Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – FRANKLIN, PA – The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Racing Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants is thrilled to announce that Tri-City Raceway Park will be adding the RUSH Sprint Cars to their weekly program beginning this Sunday night (June 2).
The Franklin, Pa. half-mile oval will become the only track in the Northeast to feature both winged and non-wing Sprint Car racing as a weekly attraction!
This Sunday night, the RUSH Sprint Cars will compete in a Sunbelt Rental Weekly Series event at Tri-City alongside the “410” Sprint Cars competing in the annual Western PA Speedweek. The RUSH Sprint Cars will not compete at Tri-City on June 23, July 28 or August 25 due to the previously scheduled events at Blanket Hill Speedway. Drivers will be accumulating points for the $20,000+ Sunbelt Rentals Weekly Series Championship that pays $5,000 to the champion.
“We can’t thank Josh and Kyrsten Shiffer enough for making the decision to add the RUSH Sprint Cars to their weekly program,” stated RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “Even though we’ve always had a full schedule of events for our Sprint Cars via numerous regional speedways, we’ve always hoped one would make the move to become their weekly home. Tri-City Raceway Park will be the perfect facility for this, as we have a very large portion of our base of racers located within an hour radius of Tri-City. I can personally remember watching great wingless Sprint Car racing there in the 1970s, and it’s exciting to know that RUSH can also bring some of the nostalgia of those days back to Tri-City for fans both young and old to enjoy!”
“I really believe that with Tri-City making this move the RUSH Sprint Cars are now set to evolve to the next level in the near future,” added Emig. “In fact, I’ve heard of a good handful of racers in their area that have been inquiring about the class this season, but wanting to be able to compete closer to home. Now with a strong home track facility in place as well as the already proven true ‘cost-containment’ RUSH Sprint Car package, the class will be poised to take a huge step forward in growth in the next few years!”
In the days before wings became the standard in the region in the 1980s, Sprint Car greats like Lou Blaney, Buddy Cochran, Gus Linder, Ed Lynch, Ralph Quarterson, Jerry Matus, Ted Wise, and Steve Travers were big winners at Tri-City. Local favorites like Henry Jacoby, Andy Phillips, Bill Wheeling, Cal Hull and others thrilled the fans for many years racing without wings at the Venango County dirt track.
There have been 14 RUSH Sprint Car races held all-time at Tri-City with eight different winners. Gale Ruth, Jr., who is still seeking his first Series championship, leads the way with five victories. The only other driver to win multiple events at Tri-City is five-time Sunbelt Rentals Weekly Series Champion, Chad Ruhlman, with three wins. Drivers with single victories include Arnie Kent, Jeremy Weaver, Zach Morrow, Rod George, Blaze Myers, and John Mollick.
RUSH Sprint Car Weekly Payoff: 1. $600 2. $300 3. $250 4. $225 5. $200 6. $195 7. $190 8. $185 9. $180 10. $175 11. $170 12. $165 13. $160 14-18. $155 19-24. $150. Tow/non-qualifiers $75