Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – CORTLAND, OH – The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sportsman Modified Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants competed at the huge 5/8-mile Expo Speedway in a Weekly Series special event presented by Flynn’s Tire on Thursday night as part of the 176th annual Trumbull County Fair. It marked the eighth straight year and ninth time the RUSH Sportsman Modifieds have been part of the annual races at the Fair. A large crowd turned out on a beautiful evening after nearly three inches of rain hit the Fairgrounds the night prior.
Kole Holden led all 15 caution-free laps putting on a dominating performance in the Flynn’s Tire-sponsored feature to become the first repeat winner in 9 events run all-time at Expo. Holden’s division-leading sixth victory of the season was worth $800 as he maintains the points lead in the $3,500 to-win Weekly Series Championship. Holden has already matched his career best win total of six victories from 2017 with more than half of the season remaining.
“We struggled in practice with the setup but really nailed it for the feature,” explained the 24-year-old Tiona, Pa. driver who also has wins at Raceway 7, Pittsburgh, and Lernerville this season. “I just kept a nice calm line around the track. I have to thank the crew for a perfect setup. It definitely helps running at Pittsburgh as the steering in the turns is similar even though Pittsburgh is more banked. We need to continue to make the right adjustments and for me not to make any mistakes on the track for the rest of the season to maintain this points leas.”
Holden, who won last year’s Expo event, used the outside to take the lead from pole-sitter Todd English and quickly distanced himself from the field by lap two. It was a four-car race for second on lap three with English trying to fend off Chelsie Kriegisch, Jordan Ehrenberg, and Ayden Cipriano. Cipriano kept working the outside and finally passed Ehrenberg for fourth on lap 12.
When the checkered flag waved, Holden took the Dana Holden-owned, Holden Resources/Blackhawk Energy/Car-Go Auto Parts-sponsored #2 to his 25th career RUSH Sportsman Modified victory by a whopping 11.328 seconds! Holden now trails Garrett Krummert, who won the BRP Tour Big-Block Modified feature, by just one victory for second on the division’s all-time win list.
In his first start of the season, English won the heat race then held off Kriegisch for his best career RUSH Sportsman Modified finish in runner-up. Kriegisch’s third place marked her fourth podium finish in just seven starts this year for the 2016 Expo winner! Cipriano was fourth over Ehrenberg.
The RUSH Sportsman Modifieds will compete in a Weekly Series event at Sharon Speedway this Saturday night (July 15).
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sportsman Modified Weekly Series presented by Flynn’s Tire (15 laps, $800 to-win): 1. KOLE HOLDEN (2) 2. Todd English (01) 3. Chelsie Kriegisch (10) 4. Ayden Cipriano (5c) 5. Jordan Ehrenberg (JD57) 6. Jeff Watson (1*). DNS: Ben Easler (02).