CAREER 1ST RUSH WINS FOR SCOTT WATERS IN THE LATE MODELS AT WOODHULL & CJ IRONS IN THE PRO MODS AT BRADFORD; AIRGOOD, LUKON & GURDAK ALSO GET 1ST WINS OF THE SEASON

By Jim Zufall & Mike Leone

July 24, 2019               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Pulaski, PA)...Hot.  Humid.  Steamy.  All words that perfectly described the hottest weekend of racing of the 2019 season and probably for the last seven years for that matter for the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series powered by Pace Performance family of speedways!

The heat and humidity in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland forced the promoters of Potomac Speedway to make the decision to cancel racing for Friday.  Potomac management released a statement saying, “The safety of our drivers, fans, and staff is a high priority and with an extreme heat index moving in for this weekend Potomac Speedway has felt it is the best decision to cancel this Friday.” The entire show will be made up on September 6.  Delaware International Speedway, in the same region of the country made the same decision to cancel their Saturday night due to the extreme temperatures in the region.  Up in New York, Fulton did the same on Saturday night.

Friday night along the Erie Lakeshore at Ohio’s Raceway 7, Dave Airgood, Jr. battled through a series of cautions that slowed the field to take his first win of the season in the RUSH Late Models.  Darrell Bossard, who along with Airgood picked up a heat race win, came home second with Kyle Zimmerman, Khole Wanzer and Joe Long making up the top five.  A five-division racing program is on tap for this Friday at Raceway 7.

Friday night at Lernerville Speedway, the weekly home of the RUSH Pro Stocks, Tyler Dietz picked up yet another win on the 2019 campaign. Dietz took the top spot from early leader Mike Bordt.  After the lap eight restart, Dietz held on for the balance of the 20-lap feature event to take the win. Corey McPherson came across second with Bordt, who is still looking for that elusive first feature win, came in third.  2002 champion Butch Lambert and Ryan Moyer rounded out the top five.  Only four more weeks of points racing at Lernerville until the championships are wrapped up. The Pro Stocks are off this Friday at the Sarver, PA oval.  This week it is Modified Madness at Lernerville where the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds will be in competition along with several other divisions of the open wheel cars.

A huge night of RUSH Late Model Tour racing took place on Saturday night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway as “Dirt’s Monster Half Mile” hosted the "Herb Scott Memorial", honoring one of the best drivers to strap in a race car in all of western Pennsylvania. Before the 30-lap main event, "Manufacturers Night" giveaways were held on the frontstretch of the speedway.  

After over $30,000 of products were distributed to the assembled race teams, the green flag dropped over what would become a nail biter of a race that would see Kyle Lukon take home the $2000 winner’s check.  Rounding out the podium were Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr. and Colton Flinner.  Scott Gunn and fast qualifier Ben Policz rounded out the top five.  The RUSH Late Model Touring Series will visit PPMS again on August 10 when they will compete in the 30th annual "Jook George Steel City Classic" that will pay a record $10,010 to win!  This Saturday, the RUSH Sprints will join the BOSS Sprint Tour along with the other regular five divisions at PPMS.

Battling the rain all summer has been a challenge for promoters across the region, and Winchester Speedway in Virginia has been struggling as well.  In fact, on a night they were running a make-up feature event, they lost the regularly scheduled RUSH Late Model race to a curfew after rain originally delayed the program.  In the rescheduled "Chuck Brannon Memorial" from May 25, former track champion Logan Roberson took the lead of the first lap and drove away from the field to score his fourth Winchester feature win of the season.  Al Shawver, Jr. was a career best RUSH finish of second with "Futures Cup" points leader Jakob Piper, Steve Lowery and Levi Crowl trailing at the finish.  The regularly scheduled feature for the RUSH Late Models will be made up at a later date.  Racing action returns this Saturday at Winchester.

Saturday night at Batavia, New York’s Genesee Speedway, Jimmy Johnson used a lap three caution to get around points leader J.J. Mazur and sped off to lead the remaining 22 caution-free laps for the win.  For Johnson, it was his second of the year and he was thrilled with the outcome. “We’ve had a good setup all year and just haven’t had luck on our side, but we’ve been able to keep the car running and had some great results.” Mazur held on for second with Dave DuBois, Brad Mesler in his first Genesee start of the season, and Bill Holmes making the top five.  Genesee Speedway gets back to action this Saturday with a regular show along with the July 4 make-up RUSH Late Model feature.

After Chad Ruhlman and Brian Woodhall picked up heat race wins Saturday night at Sharon Speedway in the RUSH Sprints, rain clouds converged on the Hartford, Ohio half-mile washing out the rest of the program, which also included the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds, which had 32 cars on hand.   Action returns to Sharon this Saturday for the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds.

Saturday night at Busti, New York’s Stateline Speedway, Scott Gurdak used his front row starting spot to take his first victory of the season in the RUSH Pro Mod division. While Gurdak remained out front most of the event, there was plenty of racing going on behind him. In the end Gurdak bested Dennis Lunger, Jr., Adam Ashcroft, Chad Carlson and Matt Harvey.

In the RUSH Late Model feature at Stateline, Max Blair continues to be the driver to beat. With tight racing throughout the event, Jason Genco was leading over Blair when the two made contact sending Genco spinning allowing Blair to inherit a lead he would not relinquish. When the checkered flags flew, it was Blair for his second win in a row with Kyle Zimmerman, Ward Schell, Bruce Hordusky Jr., and Darrell Bossard for the top five.  Stateline has had at least 20 RUSH Late Models every night this season.  Six divisions of racing with $5 admission awaits fans this Saturday at Stateline.

Further north into New York, Woodhull Raceway completed their sixth RUSH Late Model event of the season with a new face in victory lane.  After taking three years off, Scott Waters returned to RUSH Late Model competition and on Saturday night captured his first career RUSH win.  Scott ironically beat his brother John across the finish line with Zach Wiech, Jason Knowles, and John Haggerty completing the top five.  Woodhull is off this Saturday night for a truck and tractor pull, but will return on August 3.

Michael Ott picked up his season's second RUSH Late Model win at Dog Hollow Speedway on Saturday night beating out Collin Burke, who led for much of the season.  Joe Moyer returned for the first time since opening night back on May 18 and finished third over Tim Snare.  Dog Hollow announced that they are switching to Sunday night racing at 5 p.m. beginning this weekend.

On the asphalt of Jennerstown Speedway in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, double features were run for the RUSH Asphalt Late Model Series as a result of a rainout on June 29th.  In the make-up feature it was former champion Barry Awtey taking the win over Zane Ferrell, Joe Maruca, Gary Wiltrout and Mark Smith made up the top five.  Teddy Gibala picked up the regularly scheduled Late Model feature over Barry Awtey, Gary Wiltrout, Jared Barclay and Zane Ferrell.

In the RUSH Asphalt Street Stocks, rookie Casey Fleegle continued his remarkable season scoring his fourth win of the 2019 season. Adam Kostelnik grabbed the runner-up position with Mel Wilt and Aaron Van Fleet rounding out the top five.  After a week off of racing for a Monster Truck show, racing for the RUSH Asphalt sanctioned divisions at Jennerstown resumes August 3rd.

Ontario’s Humberstone Speedway had a Super Late Model show on Sunday and it was RUSH Late Model standout Chad Homan defeating the open engine cars.  The RUSH Late Models will run a topless show this Sunday night.

Sunday night at Eriez Speedway, Sweeney National Weekly Series points leader, Max Blair, continued his winning ways, picking up his sixth win of the season in as many starts.  Blair, fresh off his double Late Model victories at Stateline on Saturday night, took home the win over early leader Jeremy Wonderling, who stopped in after racing the night before at Pittsburgh.  Kyle Zimmerman,  Scott Gurdak and Darrell Bossard were third through fifth.

At Old Bradford Speedway on Sunday, veteran racer Jeff Hoffman emerged victorious for the second time this season in RUSH Late Model competition.  Ward Schell matched his runner-up finish on opening night.  John Haggerty and Zach Wiech turned in their season's best Bradford efforts in third and fourth, while Brad Mesler was fifth.

On the RUSH Pro Mod side, former RUSH Late Model competitor, C.J. Irons captured his first career victory as he also leads the $3,500 to-win Sweeney Weekly Series Championship points race.  Critter Hemphill matched his season's best effort in second.  Adam Peterson's third was his best of the year as Michael Johnstone and Nate Hartzell were fourth and fifth.

RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC & Pace Performance along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, FK Rod Ends, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Performance Bodies & Parts, Racing Electronics, Dirt Defender, Wrisco Industries, Frankland Racing Supply, Landrum Performance Spring, Ontime Body & Graphic, Trailer-Alarms.com, Bonnell's Rod Shop, Zarin Truck & Automotive, Sherwood Wheels, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, CrateInsider.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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