Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – WINCHESTER, VA – After an ultra-successful opener on April 20 with 47 cars at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series heads south to Winchester Speedway this Saturday night (May 4) for a $5,000 to-win event!
It’ll be Gunter’s Honey Night in the only appearance of the season by the Tour at Greg Gunter’s Winchester, Virginia clay oval. Warmups are slated for 6:30 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing.
It was the first time Pittsburgh opened the Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series slate and the 47 cars was the highest for an opener since the 2021 season. It also was the third highest car count all-time for a season opener, and the second highest car count in the history of Pittsburgh.
The Tour has made eight appearances over the years at Winchester with six different winners. Logan Roberson, the 2022 Tour Champion, is the only multiple winner with three victories; in fact, Roberson has won three of the last five events. Other winners include four other Virginia racers in Rick Singleton, Walker Arthur, Allen Brannon, and Kyle Hardy; however, last season Canadian Charlie Sandercock scored the upset victory. The last five Tour events at Winchester have attracted between 41-44 cars!
Winchester has hosted three City Chevrolet Weekly Series events in 2024. Roberson won the season opener followed up by Jeremiah Marshall, and most recently Hardy, who was the 2021 Tour Champion. Mike Franklin is the defending City Chevrolet “Track Pack” Champion at Winchester.
The podium finishers at Pittsburgh was an interesting trio that included winner Tim Shaffer, who is a National Sprint Car Hall of Famer, runner-up 14-year-old Brock Pinkerous, and third place Dave Hess, Jr., a Super Late Model and Modified great who made his first Pittsburgh Chevrolet Performance crate engine start. Pinkerous, who finished fourth in the 2023 Tour standings, now has two career City Chevrolet Weekly Series victories after winning last Friday night in the RUSH debut at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Roberson and Hardy are two of the favorites that will look to reach Landrum Performance Springs Victory Lane on Saturday night. At Pittsburgh, Roberson had to battle his way out of the B main then worked his way from the 19th starting spot to 5th. Joe Martin, who has finished runner-up in points each of the last four years, went 16th to 6th. Meanwhile, four-time and defending Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour champion, Jeremy Wonderling, had a quiet night in eighth.
“Greg Gunter has been an integral part of the success of the RUSH Late Models in the Mid-Atlantic,” stated RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “Winchester has been the Mid-Atlantic home to weekly RUSH Late Model racing since 2014 and Greg has been gracious enough to host our Tour nearly every year. This year, Greg really stepped up to co-present our $20,000 to-win Touring Series Championship with Flynn’s Tire and upped the ante with a $5,000 to-win Tour event! The Mid-Atlantic racers are tough and always pose a challenge to our Touring Series regulars and with $5,000 on the line Saturday it should be quite the show.”
$100 “Shock the Clock” Qualifying and $25 to-win heat races will take place and be presented by FK Rod Ends. The Sunoco Dash will set the beginning rows of the feature lineup and will award the winner a $100 Sunoco fuel gift card. The “Fill’er up with Sunoco Bucks” program will include an additional $400 of Sunoco fuel card giveaways; two $100 random draws for drivers in the top 15 of Tour points and another four $50 random draws for all other competitors.
The podium finishers will each receive a three-pack of Heritage Wine Cellars premier products. Precise Racing Products will award a $50 gift card for the “Pedal Down” Hard Charger that passes the most cars in the feature. Ontime Body & Graphic’s “Spoiler Alert” will award a spoiler kit to the second place finisher. The first feature non-qualifier will receive a $50 certificate from Holley Performance brands. There will also be five BOGO Landrum Performance Springs certificates given away through drawings. Forty lucky fans will receive a bottle of Dusted Steak Seasoning.