POTOMAC & WINCHESTER KICKOFF 2014 SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL SEASON; EARLY WINS TO BOWIE & MCCLELLAN
March 28, 2014
(By Jim Zufall & Mike Leone)
(Pulaski, PA)…As we wrap up the month of March and set our sights to April, two of the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model weekly-sanctioned tracks have already waved the green flag on the 2014 season.
Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Maryland and Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Virginia were brought into the RUSH fold of weekly-sanctioned speedways over the winter. With both tracks located well south of the Mason-Dixon Line, they have the advantage of getting their racing season started before the other tracks in the RUSH family.
Potomac got the new season underway Friday, March 21 with its regular five-division program headlined by a special 35 lap Super Late Model race. The Sweeney RUSH Late Model race was a hard fought battle between eventual winner Ben Bowie and Roaring Knob Motorsports Park regular John Over. Bowie took the lead for good on lap 18 of the 20-lap event for his first ever win in the Crate Late Models. Bowie took the 2013 season off then decided to return to action in 2014 when the RUSH sanctioning announcement was made.
Potomac’s rotating division schedule has the RUSH-sanctioned Crate Late Model division off for a week, but return on Friday, April 4. The track’s first ever Sweeney RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series event comes up on Friday, June 20 with $2,500 on the line.
Saturday night’s (March 22) season opener at Winchester saw Stoystown, Pennsylvania’s Chad McClellan best the 26-car field of the Sweeney RUSH-sanctioned Crate Late Models. McClellan drove from his ninth-starting spot to take the lead from young Ryan Montgomery mid-way through the event and would hold on for the win. McClellan will go down in history as the first ever RUSH-sanctioned winner in the state of Virginia! “This is a great way to start the season,” McClellan said. “I didn’t think we had a car to win tonight, but we kept plugging away at the top, and we were able to pass Ryan for the win.”
John Over followed up his second place from the night before with a fifth on Saturday, coming from deep in the starting grid to do so and is now tied with John Imler for the Sweeney RUSH Weekly Series Championship point lead. Imler of Tracys Landing, Maryland had a respectable third and fourth place finishes over the weekend. This year’s Sweeney Weekly Series has been expanded to 40 points paying positions!
The Sweeney RUSH Late Models return to Winchester’s rotating schedule on Saturday, April 19, and the first ever Sweeney Tour event in the state of Virginia will be held on Saturday, June 21 with $2,500 to-win.
Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and Sharon Speedway have already altered their schedules due to the long and seemingly unending winter. Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex held an open practice on March 22 and still has another practice day scheduled for Saturday, March 29 and opening day slated for Saturday April 5. Several new RUSH racers are expected weekly at the Knob. McKean County Raceway has their practice day set for Friday, April 18, with their season opener the next night, and are very excited about the many new RUSH competitors.
The new season of Sweeney Chevrolet-Buick-GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model season is here! Visit rushlatemodels.com for a track near you!
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, Bilstein Shocks, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, K1 RaceGear, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Wrisco Industries, High Gear Speed Shop, Utsinger’s Towing, B.R.A.K.E.S., 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.