6/22/2021
RUSH Late Model Series
PACE RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE/BORN2RUN LUBRICANTS TOUR SET TO RESUME THIS WEEKEND WITH SEASON'S RICHEST EVENT- THE $10,000 TO-WIN "BILL EMIG MEMOR
PACE RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE/BORN2RUN LUBRICANTS TOUR SET TO RESUME THIS WEEKEND WITH SEASON'S RICHEST EVENT- THE $10,000 TO-WIN "BILL EMIG MEMORIAL" PRESENTED BY HOVIS AT LERNERVILLE WITH WORLD OF OUTLAWS' "FIRECRACKER 100"
By Mike Leone
June 22, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Pulaski, PA)...After three weekends off, the Pace Performance RUSH Dirt Late Model Series together with Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC is set to resume its Flynn's Tire/Born2Run Lubricants Touring Series this weekend (June 24-26) with its season's richest event- the "Bill Emig Memorial" presented by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply at Lernerville Speedway as part of the "Firecracker 100" with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models. Thursday night will feature group qualifying with heat races and the dash on Friday night followed by last chance B mains, the feature, and non-qualifier on Saturday night. The rain date is Sunday.
For the third straight year, the "Bill Emig Memorial" will be part of the "Firecracker 100", a crown jewel in Super Late Model racing, sanctioned by the World of Outlaws. Once again, $10,000 will be on the line for the RUSH Late Models marking it the richest Flynn's Tire/Born2Run Lubricants Tour event of the season, while $30,000 will go to the winner of the 15th annual "Firecracker 100" for the World of Outlaws. It is anticipated that Saturday's show will again be the nation's highest fan attended event of the season for Chevrolet Performance Crate Late Model racing!
While each night will include a complete show for the World of Outlaws, Thursday night (June 24) will see practice and FK Rod Ends "Shock the Clock" Qualifying for the RUSH Late Models ($100 for fast time), Friday night will include FK Rod Ends heat races ($25 to-win) and the "John Buzzard Memorial" Sunoco Dash ($100 to-win & a $100 Sunoco gift card), while Saturday night will include the last chance B mains, 50-lap feature ($10,000 to-win, $450 to-start), and the non-qualifier ($400 to-win, $200 to-start). Additional information on the event can be found here: https://rushlatemodels.com/FirecrackerInfo2021.pdf
"I can't thank Lernerville and the World of Outlaws enough for allowing the RUSH Late Models to once again be part of the renowned ‘Firecracker’ weekend," expressed RUSH Director Vicki Emig. "To be able to showcase our RUSH Late Model racers in what is considered to be one the country's premier Super Late Model events in front of such a huge crowd has been truly an incredible experience for all of us the past two years. Our racers have put on a tremendous show for the fans and we're really looking forward to being part of the event once again."
The 2021 "Bill Emig Memorial" will be the 31st annual event remembering the late car owner and father of RUSH Director Vicki Emig. Over the 31 years, the event has been held at Lernerville, Hickory, Mercer, and Tri-City Speedways. In 2019, the "Bill Emig Memorial" took place with the "Firecracker 100" at Lernerville for the first time and attracted a season high 53 cars from seven different states and Ontario, Canada- tying what was previously the third highest car count in Series history as Max Blair passed Ross Robinson with five laps to go for the victory. Last year, the status of the event was up in the air until about one week prior due to COVID-19 restrictions, but that didn't stop Blair, who won the caution-free 50 lapper for another $10,000 payday.
Bill Emig was a Semi-Late and Six-Cylinder Modified car owner from 1969 until his passing in 1990. Emig had successful drivers pilot the #1 Ford such as Jim Becker, Bob Krauss, Donnie Martin, John Buzzard, Jerry Lesnak, Butch Haefke, and Lou Gentile. In later years, Andy Priest, Jimmy Hawley, Frank Guidace, and Rodney Beltz drove Emig #1 Six-Cylinder and "358" Modified for Bill's daughter Vicki.
Emig's cars won over 300 feature events along with multiple track championships and several of Walt Wimer's prestigious Cavalcade Championships. In 1986, his car was featured in a full color article in the special Christmas issue of Stock Car Racing magazine. He was one of the original recipients of Lernerville Speedway's "Milestone in Racing" award in 1988. Emig has also been inducted into both the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club and Twin-State Auto Racing Club Hall of Fames.
"On a personal note I honestly can't describe what it means to have the 'Bill Emig Memorial' at Lernerville where the inaugural event took place in 1991," added Emig. "To have this event pay $10,000 to win, of course makes it even more meaningful. As a car owner, my dad had a very long and storied history at Lernerville and I know he would be so proud to see that his love of racing and legacy continues on through this historic event. We also remember John Buzzard, who lost his life at Expo Speedway in my father's car in 1975, in our dash on Friday night. I also have to thank longtime friend and business associate, Cliff Hovis, for continuing to have Hovis Auto & Truck Supply on as a major event sponsor for the third consecutive year."
Thus far this year, the Flynn's Tire/Born2Run Lubricants Touring Series has completed six of the 10 scheduled events. Virginia racer Kyle Hardy leads the way with four wins including a sweep of the "Battle of the Bay" Speedweek plus a victory in his first Eriez Speedway start last month. Hardy sits atop the standings of both the $12,000 to-win Tour and the $5,000 to-win Pace Performance Weekly Series Championships. Hardy's Tour points lead has shrunk to 28 thanks to two wins and a runner-up in the last three races by Jeremy Wonderling. Wonderling, who has never won before at Lernerville but has always run well, will look to cut more into Hardy's lead this weekend as he hunts for his fourth straight Tour championship.
Joe Martin, who has three victories in Weekly Series competition at Dog Hollow, strung together three straight top five Tour finishes before a 13th at the last event to sit third in points. Kyle Lukon, who finished second in the 2019 Tour points losing to Wonderling by just one-point, enters fourth in points with five top nine finishes. Michael Duritsky, Jr. is fifth as he's finished in the top five in points each of the past two seasons. Completing the top 10 in Tour points are Bud Watson, J.J. Mazur, Ryan Frazee, John Waters, and Darrell Bossard.
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.
The feature winner will receive a 5-Gallon Race Jug from Precise. Ontime Body & Graphic's "Spoiler Alert" will award a $150 spoiler kit to the seventh place finisher (note: if a driver has already won a spoiler this season, spoiler will be awarded to the next position).
In addition to a $100 Sunoco gift card for the Sunoco Dash winner, one driver will be randomly selected at the drivers meeting for a $100 Sunoco gift card thanks to the "Fill'er up with Sunoco Bucks" program presented by Sunoco and Zarin Truck & Auto. Also, Performance Bodies will award a $100 gift card to the first non-qualifier as part of the "Nosed Out" program.
50-Lap Feature Payoff: 1. $10,000 2. $5,000 3. $2,500 4. $2,000 5. $1,500 6. $1,200 7. $1,000 8. $900 9. $800 10. $700 11. $650 12. $625 13. $600 14. $550 15. $525 16. $500 17. $490 18. $480 19. $470 20. $460 21-24. $450 25. $450 (Series provisional, if necessary).
Non-Qualifier Payoff: 1. $400 2. $300 3. $250 4. $240 5. $235 6. $230 7. $225 8. $220 9. $215 10. $210 11. $205 12-24. $200. Anyone not starting a feature will receive $125.
You do not have to be a member of RUSH to compete only to receive Weekly and/or Tour points. The entry fee for the event is $100. AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used; Westhold transponders will NOT work. Units are available to rent for the weekend for $25. Driver radio channel will be 454.000.
Precise Racing Products, located minutes south of Lernerville on Route 356, will provide track side service every night during the "Firecracker". Precise will have the Hoosier Tires, Sunoco 110 and RUSH 91 fuel, as well as parts for sale. They can be contacted at 724-360-8000.
Lernerville is a 4/10-mile high-banked clay oval located 11 miles southeast of Butler, Pa. on Route 356 at 313 North Pike Road, Sarver, PA 16055. Lernerville is just 30 miles northeast of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. For more information, check out their website at www.lernerville.com or call 724-353-1511 (office) or 724-353-1350 (track). Like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lernerville/ and follow them on Twitter @Lernerville.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply is headquartered in Mercer, Pa. Hovis has 17 locations throughout western Pennsylvania and expanded their business to include heavy duty truck parts and paint, body and equipment sales. Hovis Auto Wrecking, Inc. was first opened as a family business in 1952. By 1969 their business had grown to include new parts sales and Hovis Auto & Truck Supply was formed. Since that time, Hovis has grown to 17 locations and expanded their business to include heavy duty truck parts and paint, body and equipment sales. For 50 years, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply has based their success on four key ingredients: their dedicated professionals, large inventories, quality name brand parts, and competitive prices.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply belongs to one of the largest automotive program distribution groups in the nation. As a member of Federated Auto Parts, they keep abreast of changes in technology and quality parts in today's fast paced economy. Hovis is one of the largest distributors for each of its two automotive refinish lines: Axalta and Akzo Nobel. Hovis is also a member of Vipar, one of the largest independent Heavy Duty Truck Parts Distributor Programs in the nation. Hovis' officers sit on advisory councils of numerous manufactures, allowing Hovis Auto and Truck Supply to be on the cutting edge of technology.
The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply corporate office and distribution Center is located in Mercer, Pa. Hovis has locations in the following western Pennsylvania cities: Allison Park, Butler, DuBois, Emlenton, Erie, Franklin, Grove City, Hermitage, Meadville, New Brighton, New Castle, North Huntingdon, Oil City, Titusville, Wexford, and Zelienople. All of the store are open Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. until 6 p.m. All of the stores open at 8 a.m. on Saturdays have different closing times. For more information on Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, check out their website at www.hovisauto.com and "like" their page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HovisAutoSupply.
RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Pace Performance together with Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, Born2Run Lubricants, Flynn's Tire & Auto Service, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Performance Bodies & Parts, Racing Electronics, Dirt Defender, Wrisco Industries, Frankland Racing Supply, Landrum Performance Spring, Ontime Body & Graphic, Zarin Truck & Automotive, Sherwood Wheels, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, Stop-Fyre, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Waterstone Mortgage Hermitage, CrateInsider.com, and Wedge Motorsports.
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.
Article Credit: Mike Leone