News Director 
Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – CORTLAND, OH – The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sportsman Modified Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants were in action on Thursday night at Expo Speedway for a Flynn’s Tire Touring Series event.
It marked the eighth appearance at the 5/8-mile oval all-time, which was part of the 175th annual Trumbull County Fair. A large crowd watched the two-division program from the huge covered grandstands on a warm and sunny evening in Northeast Ohio.
Kole Holden had won 14 career RUSH Sportsman Modified races since he started racing in 2015, but never in a Flynn’s Tire Touring Series event nor at Expo Speedway. That changed on Thursday night as the two-time champion at the nearby Sharon Speedway led all 20 laps of the feature to become the eighth different winner in as many races run all-time at Expo. It was also Holden’s first win of 2022.
“We’ve had rough luck here before so it’s great to win here,” acknowledged the 23-year-old Tiona, Pa. driver who won the 2015 RUSH “Futures Cup” Championship. “To get a win here tonight feels real special. We love our Troyer. We got it brand new this year. All of the guys in New York did a hell of a job on this car. It handles great everywhere we go- we couldn’t be happier. We’ve been right there all year; second, third. It feels great to finally get a win. We’ve been fast all year so I think it’s well deserved for this team.”
Holden took off in the lead over Ben Easler, while fifth starting Ayden Cipriano drove by Jacob Jordan and Jordan Ehrenberg down the straightaway for third. Eighth starting Garrett Krummert cracked the top five when he passed Preston Cope on lap three. While the top three of Holden, Easler, and Cipriano began to pull away from the field, Krummert closed in on Jordan in the race for fourth. After working on Jordan for several laps, Krummert finally got under him off turn two and drove by down the backstretch for fourth on lap nine.
The event’s first caution was displayed for 2016 winner, Chelsie Kriegisch, who went up in smoke with 10 laps scored. After being docked two spots for jumping the start on the ensuing restart, Easler slowed one lap later to bring out the second and final caution of the race with 11 laps recorded. Easler, who was done for the event, was chosen as the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night” recipient.
The final nine laps saw Holden keep Cipriano at bay to become the 17th different driver to win a Flynn’s Tire Tour race in 37 races run all-time. Holden’s 15th career RUSH Sportsman Modified victory was worth $800 and came in the Dana Holden-owned, Holden Resources/Baker Motorsports/Troyer Dirt Cars-sponsored #2. Holden has now won one race each of the past four seasons and has captured at least one victory in seven of the eight years he’s competed in the division!
Cipriano, who won his first career RUSH Sportsman Modified race less than a week ago at Raceway 7, turned in a career best Flynn’s Tire Touring Series finish in second beating his prior best of fourth from the season opening event at Sharon.
“I knew I had to get up there sometime,” explained the 16-year-old Hermitage, Pa. racer, who was the 2020 RUSH “Futures Cup” Champion. “I was afraid I would be starting fifth and finishing fifth. I was able to make that move on the start and get up to third and cruised from there. I don’t think I had anything for Kole (Holden). He was entering so good into turns one and three and had so much drive off. We hit the setup pretty well, but they must have hit it better.”
After finishing third in the BRP Big-Block Modified Tour feature, Krummert did the same in the RUSH Sportsman Modified feature to round out the podium and take over the Flynn’s Tire Touring Series points lead. In his seventh year of trying, Cope turned in his first career Touring Series top five with a strong fourth place effort after starting seventh. Cope even passed his teammate Krummert for third on lap 13, but lost the position one lap later.
Rob Kristyak charged from 15th to complete the top five and earned a $50 Precise Racing Products gift card for being the “Pedal Down” Hard Charger. Todd English went ninth to sixth in his first ever Tour start. Jordan dropped to seventh. After getting caught up in a heat race accident, Dave Price was eighth and was chosen as the Sherwood Wheels “Man of Steel” recipient. Greg Porter was ninth over Ehrenberg. Heat winners were J.C. Boyer and Cipriano.
The Hovis RUSH Sportsman Modifieds will be back in action on Friday night (July 15) for Wedge Motorsports “Route 7 Rumble” Series action at Raceway 7. The next Flynn’s Tire Touring Series event will be on Friday, July 22 at Lernerville Speedway part of the “RUSH Summer Showcase” in an $800 to-win event.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sportsman Modified Flynn’s Tire Touring Series Race #2 (20 laps, $800 to-win): 1. KOLE HOLDEN (2) 2. Ayden Cipriano (5c) 3. Garrett Krummert (10s) 4. Preston Cope (24) 5. Rob Kristyak (00) 6. Todd English (01T) 7. Jacob Jordan (28J) 8. Dave Price (111) 9. Greg Porter (25) 10. Jordan Ehrenberg (JD57) 11. Josh Deems (9D) 12. J.C. Boyer (12) 13. Cory Riffe (21x) 14. Ben Easler 15. Chelsie Kriegisch (10). DNS: Jacob Wolfe (7), Jamie Wrightsman (29), Lucas Canon (2LC).
Car Count: 18
Feature Lap Leaders: Kole Holden (1-20)
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”: Rob Kristyak (+11)
Sherwood Wheels “Man of Steel”: Dave Price
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”: Ben Easler
Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 12-JC Boyer[1]; 2. 10S-Garrett Krummert[2]; 3. 2-Kole Holden[6]; 4. JD57-Jordan Ehrenberg[9]; 5. 01T-Todd English[5]; 6. 25-Greg Porter[8]; 7. 111-Dave Price[3]; 8. 21X-Cory Riffe[4]; 9. 29M-Jamie Wrightsman[7].
Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 5C-Ayden Cipriano[1]; 2. 24-Preston Cope[5]; 3. 02-Benjamin Easler[6]; 4. 28J-Jacob Jordan[3]; 5. 9D-Josh Deems[2]; 6. 10-Chelsie Kriegisch[4]; 7. 7-Jacob Wolfe[7]; 8. 00-Rob Kristyak[9]; 9. (DNS) 2LC-Lucas Canon.
