4/17/2024
RUSH Late Model Series
STAR-STUDDED FIELD OF HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL RACERS SET TO CONVENE AT PITTSBURGH SATURDAY FOR $4000 TO-WIN "HERB SCOTT MEMORIAL" AS THE RICHEST SEASON
STAR-STUDDED FIELD OF HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL RACERS SET TO CONVENE AT PITTSBURGH SATURDAY FOR $4000 TO-WIN "HERB SCOTT MEMORIAL" AS THE RICHEST SEASON IN FLYNN'S TIRE/GUNTER'S HONEY TOURING SERIES HISTORY IS SET TO BEGIN
By Mike Leone
April 17, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Imperial, PA)...After being flooded out two straight weeks at Tyler County Speedway, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series will try again this Saturday (April 20) to kick-off its richest season in Series history; however, this time at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway. The largest group of Tour regulars are primed to chase more than $76,000 in point fund monies including a record $20,000 to the champion, $5,000 for the Landrum Performance Springs "Loyalty Bonus", and $3,000 to the 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year. Warmups are slated for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night followed by qualifying and racing. The event will be streamed live on The Cushion. The rain date is April 27.
Saturday night will not only be the first event part of the City Chevrolet Weekly Series at Pittsburgh, but will be the first of four appearances this season by the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour at "Dirt's Monster Half-Mile". Saturday will be the running of the annual "Herb Scott Memorial". The "Jook George Steel City Classic" will take place on July 27 (rain date August 3) and the "Bill Hendren Memorial" on October 4-5 are also on the Tour's 2024 schedule at PPMS.
Herb Scott was one of the most well-known and respected driver who ever raced in western Pa. His side-by-side battles with Joe Mihalic were nothing short of legendary. Ten times during his hall of fame career, Scott won the track championship at Heidelberg (1956-1960, 1962-1965, and 1967). His first win came in his first year of racing at New Kensington Speedway in 1948. His 500th win came at Lernerville Speedway, and his final feature win came at Schmucker’s Speedway in September of 1979. He would go on to win a total of 520 career features!
"We're looking forward to Pittsburgh on Saturday and continuing our relationship with new owner Blair Cress, Jr. who took over the track during last season," expressed RUSH Director Vicki Emig. "No track has hosted more RUSH Late Model Tour shows than Pittsburgh and they once again lead the way with four events in 2024. It's a great honor to have Herb Scott's memorial event as a RUSH Tour event with this year's event the richest in history. In fact, all four of Pittsburgh's events will pay a minimum of $4,000 to-win! Add in a record setting Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series point fund and the richest slate of events in our history brings so much excitement for the upcoming season."
There have been 28 RUSH Tour events completed all-time at Pittsburgh with 16 different winners. Track standouts Kyle Lukon and Michael Norris each have five victories over three-time winner, Ryan Montgomery. The only other repeat winners are track regular Daryl Charlier along with Jeremy Wonderling. Single wins go to Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr., Colton Flinner, John Mollick, Mike Pegher, Jr., Jacob Hawkins, Garret Paugh, Levi Crowl, Kyle Hardy, Logan Roberson, and most recently Tim Shaffer and Joe Martin, who picked up big wins at the 2023 "Bill Hendren Memorial".
Fresh off his fourth title in six years, Jeremy Wonderling leads the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour to Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Three of those titles for Wonderling were worth $5,000, while the Wellsville, NY standout earned $15,000 for his 2023 title. Wonderling now sets his sights on a fifth title with a record $20,000 up for grabs. Wonderling has won two of three Tour events run all-time at Tyler County including the 2022 event, which was the first ever Tour show in the state of West Virginia. Wonderling is hoping to park the #3J in the Landrum Performance Springs Victory Lane on Saturday night and add to his 22 career Tour victories.
Joe Martin has finished in the runner-up points position each of the past four seasons and is looking to get over the hump in 2024. Mike Wonderling, Jeremy's oldest brother, returns to the Tour for the second straight year hoping to improve on his third place in standings and capture his first career Tour win. Other returning Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring drivers include 14-year-old phenom Brock Pinkerous, Cody Dawson, Ashton Briggs, Jim Rasey, and Austin Hauser.
New to the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour full-time in 2024 and will be chasing after the $3,000 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year award are Jared Miley, Kyle Zimmerman, Damian Bidwell, Brad Mesler, Zack Carley, Austin Allen, and Ben Easler. Super Late Model and UMP Modified standout Dave Hess, Jr. is expected to be in competition on Saturday night as well as New York's A.J. Miller, who began running RUSH Late Models late last year and is planning on his first career Tour start on Saturday. While not competing for the championship, several other racers are expected to hit a many of the events such as Davin Kaiser, Scott Stein, Ryan Hare, Mike Laughard, and Craig and Brandt Graham.
$100 "Shock the Clock" Qualifying and $25 to-win heat races will take place and 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 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.
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 first place finisher. The first feature non-qualifier will receive a $50 certificate from Holley Performance brands. There will also be five BOGO Landrum Performance Springs certificates given away through drawings. Forty lucky fans will receive a bottle of Dusted Steak Seasoning.
Feature Payoff: 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.
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. AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used. Driver radio channel will be 453.800.
Pits open at 3 p.m. RUSH registration will open by 3 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 5:30. Warm-ups are slated for 6 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing. Pit passes are $40.
Pittsburgh’s 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. As for their social media outlets, you can like their page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PittsburghsPennsylvaniaMotorSpeedway and follow them on X @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, Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Flynn's Tire, Gunter's Honey, Sunbelt Rentals, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Landrum Performance Springs, 3C Graphix, Dave Poske's Performance Parts, Velocita-USA, Wieland Metal Services, Frankland Racing Supply, Dusted Steak Seasoning, Ontime Body & Graphic, Sherwood Wheels, D&V Jewelers, Dusted, Heritage Wine Cellars, Precise Racing Products, Wedge Motorsports, Racing Electronics, and Terry Bowser Excavating.
E-mail can be sent to the RUSH Racing Series at info@rushracingseries.com 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.
Article Credit: Mike Leone
