage over Thomas and Ben Easler.  Wonderling and Thomas ran side-by-side for the lead on lap three, while they opened up ground on the rest of the field.  Thomas was pounding the top, while Wonderling was running the bottom.  The two continued to race side-by-side at various points around the track, but Wonderling was able to maintain the lead.

 

Logan Reed went seventh to fourth, but got crossed up and collected Kyle Hardy, Ronnie Mayle, Ryan Hare, and Jason Knowles with nine laps scored.  When racing resumed, the battle was on for fourth with Mike Wonderling overtaking Austin Allen, but Easler regained the spot on lap 11.  Meanwhile back up front, Wonderling extended his lead on lap 12, while Easler caught Thomas for second.

 

Thomas closed back in on Wonderling on lap 14 running the fence, but it bit him on lap 15 as he made contact allowing Wonderling to gap him.  Thomas though wouldn’t go away as he once again cut into Wonderling’s lead on lap 19, but his shot at another $4,000 payday in as many nights evaporated when he got sideways on lap 23.  Thomas stayed within striking distance over the final laps, but Wonderling was able to hold on by 0.621 seconds.  Wonderling’s 27th career Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series win came in the Close Racing Supply/Cummings Trucking/Shuttleworth Auto Sales/955 Automotive/Penske Shocks by JDS/Swift Springs-sponsored #3J.

 

Thomas earned $2,000 for his runner-up finish.  “If you want to be fast here you have to be up there,” explained the 39-year-old Pennsboro, WV racer.  “The driver made a wrong choice.  We ran that dash and I told myself I needed to make some changes and obviously made the wrong one, but it’s all on the driver so I can’t blame anyone.  We were good and I was catching Jeremy (Wonderling), but was way too tight on the top.  I couldn’t go to the bottom because I didn’t have the gear to run there.  Congrats to him, he got a first and a second this weekend.”

 

Allen got by Easler on lap 28 to record a season best third worth $1,000 and joined Wonderling and Thomas by receiving a three-pack of premium product from Heritage Wine Cellars.  It was Allen’s third top five finish in the first six events for the sophomore Tour racer.  “We had a really good car,” acknowledged the 28-year-old Canisteo, NY driver.  “I don’t know if we were better than Ben (Easler).  I was just hoping he’d make one mistake and he did.  I timed it perfect and got around him with two to go.  This feels like a win for me.  We were up until 3 in the morning last night thrashing on this thing after I cleaned the whole right suspension out of this thing.  We got here and were still working on it.  It’s just really cool to come here and run good after tearing it up last night and I can’t thank my crew enough.  It was cool all the other teams that pitched in and helped me and also made sure I had the right parts.  It’s special; racing can bring so many people close like that.”

 

One night after a career best fifth place on the Tour at Tyler County, Easler did one spot better at Ohio Valley in fourth.  Easler has already doubled his top 10 finishes from year ago with four in the first six races.  Mechanical issues in the Sunoco Dash forced Kyle Hardy to go to a back-up car where he raced from the tail to fifth even after getting caught up in the accident on lap 10.  Hardy received the $50 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger gift card.

 

After getting as high as fourth, Mike Wonderling slipped back to sixth, but was easily his best Tour finish of 2025 eclipsing his prior best finish of 14th at Lernerville Speedway.  3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Zack Carley was seventh for the second straight night for his fourth top 10 of the season.  Daryl Charlier went 13th to 8th as Bud Watson and Andy Michael completed the top 10.

 

Hardy set fast time in FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying with a 16.722 to earn $100.  Picking up $25 FK Rod Ends heat race wins were Jeremy Wonderling and Thomas.  Wonderling captured the Sunoco Dash win for a $100 Sunoco fuel card.  Also receiving $100 Sunoco fuel cards in the random drawings were Tour racers Hardy and Mike Wonderling, while the $50 fuel cards went to Thomas, Ronnie Mayle, A.J. Spagnuolo, and Blake Runyon.

 

Landrum Performance Springs, which will award the $5,000 Loyalty Bonus to an eligible Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series regular at the season ending event, distributed BOGO certificates, which were captured by Greg Carrico, Ryan Hare, Michael, Charlier, and Austin Hauser.

 

The Flynn’s Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series will return to action next Sunday (July 13) at Bradford Speedway located in Bradford, Pa. for a $4,000 to-win Platinum event.

 

Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series Race #6 (30 laps, $4,000 to-win): 1. JEREMY WONDERLING (3J)  2. Kyle Thomas (57)  3. Austin Allen (Mullen 32)  4. Ben Easler (02)  5. Kyle Hardy (99)  6. Mike Wonderling (18)  7. Zack Carley (2)  8. Daryl Charlier (Dobnak 42)  9. Bud Watson (225)  10. Andy Michael (17x)  11. A.J. Spagnuolo (5A)  12. Logan Reed (37)  13. Austin Hauser (51)  14. Blake Runyon (20)  15. Ryan Hare (29)  16. Jason Knowles (4)  17. Ronnie Mayle (50). DNS: Greg Carrico (39) & Demetrios Drellos (111).

 

Car Count: 19
Feature Margin of Victory: 0.621seconds
Feature Lap Leaders: Jeremy Wonderling (1-30)

Heritage Wine Cellars 3-Pack of Premium Products: Jeremy Wonderling, Kyle Thomas & Austin Allen 

Landrum Performance Springs BOGO Certificates: Greg Carrico, Ryan Hare, Andy Michael, Daryl Charlier & Austin Hauser.

Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert” Spoiler Kit: Mike Wonderling  

Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger: Kyle Hardy (+12)

Sunoco Fuel Card Winners: Kyle Hardy ($100), Mike Wonderling ($100), Kyle Thomas ($50), Ronnie Mayle ($50), A.J. Spagnuolo ($50) & Blake Runyon ($50).

 

FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying ($100 for fast time): 1. 99-Kyle Hardy, 00:16.722[2]; 2. 39-Gregory Carrico, 00:16.775[3]; 3. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling, 00:16.781[11]; 4. 57T-Kyle Thomas, 00:16.788[4]; 5. 37-Logan Reed, 00:16.798[15]; 6. 18-Mike Wonderling, 00:16.934[5]; 7. 29-Ryan Hare, 00:16.968[10]; 8. 32A-Austin Allen, 00:16.973[6]; 9. 02-Ben Easler, 00:17.005[1]; 10. 4-Jason Knowles, 00:17.022[18]; 11. 5A-AJ Spagnuolo, 00:17.077[8]; 12. 51-Austin Hauser, 00:17.092[17]; 13. 17X-Andy Michael, 00:17.176[12]; 14. 42-Daryl Charlier, 00:17.221[14]; 15. 2C-Zack Carley, 00:17.270[19]; 16. 225-Bud Watson, 00:17.283[9]; 17. 111D-Demetrios Drellos, 00:17.577[13]; 18. 20R-Blake Runyon, 00:17.765[16]; 19. 50-Ronnie Mayle[7], NT.

 

FK Rod Ends Heat 1 (8 laps, $25 to-win): 1. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling[2]; 2. 99-Kyle Hardy[1]; 3. 02-Ben Easler[5]; 4. 37-Logan Reed[3]; 5. 29-Ryan Hare[4]; 6. 225-Bud Watson[8]; 7. 17X-Andy Michael[7]; 8. 5A-AJ Spagnuolo[6]; 9. 111D-Demetrios Drellos[9]. DNS: 50-Ronnie Mayle

 

FK Rod Ends Heat 2 (8 laps, $25 to-win): 1. 57T-Kyle Thomas[2]; 2. 32A-Austin Allen[4]; 3. 18-Mike Wonderling[3]; 4. 2C-Zack Carley[8]; 5. 39-Gregory Carrico[1]; 6. 4-Jason Knowles[5]; 7. 42-Daryl Charlier[7]; 8. 51-Austin Hauser[6]; 9. 20R-Blake Runyon[9].

 

Sunoco Dash (6 laps, $100 Sunoco fuel card to win): 1. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling[3]; 2. 57T-Kyle Thomas[1]; 3. 02-Ben Easler[2]; 4. 32A-Austin Allen[4]; 5. 18-Mike Wonderling[5]; 6. 99-Kyle Hardy[6].

 

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, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Billy's Garage, Joseph J. Oliva Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Landrum Performance Springs, Russ King Racing, 3C Graphix, Dave Poske's Performance Parts, Velocita-USA, Wieland Metal Services, Frankland Racing Supply, Seal-Tite Paving & Excavating, Dusted Steak Seasoning, Ontime Body & Graphic, D&V Jewelers, AERO Race Wheels, Heritage Wine Cellars, Precise Racing Products, Racing Electronics, Design Creations, and Competition Crate Parts.

 

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 Late Model website is www.rushlatemodels.com. Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rushlatemodels and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) @RUSHLM.

 

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