Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – SARVER, PA – The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants is gearing up for its richest event of the season.
The “Bill Emig Memorial” presented by Sunoco Race Fuels along with support from Joseph J. Olivia will take place this Thursday through Saturday (June 20-22) at Lernerville Speedway paying $20,000 to-win! In addition, the Big River Steel “Firecracker 100” event will feature the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in three complete shows with the Saturday finale again paying $50,000 to-win! The event will broadcast live on FloRacing and Dirt.TV.
The RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour returns to the “Firecracker 100” weekend at Lernerville for the sixth consecutive year and for the third straight year paying $20,000-to-win, $600 to start! The D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier will again pay $500 to-win; however, thanks to Close Racing Supply will see an increase in purse of more than $500 with $225 to-start. New for 2024 will feature more than $3,600 in valuable product giveaways distributed to drivers that fail to qualify for the feature (see list below)! Tow money has been increased to $150.
Speaking of D&V Jewelers, the New Castle, Pa. company owed by race fans Doug and Valerie Hoover, will also once again present a championship diamond ring valued at $7,000 to the winner of the 50-lap “Bill Emig Memorial”! That will increase the winner’s amount to a minimum of $27,000 in cash and contingencies!
In 2019, the “Bill Emig Memorial” presented by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply took place with the “Firecracker 100” at Lernerville for the first time and attracted 53 cars as Max Blair passed Ross Robinson with five laps to go for the victory. In 2020, the status of the event was up in the air until about one week prior due to COVID-19 restrictions, but that didn’t stop Blair, who won the caution-free 50 lapper for another $10,000 payday presented by Hovis.
In 2021, the Hovis-sponsored event continued its forward momentum as 54 cars were in competition, and saw Florida’s Mark Whitener win his first RUSH event in his first attempt. Whitener went back-to-back scoring the $20,000 victory in 2022 as an event record 56 cars were on hand from 10 different states plus Canada; the event was presented by Sunoco Race Fuels for the first time. For the second straight year, 56 cars from 10 states plus Canada were on hand in 2023 as Blair won the event for the third time in five years, but this time worth $20,000.
Sunoco Race Fuels is once again presenting the event. Sunoco has been an important corporate marketing partner of the RUSH Racing Series as 2024 marks the 12th year of their longstanding, successful relationship. Sunoco, the “Official Fuel” of RUSH, has fueled the Series over the past several years and offers their Sunoco E85R as an exciting, cost-effective option for the RUSH Late Models.
In 2021, Sunoco increased their support of RUSH by presenting the Sunoco “Fill’er Up with Sunoco Bucks” at each Flynn’s Tire Tour event, which saw $5,000 of Sunoco fuel cards awarded to Tour participants. This program increased to over $12,000 of Sunoco fuel cards distributed to Tour participants in 2022 and that continued over the past two season. At Lernerville this week, two Tour drivers in the top 15 in points will win a $100 Sunoco gift card, while four other racers will win $50 gift cards. The Sunoco Dash winner will also receive a $100 Sunoco gift card.
Thursday night’s program will include warmups and $100 FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying; Friday night will be highlighted by $25 FK Rod Ends heat races and the “John Buzzard Memorial” Sunoco Dash paying $100 cash and a $100 Sunoco fuel card; Saturday will see last chance B mains, the 50-lap feature, and the non-qualifier. The rain date is Sunday (June 23).
“We cannot thank the Tomson Family at Lernerville for believing in our program enough five years ago to include us as part of the Firecracker 100,” continued Emig. “Now to annually have the richest event for Crate Late Models in the Northeast in conjunction with the biggest Super Late Model race in the history of western Pennsylvania is beyond words; it’s again going to be historic and I don’t think anyone is going to want to miss it!”
The 2024 “Bill Emig Memorial” will be the 34th annual event remembering the late car owner and father of RUSH Director Vicki Emig. Over the years, the event has been held at Lernerville, Hickory, Mercer, and Tri-City Speedways.
Bill Emig was a Semi-Late and Six-Cylinder Modified car owner from 1969 until his passing in 1990. Emig had successful drivers pilot the #1 Ford such as Jim Becker, Bob Krauss, Donnie Martin, John Buzzard, Jerry Lesnak, Butch Haefke, and Lou Gentile. In later years, Andy Priest, Jimmy Hawley, Frank Guidace, and Rodney Beltz drove Emig #1 Six-Cylinder and “358” Modified for Bill’s daughter Vicki.
Emig’s cars won over 300 feature events along with multiple track championships and several of Walt Wimer’s prestigious Cavalcade Championships. In 1986, his car was featured in a full color article in the special Christmas issue of Stock Car Racing magazine. He was one of the original recipients of Lernerville Speedway’s “Milestone in Racing” award in 1988. Emig has also been inducted into both the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club and Twin-State Auto Racing Club Hall of Fames.
“On a personal note, I wish my dad was here to witness what his love of racing has grown to- the RUSH Racing Series truly is his legacy,” continued Emig. “It was him who gave me my love of racing; always taking me with him and never leaving me home. He passed away at just 54 and I remember planning his first memorial in 1992 that also took place at Lernerville, which paid $1000 to win. He would have loved our racers and vice versa because he was such a character; and also greatly appreciated our sanctioned speedways and corporate marketing partners, all who have helped Mike (Leone) and I develop RUSH. I know he will be smiling down when our racers pull into to their four-wide in his memory with $20,000 on the line for the winner!”
The 2024 Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series Championship will pay a record point fund of more than $76,000 with $20,000 to the champion! Fourteen-year-old Brock Pinkerous, who is in his second year on the Tour, leads the points heading into Lernerville by four points over four-time champion, Jeremy Wonderling. Pinkerous has finished on the podium in four of the five races this year including his first career Tour win on May 26 at Tri-City; meanwhile, Wondering is the only repeat winner this season with victories at Outlaw and the most recent event at Marion Center.
Joe Martin, who has finished second in the Tour standings each of the last four years, has reeled off three straight top five finishes including a season best runner-up at Marion Center to move into third place in points. Jared Miley is fourth in points and also leads the $3,000 to-win 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year standings. Jim Rasey has had a solid start to his third year on the Tour and sits fifth in points. Rookie-of-the-Year candidates Daryl Charlier, Damian Bidwell, and Austin Allen are sixth through eighth in points. Completing the top 10 are Mike Wonderling and Cody Dawson.
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 sixth 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.
Sunoco Race Fuels “Bill Emig Memorial” Feature Payoff ($51,925): 1. $20,000 2. $7,000 3. $3,500 4. $3,000 5. $2,000 6. $1,500 7. $1,300 8. $1,200 9. $1,100 10. $1,000 11. $900 12. $800 13. $700 14. $650 15. $625 16. $620 17. $615 18. $610 19. $605 20-24. $600 (25-26. $600 provisionals).
D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier presented by Close Racing Supply Payoff: 1. $500 2. $300 3. $290 4. $280 5. $270 6. $260 7. $250 8. $245 9. $240 10. $235 11. $230 12-24. $225. Anyone not starting a feature will receive $150.
Non-Qualifier Contingencies:
· Landrum Springs- Package of 4 VB Standard Springs ($350)
· Landrum Spring- Package of 4 VB Standard Springs ($350)
· Russ King Racing- $300 Gift Certificate
· JDS Racing(Jim Stephens)- $300 of Close Racing Supply Gift Cards
· Racequip- 1 Helmet ($280)
· Daugherty Motorsports- $250 Gift Certificate
· Keyser Mfg.- $250 Gift Certificate
· Hoosier Tire- 1 Hoosier/RUSH Tire ($238)
· Hoosier Tire- 1 Hoosier/RUSH Tire ($238)
· Wieland Metal Products- 2 Sheets of White Aluminum ($220)
· Chub Frank Racing- $200 Gift Certificate
· Sunoco Race Fuels- 1 Pail of Sunoco E85R and 110 & 2 Fuel Jugs ($164)
· Sunoco Race Fuels- 1 Pail of Sunoco E85R and 110 & 2 Fuel Jugs ($164)
· On Time Body & Graphic- 1 Spoiler Kit ($150)
· Brandon “Cleetus” Lockwich- $100 Close Racing Supply Gift Card
· Throttle Smashers Performance- 1 Set of Wheel Covers ($100)
Drivers do not have to be a member of RUSH to compete- only to receive Weekly and/or Tour points. The entry fee for the event is $100. AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used; Westhold transponders will NOT work. Units are available to rent for the weekend for $25. Driver radio channel will be 454.000.
RUSH registration and pre-race tech will begin by 2 p.m. on Thursday. RUSH drivers meeting will be at 5:40 p.m. on Thursday with the pill draw closing at 6:00 p.m. Lucas Oil warmups will begin at 6 p.m. followed by their qualifying then RUSH warmups. Lucas Oil heat races will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday followed by RUSH group qualifying. Racing will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday with warmups at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.