JEREMY WONDERLING DOMINATES $5000 "JIM PETERSON MEMORIAL" AT HIS HOME TRACK MCKEAN COUNTY FOR HIS 3RD HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE/GUNTER'S HONEY TOUR WIN OF 2025
By Mike Leone
August 22, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(East Smethport, PA)...The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn's Tire Gunter's Honey Touring Series made its first and only visit of the season to the scenic McKean County Raceway on a beautiful fall-like Friday evening after the originally scheduled event on June 6 was rained out. The "Jim Peterson Memorial" was presented by Shuttleworth Auto Sales and Close Racing Supply as $10,000 was split up amongst all of the competing divisions with $3,350 shared between the top five RUSH Late Model finishers. It was also "Manufacturers Night" presented by MSD Performance for the RUSH Pro Mod division as more than $12,500 in valuable product was distributed to competing racers.
Ironically four-time City Chevrolet National Weekly Series Champion, Jeremy Wonderling, had been shutout of victory lane in Weekly Series competition this season at his home track, McKean County Raceway. That changed on Friday night as Wonderling put on a dominating performance not seen in years on the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series. Wonderling led all 30 laps of the caution-free feature lapping up to ninth place and winning by 6.515 seconds! The feature went green-to-checkered in 8:46.541. Wonderling became the top winner on the Tour this season as his third victory was worth a season best $5,000 thanks to a $1,000 bonus part of the "Jim Peterson Memorial"!
"I've known Jim (Peterson) in the iconic, orange #05 and the Petersons ever since I was born so this means a lot," expressed the 45-year-old Wellsville, NY winner from Landrum Performance Springs Victory Lane. "I've won this race before and cherish every minute of it. The car was really good. The track was good, but it's demanding because it's so fast. I could have used a caution- I'm getting old. Jim Stephens from Penske has done my shocks for five or six years and he's spot on with them. Joel Smith helps me out every week and without them two, I'd have a hard time doing this."
Following the Dave Poske's Performance Parts "Feel the RUSH" 4-Wide Salute, Wonderling quickly raced into the early lead at the start of the feature, while Zack Carley passed Austin Hauser for second. After failing to make it out for the Sunoco Dash, Jason Knowles started sixth and was up to fourth after the completion of lap one. Knowles then got past Hauser for third as he was already halfway to the front after two laps.
Wonderling stretched out his advantage to 2.886 seconds when he caught lapped traffic on lap nine. Kyle Hardy meanwhile started back in eighth and cracked the top five on lap 12 when he disposed of last year's race winner, Bryce Davis. Hardy then ran down Hauser and made the pass for fourth on lap 19, while simultaneously Knowles took second from Carley.
As the laps ticked off without a caution, Wonderling was able to extend his lead each and every lap as he raced on unchallenged to his 29th career Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series win, which came in the Close Racing Supply/Cummings Trucking/Shuttleworth Auto Sales/955 Automotive/Penske Shocks by JDS/Swift Springs-sponsored #3J. The win also keeps Wonderling solidly out in front in the race for the $20,000 championship.
Back on May 25 at Tri-City Raceway Park, Knowles matched his best career Tour finish since August 30, 2014 at McKean. Nearly 11 years later, Knowles once again finished second at McKean and earned $2,750 for his third top five finish of the season. "This means a lot to come out here and be fast," stated the 43-year-old Addison, NY driver. "We've struggled the last several races in the feature. We put a new rear-end and a bunch of new parts under it- sometimes I think they just get wore out. I would have liked to start closer to the front and had a shot at Jeremy (Wonderling), but I don't know if we would have been able to beat him as he's a damn good racer."
Carley was third as his first podium finish of the season was worth $1,600 and joined Wonderling and Knowles by receiving a three-pack of premium Heritage Wine Cellars product. "That was a good time," expressed the 34-year-old Freedom, NY racer. "This is huge as the best of the best are here and we're going to take this third. I have to thank my dad, the whole crew, and everyone on the car as without them I wouldn't be here. Thanks to Jason (Knowles) and a good job by Jeremy (Wonderling)."
Hardy, who was all over Carley at the finish, was fourth for $1,350 as he solidly maintained second place in points. Davis was fifth for $1,150. Demetrios Drellos went ninth to sixth in his first ever start at McKean as he continues to lead the $3,000 to-win 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year points. Drellos received a Close Racing Supply gift card as part of the "Jim Peterson Memorial" bonuses.
Hauser dropped to seventh, but was his best effort of the season since a third at Tri-City back on May 25. Ben Easler was 8th after starting 11th. Brett Marlatt subbed for Austin Allen in Kyle Mullen's #32 to maintain Tour Car Owner Points and went 12th to 9th in his first Tour race of the season. Brad Mesler was 10th after starting 14th for his best finish since an eighth on June 8, 2024 at Marion Center for the second year Tour race aboard Ken Sturdevant's #87s.
Bill Taylor received a spoiler kit from Ontime Body & Graphic for finishing 12th. Jacob Tubbs earned his first career "Pedal Down" Hard Charger honor by advancing from 24th to 18th and received a $50 Precise Racing Products gift card. Rickie Loucks made his 2025 Tour debut and missed out on the feature by one position and received a $50 gift certificate from Holley Performance for being the first non-qualifier.
Paul Grigsby earned his first "Shock the Clock" fast time honor in qualifying with a lap of 16.768 and received $100 from FK Rod Ends. Grigsby became the 10th different driver in 12 races to set fast time this season. Heat winners over the 29-car field were Carley, John Waters, and Wonderling, who all received an extra $25 from FK Rod Ends. Mike Wonderling won the last chance B main.
Jeremy Wonderling also became the first three-time Sunoco Dash winner of the season and earned a $100 Sunoco fuel card. Winning the $100 Sunoco fuel cards in the random drawings were West Virginia's Ryan Hare in his first ever McKean visit and Marlatt, while the $50 Sunoco fuel cards went to Tubbs, Loucks, Ian Travis, and Ward Schell.
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 on Friday night, which were captured by Wonderling, Hardy, Taylor, Kurt Stebbins and Grigsby.
The Flynn’s Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series will return to action with two events over the Labor Day weekend. Friday night (August 29) will be at Tri-City Raceway Park in Franklin, Pa. for a $4,000 to-win event followed up by Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, WV on Sunday for a $4,000 to-win event part of the Dave Poske's Performance Parts Mid-Ohio Valley Series.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series Race #11 (30 laps, $5,000 to-win): 1. JEREMY WONDERLING (3) 2. Jason Knowles (4) 3. Zack Carley (2) 4. Kyle Hardy (99) 5. Bryce Davis (94) 6. Demetrios Drellos (111) 7. Austin Hauser (51) 8. Ben Easler (02) 9. Brett Marlatt (Mullen 32) 10. Brad Mesler (Sturdevant 87s) 11. Chuck LaFleur (61) 12. Bill Taylor (1) 13. Daryl Charlier (Dobnak 42) 14. Dusty Waters (14) 15. Mike Wonderling (18) 16. Ian Travis (36) 17. Jacob Wilber (Suppa 4s) 18. Jacob Tubbs (89JR) 19. Paul Grigsby (24) 20. Kurt Stebbins (26) 21. Bill Holmes III (8) 22. Ryan Hare (29) 23. Ward Schell (61s) 24. John Waters (LeBarron 11).
DNQ for the feature: Rickie Loucks (Krise 4R), Steve LeBarron (29), Kassandra Norman (6), John Haggerty (49), Wyatt White (5w).
Car Count: 29
Time of Race: 8:46.541 minutes
Feature Margin of Victory:
6.615 seconds
Feature Lap Leaders: Jeremy Wonderling (1-30)
Close Racing Supply Gift Card: Demetrios Drellos
Heritage Wine Cellars 3-Pack of Premium Products: Jeremy Wonderling, Jason Knowles & Zack Carley
Holley Performance Group “Nosed Out”: Rickie Loucks
Landrum Performance Springs BOGO Certificates: Jeremy Wonderling, Kyle Hardy, Bill Taylor, Kurt Stebbins & Paul Grigsby
Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert” Spoiler Kit: Bill Taylor
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger: Jacob Tubbs (+6)
Sunoco Fuel Card Winners: Ryan Hare ($100), Brett Marlatt ($100), Jacob Tubbs ($50), Rickie Loucks ($50), Ian Travis ($50) & Ward Schell ($50).
FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying ($100 for fast time) (Track record 15.550 by Chad Ruhlman on 9/20/13): 1. 24-Paul Grigsby, 00:16.768[21]; 2. 51-Austin Hauser, 00:16.871[25]; 3. 111D-Demetrios Drellos, 00:16.929[20]; 4. 2C-Zack Carley, 00:16.976[16]; 5. 11L-John Waters, 00:16.992[27]; 6. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling, 00:17.004[1]; 7. 1-Bill Taylor, 00:17.046[5]; 8. 02-Ben Easler, 00:17.065[26]; 9. 94-Bryce Davis, 00:17.118[29]; 10. 29-Ryan Hare, 00:17.126[23]; 11. 99-Kyle Hardy, 00:17.193[2]; 12. 32A-Brett Marlatt, 00:17.231[28]; 13. 26-Kurt Stebbins, 00:17.249[19]; 14. 87S-Brad Mesler, 00:17.294[13]; 15. 61-Chuck LaFleur, 00:17.320[14]; 16. 4-Jason Knowles, 00:17.367[8]; 17. 14W-Dusty Waters, 00:17.376[6]; 18. 36T-Ian Travis, 00:17.390[12]; 19. 4S-Jacob Wilber, 00:17.471[15]; 20. 8-Bill Holmes, 00:17.472[9]; 21. 42-Daryl Charlier, 00:17.477[4]; 22. 18-Mike Wonderling, 00:17.499[22]; 23. 89JR-Jacob Tubbs, 00:17.515[3]; 24. 29L-Steve LeBarron, 00:17.974[18]; 25. 4R-Rickie Loucks, 00:17.997[11]; 26. 6N-Kassandra Norman, 00:18.190[17]; 27. 61S-Ward Schell, 00:18.546[24]; 28. 49-John Haggerty, 00:18.890[10]; 29. 5W-Wyatt White, NT.
FK Rod Ends Heat 1 (8 laps, Top 6 transfer to the A, $25 to-win): 1. 2C-Zack Carley[2]; 2. 4-Jason Knowles[6]; 3. 24-Paul Grigsby[1]; 4. 29-Ryan Hare[4]; 5. 1-Bill Taylor[3]; 6. 26-Kurt Stebbins[5]; 7. 18-Mike Wonderling[8]; 8. 4S-Jacob Wilber[7]; 9. 4R-Rickie Loucks[9]; 10. 49-John Haggerty[10].
FK Rod Ends Heat 2 (8 laps, Top 6 transfer to the A, $25 to-win): 1. 11L-John Waters[2]; 2. 51-Austin Hauser[1]; 3. 99-Kyle Hardy[4]; 4. 02-Ben Easler[3]; 5. 87S-Brad Mesler[5]; 6. 14W-Dusty Waters[6]; 7. 89JR-Jacob Tubbs[8]; 8. 6N-Kassandra Norman[9]; 9. 8-Bill Holmes[7]; 10. (DNS) 5W-Wyatt White.
FK Rod Ends Heat 3 (8 laps, Top 6 transfer to the A, $25 to-win): 1. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling[2]; 2. 94-Bryce Davis[3]; 3. 111D-Demetrios Drellos[1]; 4. 32A-Brett Marlatt[4]; 5. 61-Chuck LaFleur[5]; 6. 42-Daryl Charlier[7]; 7. 36T-Ian Travis[6]; 8. 61S-Ward Schell[9]; 9. 29L-Steve LeBarron[8].
Last Chance B Main (10 laps, Top 6 transfer to A: )1. 18-Mike Wonderling[1]; 2. 4S-Jacob Wilber[4]; 3. 36T-Ian Travis[3]; 4. 8-Bill Holmes[8]; 5. 61S-Ward Schell[6]; 6. 89JR-Jacob Tubbs[2]; 7. 4R-Rickie Loucks[7]; 8. 29L-Steve LeBarron[9]; 9. 6N-Kassandra Norman[5]; 10. 49-John Haggerty[10]. DNS: 5W-Wyatt White.
Sunoco Dash (6 laps, $100 Sunoco fuel card to win): 1. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling[4]; 2. 51-Austin Hauser[3]; 3. 11L-John Waters[6]; 4. 2C-Zack Carley[5]; 5. 94-Bryce Davis[2]. DNS: 4-Jason Knowles.
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.
###