Stateline & Eriez Speedways join Sweeney RUSH Late Model Weekly Series for 2015

STATELINE & ERIEZ SPEEDWAYS ADDITIONS ALLOW SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL SERIES TO SOLIDIFY NORTHEAST & CONTINUE GROWTH
By Mike Leone

March 3, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Pulaski, PA)...On the heels of the offseason announcements of the additions of Ohio’s Wayne County Speedway, Canada’s Brighton Speedway, and New York’s Can-Am and Fulton Speedways, Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Series Directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone are proud to announce sister speedways, Stateline and Eriez, to the growing Sweeney Weekly Series program for the upcoming 2015 season!

Last year, Promoter Bill Catania revived Stateline Speedway as he reopened the popular Busti, New York oval on July 5 with a standing-room-only crowd at the renovated facility. The 1/3-mile Saturday night oval located on the PA/NY border has included Crate Late Models in their program for the past several years, but for the first-time ever will now be under a sanctioning body rather than an open rules package as in the past. Opening night for the 59th anniversary season is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 and will include the Sweeney RUSH Late Models.

Eriez Speedway meanwhile has been operated successfully the last nine years by Bob Rohrer and his family. Crate Late Model racing has been a popular Sunday night weekly home for the past four years at the northwest Pa. Sunday night 3/8-mile oval, and now for the first time will be under the RUSH banner. Opening night for the 54th anniversary season is scheduled for Sunday, May 3 and will include the Sweeney RUSH Late Models.

“The addition of Stateline and Eriez to our program is huge,” expressed Emig. “We’ve been in talks with Bill and Bob since last summer in hopes they’d choose the RUSH program. Their decision to sanction their crate late model divisions at both facilities continues to solidify the entire Northeast portion of the region under the banner of one sanctioning body. For years racers have hoped that we could secure these great speedways. There is no doubt that many of these speedway's competitors will capture their own piece of our valuable championship programs, that will see over $85,000 in cash and approximately $60,000 in product contingencies awarded the RUSH competitors in 2015.

RUSH member racers will be able to participate at both speedways in 2015 and be eligible for all of the programs including the $5,000 to-win Sweeney Weekly Series Championship, the $3,000 to-win Pace Performance “Summer Chase”, along with the $5,000 to-win Bilstein Bandits and the $1,000 to-win “Futures Cup” for those eligible racers. While membership is not mandatory to compete in any RUSH-sanctioned event, membership will again include a $100,000 excess participant accident policy which is over and above drivers’ health insurance and speedways’ participant accident policy.

Both tracks will also host Sweeney Tour events for the Northern region during the summer months with tentative dates of June 6 at Stateline, and June 7 and July 27 at Eriez. Eriez will host the popular $30,000 “Manufacturers Night” on July 27 that in the past has been held at Sharon Speedway, Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway, and most recently at McKean County Raceway always drawing over 40 cars. The four events will be part of the Sweeney Northern Tour schedule that will pay the champion $4,000 to-win. A sweep of both the Sweeney Northern and Southern Tour would earn the champion $10,000!

Stateline Speedway celebrated their 2014 season at their January awards banquet crowning veteran standout Scott Gurdak as the champion. Gurdak ironically topped a fellow former Big-Block Modified racer in Bob Dorman- a second generation New York racer. Darrell Bossard, a former Stock Car standout and has years of Super Late Model experience as well was third over Dave Shagla, Jr., who competed in several RUSH events over the past two seasons.

Brothers Kyle and Wyatt Scott, sons of the great David Scott, finished fifth and sixth in points. Kyle continues to improve, while Wyatt will be starting his second season in the full-size cars. Wyatt, a go-kart graduate, will be a leading contender for the "Futures Cup" crown. Seventh through 10th in points were Jamie Brown, Max Blair, Dusty Waters, and Wendell Pinckney. All four racers competed in many RUSH events over the past two seasons. Blair in fact won $8,000 by sweeping the Sweeney Weekly & Pace Summer Chase crowns in 2013.

At Eriez, Kyle Zimmerman was the 2014 champion. The Albion, Pa. driver has become one of the veteran Crate Late Model drivers on the circuit and has been known for his consistent finishes to garner championships over the years. Completing the top 10 at Eriez were Blair, Matt Latta, Mike Knight, Bossard, Bobby Rohrer, Chad Wright, Gurdak, Mark Tatalovic, and Michael Mitchell.

Latta splits his time between the Scott Bidwell #B1D and his family-owned #21 and has become one of the top runners on the northern circuit. Knight, a Super Late Model favorite, made his first Sweeney RUSH Tour start on October 11 at McKean and raced from 16th to sixth to earn the Precise "Pedal Down Hard Charger". Rohrer competed in six of the 16 Sweeney Tour events in 2014 with three top 10 finishes. Wright, a former "Futures Cup" Champion, has honed his skills to become one of the northern circuit's top racers. Tatalovic has actually purchased Tri-City Raceway Park and looks forward to his first year as a promoter.

Stateline Speedway is located nine miles southwest of Jamestown, NY, south of Busti, NY at 4150 Kortwright Rd., Jamestown, NY 14701. For more information, check out their website at www.racestateline.com. Follow them on Twitter @RaceStatline and like their page on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/statelinespeedway. Their phone number is 336-793-8465.

Eriez Speedway is located outside of Erie, Pa. in Hammett at 9821 Sampson Rd., Erie, PA 16509. For more information, check out www.eriez-speedway.com. Follow them on Twitter @EriezSpeedway and like their page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eriezspeedway.

RUSH Late Model marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, MSD Ignition, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, The Brake Man, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Crate Innovations Inc., Moroso Performance Products, Velocita-USA, High Gear Speed Shop, CrateInsider.com, 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.

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