SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL SERIES GOES INTERNATIONAL AS CANADA’S HUMBERSTONE SPEEDWAY JOINS WEEKLY SERIES; SUNDAY NIGHT SOUTHERN ONTARIO TRACK GIVES NORTHERN RACERS 3-NIGHT CIRCUIT
December 21, 2013
(By Mike Leone) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Port Colborne, ON)…Just days after landing western New York’s Freedom Speedway as a Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Weekly Series venue in 2014, RUSH Directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone are thrilled to announce that Humberstone Speedway in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada has joined the fold for Sunday evenings! RUSH will be an international venue for 2014! The 3/8-mile dirt oval is located 20 miles west of Buffalo, New York.
The new Humberstone-Freedom tandem joins previously added Potomac and Winchester Speedways in the Mid-Atlantic as Sweeney RUSH new weekly-sanctioned speedways for 2014. More importantly, northern racers will now have the most opportunities to compete at sanctioned speedways in the eight-year history of Crate Late Model racing in the Northeast when you add in returning RUSH member tracks McKean County Raceway (East Smethport, PA) and Bradford (PA) Speedway!
“This is a tremendous announcement for not only us, but the racers and track owners in northern Pennsylvania, western New York, and southern Ontario,” expressed Emig. “We had a good relationship with Humberstone in years past and always enjoyed our trips up there. They did their own deal last season and we were disappointed they didn’t join us, but are thankful they will be with us for 2014 as they grow Late Model racing in traditional Modified country. It was great to hear so many racers backed our program and conveyed their thoughts to Humberstone.”
Humberstone will have a four-event burn-off period for those tires allowed in 2013. Discussions are underway with Humberstone to host a Sweeney Tour event in 2014. Max Blair, who recently picked up a NDRL Super Late Model ride for McKean promoter John Kennedy, won the 2011 and 2012 “Canadian National Championship” events at the speedway.
Rob Ledingham was the 2013 Humberstone Crate Late Model Champion over two-time winner Jorden Peters and Paul Grigsby. Peters, the 17-year-old Canadian, finished 15th on the Sweeney Tour despite missing several of the final events, and also finished fifth in the “Futures Cup” points. Grigsby was also a regular at McKean this past season and is expected to race more RUSH events in 2014. Several American racers have crossed the border to compete at Humberstone in weekly shows over the years like Ed and Zack Carley, Garret Stephen, Justin Tatlow, Adam Sixt, Wayne Robertson, and Bob Dorman.
RUSH member racers will be able to participate at Humberstone 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. Stay tuned for announcement coming on soon on exciting news for the Sweeney Weekly Series. 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. 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.
Humberstone also features weekly DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pro 4 Trucks, and Mini Stocks as well as specials for the DIRTcar “358s”, “360” Sprint Cars, and TUSA Mod Lites. Humberstone is home to the “All Canadian Championship” as well as Victoria Day event celebrations, and their annual “Eve of Destruction” show.
Humberstone is owned by Pete and Linda Cosco and will celebrate its 55th anniversary in 2014. Humberstone is located at 1716 Highway 3 East in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada L3K5V4. For more information, check out their website at www.humberstonespeedway.com or call 905-834-4002.
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.