SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODELS TO BE FEATURED WEEKLY ON FRIDAYS AT FREEDOM SPEEDWAY; NY TRACK REOPENING IN 2014
December 18, 2013
(By Mike Leone) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Delevan, NY)…After a two-year hiatus, racing is returning to Freedom Speedway on Friday nights in 2014. Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Series directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone are thrilled to announce the western New York facility will be RUSH weekly-sanctioned! Freedom joins Potomac Speedway in Maryland and Winchester Speedway in Virginia as new tracks under the RUSH banner for 2014.
Crate Late Model racing isn’t new to Freedom; in fact, Freedom was one of the original four speedways to host weekly racing when the class was introduced in the Northeast in 2007. “We’ve had a good relationship with Freedom over the years,” expressed Emig. “Dan Hoffman was a visionary of the class when it first started and then years later Mike Lauterborn continued the concept. We’re looking forward to now working with new promoter Troy Shuknecht under the RUSH Series. We also have to thank Ed Carley of nearby Freedom for helping make this possible.”
The 1/3-mile oval located about 40 miles southeast of Buffalo will become the northernmost RUSH-sanctioned speedway and also the first in the Empire State. “There was a lot of interest and excitement from New York and Canadian racers about Freedom when we were setup at the Parts Peddler show in Syracuse last month,” acknowledged Leone. “It’s great to give so many of these racers the opportunity to participate in the RUSH program and the ability to compete a second night now at McKean County Raceway with their switch to Saturday nights.”
RUSH member racers will be able to participate at Freedom in 2014 and be eligible for all of the programs including the Sweeney Weekly Series Championship, the Pace Performance Summer Chase title, and the “Futures Cup” for those eligible racers. While membership is not mandatory to compete in any RUSH-sanctioned event, membership will now include a $100,000 excess participant accident policy which is over and above drivers’ health insurance and speedways’ participant accident policy.
In the inaugural 2013 season, the Sweeney RUSH Series paid out over $70,000 in cash to member racers through the various point funds. Max Blair won $9,000 for winning the Sweeney Weekly, Pace Sumer Chase, and Speedweek titles. Mike Pegher, Jr. earned $5,000 for winning his first Sweeney Tour crown, and Eric Wilson was the $1,000 “Futures Cup” champion.
“I’ve been talking with Mike (Lauterborn) about running Freedom for about a year now and when nobody stepped forward and bought the track that’s when I decided to open the lease talks,” explained Shuknecht. “It’s a one-year lease and if all goes well I can extend it or perhaps even buy the track. I’m mainly looking at it as a business investment for my two sons (Tim and Brandon) to get involved with.”
Freedom Speedway will also be running a Sportsman Modified class in 2014. It’s also the goal in the future to bring that division in line and eventually under the new Sweeney RUSH Sportsman Modified Series program.
Freedom Speedway is located at 11099 Bixby Hill Road, Delevan, New York 14042. A website will soon be launched at www.freedomspeedway.com, but in the meantime information has been posted on the Speedway’s old website at www.southarcadespeedway.com.
2013 RUSH marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, RainEater Wiper Blades, Hoosier Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, The -Brake Man, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, K1 RaceGear, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Wrisco Industries, High Gear Speed Shop, Utsinger’s Towing, RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.
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 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.