News Director 
Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – PULASKI, PA – With the 2017 racing season set to get underway this weekend at Potomac and Winchester Speedways, Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series powered by Pace Performance Directors are happy to announce that all 2016 championship programs will return for the upcoming season amongst its four current dirt divisions- Late Models, Sportsman Modifieds, Pro Mods, and Pro Stocks.
Over $250,000 in cash point funds and contingencies will be distributed with the actual product contingency giveaways increasing substantially with details soon to be announced.
The Late Model programs will include the Sweeney Touring Series, Sweeney Weekly Series, Pace Summer Chase, Weekly Track Pack Bonus Program, Bilstein Bandits, and the Futures Cup! Bicknell Racing Products will again present the Weekly and Touring Series Championships for the Sportsman Modifieds. The Sweeney Weekly Series Championships will again take place for the growing Pro Mods and Pro Stocks. A “Futures Cup” program will also again take place for the Sportsman Modifieds and Pro Mods. Each division will have a “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance.
While RUSH encourages membership to its race teams, membership is again not mandatory for 2017. Membership makes one eligible for points and point fund monies, an additional $100,000 in excess participant accident insurance, and other perks. Membership is again $125. For drivers in the Late Models and Sportsman Modifieds, a $125 Touring membership is also available or $225 for both memberships.
The Sweeney Late Model Weekly Series is a $27,525 cash program that awards the top 40 drivers in points with $5,000 going to the champion. Member drivers can compete at any RUSH-sanctioned event from March through October 1 and accumulate points. Points are based on drivers’ best 12 finishes during that time period (best two finishes per weekend).
The second of the three-part Late Model championship weekly program will see a minor change. The Pace “Summer Chase” will again offer a $10,050 point fund for the top 10 drivers in average points with $3,000 to-win. Drivers qualify for the “Summer Chase” by being in the top 10 in RUSH member driver points at any of the RUSH weekly-sanctioned tracks or Touring Series through June 25. Eligible drivers then can compete in as many events as they wish from June 29 through September 4. Drivers must compete in a minimum of six events during the time frame to be eligible. The change in 2017 will see drivers awarded 0.5 of a point for every race competed in over the minimum requirement of six. These points will be added to each driver’s overall average point score.
“We made this tweak based on feedback from promoters and racers,” explained Series Director Vicki Emig. “The goal of the Summer Chase was always to encourage drivers to race and support RUSH-sanctioned tracks during the later summer months when car counts typically decline. We don’t want to see drivers have more incentive to sit on their average and not compete; however, we also have to balance drivers in some areas that don’t have the opportunity to race as much. Also typically over the years, drivers that raced a lot were more apt to have a lower average so we feel by awarding a half-point for every race a driver runs over six will take away the concerns some of our promoters and racers had.”
A returning piece of the Pace “Summer Chase” is a Rocket certificate valued at $7,500 towards the purchase of a 2018 Rocket XR1 Chassis, Stage 2! Last year, Jason Genco was the lucky winner of this new giveaway, the richest ever in the history of RUSH, and his team will be debuting their new 2017 Rocket XR1 this season. Each qualified “Summer Chase” driver will receive one chance per race competed during the June 29-September 4 period. The drawing will be held in victory lane at Lernerville Speedway on October 14.
Returning for the second straight year is the “Weekly Track Pack Bonus Program”. This program was added in 2016 as an additional benefit for RUSH weekly-sanctioned speedways and to encourage drivers to support these tracks. All events run from March through October 1 are counted. The top five in RUSH member points will receive $300, $200, $150, $100, $50. Drivers 6-8 in points will also receive a contingency valued at approximately $100.
The “Bilstein Bandits” and “Futures Cup” programs are optional programs for eligible Late Model racers. The “Bilstein Bandits” is entering its third and final guaranteed year of offering $13,150 cash to the top 12 racers and contingencies for those in 13-15 in points that are on the $135 spec, sealed shocks. Charlie Sandercock was the 2015 $5,000 champion, while Kris Eaton won the honors this past season. It appears there will be a new champion in 2017 as Eaton stated at the awards banquet last month that he’s temporarily retiring so he can help his daughter start her go-kart career. The “Futures Cup” meanwhile offers a separate point fund for eligible teenage racers. Past champions include Ryan Montgomery, Nico Dabecco, Michael Lake, Eric Wilson, Clinton Hersh, and Wyatt Scott.
The Sweeney Late Model Touring Series will feature 17 events with points based off the Marquee Events with the option for racers to utilize Platinum Events to replace a missed Marquee Event and/or replace up to three worst finishes in Marquee Events. The 2017 season will get underway on Saturday, April 22 with a $2,000 to-win Marquee Event at Virginia’s Winchester Speedway. New venues on the schedule include Stateline Speedway in Busti, NY on May 20 along with Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, New York and Genesee Speedway in Batavia, New York, which will hold back-to-back $2,000 to-win Marquee Events on June 3-4.
The Late Model “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance will be held at Tri-City Raceway Park in Franklin, Pa. on Sunday, August 20 featuring a $2,000 to-win Sweeney Tour Marquee Event. In 2016, over $35,000 in products were awarded along with over $14,000 in cash payoffs bringing the night’s total to around $50,000! Each of the record 58 participating drivers received one of the primary prizes valued at a minimum of $300 up to $2,200!
Once again, Sweeney/Pace has provided RUSH with $6,000 in gift cards that will be distributed to RUSH Late Model, Sportsman Modified, Pro Mod, and Pro Stock racers through the Midseason “Performance Bucks” program. The program will award a $100 Sweeney/Pace gift card to member drivers in third, fifth, and seventh place in points after the final full weekend of June at each RUSH Late Model weekly-sanctioned speedway, and in those same positions in Weekly Series points for the Sportsman Modifieds, Pro Mods, and Pro Stocks.
The Sportsman Modifieds are set to begin their fourth year of existence. The Mods are coming off a record high car count at the final event of 2016 at Lernerville Speedway with 29 cars on hand for the Bicknell Tour event. Almost all of the 2016 competitors are returning for competition in 2017 with several newcomers. Thirty-six events are currently scheduled amongst seven different speedways with Sharon Speedway again hosting weekly competition. The Bicknell Weekly Series point fund will increase $1,100 expanding from 15 points-paying positions to 20. The “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance will again take place at Sharon on June 24.
After an inaugural season of competition in 2016, the Pro Mods have really taken off for 2017. Not only does Stateline Speedway return as a Sweeney Weekly Series track on Saturday nights, but joining them are Bradford Speedway on Sunday nights along with special events at McKean County Raceway. These announcements have really spurred the growth of the class which is expected to more than double in size. The Pro Mods will compete for a $15,050 Sweeney Weekly Series Championship point fund paying 20 positions. The “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance will again take place at Stateline on July 29.
After two years of a pilot program, the Pro Stocks will have their first fully weekly-sanctioned speedway at Lernerville on Friday nights after going 100% GM crates engines in 2016. Drivers running GM 604s or 602s that are RUSH members can accumulate points at any RUSH-affiliated speedway. The “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance will again take place at Lernerville during the “Steel City Stampede” on October 14.
