Kyle Hardy Opens 2026 Hovis Rush Late Model Tour Season Victorious Worth $5000 In The Return To Georgetown
COLUMN BY: Mike Leone / RUSH DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES – GEORGETOWN, PA – The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series kicked off the 2026 season on Friday night at Georgetown Speedway. It marked the first appearance at the Sussex County oval in more than three years. Despite rain scattered around the Mid-Atlantic and a bleak forecast for Saturday’s event at Winchester Speedway, 35 teams from nine different states made the trip. The event was streamed live on FloRacing part of the “Melvin L. Joseph Memorial” with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
In April 2021, Kyle Hardy won his first Georgetown Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series race in route to his first and only championship. Five years later, Hardy opened the 2026 Tour season victorious in a big way on Friday night. Hardy passed 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, Kurt Stebbins, on lap six and kept local Derek Magee at bay to capture the 40-lap $5,000 to-win feature. Hardy also received a spoiler kit from Ontime Body & Graphic.
“Honestly when I pulled out onto the track, I expected it would be one lane, but I actually passed him (Stebbins) on the outside coming off (turn) two and that surprised me,” revealed the 32-year-old Winchester, Virginia standout. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pass him on the bottom as he had that pretty much down, but my car was good enough to run the top. After that I got some signals, but I was still searching all over to where I needed to be. It’s pretty cool to be able to race a 604 crate and bring home $5,000 this close to home. I can’t thank Mike Hurley enough- this is my car, but his motor and he pays for the tires and fuel.”
Following his Sunoco Dash win, Stebbins charged into the lead; meanwhile, it was three-wide for second with Hardy, Magee, and Jeremy Wonderling as Christian Schneider filled out the top five. Hardy closed in on Stebbins on lap four and the duo ran side-by-side for the lead until Hardy made the winning pass driving around Stebbins in turn two on the sixth circuit. Hardy was unable to break away as Stebbins and Magee were hounding the leader on lap 12. Magee drove under Stebbins for second on lap 14 and Wonderling followed in third one lap later.
With the long green flag run, Magee closed back in on Hardy on lap 16, but a trio of cautions with 17 laps completed slowed action. It was the only stoppages of the race as the final 23 laps went green-to-checkered. Hardy fired off in the IllusionCoats Firing Zone and continued his lead as the laps ticked off. Trevor Collins cracked the top five on lap 23 getting by the Stebbins. Collins then drove under Wonderling for fourth on lap 27.
By lap 30, Hardy’s lead shrunk as the top four of Hardy, Magee, Schneider, and Collins were together in a pack. Lapped traffic came into play for Hardy on lap 32, but he made the right moves to expand his lead, while Magee had his hands full with Schneider and Collins. Magee was able to close back in on Hardy one last time on lap 38; however, wasn’t able to get close enough to make a challenge for the win as Hardy took the checkered flag first by 0.555 seconds. Hardy celebrated his 15th career Tour win in Landrum Performance Springs Victory Lane aboard his Hurley Motorsports/Xceptional Wildlife/Daugherty Motorsports/Ingram Engine-sponsored #99.
Magee, who has never won a Colussy Chevrolet Weekly Series event at Georgetown, turned in an impressive career best runner-up worth $2,500. Magee’s prior career best Tour finish was a 12th place finish back on April 15, 2021 at Georgetown- the same night as Hardy’s last Tour win at the track.
“This is a surreal moment for me and I’m choked up,” acknowledged the 30-year-old Laurel, Delaware racer. “When we come to these RUSH Tour shows our goal is just to make the feature. Man, $2,500- $1,000 is the most I’ve ever won; this is huge. This is a 2013 blue front car and we’re just here to make blue fronts great again . This is a great car. Every year we kick around the idea of upgrading to an XR1 or something, but we just don’t know what setback we would have so we just stick with it. We were able to upgrade a few things over the winter and it’s paying off with two seconds.”
“Right before that caution, Kyle (Hardy) was running the middle and I was rolling the bottom and thought I would have had a chance to get under him in turns one and two,” described Magee. “I think his crew had him move down and that was it, but we still had a good run after that and was able to pressure him. I was waiting for him to make a mistake, but it’s Kyle Hardy and he’s not going to make many mistakes if any at all.”
Collins got by fellow 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, Schneider, for third on the last lap to earn $1,250. Schneider would unfortunately spin in turn four coming to the checkered flag ending his solid run. He was chosen for the Close Racing Supply “Tough Break of the Night” and received a $100 CRS gift card.
Wonderling, a five-time Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series Champion, was credited with fourth after Schneider’s spin to earn $1,000. Stebbins was able to get back into the top five in his first ever visit to Georgetown. Nick Davis, the defending RUSH Track Pack Champion at Georgetown, was sixth. Ryan Hare got off to a great start in his second year on Tour in seventh after starting 13th. Demetrios Drellos was eighth as 14th starting Greg Carrico and Amanda Robinson completed the top 10. Jason Knowles went 25th to 11th to earn the $100 Hoosier Tire Western PA/Big Daddy’s Speed Center gift card for being the hard charger.
Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr., who has one career Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series victory, made his first ever Georgetown appearance and captured his first career Real Merchant Services DMV Non-Qualifier victory. Schirnhofer, who is one of numerous drivers chasing after the 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year, earned $200 for leading wire-to-wire as he became the 89th different winner in 112 races run all-time. Kyle Zimmerman was second over Robert Smith. New Hampshire’s Allan Hammond was fourth in his career first RUSH Late Model race for the former Big-Block Modified racer, who is also gunning for the 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year.
Wonderling picked up an extra $50 for being the new Schneider Trucks “Hottest of the Hot” fastest in hot laps with a 19.464 to earn $50. Matt Hill set fast time overall in FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying setting a new track record with a lap of 19.404 to earn $100. Winning $25 FK Rod Ends heat races were Schneider, Ben Easler, Magee, and Drellos. Jarrett Edwards and Bill Holmes copped the last chance B mains. Stebbins won the Sunoco Dash to earn a $100 Sunoco fuel card.
Also winning $100 Sunoco fuel cards were Hardy and Knowles, while Magee, Robinson, Carrico and Schirnhofer won $50 Sunoco fuel cards. Landrum Performance Springs, which will award a $5,000 Loyalty Bonus at the season ending event, distributed BOGO certificates, which were won by Mark Linton, Jr., Steve Davis, Kyle Zimmerman, Trevor N. Collins, and Drellos.
The Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series was rained out on Saturday at Winchester (VA) Speedway, and will now return to action on May 9-10 at Stateline Speedway in Busti (NY) and Eriez Speedway in Erie, Pa. for a pair of $4,000 to-win events.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series Race #1 (40 laps, $5,000 to-win): 1. KYLE HARDY (99) 2. Derek Magee (96) 3. Trevor Collins (72) 4. Jeremy Wonderling (3J0 5. Kurt Stebbins (26) 6. Nick Davis (92) 7. Ryan Hare (29) 8. Demetrios Drellos (111) 9. Greg Carrico (Hurly 67) 10. Amanda Robinson (4) 11. Jason Knowles (4) 12. Zack Carley (2) 13. Ben Easler (02) 14. Austin Allen (Mullen 32) 15. Joey Warren (11) 16. Daryl Charlier (Dobnak 42) 17. Jake Gunn (14G) 18. Jarrett Edwards (43) 19. Christian Schneider (Daugherty 56) 20. Trevor N. Collins (2) 21. Davin Kaiser (11) 22. Steve Davis (13) 23. Cody Dawson (36) 24. Zach Gunn (17G) 25. Bill Holmes III (8). (Note: Jason Knowles took a Tour provisional).
