7/14/2021
RUSH Late Model Series
SHARON SPEEDWAY UP NEXT FOR THE PACE RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE/BORN2RUN LUBRICANTS TOURING SERIES; SATURDAY'S $3199 TO-WIN "BILL FORNEY MEMORIAL" M
SHARON SPEEDWAY UP NEXT FOR THE PACE RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE/BORN2RUN LUBRICANTS TOURING SERIES; SATURDAY'S $3199 TO-WIN "BILL FORNEY MEMORIAL" MARKS THE 1ST TOUR RACE AT SHARON SINCE 2016; CANFIELD/SHARON DRIVERS REUNION TO BE HELD
By Mike Leone
July 14, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, OH)...After a weekend off, the Pace Performance RUSH Late Model Series together with Sweeney Chevrolet will head to Sharon Speedway this Saturday night (July 17) for a Flynn's Tire/Born2Run Lubricants Touring Series event. Race #10 of the 2021 season will be the inaugural "Bill Forney Memorial" paying $3,199 to-win, and will also include the Canfield/Sharon (1949-1973) Drivers Reunion with dinner from 4-6 p.m. Warm-ups begin at approximately 6:15 p.m. Event t-shirts will be on sale for $25.
Bill Forney, one of, if not the greatest racer to ever wheel a Late Model in the region, passed away on August 10, 2019 at the age of 92. Forney made famous the candy-striped #199 Late Model, thus the additional $199 added in Memory of Bill from Bill's children, Mike Forney and Anita Carson. The inaugural event was scheduled for last year; however, was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Former racer and car owner, Bob Williams of Canfield, will award the feature winner a large trophy.
Forney was a fixture at both Canfield and Sharon Speedways. Forney's racing prowess earned him the Late Model track championship at Sharon in 1964, and an unprecedented seven championships at Canfield (1959-1960, '61, '63, '65-66, '68) - a track that had a national reputation for tough as nails competition. All totaled, Forney had hundreds of feature wins, many at these two tracks. Forney was inducted into the inaugural Twin State Auto Racing Club's Hall of Fame in 2010, and is also a member of the Cloverleaf Speedway (Cleveland) Hall of Fame.
"We're honored the Forney Family is allowing their father's memorial to be a RUSH event," stated RUSH Director Vicki Emig. "We got to know Bill very well and he was certainly supportive of the RUSH concept and followed our Series closely right up until his passing. I'm sure he'd be tickled to know that his memorial event was a RUSH Late Model show at Sharon. Bill was a legend in local Late Model racing and is very deserving of a memorial race- one that we're proud to have under the RUSH banner. Adding the Sharon/Canfield Speedway drivers reunion to this special night in Bill's honor is a perfect fit for the fans and I believe it will truly be a night to remember! We have to thank the many donors that helped us raise the purse up from the standard $2,000 to-win show to what it is (see donor list below)."
The Tour last appeared at the 3/8-mile showplace in Hartford, Ohio in 2016. That was prior to the new red clay surface that has produced tremendous racing in recent years. The RUSH Late Models ran weekly at Sharon from 2011-2014. After a four-year hiatus, Sharon hosted a Weekly Series special last year that saw Max Blair top a 22-car field. Will Thomas III is the division's all-time winner with 13 victories, and will make his RUSH season debut Saturday. This will be a big night for RUSH as the RUSH Sprint Cars and RUSH Sportsman Modifieds will also be on the card. The Tour returns to Sharon on September 10-11 during the "Apple Festival Nationals" for the $4,000 to-win "Cider Jug 40" presented by Zarin Truck & Auto.
"Our racers have been yearning to return to Sharon for several years," acknowledged Series Director Vicki Emig. "The competition level has really ascended since our last visit and we can't wait to see the cars race on the red clay surface."
In conjunction with the "Bill Forney Memorial" will be the Sharon/Canfield Speedways Drivers Reunion. Drivers that competed on the dirt at these speedways from 1949-1973 were invited to the event free of charge and will enjoy a complimentary dinner in the pavilion prior to the event. Special thanks to Jeff Teeters, Jeff Johnson, Steve Haefke, Joe Gabrielson, John Sandquist, Jr., and Wayne Tessean for their generous contributions to cover the cost of the complimentary meals for the retired drivers. The fathers of all these racers competed during this era.
Drivers/car owners that have confirmed their attendance include John Czoka, Tom Czoka, Skip Evans, Mike Forney, Butch Haefke, Tim Henrich, Jeep Iacubucci , Tom Jarrett, Bobby Johnson, Dan Lewis, Sr., Terry May, Ed McGarry, Clair Mizner, Ron Novak, Jerry Postlethwait, Jerry Rydarowicz, John Sandquist, Michael Saverko, Tubby Tessean, Bob Williams, Wally Yeager, and Dave Yobe.
Virginia racer Kyle Hardy leads the way with five Tour wins including a sweep of the "Battle of the Bay" Speedweek plus a victory in his first Eriez Speedway start and the first ever Tour race at Dog Hollow . 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 is 51 over defending three-time champion Jeremy Wonderling, who has won both Tour races in New York plus his first ever Pittsburgh victory this year; however, leads Wonderling in the Weekly points by only one.
Joe Martin trails Wonderling by 10 points as he's strung together six top five Tour finishes in the last seven shows. Michael Duritsky, Jr. has finished in the top five in points each of the last years and is currently fourth heading into Sharon. J.J. Mazur has worked his way into fifth in points looking to improve on his seventh place points finish in 2019. Bud Watson, Kyle Lukon, Ryan Frazee, John Waters, and Cory Sines complete the top 10 in points.
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 10th place finisher (note: if a driver has already won a spoiler this season, spoiler will be awarded to the next position).
The Sunoco Dash winner will not only receive a $100 Sunoco gift card and earn the feature pole position, but also $100 cash in recognition of all of the drivers that ran the Bill Emig #1. 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.
Thank you to the following that financially contributed to the event to increase the purse: Forney Family (Anita Forney-Carson, Craig Carson, Colleen & Mike Forney along with grandchildren Jenn, Sarah, Taylor & Joshua), Ron Anderson, Jim Balentine, Sr/Balentine Racing Photos, Barris Truck Service, Mike Borawiec Family, BRE Racing/Dick Berry, Buccella Family, Mike Cicchillo, File's Auto Wrecking, Don Kromer, Terry May, Ed Miller, Molnar's Concessions, Lori Murphy, Postlethwait Family, Rocky's Body Shop, Christine Statler, Wertz Towing, Wilhelm Family, & Bob Williams Racing.
Sharon Feature Payoff: 1. $3,199 2. $1,500 3. $800 4. $600 5. $500 6. $475 7. $450 8. $425 9. $400 10. $350 11. $310 12. $300 13. $275 14. $270 15. $265 16. $260 17. $255 18-24. $250.
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. Driver radio channel will be 454.000.
Pits will be open throughout the afternoon with pit passes going on sale at 4 p.m. A drivers meeting will be held at 5:50 p.m. with warm-ups at approximately 6:15 followed by group qualifying and racing. Pit passes are $35.
Sharon Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305. For more information, check out their website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481. Become a fan of Sharon Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonspeedway and follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharonspdwy.
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
