SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL TOUR SET FOR 2 RACES IN 3 DAYS THIS WEEK; WEDNESDAY AT EXPO WITH SPORTSMAN MODS PART OF TRUMBULL COUNTY FAIR & FRIDAY AT RANSOMVILLE FOR THE 1ST TIME EVER
By Mike Leone

July 11, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Pulaski, PA)…After a weekend off, the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series powered by Pace Performance will have a busy week. On Wednesday evening (July 13), Expo Speedway in Cortland, Ohio hosts a doubleheader featuring the Sweeney Late Model Touring Series and the Bicknell Racing Products Sportsman Modified Touring Series as part of the Trumbull County Fair. Then on Friday, the Sweeney Late Model Tour heads north for the first time ever to New York's Ransomville Speedway. Racing begins early on Wednesday at 6 p.m. due to no lights with racing scheduled for 7:15 on Friday evening.

The 170th annual Trumbull County Fair will again include racing on Wednesday night featuring the RUSH Late Models for $1,500 to-win and for the second straight year the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds for $600 to-win. Though these are Touring Series shows, Weekly Series points will also be on the line for both divisions including Pace "Summer Chase" points for eligible Late Model racers. "Futures Cup" racers in both classes can also use Expo to add points to their tally.

It's been typical for the Late Model races to come right down to the wire with exciting finishes in front of the huge crowd in the covered grandstands. Past winners include Bobby Powell (2008), Russell King (2011 & 2013), Will Thomas III (2012), and Max Blair (2009-2010, 2014-2015). Meanwhile, last year's event for the Sportsman Modifieds not only marked the first ever race for them at Expo, but made history being the first ever Bicknell Tour event run with Greg Martin earning the top honors.

“Expo has always been a fun event for everyone,” stated RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “It’s a great atmosphere with the fair going on and the fan support is always great. We have to thank Bud Rogers and the rest of the fairboard for continuing to allow us to bring our show to the Trumbull County Fair and once again giving the Sportsman Modifieds the opportunity to also race at a different venue.”

One of the most anticipated events of the season that many have been looking forward to is on Friday when Ransomville hosts a Sweeney Late Model "Marquee" Tour event paying $2,000 to-win. Not only will this be a new stop for the Touring Series, but it'll mark the first ever Crate Late Model race held at the historic speedway! Though Ransomville will be a new venue, the RUSH Late Models have been growing all around Ransomville with longtime weekly tracks Freedom and Humberstone Speedways on Friday and Sunday nights and now Genesee Speedway adding the class on Saturday nights. Also, Merrittville Speedway has hosted a successful Sweeney Tour event each of the past two seasons. Freedom has given the RUSH Late Models the night off to compete in this event.

"It's an honor to be able to take our Series to Ransomville," said Emig. "Ransomville contacted us last winter about bringing us in and we're thankful Freedom was able to work with us to give them the night off. It's great to expose our brand of racing to a new audience plus we have a lot of New York racers that have moved into our class in recent years that competed in other divisions that will be looking forward to returning to Ransomville. There's a lot of excitement for this event."

"We are very excited to host the RUSH Late Model Series," commented General Manager Tana Robinson. "We are always looking to add something new and exciting to our schedule - the RUSH Late Models Series will allow us to do just that. Early interactions with the folks at RUSH along with positive feedback from some of the Late Model drivers and our fans has been a plus. We look forward to working with everyone at RUSH in 2016 and hopefully beyond."

Bryce Davis leads the Sweeney Late Model Tour points into this week's events at Expo and Ransomville. Expo will be a new track for the Hornell, New York driver, who enters Wednesday winner of two straight events, which have propelled him into the point lead for the first time ever. Davis along with third place point man, John Waters, are the Series' only repeat winners to date as Matt Latta, Mike Pegher, Jr., Rob Blair, and Andy Boozel have also been victorious. Series regulars Jason and Brian Knowles, Will Thomas III, Dave Lyon, Eric Wilson, Bruce Hordusky, Jr., and Alan Dellinger have all been fast throughout the season and are hungry for their first win.

The Bobby Lake Motorsports "Shock the Clock & Beat the Heat" program will be in effect for the Late Models at Ransomville with $100 going to the fastest qualifier and $25 to-win each heat race. The K&N “Cold Air Induction” Dash will be run for each class paying a $100 K&N certificate to win, $50 K&N certificate for second with $25 cash for third and fourth place. For the Late Models at Ransomville, the dash will set the beginning rows of the line-up, while at Expo it'll set the line-up for the first four positions outside of the redraw cars for both classes.

For both classes, Precise Racing Products will award a $100 gift card for the "Pedal Down" Hard Charger that passes the most cars in the feature. The TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night” will award three bottles of Xtreme6 Racing Brake Fluid valued at approximately $45 along with a certificate for a discount off any TBM Brakes purchase.

RUSH Officials will choose the "Maxima Performance" Award for a driver that exhibits a performance worthy of such. The winners will receive a free case of either Maxima Semi-Syn High Performance Racing Oil or Maxima Performance Racing Oil of your choice. In addition, the winner will receive one can of SC-1 clear coat, one 16-oz bottle of Maxima Cool-Aide concentrate, one 32-oz quart of Maxima PSF power steering fluid, and a Maxima t-shirt. The value of this prize package is $170!

Also, CrateInsider.com will award a $25 gift certificate to the driver that finishes last on the lead lap at the finish of each feature. And for the Modifieds, Sherwood Racing Wheels "Man of Steel" award will see a racer that bounced back from an earlier mishap earn a free wheel!

Expo Late Model Feature payoff : 1. $1,500 2. $800 3. $550 4. $410 5. $375 6. $340 7. $325 8. $295 9. $285 10. $280 11. $255 12. $250 13. $230 14. $225 15. $200 16. $195 17. $190 18-24. $185.

Expo Late Model Non-Qualifier payoff: 1. $150 2. $125 3. $115 4. $110 5. $105 6. $100 7. $95 8. $90 9. $85 10-24. $80. Tow $75.

Expo Sportsman Modified Feature Payoff: 1. $600 2. $400 3. $300 4. $250 5. $225 6. $200 7. $170 8. $165 9. $160 10. $150 11. $140 12. $135 13. $130 14. $125 15. $120 16. $115 17. $110 18-24. $100. Tow $50.

Ransomville Late Model Feature payoff: 1. $2,000 2. $1,000 3. $650 4. $550 5. $470 6. $435 7. $410 8. $370 9. $340 10. $310 11. $280 12. $270 13. $260 14. $250 15. $240 16. $230 17. $220 18-24. $210.

Ransomville Late Model Non-Qualifier payoff: 1. $175 2. $150 3. $140 4. $135 5. $130 6. $125 7. $120 8. $115 9. $110 10-24. $105. Tow $100.

2016 Sweeney Late Model Touring Series Points (Adjusted on Marquee/Platinum; only Tour members receive points): 1. Bryce Davis 486 2. Mike Pegher, Jr. 484 3. John Waters 475 4. Jason Knowles 455 5. Brian Knowles 447 6. Will Thomas III 446 7. Dave Lyon 442 8. Eric Wilson 432 9. Bruce Hordusky, Jr. 411 10. Brian Swank 397 11. Alan Dellinger 342 12. Tony White 318 13. Clinton Hersh 299 14. Matt Latta 250 15. Randy Hall 175 16. Kyle Zimmerman 167 17. Charlie Duncan 166 18. Dennis Lunger, Jr. 161 19. W.L. Stile 149 20. Jared Kane 140 21. Josh Double 89 22. Mike Duritsky, Jr. 88 23. Damian Bidwell 83 24. Mike Franklin 71.

There will be NO parts truck at Expo on Wednesday. Drivers need to be prepared with fuel, tires, etc. ahead of time. Late Model drivers should also be prepared with fuel and tires ahead of time for Friday with Ransomville not being a weekly track. Late Model drivers also note that the front row in the pits is reserved for Modified racers.

You do not have to a member of RUSH to compete. No transponders will be used at Expo. The red AMB transponders are required at Ransomville. RACEceivers are always mandatory. The entry fee is $75 for Late Models and $25 for Sportsman Modifieds at Expo and $100 for Late Models at Ransomville. Pits open at 3 p.m. on Wednesday with warm-ups slated for 5:30 followed by racing at 6. Pits open at 5 p.m. on Friday with warm-ups scheduled for approximately 6:30 followed by time trials. Pit passes are $20 on Wednesday at Expo and $30 on Friday at Ransomville or $25 for RUSH members.

Expo Speedway is a 5/8-mile dirt track located at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds just north of Route 305 on Hoagland-Blackstub Road in Bazetta Township, Cortland, Ohio. Pit access is Gate A right past the church. ATVs and golf carts must be kept in the pits and cannot go outside this area. For more information, check out www.trumbullcountyfair.com or call 330-637-6010.

Ransomville Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt track located at 2315 Braley Road, Ransomville, NY 14131. For information, check out their website at www.ransomvillespeedway.com, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @Ransomville.