FLYNN'S TIRE/GUNTER'S HONEY TOUR TO VISIT MCKEAN COUNTY FRIDAY IN RICHEST HOVIS
RUSH LATE MODEL EVENT IN TRACK'S HISTORY WITH $5000 ON THE LINE FOR “JIM
PETERSON MEMORIAL”
By Mike Leone
August 19, 2025 FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Smethport, PA)...After
a weekend off, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn's
Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series will return to action this Friday night
(August 22) at McKean County Raceway.
Race #11 of the 2025 season will be the “Jim Peterson Memorial” presented
by Shuttleworth Auto Sales and Close Racing Supply.
Warmups will get underway at approximately 6:30 p.m. followed by group
qualifying. The event will also include "Manufacturers Night" presented by MSD
Performance for the RUSH Pro Mod division as competing racers will share in more
than $12,500 of valuable product giveaways!
In the summer of 2023, Kurt and Bonnie Stebbins took over the lease of the
McKean County Fairgrounds for racing and have featured the RUSH Late Models and
RUSH Pro Mods in weekly competition ever since. Thus far this season, McKean
has completed five City Chevrolet Weekly Series events with Brady Wonderling
winning two, while single victories have gone to Paul Grigsby along with Tour
regulars Austin Allen and Bill Holmes III.
Grigsby leads the $1,000 to-win City Chevrolet Track Pack points at
McKean by two over Jeremy Wonderling.
Last year, for the first time since September 29, 2018, the Flynn's
Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series returned to McKean and it was Bryce Davis
victorious for $3,000. Friday's appearance will mark the 15th in Series history
at MCR and will be the richest ever with $5,000 on the line!
Contributors for the “Jim Peterson Memorial” have added $10,000 to the
feature purses with $3,350 allotted to the RUSH Late Models.
The bonuses for the RUSH Late Models include the following: $1,000 (first
place), $750 (second place), $600 (third place), $550 (fourth place), $450
(fifth place), a Close Racing Supply gift card (sixth place)!
The Tour completed 13 events at McKean between 2013-2018 with seven different
winners. The Tour's all-time winner, Max Blair, leads the way with five
victories followed by 2017 champion, Davis, with four. Single victories have
gone to Mike Pegher, Jr., Chad McClellan, Joe Martin, Wonderling, and John
Waters.
"We always look forward to racing at McKean," acknowledged RUSH Director Vicki
Emig. "McKean was one of the four original tracks when Chevrolet Performance
Crate Late Model racing started in the Northeast in 2007. We're thankful Kurt
and Bonnie Stebbins have breathed life back into McKean after the track sat dark
for two years. The Stebbins have been strong supporters of RUSH back to their
promoting tenure at Genesee in addition to Kurt racing a RUSH Late Model
himself. We’re also grateful they
were able to reschedule this event after the original date of June 6 was rained
out and thankful to the Peterson Family for allowing this night to be a Tour
race with their excellent bonuses!"
There have been an impressive 8 different winners in the first 10 Flynn’s
Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series events of 2025.
The only repeat winners are Blair and Wonderling, while single victories
have gone to Charlier, Mason Zeigler, Kyle Thomas, Christian Schneider, Bryce
Davis, and most recently Dave Hess, Jr.
Wonderling, who is in search of an unprecedented fifth Series title, leads the
Tour to MCR on Friday still surprisingly in search of his first win at the track
in 2025. The Wellsville, NY driver has sits atop the standings by 38 over
Virginian, Kyle Hardy, who is still looking for his first Tour win of the
season. Second year Tour racer, Austin Allen, is coming off a pair of top five
finishes including a career best second at Stateline.
Demetrios Drellos is fourth and leads the $3,000 to-win 3C Graphix
Rookie-of-the-Year points. Another second year Tour racer, Ben Easler, is
fifth.
Following a first and third at Stateline and Eriez, Bryce Davis has worked his
way up to sixth in points. Zack
Carley, who is second in the RoY standings, is seventh over veteran Jason
Knowles, who returned to the Tour this seson.
Last year’s 3C RoY, Daryl Charlier, is tied for ninth with Mike
Wonderling. Completing the top 15
in points are Austin Hauser, Bud Watson, Holmes, Ryan Hare, and Brad Mesler.
$100 "Shock the Clock" Qualifying and $25 to-win heat races will be presented by
FK Rod Ends. The Sunoco Dash will set the beginning rows of the feature
lineup and will award the winner a $100 Sunoco fuel gift card. The
"Fill'er up with Sunoco Bucks" program co-presented by Bazell Race Fuels will
include an additional $400 of Sunoco fuel card giveaways; two $100 random draws
for drivers in the top 15 in Tour points and another four $50 random draws for
all other competitors.
The podium finishers will each receive a three-pack of Heritage Wine Cellars
premier products. Precise
Racing Products will award a $50 gift card for the "Pedal Down" Hard Charger
that passes the most cars in the feature. Ontime Body & Graphic's "Spoiler
Alert" will award a spoiler kit to the 12th place finisher. The first
feature non-qualifier will receive a $50 certificate from Holley Performance
brands each night. There will also be five BOGO Landrum Performance
Springs certificates given away through drawings. Forty lucky fans each
night will receive a bottle of Dusted Steak Seasoning.
Feature Payoff: 1.
$5,000 2. $2,750 3. $1,600 4. $1,350 5. $1,150 6.
$600 7. $550 8. $500 9. $475 10. $450 11. $425
12. $400 13. $375 14. $360 15. $350 16. $340 17. $330
18. $320 19. $310 20-24. $300.
D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier Payoff:
1. $200 2. $190 3. $185 4. $180 5. $175 6. $170 7. $165 8. $160 9.
$155 10-24. $150. Tow $125
You do not have to be a member of RUSH to compete only to receive Weekly and/or
Tour points. The entry fee is $100. The
AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used; rentals will be available each night for
$25. The driver radio channel will be 454.000.
RUSH Registration will open at approximately 3 p.m.
Pit passes will go on sale at 4 p.m. (access prior).
RUSH drivers meeting will be at 6 p.m.
RUSH Late Model warmups are at 6:30 p.m. followed by qualifying.
There will be an on-track autograph session following qualifying with
racing to follow.
The event will also count towards the RUSH City Chevrolet National Weekly
Series, McKean’s City Chevrolet "Track Pack" and Russ King Racing "Futures Cup"
for those eligible racers.
McKean County Raceway is a 1/3-mile dirt track located at the McKean County
Fairgrounds at 7172 PA-46, Smethport, PA 16749. For more information on McKean
County Raceway, check out their website at www.mckeancounty-raceway.com,
like them on Facebook page www.facebook.com/McKeanCountyRacewayMCR,
and follow them on Twitter @McKeanCoRaceway.
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
snail 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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