"BILL HENDREN MEMORIAL" PRESENTED BY FK ROD ENDS & CITY CHEVROLET SET FOR THIS WEEKEND AT PITTSBURGH; $4000 TO-WIN FRIDAY & $10,000 TO-WIN SATURDAY FOR HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE/GUNTER'S HONEY TOUR PART OF THE "PITTSBURGHER 100"

By Mike Leone

 

September 29, 2026               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

(Imperial, PA)...The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series is set to return to action this weekend at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway for the annual "Bill Hendren Memorial" part of the 38th annual "Pittsburgher 100” weekend with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.  Friday night (October 2) will be a complete show for $4,000 to-win, while Saturday night (October 3) will be a complete show for $10,000 to-win!  The following affiliates and friends of Steve Hendren have made the "Bill Hendren Memorial" possible: FK Rod Ends, City Chevrolet, Pro Fab, Hendren Racing Engines, CrateInsider.com, West Mifflin Collision, and Branden Lockwich.  Warm-ups get underway at 6 p.m. both nights.  Action will be streamed live by FloRacing. 

  

For the 11th straight year, the "Bill Hendren Memorial" will take place at "Dirt's Monster Half-Mile".  Friday night with feature a standard $4,000 to-win Touring Series event along with an increased Real Merchant Services DMV Non-Qualifier paying $300 to-win/$155 to-start.  On Saturday night, the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour will have $10,000 on the line with $450 to-start the 40-lap event for the fifth straight year!  Saturday’s Real Merchant Services DMV Non-Qualifier will see even more of an increase with $400 going to the winner and $160 to-start.  For the third straight year, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be in action with a complete show each night as Saturday night will again pay $50,000 to-win!

 

There have been 34 RUSH Tour events completed all-time at Pittsburgh with 19 different winners!  Michael Norris leads the way with seven victories over fellow PPMS standout, Kyle Lukon, who has five.  Ryan Montgomery is a three-time winner.  The only other repeat winners are Daryl Charlier, Jeremy Wonderling, and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Tim Shaffer.  Single wins have went to Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr., Colton Flinner, John Mollick, Mike Pegher, Jr., Jacob Hawkins, Garret Paugh, Levi Crowl, Kyle Hardy, Logan Roberson, 2023 $10,000 "Bill Hendren Memorial" winner Joe Martin, Mason Zeigler, 2024 $10,000 “Bill Hendren Memorial” winner Brandon Burgoon, and 2025 “Jook George Steel City Classic” winner Christian Schneider.

 

The event will also count towards RUSH Colussy Chevrolet National Weekly Series, Pittsburgh’s Track Pack and Russ King Racing Futures Cup points for those eligible racers.   Pittsburgh has completed 13 RUSH Late Model events this season with nine different winners part of the Colussy Chevrolet Weekly Series.  Burgoon and Matt Benard are the only multi-time winners with three victories each.  Burgoon currently leads the RUSH Track Pack points at Pittsburgh in search of his fourth straight title.  Other winners this season include Tony Musolino, Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr., Michael Norris, Michael Reft, Christian Schneider, Jake Gunn, and Ben Easler.

 

There have been an amazing 10 different winners in 11 Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series events this season!  Five-time and defending Tour Champion, Jeremy Wonderling, who is the only repeat winner this season, leads the Tour into Pittsburgh.  Wonderling’s point lead in the battle for the $20,000 title though has shrunk to just four over Demetrios Drellos, who has beaten Wonderling in six of the last seven events including his first career Tour win at Stateline.  Drellos is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in all 11 events this season!

 

Christian Schneider leads Kurt Stebbins by only 11 in the battle for third in points as well as the $3,000 to-win 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year standings.  Daryl Charlier and Austin Allen are tied for fifth in points- just eight back of Stebbins.  Allen won his first career Tour race at Tri-City on September 6.  Jason Knowles, Ben Easler, Cody Dawson, and rookie Brodie Oravetz complete the top 10 in points. 

 

In 2005, Bill Hendren, the patriarch of the Hendren family and founder of Hendren Racing Engines, had the foresight to begin building his affiliation with crate racing.  As many of his open engine customers looked to crate racing as an opportunity to continue racing Bill began offering free advice via the well know 4M.net message board.  As the concept grew throughout the country, his generosity and expertise were rewarded as many of those who had utilized his knowledge in the beginning utilized him as their engine rebuilder as their needs arose.  Bill passed away on March 19, 2011, but his legacy and dedication to crate racing lives on through his sons, Steve and Mike, as the Hendrens are recognized throughout the entire country as a leader in this specialized form of racing as they continue to operate Hendren Racing Engines. 

 

"I'll never forget the day many years ago when I received a surprise phone call from Steve Hendren expressing interest in having a memorial event for his late father Bill in conjunction with a RUSH Touring event," explained Emig.  "Although I never knew Bill personally, I certainly was well aware of his pioneering spirit and great success in the world of Chevrolet Performance crate engine racing.  And to have the Hendren Family allow us to hold their patriarch's only memorial event of the year under the RUSH banner for the 14th straight year is truly an honor!  What Steve and his family continue to do for this event is tremendous!  We have to thank all of the contributors as well as Blair Cress, Jr. for allowing this event to be part of the 'Pittsburgher' weekend."

 

Steve Hendren, who will be making the trip up to Pittsburgh from Rutherfordton, NC, was inducted into the Antioch (CA) Speedway Hall of Fame shortly after the 2021 event.  Hendren raced at the track weekly in the Late Model division from 1990-1993 winning 40 races and was the 1992 and 1993 champion.  In 1992, Hendren won 25 features in 44 starts with 15 of them coming at Antioch, which propelled him to the NASCAR Pacific Coast Regional Championship.

 

Schneider Trucks will present the "Hottest of the Hot" with $50 going to the driver that turns the fastest lap in hot laps each night.  $100 "Shock the Clock" Qualifying and $25 to-win heat races will be presented by FK Rod Ends each night.  The Sunoco Dash will set the beginning rows of the feature lineup and will award the winner a $100 Sunoco fuel gift card.  Each night, 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 of Tour points and another four $50 random draws for all other competitors each night.

 

Hoosier Tire Western PA/Big Daddy's Speed Center will award a $100 gift card for the "Pedal Down" Hard Charger that passes the most cars in the feature each night.  Close Racing Supply will award a $100 gift card for the driver chosen as the "Tough Break of the Night" each night.  Ontime Body & Graphic's "Spoiler Alert" will award a spoiler kit to the 12th place finisher on night one and the 13th place finisher in night two.  Each night, there will also be five BOGO Landrum Performance Springs certificates given away through drawings.  The first feature non-qualifier each night will receive a $50 certificate from Holley Performance brands each night. 

 

"Bill Hendren Memorial" Night 1 Feature Payoff (30 laps): 1. $4,000  2. $2,000  3. $1,000  4. $800  5. $700  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.  (25-26. $300).

 

Real Merchant Services DMV Non-Qualifier Night 1 Payoff: 1. $300 2. $200 3. $190 4. $185 5. $180 6. $175 7. $170 8. $165 9. $160 10-24. $155.  Tow $125

 

"Bill Hendren Memorial" Night 2 Feature Payoff (40 laps): 1. $10,000  2. $5,000  3. $2,500  4. $2,000  5. $1,500  6. $1,200  7. $1,000  8. $900  9. $800  10. $700  11. $650  12. $625  13. $600  14. $550  15. $525  16. $500  17. $490  18. $480  19. $470  20. $460  21-24. $450  (25-26. $450).

 

Real Merchant Services DMV Non-Qualifier Night 2 Payoff: 1. $400 2. $300 3. $250 4. $225 5. $200 6. $190 7. $180 8. $175 9. $170 10. $165 11-24. $160  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 each night.  AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used; Westhold transponders will NOT work.  Units are available to rent for $25.  Driver radio channel will be 453.800. 

 

Pit passes will go on sale at 2 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday.  RUSH registration will open at 2:15 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 5:30 p.m. each night.  Warm-ups are slated for 6 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing.  

 

Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway is a ½-mile dirt track with a GPS address of 170 Kelso Rd, Imperial PA 15126, which is located just off the Noblestown exit on Routes 22/30.  For more information, check out their website at www.ppms.com or call 412-279-7223.  The track number on race day is 724-695-3363 or 724-695-0393.  As for their social media outlets, you can like their page on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/PittsburghsPennsylvaniaMotorSpeedway or follow them on Twitter @PAMotorSpeedway.

 

The RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply together with Born2Run Lubricants along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Colussy Chevrolet Flynn's Tire, Gunter's Honey, Rustler Sales & Service, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Capital Contracting Service, Joseph J. Oliva Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Landrum Performance Springs, Russ King Racing, 3C Graphix, Velocita-USA, Wieland Metal Services, Real Merchant Services DMV, IllusionCoats Powder Coating, Hoosier Tire Western Pennsylvania/Big Daddy's Speed Center, Close Racing Supply, Keyser Manufacturing/Integra Racing Shocks, Seal-Tite Paving & Excavating, MotoRad, Schneider Trucks, Ontime Body & Graphic, Henry's Headers & Exhaust Systems, D&V Jewelers, AERO Race Wheels, 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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