Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – IMPERIAL, PA – After two weekends off following another successful “Bill Emig Memorial” presented by Sunoco Race Fuels at Lernerville Speedway, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants is set to resume its Flynn’s Tire Touring Series this Saturday night (July 15) at Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway in Imperial, Pa. Race #13 of the 2023 season will mark the fifth straight event in western Pennsylvania. Warm-ups begin at 6 p.m. The event will be streamed on The Cushion.
Saturday night will be the first of four 2023 appearances by the Flynn’s Tire Tour at “Dirt’s Monster Half-Mile”. Saturday will be the running of the annual “Herb Scott Memorial”. The “Jook George Steel City Classic” will take place on August 5 (rain date August 12) and the “Bill Hendren Memorial” on September 29-30 are also on the Tour’s 2023 schedule at PPMS.
Herb Scott was one of the most well-known and respected driver who ever raced in western Pa. His side-by-side battles with Joe Mihalic were nothing short of legendary. Ten times during his hall of fame career, Scott won the track championship at Heidelberg (1956-1960, 1962-1965, and 1967). His first win came in his first year of racing at New Kensington Speedway in 1948. His 500th win came at Lernerville Speedway, and his final feature win came at Schmucker’s Speedway in September of 1979. He would go on to win a total of 520 career features!
There have been 25 RUSH Tour events completed at Pittsburgh with 14 different winners all-time. Kyle Lukon leads the list with five including a sweep of all three events in 2019. Michael Norris, who won last year’s Herb Scott Memorial, is second with four victories over three-time winner, Ryan Montgomery. The only other repeat winners are track regular Daryl Charlier and Jeremy Wonderling. Single wins go to Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr., Colton Flinner, John Mollick, Mike Pegher, Jr., Jacob Hawkins, Garret Paugh, Levi Crowl, Kyle Hardy, and Logan Roberson.
Pittsburgh has been able to complete eight City Chevrolet Weekly Series events this season with six different winners! Brandon Burgoon and Lukon are the only repeat winners, while Tim Shaffer, John Mollick, Ben Policz, and Schirnhofer have also all been victorious.
“We’re looking forward to Pittsburgh on Saturday and beginning a relationship with new track owner Blair Cress, Jr.,” expressed RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “No track has hosted more RUSH Late Model Tour shows than Pittsburgh and they once again lead the way with four events in 2023, and we have thank Miley Motor Sports for their years of dedication and support of RUSH. It’s a great honor to have Herb Scott’s memorial event as a RUSH Tour event. Saturday will be a great tune-up for the prestigious ‘Jook George Steel City Classic’ three weeks later.”
The 2023 Flynn’s Tire Touring Series Championship will again pay a point fund of more than $51,000 with $15,000 to the champion. All 12 of the scheduled Flynn’s Tire Tour events have been completed to date this season.
Three-time Series Champion Jeremy Wonderling enters Saturday night with three wins in the last four western Pa. events and will look to add to that number on Saturday. Wonderling’s five wins this season has propelled him to a 49-point lead over his brother Mike Wonderling, who is touring for the first time and is in search of his first career Series win.
Joe Martin, who has finished second in points each of the last three years, is third in points with one victory. Thirteen-year-old Brock Pinkerous, who finished a career best second at Bradford followed up by a third at Marion Center, is fourth in points just five points ahead of Cody Dawson, who has two podium finishes in the last six events.
Sixth through 10th in points are Ashton Briggs, Jim Rasey, Brandt Graham, Craig Graham, and Marc Berzowski. After missing the “Battle of the Bay”, Austin Hauser joined the Tour full-time and has worked his way up to 11th in points as he’s set for his first career Pittsburgh start.
Precise Racing Products will award a $50 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. Ontime Body & Graphic’s “Spoiler Alert” will award a spoiler kit to the 13th place finisher (note: if a driver has already won a spoiler this season, spoiler will be awarded to the next position). Performance Bodies will award a $100 gift card to the first non-qualifier part of the “Nosed Out” program.
Feature Payoff: 1. $3,000 2. $1,500 3. $800 4. $650 5. $600 6. $500 7. $475 8. $450 9. $425 10. $400 11. $325 12. $300 13. $275 14. $270 15. $265 16. $260 17. $255 18-24. $250 (25-26. $250).
D&V Jewelers 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 453.800.
RUSH registration will open at 3 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 5:35. Warm-ups are slated for 6 followed by qualifying. Racing is at 7 p.m.