8/27/2021
RUSH Late Model Series
BUD WATSON GOES BACK-TO-BACK AT RACEWAY 7 IN PACE RUSH LATE MODELS WHILE WEEKLY SPECIALS GO TO PAUL GRIGSBY & JOE MARTIN; JUSTIN SHEA REMAINS HOT IN P
BUD WATSON GOES BACK-TO-BACK AT RACEWAY 7 IN PACE RUSH LATE MODELS WHILE WEEKLY SPECIALS GO TO PAUL GRIGSBY & JOE MARTIN; JUSTIN SHEA REMAINS HOT IN PPMS RUSH MODS; GALE RUTH JR SWEEPS DOG HOLLOW RUSH SPRINT EVENTS
By Marcie Barlow
August 27, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Pulaski, PA)...As the month of August continues race fans were treated to another weekend of exciting Pace Performance RUSH Racing Series together with Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC action. The RUSH Late Models, RUSH Sprint Cars, RUSH Sportsman Modifieds, RUSH Pro Mods, RUSH Stock Cars, and RUSH Karting Series were able to complete events during the hot and humid weekend. Paul Grigsby and Joe Martin won $1,000 RUSH Late Model Weekly Series special events. Gale Ruth Jr. continues to be impressive in Sprint car action as he swept the Dog Hollow Speedway events. Justin Shea remained hot at Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway in the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds.
The Pace Performance RUSH Late Model made a special appearance at Ransomville Speedway on Friday night for the second time this season. Steve Dixon and Austin Hauser led the field to the green with Dixon taking the lead. Jon Rivers took the second spot and Paul Grigsby followed in third. By lap five, Grigsby got by Rivers and was battling Dixon for the lead. Two mid-race cautions would slow the field, but Dixon was able to fend off the challenges and maintain the lead. With two laps remaining, Dixon hit the turn two wall causing the final caution of the event. Grigsby then held off the challenges of David Pangrazio to score the $1,000 victory- his second overall of 2021. Rivers, T.J. Downs and Austin Hauser rounded out the top five.
The RUSH Late Models were added to Friday night's Dog Hollow Speedway card earlier in the week. Joe Martin took command as the green flag waved and appeared to be on his way to the win as Michael Duritsky, Jr. methodically worked his way through the field. The duo of Martin and Duritsky battled for the top spot until a lap 10 caution slowed the field. Their battle continued when the action resumed with Mike Laughard joining in the fight. On lap 14, Laughard got sideways while battling Duritsky for second. Duritsky had nowhere to go and got into Laughard causing a caution. Laughard went to the back of the field and Duritsky set his sights on Martin when the action resumed. Duritsky wrestled the lead away from Martin on the restart but pitted two laps later with a flat tire. Martin went on to lead the final laps and score his fifth victory of the season at Dog Hollow- this one worth $1,000. Laughard worked his way back through the field to finish second in his season debut with Duritsky getting third. Justin Kann and Doug Glessner completed the top five.
The lone Pace Performance RUSH Sprint Car event this week took place at Dog Hollow Speedway. It was the second and final appearance of the season at the Northern Cambria, Pa. oval. Ryan Fraley, who was looking for his first career win in the division, led the first 13 circuits before Gale Ruth, Jr. took command. Ruth led the remaining seven laps to score the $800 victory, which was his second of the season at the oval. The victory also gave Ruth a two-point lead in the 2021 Series points battle. Chad Ruhlman got by Fraley with two laps to go to come home second. Fraley, Rod George and Tyler Newhart completed the top five.
The Pace RUSH Stock Cars were the third RUSH division in competition on Friday night at Dog Hollow. Jeremy Zufall continued his winning ways at Dog Hollow with his seventh win and has now won the last six he's competed in. Zufall also has a win this year at Eriez. Tim Laughard made his second straight start and came home in the runner-up spot once again. Bob Torquato was third.
Pace Performance RUSH Late Model action at Raceway 7 on Friday night saw Bud Watson lead the field to the green. With Watson out front, Breyton Santee and Cory Sines put on an excellent battle for the second spot until Sines hit a yuke tire and retired from the event. Santee used the top of the track to overtake Watson for the lead several times as the laps went by, but Watson turned back the challenges and went on to score his second consecutive victory at the speedway! Chad Sines got by Santee on the final lap to bring home the second spot. Santee, Joe Long and Jim Rasey followed.
Steve LeBarron led the entire distance of the 20 lap RUSH Late Model feature at The Hill Speedway Friday evening to score his third victory of the season at the Monroeton, Pa. facility. Jared Keeney stayed close to LaBarron but had to settle for the runner-up position with Brad Smith, Darin Hortin and Joe Lane following.
RUSH Late Model action at Fulton Speedway on Saturday night saw Max Hill lead the first six circuits before Chad Homan took over. Homan went on to score the win by 7.437 seconds over Bret Belden. The win was Homan’s eighth victory at the speedway and his 12th overall on the RUSH circuit this year. Harry Halliday, Kevan Cook and Sean Beardsley finished third, fourth and fifth respectively.
Bill Holmes continued his winning ways in Pace Performance RUSH Late Model action Saturday at Genesee Speedway. The caution-free event saw Holmes take the lead from Austin Hauser on lap five and never look back. For Holmes it was his sixth victory of the year at the Batavia, NY track, which has him leading the $1,000 "Track Pack" points. Sixth place starter Doug Ricotta came home in the runner-up position with Dusty Waters, last week’s winner Jimmy Johnson and Hauser rounding out the top five.
Pace Performance RUSH Late Model Weekly Series action at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway saw Ben Policz withstand the challenges of Daryl Charlier and lead the 20 lap main event wire-to-wire. It was Policz’s second win of the season at the Imperial, Pa. oval. Charlier, Cole Petrelle, Tim Shaffer and Bill Kessler completed the top five.
Kyle Hardy survived a late race scare on Saturday night to remain undefeated in the RUSH Late Models at Winchester Speedway. Hardy took the top spot from Scott Sweeney Jr. and opened up a half track lead when slower cars spun just in front of him. Hardy was able to avoid the wreck and maintain the lead to score his sixth victory of 2021 in six tries at the Virginia oval! Levi Crowl finished in second with Sweeney, Jr. in third, Ben Scott in fourth and Timmy Booth in fifth. A strong field of 23 cars were on hand.
Heavy late afternoon and early evening rain tried to put a damper on the final night of weekly action at New York’s Stateline Speedway on Saturday, but the track crew didn't throw in the towel and was able to complete the show. Steve Dixon and Jason Genco traded the top spot several times over the first three laps. As lap four was completed veteran Scott Gurdak muscled his way around Genco and took command. Gurdak weathered several more cautions and held on to score the win and the 2021 track title at the speedway. Genco came home in second with David Parker in third. Dixon and Matthew Sipes completed the top five. Stateline has averaged 24 cars per night in 2021!
RUSH Pro Mod action at Stateline saw Greg Johnson lead the way for the first six circuits as he battled with Cody Stronghart and Chad Ramsey. By lap six Stronghart took the top spot from Johnson. On lap eight, eighth place starter Al Brewer had moved up to third while Johnson maintained the lead. Brewer found the hole he needed to take over the lead on the 11th circuit. Brewer went on to score his second Stateline win of the season and fourth overall, which came over Johnson, Ramsey, Michael Eschrich and 13th place starter Scott Gurdak.
Sunday evening racing action saw Jeremy Wonderling claim his fifth Pace Performance RUSH Late Model victory in six tried at Bradford! Steve Dixon, Dusty Waters, Chuck LaFleur and Jason Dobson followed. In RUSH Pro Mod action “Double Duty” Steve Dixon scored his second consecutive and sixth of the year in the Pro Mods at Bradford. CJ Irons, Al Brewer, Mike Eschrich and Duane Powers completed the top five.
The Pace Performance RUSH Sportsman Modifieds were in action at both Raceway 7 and Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway this past weekend. Friday night’s action saw Tony Tatgenhorst, Kyle Martell, Rob Kristyak and Chas Wolbert swap the top spots until Martell was collected in a lap seven accident. Wolbert led the remaining laps to score his third win in five tries during 2021 at the Conneaut, Ohio oval. Tatgenhorst claimed second in his Raceway 7 season debut with Kristyak finishing third. Brandon Ritchey and Ben Easler rounded out the top five. Wolbert's victory ascended him into the lead of the "Route 7 Rumble" Series standings by just one over Kole Holden and five up on Ritchey, who claimed the Raceway 7 track championship.
Saturday evening the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds competed at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. The 15-lap main event on the "Monster Half-Mile" went caution free and saw third place starter Justin Shea pick up his third win of the season, which have all come at PPMS. Tatgenhorst tallied his second runner-up finish of the weekend. J.C. Boyer, Jacob Jordan and Chelsie Kriegisch completed the top five.
RUSH Pro Mod action at McKean County Raceway part of the McKean County Fair was scheduled for Thursday night, but got postponed to Friday night due to saturated grounds from overnight rain. Preliminary action was completed on Friday night, but rain washed out the feature and postponed that to Thursday, September 30 as part of the "Fall Classic".
In RUSH Karting Series action at Stateline, winners were Emmie Bush (Amateur), Ryan Chase (JR-1), Julian Hultin (JR-2), and Jill Rickard (Adult).
Delaware International Speedway cancelled once again due to rain. In addition, RUSH Late Model competitors at Potomac, Eriez Speedway, and Woodhull enjoyed the night off.
RUSH Late Model Flynn's Tire/Born2Run Lubricants Touring Series action takes place this Saturday, August 28 at Sharon Speedway as the inaugural "Bill Forney Memorial" is scheduled. The event pays $3,199 to-win. It'll be the first Tour race at Sharon in nearly five years when Will Thomas III won last. Thomas has four wins in Econo Mod action this season at Sharon, but will make his first RUSH Tour start since 2017 on Saturday night.
Pace Performance RUSH Late Model weekly action will kick off Friday at Raceway 7, Dog Hollow Speedway, The Hill Speedway, and Potomac Speedway. In addition to the Tour race at Sharon, Saturday evening RUSH Late Model action is on tap at Fulton Speedway, Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Genesee Speedway, Winchester Speedway and Woodhull Raceway. Sunday night racing action is on tap at both Eriez Speedway and Bradford Speedway.
Delaware International Speedway, McKean County Raceway, and Stateline Speedway competitors will have this Saturday night off.
RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Pace Performance together with Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, Born2Run Lubricants, Flynn's Tire & Auto Service, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Performance Bodies & Parts, Racing Electronics, Dirt Defender, Wrisco Industries, Frankland Racing Supply, Landrum Performance Spring, Ontime Body & Graphic, Zarin Truck & Automotive, Sherwood Wheels, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, Stop-Fyre, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Waterstone Mortgage Hermitage, CrateInsider.com, and Wedge Motorsports.
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 Twitter @RUSHLM.
Article Credit: Marcie Barlow
