COREY MCPHERSON SWEEPS BOTH RUSH & OPEN PENN-OHIO PRO STOCK ACTION AT LERNERVILLE FOR $2500; 1ST RUSH LATE MODEL WIN OF 2017 FOR CLINTON HERSH; CHAS WOLBERT HOT IN RUSH SPORTSMAN MODS; BIG SEASON ENDING GENESEE RUSH LM WINS FOR JASON GENCO & BRYCE DAVIS

By Jim Zufall & Mike Leone

September 19, 2017               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Pulaski, PA)...With the 2017 racing season nearing the close, the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series powered by Pace Performance family of speedways are in full post-season mode.  Only a few track points titles are yet to be counted, while some tracks have just special events remaining and others already shuttered for the year.

In Saturday night racing action, Lernerville Speedway held their annual "Autumn-Motive Fest".  The season ending event for the RUSH-sanctioned Pro Stocks saw five-time track champion, Corey McPherson, pull off another win putting an exclamation point on yet another stellar race season.  McPherson defeated some of the best drivers he has been competing against all season in Tyler Dietz, Noah Brunell, Aaron Easler and Brett McDonald for the season high $1,200 win.  After the RUSH-sanctioned Pro Stock event, McPherson took yet another victory on the night in the Penn-Ohio Series race for "open" engine cars.  That win was worth $1,000 and came over Andrew Gordon, who has been lighting it up on the circuit.  McPherson left Sarver, Pa. with $2,500 including a $300 bonus from RUSH!  McPherson also clinched the $1,000 Sweeney RUSH  Weekly Series title.

Also at Lernerville, the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds were in competition for the fifth time this season and a strong field of 25 cars were on hand.  Chas Wolbert continued his late season surge with his fifth overall win and with the full field plus on hand earned $500.  Ironically, Wolbert won the same event at Lernerville last year for his first ever win at the track.  Wolbert is closing in on the top two in Bicknell Weekly Series points, Kole Holden and Rocky Kugel, with still five events remaining.  Like Wolbert, Justin Shea has also come on strong in recent weeks and was second over Kole Holden, Brandon Ritchey, and veteran Jerry Schaffer in his first Lernerville start of the season.  The RUSH Mods will be back at Lernerville on October 13-14 for their season ending Bicknell Tour event as part of the "Steel City Stampede".    

Only one county away from Lernerville to the west on Saturday night, Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway hosted the last of the 25-lap $1,000 to-win RUSH Late Model "Sizzler" events.  In a hotly contested battle to the end, Eric Wilson, who led most of the race, was overtaken in the final lap by Ben Policz for his second win of the 2017 campaign. Wilson settled for second by just 0.415 second with Steve Beatty, Justin Lamb (2017 RUSH Sizzler Champion) and Bill Kessler making up the top five.  Just two more weeks of point racing for PPMS, then the RUSH Touring Series returns to the Imperial, Pa. track for the $2,500 to-win "Bill Hendren Memorial" as part of the season ending Pittsburgher 100 weekend.  The RUSH Sportsman Modifieds will join the RUSH Late Model counterpart for the next two Saturday at the "Monster Half-Mile" for Bicknell Weekly Series events.

Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex hosted their annual "Big Kahuna" weekend featuring two nights of Super Late Model action; however, the RUSH Late Models were also able to race in complete shows both Friday and Saturday night.  On Friday night, 2015 "Futures Cup" Champion, Clinton Hersh, finally was able to win his first event of the season.  Troy Shields, Michael Duritsky, Jr., "Futures Cup" point leader Jakob Piper, and Bruce Hordusky, Jr. were second through fifth.  On Saturday night, Duritsky was back in victory lane for his ninth win in 14 tries at the Markleysburg, Pa oval!  Michael Ott, Brent Trimble, Hersh, and Hordusky completed the top five.  Hordusky, of Erie, Pa., made the long trek down for the first time and recorded a pair of top fives.  No racing at Roaring Knob this weekend, but racing will resume on Saturday, September 30. 

Batavia, New York’s Genesee Speedway was the site of the first annual "Topless Crate Nationals".  The Saturday-Sunday show saw Jason Genco take a hard-fought victory on night one of the event.  While the scoring says that Genco led every lap, it was nowhere near that easy.  Fighting off Touring Series stars Bryce Davis early and Jeremy Wonderling late, Genco held them both off masterfully to take the night one $1,500 payday for his first ever win at the track.  Wonderling would settle for second for the third time this year at Genesee.  Carley would hang on for third while defending champion Beamer Guzzardi was fourth.  Mikey Wonderling moved by Chad Homan late to complete the top five.

Night two of the "Topless Crate Nationals" gave Bryce Davis a chance to get the win he watched slip away on night one.  Davis started night two mired in the 12^th starting spot.  Along with a deep-starting Max Blair, Davis and Blair tag-teamed their way through the field until they reached the leader and night one winner Jason Genco.  Genco retained the lead for a time with Blair holding on to the second position.  A late race caution allowed Davis to overtake Blair on the restart, and then went to work on Genco.  

It took several attempts for Davis to try to make his move for the lead.  On lap 38, there was contact and Genco spun, handing the $3,000 win to Davis- his biggest of the season. “I was right up under (the back of the No. 29J) but I don’t even know if I got in to him,” stated Davis in victory lane.  “If I did I don’t think it was enough to spin him around.”  Blair took second in his first ever Genesee start in a RUSH Late Model.  Jeremy Wonderling was third for his eighth podium finish in nine starts at Genesee!  Jimmy Johnson and John Lacki completed the top five in fourth and fifth.  Except for a season-ending Enduro race, that is the end of the line for the 2017 season at Genesee.

Friday night RUSH-sanctioned tracks, Potomac Speedway in Maryland and Outlaw Speedway in central New York, were off as they are preparing for their season ending events.  Potomac will host the “Thunder in October” Southern Maryland Small Car Nationals on October 13-14.  Outlaw Speedway wraps up the season with two season-ending weekends.  First up will be this weekend for the Outlaw Fall Nationals as the RUSH Late Models will have a $1,500 to-win event on Saturday night.  Then October 20-21, the Doug Hoag Memorial Triple 7 Weekend will wrap up the season at Outlaw.

This weekend at Eriez Speedway near Erie Pa., the season will come to a close with the two-day "September Sweep".  The RUSH Late Models will be on the card with preliminaries on Friday and capped off with a season high $3,011 to-win race on Saturday night.

After a weekend off, Virginia's Winchester Speedway returns to action this weekend for their “Small Car Nationals” with prelims on Friday night followed by a $1,000 to-win event on Saturday night for the RUSH Late Models.

Just one night of tallying points remain for Joe Warren at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, De. The current point leader in the RUSH Late Model division has a substantial lead over 2016 track champ Sparky White going into Saturday night.

McKean County Raceway will return to action next week with their "Fall Classic" season finale.  The three-day, multiple division program starts with a standalone program on Thursday night, September 28 with $1,000 to-win for the RUSH Late Models in the "Ron Bake Memorial" and $400 to-win for the RUSH Pro Mods.  Friday and Saturday (Sept 29-30), the RUSH Touring Series for the Late Models will be on hand for preliminary racing on Friday night and a $2,500 to-win Platinum Tour feature on Saturday.  The Pro Mods will run on Friday only for another $400-to-win show.

Precious few races remain in the 2017 season for the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series powered by Pace Performance family of speedways as the offseason will be upon us before you know it!  The 2017 RUSH Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2018. 

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 Performance, Holley Performance Products, Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology, FK Rod Ends, Maxima Racing Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, Rocket Chassis, Landrum Performance Spring, CrateInsider.com, RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.

RUSH Sportsman Modified marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology, FK Rod Ends, Maxima Racing Oil, Sherwood Racing Wheels, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, CrateInsider.com, RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.

RUSH Pro Mod and Pro Stock marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology, FK Rod Ends, Maxima Racing Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Precise Racing Products, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, CrateInsider.com, 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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