MAX BLAIR WINS 3RD STRAIGHT BAZELL/SUNOCO SOUTHERN TOUR EVENT SUNDAY
AT WAYNE COUNTY WITH SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODELS
By
Mike Leone
September 6, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Orrville, OH)…The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick
GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Series headed west on Sunday night to Wayne County
Speedway for a Bazell/Sunoco Race Fuels Southern Touring Series event for the
third and final time this season.
RUSH, which is winding down its inaugural season as part of the weekly program
at the Orrville, Ohio oval, joined Tony Stewart’s All Star Circuit of Champions
Sprint Car Series once again as packed grandstand witnessed the special Labor
Day Eve program.
Max Blair has been on a mission this season.
Sunday night he raced from the fifth starting spot to the lead on lap
five and never looked back winning his third straight Bazell/Sunoco Southern
Touring Series event and eighth overall on the combined Sweeney Touring Series.
More impressively, Sunday’s $1,500 victory was Blair’s 30th
overall in 2015 action between Super Late Model and RUSH Crate Late Model racing
throughout the region! Blair also
inched closer to the $10,000 Sweeney Touring Series Championship clean sweep.
“The track was definitely different than the first two times we were here,”
stated the 25-year-old Centerville, Pa. driver.
“The first time I thought we had it won, but got snookered on a late race
restart. Tonight we had plenty of
them, but I was careful not to let that happen again.
I didn’t know if I should pick the top or bottom, but it worked out.
My dad always told me to go out and win every race you can and add the
points up at the end of the year. We
don’t worry too much about that, but in a couple weeks we will.
I have to thank my dad first and foremost; it’s really tough he’s not
here. He’s racing at Eriez
(Speedway).”
Former “Futures Cup” Champion, Eric Wilson, took off in the lead over three-time
Wayne County winner Ryan Markham, former Sharon Speedway Champion Josh Double,
and Blair after one lap. Following a
caution for debris with two completed, Blair used the outside to pass Markham
for third on the restart. One lap
later it was three-wide for second with Blair getting the spot over Double and
Markham.
Current “Futures Cup” point leader, Clinton Hersh, made the long tow from
Somerset, Pa., and would bring out the caution when he spun with four laps
scored. It was a costly caution for
Wilson, who now had Blair alongside for the restart.
Wilson chose the bottom, but he couldn’t fend off Blair who sped by to
lead lap five.
Blair quickly pulled away on lap six as the battle was on for second with Wilson
trying to hold off Double and Markham.
Markham would make the pass of Double on lap 11 and fellow three-time
Wayne County winner, Charlie Duncan, followed past Double for fourth on lap 16.
Duncan continued moving forward taking third from Markham on lap 18.
Back-to-back cautions for Cody Endlich, who was making his RUSH Tour debut,
slowed action with 22 and 24 laps completed respectively.
Wilson and Duncan would have one more shot hoping Blair would make a
mistake, but it didn’t happen as Blair still won by 0.591 of a second in the
one-lap shootout to the finish.
Blair’s all-time leading 13th career Sweeney Tour win came in the
R&J Poultry/Moody & Son Welding/Specialty Products/Genesis
Shocks/Murphy’s Logging/C&J Dairy-sponsored #111.
Wilson’s career best runner-up beat his prior season’s best
Tour finish of fourth at Expo on July 15, and was able to move into second place
in the Bazell/Sunoco Southern Tour points.
That earned the Cortland, Ohio teenager the Maxima Racing Oil “Maximum
Performance” Award. Duncan’s third
was his career best Sweeney Tour finish as he was fifth in the first Wayne
County show and fourth in the second event.
“There’s no doubt Max is the man- he’s tough to beat this
year,” expressed Wilson. He’s a
force to be reckoned with. It was a
really good race and I gave it my all.
Wayne County does a great job with the track and I couldn’t ask for
anything better.”
Double inherited fourth when Markham suffered a flat tire
on the final lap and was able to hold off Justin Chance for the spot.
Completing the top 10 were Jim Nicely, Jason Knowles, Paul Harriger, Rick
Mardis in his first ever Sweeney Tour start, and Brian Knowles.
Harriger earned the $100 Precise Racing Products “Pedal
Down” Hard Charger gift card for gaining five positions as he improved from a 15th
place finish in the first show to 10th in the second show and finally
eighth on Sunday. Markham, who won
Saturday night’s Super Late Model race at Attica Raceway Park, was awarded the
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”.
Hersh was the final car on the lead lap and earned the $25
CrateInsider.com gift certificate.
Wilson won his heat race from the fifth starting spot, while Blair raced to the
heat two win from the sixth starting spot.
Charlie Duncan became the 12th different K&N “Cold Air
Induction” Dash winner of the season and earned a $100 K&N certificate.
Mardis received a $50 K&N certificate for second, while Brian Knowles and
Nicely will receive an extra $25 cash for finishing third and fourth
respectively.
The next Sweeney Tour event will be this Friday and Saturday, September 11-12 at
Sharon Speedway for the $2,000 to-win “Gary Knollinger Memorial” as part of the
“Apple Festival Nationals” in a Bazell/Sunoco Southern event.
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Bazell/Sunoco Race Fuels
Southern Touring Series Race #9
(25 laps, $1,500 to-win): 1. MAX BLAIR (111)
2. Eric Wilson (27W) 3.
Charlie Duncan (Hall 240) 4. Josh
Double (38) 5. Justin Chance (01)
6. Jim Nicely (22) 7. Jason
Knowles (4) 8. Paul Harriger (6)
9. Rick Mardis (X3) 10. Brian
Knowles (4) 11. Clinton Hersh (16)
12. Ryan Markham (5M) 13.
Cody Endlich (1E).
Car Count:
13
Feature Lap Leaders: Eric Wilson
(1-4), Max Blair (5-25)
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”:
Paul Harriger (+5)
Maxima Oil “Maximum Performance”:
Eric Wilson
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night":
Ryan Markham
CrateInsider.com "Last Car on Lead Lap":
Clinton Hersh
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Wilson
2. Chance 3. Double
4. Mardis 5. B. Knowles
6. Hersh 7. Harriger.
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. Blair
2. Markham 3. J. Knowles
4. Duncan 5. Nicely
6. Endlich.
K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash
(4 laps): 1. Charlie Duncan 2. Rick
Mardis 3. Brian Knowles
4. Jim Nicely.
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 Ignition, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing
Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM
Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends,
Bobby Lake Motorsports, Crate Innovations Inc., Velocita-USA, High Gear Speed
Shop, CrateInsider.com, B.R.A.K.E.S., 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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