Rush Late Model Series’ “Battle Of The Bay” Speedweek To Kick Off 2023 Season At Four Key Tracks

Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – PULASKI, PA – In just a matter of days, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants fifth annual “Battle of the Bay” Speedweek will get underway, and for the second straight year will be presented by 3C Graphix of Meadville, Pa.

The four-race kickoff to the 2023 Flynn’s Tire Touring Series season will take place April 12-15 at Delaware International, Georgetown, Potomac, and Winchester Speedways.

Wednesday and Thursday’s events will be streamed live on FloRacing. The 2023 Tour point fund is $51,400 with a $15,000 going to the champion!

The Speedweek will get underway once again at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar on Wednesday night (April 12) followed up by just 20 miles up the road to Georgetown Speedway, also in the First State, on Thursday night. Action shifts southwest to Potomac Speedway in southern Maryland on Friday night before heading north into Virginia for the finale at Winchester Speedway on Saturday night. In addition to each event paying $3,000 to-win, there will also be a $3,000 point fund for the top 10 drivers in cumulative points with $1,000 going to the champion.

“We are looking to forward to kicking off our season with the ‘Battle of the Bay’ Speedweek,” expressed RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “This has become one of the most anticipated swings in Crate Late Model racing. We have to thank promoters Brett Deyo, Denise Hollidge, and Greg Gunter for continuing to give racers the ability to race four straight nights in the Mid-Atlantic region as well as 3C Graphix for presenting the ‘Battle of the Bay’. Racers from all over the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Ontario, Canada are anxiously ready to get the season started in a big way.”

Over the four-year “Battle of the Bay” history, 13 events have been completed with an average car count of 44 per event! The all-time high car count occurred at Delaware in 2019 with 53 cars. Georgetown’s high watermark was 50 also in 2019. Potomac’s highest car count was 44 in 2021, which was their highest ever for a RUSH event. Winchester’s car counts for their four shows have been consistent between 41-44 with 44 occurring in both 2018 and 2019.

Last year’s Flynn’s Tire Tour Champion, Logan Roberson, added two more “Battle of the Bay” victories to up his all-time leading total to five. Kyle Hardy, who swept the 2021 three events, along with Max Blair each have three “Battle of the Bay” wins, while Delaware racers Ross Robinson and Joe Warren have single victories. Roberson is the only repeat “Battle of the Bay” Champion winning in 2018 and 2022. Blair was the 2019 champion, while Hardy took top honors in 2021. Outside of the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2020 “Battle of the Bay”, only three other events have been cancelled with rain outs at Potomac in 2019, Delaware in 2021, and Georgetown in 2022.

Past Delaware RUSH Tour winners: Blair (2018 & 2019) and Warren (2022). Past Georgetown RUSH Tour winners: Ross Robinson (2018), Max Blair (2019), and Kyle Hardy (2021). Past Potomac RUSH Tour winners: Rick Singleton (2014), Walker Arthur (2015), Logan Roberson (2018 & 2022), and Kyle Hardy (2021). Past Winchester RUSH Tour winners: Rick Singleton (2014), Walker Arthur (2015), Allen Brannon (2015), Logan Roberson (2018, 2019 & 2022), and Kyle Hardy (2021).

After winning three straight Flynn’s Tire Touring Series titles, Virginia racers Hardy and Roberson dethroned Jeremy Wonderling each of the past two seasons. Wonderling has finished third each of the past two seasons in points, but ended 2022 hot with six straight top five finishes including four victories. Joe Martin is coming off three straight seasons in the runner-up spot and will look to get over the hump for his first championship. After a three-year hiatus, Brady Wonderling returned to the Tour in 2022 finishing fourth in points.

3C Graphix founder, Matt Latta, was fifth in his first year running the Tour full-time and will look to move up in the standings in 2023. Completing the top 11 points paying positions in 2022 were Breyton Santee, Andy Michael, Jim Rasey, Ashton Briggs, Craig Graham, and Brandt Graham. The father-son Graham duo from Orono, Ontario, Canada will return to the Tour once again in 2023.

Each night will include $100 “Shock the Clock” Qualifying and $25 to-win heat races presented by FK Rod Ends. The Sunoco Dash will set the beginning rows of the 30-lap feature lineups 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.

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. The TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night” will award three bottles of Xtreme6 Racing Brake Fluid each night. The feature winner each night will receive a 5-Gallon Race Jug from Precise. Ontime Body & Graphic’s “Spoiler Alert” will award a spoiler kit to the winner the first night, second place the second night, third place the third night, and fourth place the fourth night (note: if a driver has already won a spoiler this season, spoiler will be awarded to the next position). Performance Bodies will award a $100 gift card to the first non-qualifier each night part of the “Nosed Out” program.

Feature Payoff Each Night: 1. $3,000 2. $1,500 3. $800 4. $650 5. $600 6. $500 7. $475 8. $450 9. $425 10. $400 11. $325 12. $300 13. $275 14. $270 15. $265 16. $260 17. $255 18-24. $250.

D&V Jewelers 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

3C Graphix “Battle of the Bay” Speedweek Point Fund ($3,000*): 1. $1,000 2. $500 3. $350 4. $225 5. $200 6. $180 7. $150 8. $140 9. $130 10. $125. (*A minimum of three events must be completed for full point fund. If only two events are completed, point fund will be reduced by 50%. No point fund if only one event is completed. Drivers must be a member of RUSH to be eligible for point fund monies.)

You do not have to be a member of RUSH to compete; only to be eligible for “Battle of the Bay” point fund along with all other championship programs. The AMB/MyLaps transponders will be used. One-way driver radios are always mandatory on the default 454.000 channel. There will be a $100 entry fee each night.

The “Battle of the Bay” events will also count towards the RUSH City Chevrolet National Weekly Series Championships and “Futures Cup” for those eligible racers. In addition, points will also be awarded for the City Chevrolet “Track Pack” at the weekly-sanctioned tracks of Delaware/Georgetown, Potomac, and Winchester. The “Track Pack” 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.

The 2023 Touring Series is being presented by Flynn’s Tire. The “Battle of the Bay” will make-up four of the 23 events on the 2023 schedule as drivers compete for the richest Chevrolet Performance Crate Engine Touring Series championship with $51,400 on the line. Points will be accumulated at each Marquee Event. Drivers can use Platinum Event(s) to replace worst Marquee finishes or missed Marquee Events.