Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – PULASKI, PA – The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series will head south over the Independence Day holiday for a first ever West Virginia doubleheader.
On Thursday night, the Tour will visit Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne followed on Friday night by the first ever RUSH-sanctioned event at Ohio Valley Speedway in Washington. Each night will pay $4,000 to-win and will be presented by Dave Poske’s Performance Parts of nearby Parkersburg.
The 2024 season for the Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour was supposed to kick-off at Tyler County Speedway on April 6, but that event as well as the April 13 make-up was lost due to flooding rains. The Tour will return to Tyler County on Sunday, September 1 for another $4,000 to-win event part of the “Hillbilly 100” with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
Tyler County is in their third year under the RUSH banner for its Chevrolet Performance Late Model class. Thus far this season, Ryan Hare is the only repeat winner, while Braeden Dillinger, Kyle Thomas, and A.J. Spagnuolo have single victories. Past City Chevrolet “Track Pack” Champions at Tyler County are Donnie Dotson in 2022 and Brandon Weigle last season.
The Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour has fought Mother Nature just about every time they have been scheduled at Tyler County over the past three years. Jeremy Wonderling has two victories, while Max Blair won last year’s second appearance by the “Hillbilly 100”.
Following Tyler County, the Tour heads 60 miles southwest to Ohio Valley Speedway located just outside of Parkersburg in Washington. Friday will mark the first ever RUSH-sanctioned event at OVS and the richest Chevrolet Performance 604 crate engine event in the history of the track. Ohio Valley is owned by Rich Michael, Jr., a native of Ischua, New York, whose brother Andy is a veteran RUSH Late Model racer and his nephew Kaden is the current RUSH Stock Car points leader.
“This will be a great way to celebrate the Independence Day holiday,” expressed RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “We have to thank Tyler County and Ohio Valley for partnering together to give racers two $4,000 to-win events in back-to-back nights along with Dave Poske’s Performance Parts for coming on board as the sponsor. Tyler County always provides tremendous racing and Ohio Valley will present a new challenge for the majority of the RUSH racers.”
Fourteen-year-old Brock Pinkerous leads the Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Tour points. After four podiums including a career first Tour victory at Tri-City to start off the season, Pinkerous has finished seventh in the last two events to hold a slim five-point lead over defending and four-time Series Champion, Jeremy Wonderling. Wonderling is the only repeat winner on the Tour this season as there have been five different winners in the first six events.
Joe Martin, who is still in search of his first win of the season, is third in points as he trails Wonderling by nine for the position he’s finished in each of the past four seasons. Jared Miley is fourth in points and leads the $3,000 to-win 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year points by nine over fifth place points man, Daryl Charlier. Sixth through 10th in points are Jim Rasey, Damian Bidwell, Austin Allen, Mike Wonderling, and Kyle Zimmerman.
$100 “Shock the Clock” Qualifying and $25 to-win heat races will take place each night and be presented by FK Rod Ends. The Sunoco Dash will set the beginning rows of the feature lineup each night 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 each night; 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 each night 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 each night. Ontime Body & Graphic’s “Spoiler Alert” will award a spoiler kit to the seventh place finisher on night one and the eighth place finisher on night two. The first feature non-qualifier each night will receive a $50 certificate from Holley Performance brands. There will also be five BOGO Landrum Performance Springs certificates given away through drawings each night. Forty lucky fans will receive a bottle of Dusted Steak Seasoning each night.
Feature Payoff Each Night: Feature Payoff: 1. $4,000 2. $2,000 3. $1,000 4. $800 5. $700 6. $600 7. $550 8. $500 9. $475 10. $450 11. $425 12. $400 13. $375 14. $360 15. $350 16. $340 17. $330 18. $320 19. $310 20-24. $300.
Non-Qualifier Payoff Each Night: 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 each night. AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used; Westhold transponders will NOT work. Units are available to rent for $25 and no cost to Tyler County regulars. Driver radio channel will be 454.000. Teams should come prepared with the mandated RUSH tires and fuel.
On Thursday at Tyler County, pits open at 4 p.m. RUSH registration will open by 4 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 6:15. Warm-ups are slated for 6:45 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing. Pit passes are $35. On Friday at Ohio Valley, pits open at 4 p.m. RUSH registration will open by 4 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 6:30. Warm-ups are slated for 7 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing. Pit passes are $35 on Thursday night and $40 on Friday night.
Both events will also count towards the RUSH City Chevrolet National Weekly Series Championships and 3C Graphix “Futures Cup” for those eligible racers. In addition, points will also be awarded for the City Chevrolet “Track Pack” at Tyler County that features a $2,500 per track point fund for the top six racers in RUSH member points at year’s end with $1,000 going to the champion.