MAX BLAIR REFLECTS HOW HE BUILT HIS CAREER FROM THE
HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL SERIES TO A NATIONAL STAGE IN SUPER LATE MODEL RACING
By Jeremy Perry
March 25, 2026
Long before the national spotlight and the grind of
the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Max Blair was just trying to find a way to
race. Back in 2008 that opportunity
came through the Chevrolet Performance crate engine program in the Northeast
under the direction of Vicki Emig and Mike Leone; something Blair doesn’t take
lightly when looking back on his career. “It’s the only reason I could ever run
my Late Model back then,” acknowledged the 36-year-old Blair. “I don’t even know
if I would be racing today if it wasn’t for the crate stuff coming here when it
did.” That foundation didn’t just give him a place to race; it gave him a
future.
Blair’s early days weren’t
filled with brand-new equipment or big budgets. In fact, his first crate car was
built from parts of his father, Robbie Blair’s, wrecked cars. “My dad would
wreck, and we’d take the best parts and build me something,” he said. “That
first year, we won 10 races. Then we made enough money to get better parts, and
the next year we won 18."
That progression of winning,
reinvesting, and improving became the blueprint for Blair. Eventually, he earned
enough to buy his first car outright. Even then however he wasn’t doing it with
top-tier equipment. Blair won the 2008 Northeast Touring Series Championship in
a 2001 car, which he continued to race for years.
In the ensuing years, the wins
and championships piled up. In 2013,
Blair won $13,000 in RUSH Championship point fund monies. After focusing on
Super Late Model racing in 2014, Blair returned to RUSH in 2015 and at the time
captured what was a Series record $16,500 in championship point fund monies!
Despite not racing RUSH full-time from 2016-2020, Blair added $34,600 in
championship point fund monies over that five-year stretch.
In total, Blair captured more than
$83,000 in championship point fund monies alone from Chevrolet Performance crate
engine racing in the Northeast!
While winning RUSH Championships will always be
meaningful to Blair, the biggest impact was what it allowed him to do next.
“The point money from the RUSH Championships helped me start racing Super
Late Models. That financial stepping
stone turned into an opportunity and that opportunity turned into a career.
Literally everything I’ve been able to
accomplish would not have happened if I didn’t race crate cars first.”
One of the defining aspects of Blair’s rise was
volume. When he committed to the RUSH Series he went all in. “I raced 80-90
times a year,” he said. “That grind of being on the road constantly prepared me
for what I’m doing now."
It wasn’t just about seat time.
Racing the full RUSH Touring schedule
meant adapting to new tracks, new conditions, and new competition week after
week. That experience still pays dividends for Blair today. “When you’re hitting
15 different tracks a year it prepares you for the regional and national levels.
It definitely helped,” explained Blair.
Despite its affordability, Blair is quick to shut
down the idea that RUSH Crate Late Model racing is easy. “There’s nothing easy
about it by any stretch,” he acknowledged. "The
competition is good anywhere you go.
Jumping back into a crate car today isn’t always simple. When you don’t race
them often you just don't get back in and remember how to do it- it’s different,
it takes time.” That level of parity is exactly what makes RUSH so competitive.
Blair believes the concept behind crate racing isn’t
just successful, it’s necessary. “It’s more affordable and I think it’s the
direction racing is going,” he said. “We’ve also seen how fast the RUSH Sprints
and Modifieds have grown." He offered a
sobering reality about Super Late Model racing: “Ninety
percent of the Super Late Model field around here is one hurt motor away from
being done for the season.” Tracks like Stateline and Eriez Speedways have
sustained strong Super Late Model programs, but Blair sees crate racing as the
long-term backbone of the sport.
Even with a demanding national schedule, Blair
continues to return to RUSH events and not just out of obligation.
“I like it and enjoy doing it. It’s fun,” he said.
It’s also personal. Blair is the all-time
RUSH Tour win leader with 36 victories ahead of Jeremy Wonderling who sits
second with 30. “I take a lot of pride in that,” Blair added. But beyond the
stats, it’s the people who keep him coming back. “The community for sure,” he
said. “I’ve built a lot of friendships. Mikey Wonderling and I have become
really close, and guys like Brad Hibbard with Race 1, whom I met through crate
racing have become great friends.”
Blair is firm in his belief that weekly racing
programs like RUSH are essential to the entire ecosystem of dirt track racing.
“If weekly racing goes away, so does the interest,” he said. “The reason that
national events draw big crowds is because of the local fans who follow it every
week. Without a foundation like RUSH, the sport doesn’t grow- it fades."
For young drivers considering where to start, Blair
doesn’t hesitate. “It’s a great deal,
it’s very competitive,” he said. “People think because it’s cheaper you
can just spend money and be fast, but that’s not the case.”
In RUSH, talent still matters. And that’s
exactly why RUSH continues to thrive under the leadership of Vicki Emig and Mike
Leone. “They’ve done a great job policing things and keeping it fair,” Blair
said. “That’s why it’s so strong here, compared to other areas.”
"It really means a lot to us that Max is such a
strong proponent of the RUSH concept," expressed RUSH Director Vicki Emig.
"We've watched his journey as a young, up
and coming racer as part of the RUSH program to win feature events and compete
with the best the country has to offer in Super Late racing- we're proud of him.
He was with us when our Northeast Tour races paid just $1,200 to-win all
those years ago to capturing Lernerville's $20,000 win 'Bill Emig Memorial'.
I don't think either of us could have imagined any of that was possible
when we started to develop Chevrolet Performance Crate Late Model racing in the
Northeast. His continued support
both on and off the track will always be a great asset for RUSH."
When asked about a defining memory, Blair didn’t
point to his first win or championship, but to a turning point. After stepping
away to pursue a national Super Late Model opportunity, which ultimately fell
through, Blair returned to RUSH full-time in 2015. What followed changed
everything. He swept both of RUSH's North
and South Touring divisions and the earnings from that season helped fund his
next move. “That was the that propelled me,” he said. “The money I won from the
RUSH Late Model Series in 2015 allowed me to race more Supers the next year.
By 2016, he was competing on a much larger super late larger stage and
never looked back.
For Max Blair the path to national success didn’t
start with big money or top-tier equipment, it started with an opportunity. And
for him and countless others that opportunity has come through RUSH. What Vicki
Emig and Mike Leone have built with the RUSH Late Model Series is exactly what
today’s racers are looking for;
fair, competitive, and sustainable racing. Their commitment to enforcing the
rules and keeping the playing field level means drivers aren’t forced to
outspend the competition just to have a chance to win. Instead, it puts the
focus back on driver skill, consistency, and racecraft.
In addition they’ve created substantial
opportunities through strong championship point funds, organized high paying
Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series events and consistent promotion that
gives drivers exposure both at the track and beyond.
For new drivers or teams looking to get
into Late Model racing or even veterans looking for a smarter, more
cost-effective place to compete, RUSH offers a proven path, and that starts with
the leadership and vision that Emig and Leone bring to the series every single
week.
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, Frankland
Racing Supply, Seal-Tite Paving & Excavating, 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
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.
###