CHAD RUHLMAN PADS POINT LEAD IN SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL WEEKLY SERIES; DARIN HENDERSON MAKES IT 2-IN-A-ROW AT WINCHESTER TO TIE FOR PACE SUMMER CHASE LEAD
July 24, 2014
(By Jim Zufall & Mike Leone)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Pulaski, PA)… Weather was a force again at the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Weekly Series member tracks. Friday night seemed to be the best part of the weekend, and things got started off at Freedom Speedway in Delevan New York where Chad Ruhlman took his second victory in a row. Ruhlman is a perfect two-for-two since he made his first start at Freedom once the potential $200 bonus for winning at both Freedom and McKean was created.
Ruhlman, who now has 10 RUSH Weekly Series wins, is just five shy of a perfect score and the $5,000 title. Ward Schell had a season best runner-up and was followed by Jeremy Wonderling, Brad Mesler, and Bill Holmes. The $1,000 to-win RUSH special that was originally scheduled for this Friday night has been moved to next Friday, August 1 due to McKean running Friday night.
Also on Friday night, Lernerville Speedway hosted the Sweeney RUSH Sportsman Modifieds for the third time this season. Adam Hilton became the first repeat winner at the Sarver, Pa. oval winning his fourth feature on the circuit to pad his point lead in the $3,000 title chase. Rocky Kugel, who is second in points, was runner-up over Jeremy Paup, Jamie Duncan, and Jeremy Zufall. The RUSH Mods will be off this weekend, but will return to action on August 2 at Sharon Speedway.
Virginia’s Winchester Speedway was the only Saturday night track in the RUSH Series to get a night of racing in last weekend, but it was a struggle as rain delayed the program for some two hours. The 20-lap event saw Darin Henderson pick up his second straight win Winchester! Henderson’s win kept him tied him with Max Blair with a perfect “112” average score in the $3,000 to-win Pace Performance “Summer Chase” that ends on Labor Day.
Ralph Morgan Jr. led the first half of the race when Henderson made the pass for the lead on lap 11. Henderson was never challenged to the finish where he was followed by Morgan, Transton Stoner, Ben Bowie and “Futures Cup” racer Reese Masiello. The RUSH Late Models take some time off at Winchester, but return for back-to-back events on August 23 and 30.
The weatherman finally cooperated for the final Sweeney RUSH Late Model event of the weekend as Humberstone Speedway hosted a Sweeney RUSH Touring Series event paying $2,000 to the winner. Twenty-two of the 23 RUSH Late Models on hand took the green flag for the main event titled the “Canadian National Late Model Championship.” Drivers from five states and the province of Ontario enjoyed a track that had seen a very wet Saturday, which yielded a fast track.
New York driver John Waters has traveled extensively with the RUSH Touring Series since last September, but so far has only garnered a runner up position for his efforts, that coming at Potomac Speedway in Budd’s Creek Maryland earlier this year. Sunday night, Waters left the country for the second time this season to race and made it two-for-two at the Port Colborne, Ontario oval in his first career Sweeney Tour win.
When pole sitter Bryce Davis along with Dennis Lunger, Jr. and Ryan Montgomery were battling for the lead in the early part of the race, Waters considered himself a spectator; “I figured I’d sit back and watch the show when those three started to battle,” said Waters. “My car and the track started to come to me. I knew Ryan would run me clean, but he had me scared and I had to get back up on the wheel or he would have had me. That’s why I like this Series- these guys make you a better racer.”
Battles for position continued throughout the field during the entire 30-lap event right down to the wire as Waters and Montgomery raced side-by-side for the lead to the finish. In the end it was Waters, who beat out point leader Montgomery, winner of the last tour event. “Usually I’m a bottom feeder, but the car was great in the middle and top,” explained Waters, who became the fifth different Sweeney Tour winner of the season. “My guys did a great job. We got tore up on Friday night and they got this car put back together.” Finishing out the top five with career best Sweeney Tour efforts were Tim Gillespie, Eric Wilson, and Jeff Dayman.
The Sweeney Tour will be in action next on Thursday, August 14 at McKean County Raceway for the annual fair race and first of three appearances to the East Smethport, Pa. track.
This weekend’s schedule includes Sweeney Weekly Series action on Friday night at Potomac Speedway, Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex, and McKean County Raceway ($1,000 to-win); Saturday action returns to Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway and Sharon Speedway along with $5 Fan Appreciation Night at Roaring Knob; then Humberstone will close out the weekend on Sunday. RUSH has the night off at both Freedom and Winchester Speedways.
You can follow the latest news from both series by going to www.rushracingseries.com. Current point leaders are Ryan Montgomery-Sweeney RUSH Late Model Touring Series, Chad Ruhlman-Sweeney RUSH Late Model Weekly Series, Michael Lake-“Futures Cup”, Max Blair and Darin Henderson are tied for the Pace “Summer Chase” for Late Models, and Adam Hilton leads the Sweeney RUSH Sportsman Modifieds.
RUSH Late Model marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Bilstein Shocks, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Driven Racing Oil, Crate Innovations Inc., Moroso Performance Products, Velocita-USA, High Gear Speed Shop, CrateInsider.com, 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.