JEREMY WONDERLING WITHSTANDS PRESSURE FROM KYLE LUKON TO WIN “GARY MONTGOMERY MEMORIAL” FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR AT OUTLAW; HIS 2ND STRAIGHT SWEENEY RUSH LATE MODEL TOUR WIN EXTENDS POINTS LEAD
By Mike Leone

May 31, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Dundee, NY)...The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series presented by Pace Performance headed to Outlaw Speedway for the annual trip to the Finger Lakes Region. Race #5 of the 2019 season brought out an all-time record high RUSH car count for the Dundee, NY track with 29 cars from all over New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada making the trip for the third annual “Gary Montgomery Memorial” on the beautiful race day.

2018 Sweeney Tour Champion, Jeremy Wonderling, appears primed to defend his title. One year after winning his season’s first Tour race in the “Gary Montgomery Memorial” that appeared to propel him to the Series crown, Wonderling not only repeated that special victory for the former Can-Am “360” Late Model racer on Friday night, but captured his second straight Tour win of the season. Wonderling took the lead on lap 12 and held off a valiant charge from 12th starting Kyle Lukon for the $2,000 victory and receive a Sunoco 5-Gallon Race Jug.

“Not only was Gary (Montgomery) a promoter, but he was one of my best friends and it was sad to see him go,” acknowledged the 39-year-old Wellsville, NY racer. “If we wouldn’t had that caution on the backside I would have had Waters. Then we’d run for awhile and the caution came out and I looked at the board and saw 84 and I was like ‘who’s 84’ then it took me awhile to realize that’s 184 and figured he must be pretty good. I just kept doing what I was doing. I figured the only way he was really going to get me was on a restart. He was trying everything he could do; push me up the race track and stuff like that, but I don’t blame him I’d have done the same thing- it was good racing.”

2017 Tour Champion, John Waters, who was making his season debut, took off in the early lead after earning the pole following his dash win with Chad Homan, Wonderling, Michael Duritsky, Jr., and Braeden Dillinger in tow. Wonderling ducked under Homan and made the pass for second on lap two as Duritsky made the identical move one lap later for third. Waters had a straightaway lead on Wonderling when the caution was displayed for Kyle Murray, Chris Fleming, and Sam Pennacchio with three laps completed.

When racing resumed, Wonderling powered around Waters for the apparent lead, but a multi-car accident mid-pack occurred on the backstretch involving seven cars. Everyone was okay, but several were done for the night. Under caution, Duritsky pitted and yielded third back to Homan. This time, Waters chose the outside for the restart and would maintain the lead.

Lukon, who started 12th, was up to fifth for the restart then took over fourth from Dillinger on lap five. By lap six, Waters and Wonderling distanced themselves from the pack. Wonderling really put the pressure on Waters beginning on lap eight. The last two years’ champions really went at for five laps until Wonderling decided to go under Waters racing into turn three to lead lap 12.

Lukon’s car was really working well on the bottom as he drove under Homan in turn three for third on lap14 then two laps later snuck under Waters in turn four for second. Wonderling had a straightaway lead built by the time Lukon got to second. Wonderling caught lapped traffic on lap 19, but it was short-lived as the caution was displayed for Steve LeBarron. Under caution, LeBarron’s teammate, Waters, became the second driver to pit while running second and once again Homan re-assumed third for the restart. Waters was selected as the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”.

While Wonderling took back off in the lead on lap 19, Lukon stayed right with the leader. It appeared Lukon may have had a shot to grab the lead, but Murray spun to bring out the event’s final caution with 26 laps scored. Wonderling would keep Lukon at bay over the final four laps to earn his sixth career Tour win in his Close Racing Supply/Terry Prince Contracting/Pine Grove Collision/The Store in Scio/Ultra Force Machine/Wonderling Pit Stop-sponsored #3J.

Lukon came up 0.530 of a second back for a great runner-up effort in his first ever visit to Outlaw, which moved him into second in points behind Wonderling. Lukon earned $1,000 plus the $100 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger gift card for advancing 10 positions. Homan was third for the second straight year at Outlaw. Ryan Frazee, who turned 16 on Monday, recorded his best career Sweeney Tour finish in fourth after starting ninth for the “Futures Cup” racer and Tour rookie.

Jon Rivers, who was making his 2019 Tour debut, had a great run in fifth after starting 14th. Rivers also picked up the “Spoiler Alert” contingency and received a $150 spoiler kit from Ontime Body & Graphic. Brian Knowles was sixth for his best Tour finish of the season. Last year’s Tour runner-up, Jason Genco, struggled all night for speed, but still managed a seventh place finish after starting 13th. Kurt Stebbins had a good run going 17th to eighth in his first Tour start of the season. Dillinger dropped to ninth, but was awarded the Dirt Defender “Defensive Drive of the Night” for holding off 15th starting J.J. Mazur by just 0.187 of a second.

Dillinger, who was making his first ever visit to Outlaw, set a new Outlaw track record in FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying to earn $100 with a lap of 15.340. In fact, the top five qualifiers all shattered the previous standard of 15.543 set by Brad Mesler on June 2, 2017. Picking up $25 FK Rod Ends heat races were Waters, Wonderling, and Duritsky. Canadian Sam Pennacchio garnered the last chance B main victory.

RUSH Late Model racer, Dennis Cummings of Cummings Trucking in Wellsville, NY, co-sponsored the Zarin Truck & Automotive “$500 Club” drawings for drivers in the top 15 of Fulton Speedway and Woodhull Raceway track points. Picking up $100 were Chris Fleming, Steve LeBarron, Kurt Stebbins, Sam Pennacchio, and Jason Knowles, who were all randomly drawn at the drivers meeting.

The Sweeney Tour will continue action on Saturday night at Genesee Speedway in Batavia, NY followed by Eriez Speedway on Sunday night in Erie, Pa. Both Marquee events will pay $2,000 to-win with racing scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Late Model Touring Series Race #5 (30 laps, $2,000 to-win): 1. JEREMY WONDERLING (3J) 2. Kyle Lukon (184) 3. Chad Homan (91) 4. Ryan Frazee (11F) 5. Jon Rivers (85) 6. Brian Knowles (7) 7. Jason Genco (Badgley/Craig) 8. Kurt Stebbins (26) 9. Braeden Dillinger (14) 10. J.J. Mazur (13) 11. Michael Duritsky, Jr. (90J) 12. Andy Michael (17x) 13. Kyle Murray (21) 14. John Waters (LeBarron 11) 15. Steve LeBarron (29) 16. T.J. Downs (1) 17. Sam Pennacchio (311) 18. Chris Fleming (10) 19. Jason Knowles (4) 20. Scott Waters (53) 21. Logan Zarin (1z) 22. Zach Wiech (6) 23. Bill Kessler (09) 24. Billy DuBois (21B) 25. Wayne Robertson (20)-DNS.

DNQ for the feature: Dennis Cummings (74D), Chad Sines (15), Jamie Freeman (8), Kane Stebbins (2).

Car Count: 29
Feature Margin of Victory: 0.530 of a second
Feature Lap Leaders: John Waters (1-11), Jeremy Wonderling (12-30)
Zarin Truck & Automotive “$500 Club” co-sponsored by Cummings Trucking: Chris Fleming, Steve LeBarron, Kurt Stebbins, Sam Pennacchio & Jason Knowles
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”: Kyle Lukon (+10)
Dirt Defender “Defensive Drive of the Night”: Braeden Dillinger
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night": John Waters
Sunoco 5-Gallon Race Jugs: Jeremy Wonderling
Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert”: Jon Rivers

FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying ($100 for fast time) (Track record 15.543 by Brad Mesler 6/2/17): 1. Braeden Dillinger 15.340 (NTR) 2. Chad Homan 15.462 3. Ryan Frazee 15.466 4. John Waters 15.523 5. Jeremy Wonderling 15.529 6. Michael Duritsky, Jr. 15.608 7. Steve LeBarron 15.620 8. Jon Rivers 15.649 9. Kyle Lukon 15.673 10. Chris Fleming 15.690 11. Brian Knowles 15.696 12. J.J. Mazur 15.706 13. Jason Genco 15.757 14. Kurt Stebbins 15.777 15. Logan Zarin 15.789 16. Kyle Murray 15.854 17. Scott Waters 15.888 18. Jason Knowles 15.905 19. Sam Pennacchio 15.952 20. Dennis Cummings 16.074 21. Wayne Robertson 16.108 22. Andy Michael 16.159 23. Zach Wiech 16.233 24. T.J. Downs 16.353 25. Jamie Freeman 16.421 26. Bill Kessler 16.443 27. Billy DuBois 16.618 28. Chad Wines 16.951 29. Kane Stebbins DQ.

FK Rod Ends Heat 1 (8 laps, Top 6 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. J. Waters 2. Dillinger 3. Fleming 4. LeBarron 5. Genco 6. Murray 7. Pennacchio 8. Michael 9. Sines 10. Freeman.

FK Rod Ends Heat 2 (8 laps, Top 6 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Wonderling 2. Homan 3. B. Knowles 4. S. Waters 5. Rivers 6. Ku. Stebbins 7. Wiech 8. Cummings 9. Kessler-DNS 10. Ka. Stebbins-DSQ.

FK Rod Ends Heat 3 (8 laps, Top 6 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Duritsky 2. J. Knowles 3. Frazee 4. Lukon 5. Mazur 6. Zarin 7. Downs 8. Robertson 9. DuBois.

Last Chance B Main (10 laps, Top 6 transfer to A): 1. Pennacchio 2. Wiech 3. Michael 4. Kessler 5. Downs 6. Robertson 7. Cummings 8. DuBois 9. Sines 10. Freeman 11. Ka. Stebbins-DSQ.

Dash (6 laps): 1. J. Waters 2. Homan 3. Wonderling 4. Duritsky 5. Dillinger 6. J. Knowles.