RUSH Late Model Tour Will Try Again Saturday At Tyler County
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Zach Yost Racing Photography
(Middlebourne, WV)…The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series will try again this Saturday (April 13) at Tyler County Speedway to kick-off its richest season in Series history. Saturated grounds from a week-long of rain forced the postponement from last Saturday to this Saturday. The largest group of Tour regulars are primed to chase more than $76,000 in point fund monies including a record $20,000 to the champion, $5,000 for the Landrum Performance Springs “Loyalty Bonus”, and $3,000 to the 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year. Warmups are slated for 5:45 p.m. on Saturday night followed by qualifying and racing.
Saturday will mark the first of three appearances by the Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour at “America’s Baddest Bullring” with each event paying $4,000 to-win! Tyler County is beginning their third year under the RUSH banner for its Chevrolet Performance Late Model class. Several RUSH Late Model racers took advantage of the open practice on Tuesday night in preparation for Saturday’s opener.
Past City Chevrolet “Track Pack” Champions at Tyler County are Donnie Dotson in 2022 and Brandon Weigle last season. The Tour returns on Thursday, July 4 in a two-night doubleheader presented by Dave Poske’s Performance Parts with sister track Ohio Valley Speedway. The third and final event will take place for the third time with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as part of the “Hillbilly 100” on Sunday, September 1.
“We’re really excited about opening our season at Tyler County for the first time,” expressed RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “Our past events at Tyler County have been tremendous; so much so that promoters John Watson and Dan Patterson inquired about having a third event at the track in 2024. Add in a record setting Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series point fund and the richest slate of events in our history brings so much excitement for the upcoming season.”
Fresh off his fourth title in six years, Jeremy Wonderling leads the Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour to Tyler County on Saturday night. Three of those titles for Wonderling were worth $5,000, while the Wellsville, NY standout earned $15,000 for his 2023 title. Wonderling now sets his sights on a fifth title with a record $20,000 up for grabs. Wonderling has won two of three Tour events run all-time at Tyler County including the 2022 event, which was the first ever Tour show in the state of West Virginia. Wonderling is hoping to park the #3J in the Landrum Performance Springs Victory Lane on Saturday night and add to his 22 career Tour victories.
Joe Martin has finished in the runner-up points position each of the past four seasons and is looking to get over the hump in 2024. Mike Wonderling, Jeremy’s oldest brother, returns to the Tour for the second straight year hoping to improve on his third place in standings and capture his first career Tour win. Other returning Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring drivers include 14-year-old phenom Brock Pinkerous, Cody Dawson, Ashton Briggs, Jim Rasey, and Austin Hauser.
New to the Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour full-time in 2024 and will be chasing after the $3,000 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year award are Jared Miley, Kyle Zimmerman, Damian Bidwell, Brad Mesler, Zack Carley, Austin Allen, and Ben Easler. While not competing for the championship, several other racers are expected to hit a majority of the events such as Davin Kaiser, Scott Stein, Ryan Hare, Mike Laughard, and Craig and Brandt Graham
$100 “Shock the Clock” Qualifying and $25 to-win heat races will take place and be presented by FK Rod Ends. The Sunoco Dash will set the beginning rows of the feature lineup and will award the winner a $100 Sunoco fuel gift card. The “Fill’er up with Sunoco Bucks” program will include an additional $400 of Sunoco fuel card giveaways; two $100 random draws for drivers in the top 15 of Tour points and another four $50 random draws for all other competitors.
The podium finishers will each receive a three-pack of Heritage Wine Cellars premier products. Precise Racing Products will award a $50 gift card for the “Pedal Down” Hard Charger that passes the most cars in the feature. Ontime Body & Graphic’s “Spoiler Alert” will award a spoiler kit to the first place finisher.
Feature Payoff: 1. $4,000 2. $2,000 3. $1,000 4. $800 5. $700 6. $600 7. $550 8. $500 9. $475 10. $450 11. $425 12. $400 13. $375 14. $360 15. $350 16. $340 17. $330 18. $320 19. $310 20-24. $300.
D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier Payoff: 1. $200 2. $190 3. $185 4. $180 5. $175 6. $170 7. $165 8. $160 9. $155 10-24. $150. Tow $125
You do not have to be a member of RUSH to compete only to receive Weekly and/or Tour points. The entry fee is $100. AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used; Westhold transponders will NOT work. Units are available to rent for $25 and no cost to Tyler County regulars. Driver radio channel will be 454.000. Teams should come prepared with the mandated RUSH tires and fuel.
Pits open at 3 p.m. RUSH registration will open by 3 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 5:15. Warm-ups are slated for 5:45 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing. Pit passes are $35.
Tyler County Speedway is a 1/4-mile dirt oval located at 1 Boreman School Rd., Middlebourne, WV 26149. Tyler County ran its first race on June 9, 1974 as the 2024 season will be celebrated as the 50th anniversary. Tyler County Speedway annually hosts some of the largest and most popular events in the Ohio Valley region. For more information, check out their website at www.tylercountyspeedwayonline.com. Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thebullringwv and follow them on X @The_Bulling.
The RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply together with Born2Run Lubricants along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Flynn’s Tire, Gunter’s Honey, Sunbelt Rentals, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, Landrum Performance Springs, 3C Graphix, Dave Poske’s Performance Parts, Velocita-USA, Wieland Metal Services, Frankland Racing Supply, Dusted Steak Seasoning, Ontime Body & Graphic, Sherwood Wheels, D&V Jewelers, Dusted, Heritage Wine Cellars, Precise Racing Products, Wedge Motorsports, Racing Electronics, and Terry Bowser Excavating.
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.
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