Sharon To Become Saturday Night Home Base For RUSH Sprints In 2019
Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – HARTFORD, OH – The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Racing Series powered by Pace Performance is excited to announce that Sharon Speedway will become the Saturday night home base for the RUSH Sprint Cars in 2019. Approximately 8-10 Bonnell’s Rod Shop Weekly Series events will take place at the 3/8-mile Hartford, Ohio showplace throughout their weekly and specials events slate during the track’s 90th anniversary season. The RUSH Sprints will still continue to have events on Saturday nights at tracks like Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway, Stateline Speedway, Genesee Speedway, Tyler County Speedway, etc.
“This is a tremendous boost for our RUSH Sprint Cars,” stated RUSH Director Vicki Emig. “We had been hoping to secure a Saturday night home base and Sharon is a perfect fit. Sharon is right in the middle of our region and has a long, storied history with Sprint Cars. The racing was great during our two shows there this year as the cars really work well on their new red clay surface. We felt it was important to get this announcement out now so potential new racers in and around the Sharon area can start making plans.”
“Sharon has been key to our growth with our Sportsman Modifieds,” added Emig. “The class was based around Sharon when it debuted in 2014 with eight events and averaged around 10 cars per night. Sharon picked up that class weekly in 2015 and has grown each year averaging 27 per night this season. The Sprint Car division already had more cars in its first season so we’re looking for rapid growth with it. We already know of seven new confirmed participants for 2019 with a lot of other inquires.”
The Sweeney RUSH Sprint Cars are coming off a tremendous inaugural season this past year that saw 21 different cars compete during the 24 events at 11 different speedways throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and West Virginia. Chad Ruhlman, in his first year of racing a Sprint, captured the $5,000 Bonnell’s Rod Shop Weekly Series Championship, while Arnie Kent garnered the $1,000 “Wednesday Night Lightning” title at Lernerville Speedway.
The GM 602 crate engine is the base engine for the Series and is available to the racers from Pace Performance for $5,270 or $7,935 for a fully dressed package. Financing is also available. Racers can also purchase the engine package from any one of the RUSH Authorized Engine Rebuilders.
In addition to the GM 602 crate engine package that was developed by Pace Performance Director of Circle Track Development, Don Blackshear, the RUSH Sprint Car package includes, Hoosier right and left rear spec tires, sealed/spec Bilstein Shocks, and RUSH “Visual” Methanol spec fuel produced by Insinger Performance, a Sunoco Race Fuel Distributor.
Sharon Speedway is owned by the Blaney, Weller, and Kirila Families and is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305.
