Defending Rush LM Champ Jeremy Wonderling Survives All Challenges To Take Bill Law Memorial At Stateline

Story By: MIKE LEONE / RUSH RACING SERIES – BUSTI, NY – One month after a successful four-night “Battle of the Bay” Speedweek Mid-Atlantic swing presented by Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series presented by Pace Performance resumed action on Saturday night for the season’s only appearance at Stateline Speedway located just across the Pennsylvania border in Busti, NY.

The “Bill Law Memorial” marked just the third ever appearance by the Sweeney Tour at Stateline, and the 33-car turnout was a high watermark. The event paid tribute to the late Law, who had the first Crate Late Model in the Northeast more than 12 years ago. Law was a huge supporter of racing in the region and helped kick-start the racing career of his grandson, Kyle Murray, who currently competes in a RUSH Late Model.

Defending Sweeney Tour champion, Jeremy Wonderling, withstood the pressure by two of the Northeast’s best in Max Blair and Jason Genco through lapped traffic and survived a mid-race rain delay to capture his first Tour victory of the season. For Wonderling, it was his second “Bill Law Memorial” victory in the past three years at Stateline. Wonderling earned $2,000 and received one of the new Sunoco 5-Gallon Race Jug.

“It means a lot to win this race,” acknowledged the 39-year-old Wellsville, NY winner. “Bill Law was a great friend of the family for years. I knew Bill way before I even knew (grandson) Kyle (Murray). He was an innovator in this class.”

“I didn’t know I was ahead of Max because the scoreboard wasn’t working,” continued Wonderling. “I knew he was there in third during the rain delay. The lapped traffic was getting hairy there for a while; I didn’t know what to do. The lapped cars were running side-by-side and I was trying to pick which one was going to go the right way. I saw Jason (Genco) and the other (lapped) car ahead got a little further ahead so I said to myself, ‘I have to block him’. That was nerve-wracking to sit during the rain delay and wonder what the track is going to do and how good the car is going to be. The car was just as good when I came back as it was at the beginning.”

After winning the dash, Wonderling earned the pole position and raced to the early lead with Tour rookie Ryan Frazee in second in his first ever Stateline appearance, while Genco and Blair moved past Scott Gurdak for third and fourth respectively on the opening lap. Genco and Blair began to apply heavy pressure to Frazee on lap five. Genco ducked under Frazee in turns one and two on laps six and seven, but Frazee continued to maintain the runner-up spot. On lap 12, contact was made between the two in turn two as Genco and Blair moved on by to take over second and third.

Out front as the laps ticked off caution-free, Wonderling had a several car-length lead as he caught lapped traffic for the first time on lap 14. As the frontrunners received the halfway signal, it was a three-car battle for the lead in traffic. Blair pulled even with Genco on lap 17, but Genco held down the second position. After clearing Blair, Genco then raced side-by-side with Wonderling on lap 18. Some light precipitation began falling and the caution was displayed with 18 laps scored.

After the drivers gave the thumbs up for the surface being okay, racing resumed with Gurdak and eighth starting Darrell Bossard moving past Frazee for fourth and fifth respectively. Several cars tangled in turn four on lap 20 with everyone but Kyle Zimmerman able to keep going. Zimmerman’s night would be done and was awarded the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”. Under caution, the intensity of the rain picked up and the cars were sent back to the lineup area in the pits. The rain didn’t last long, but track equipment was summoned to the track to get the surface back to race-able conditions.

When green flag racing resumed, the final 10 laps would go non-stop as the three-car race for the lead between Wonderling, Genco, and Blair resumed. On lap 28, Blair went to the outside of Genco in turns three and four and made the pass for second stick. Blair though would run out of time in the final two laps and even though he cut into Wonderling’s lead, Wonderling took the checkered flag first by a margin of 0.910 of a second. Wonderling’s fifth career Tour win came in his Close Racing Supply/Terry Prince Contracting/Pine Grove Collision/The Store in Scio/Ultra Force Machine/Wonderling Pit Stop-sponsored #3J.

Blair earned $1,000 for second as he’s now finished in the top two of all four 2019 Sweeney Tour events to maintain the points lead. “I wish that rain would have held off a couple more laps,” stated the defending Sweeney Weekly Series Champion. “I wish too I could have gotten to second a little quicker because that would have been a lot of fun racing with him (Wonderling). Those guys were getting bottled up in traffic and I really think I could have surprised them both on the outside, but that’s part of racing and why it’s so fun. Congrats to those guys- if I can’t get it I just as much hope they can for sure.”

Genco was third for his season’s best Tour finish. Bossard snuck past Gurdak on lap 25 to finish fourth and captured the “Spoiler Alert” as he received a $150 spoiler kit from Ontime Body & Graphic. Gurdak dropped to fifth. Last year’s race winner and last week’s Stateline victor, Damian Bidwell, was sixth. Tour regular, Kyle Lukon, was seventh in his first ever Stateline appearance. Frazee dropped to eighth over Braeden Dillinger. Bruce Hordusky, Jr. was 10th and received a $50 bonus from Schwartz Construction.

Michael Duritsky, Jr. raced from 23rd to 16th to earn the $100 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger award for the second straight race. T.J. Downs, who held off Duritsky’s challenges to win the first last chance B main, was selected as the Dirt Defender’s “Defensive Drive of the Night” award winner.

Paul Norman led all eight laps of the Non-Qualifier in dominating fashion for the $200 victory in his B&B Logging/White Tale Auto/Fathers Motors/Scoops Coops-sponsored #6. The 49-year-old Gerry, NY driver took the checkered flag first by a big margin of 5.373 seconds to become the 36th different winner in 42 “Wheelman” Bonus Event Challenge Series races run all-time. David Parker got sideways on lap two allowing Chad Clement to take second. Fifth starting Brian Larson was third over Josh Beckstrom in both racers’ Touring Series debut. Jacob Peterson completed the top five.

Scott Gurdak set fast time in $100 FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying with a lap of 17.443. Winning $25 FK Rod Ends heat races were Gurdak, Blair, Wonderling, and Lukon. Besides Downs, Andy Michael won the other last chance B main.

The Zarin Truck & Automotive “$500 Club” drawings were co-sponsored by Schwartz Construction of Conneaut, Ohio and Rusted Nutz of Pittsfield, Pa. The following drivers in the top 15 of Stateline’s points were randomly selected at the drivers’ meeting and received an extra $100: Blair, Bossard, Brian Knowles, Scott Dellahoy, and Gary Troyer.

The Sweeney Tour will resume action on Sunday (May 19) at Eriez Speedway in Erie, Pa. for a “Marquee” event paying $2,000 to-win, $225 to-start with a $200 to-win Non-Qualifier. Pits open at 3:30 with warm-ups at 6 followed by qualifying and racing. The Tour then will have a New York doubleheader on Friday, May 31 at Outlaw Speedway for the “Gary Montgomery Memorial” and Saturday, June 1 at Genesee Speedway with both racing paying $2,000 to-win.

Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Late Model Touring Series Race #4 (30 laps, $2,000 to-win): 1. JEREMY WONDERLING (3) 2. Max Blair (111) 3. Jason Genco (Craig/Badgley 29J) 4. Darrell Bossard (Winans 213) 5. Scott Gurdak (Hollabaugh 5G) 6. Damian Bidwell (1/2-Pint) 7. Kyle Lukon (184) 8. Ryan Frazee (11F) 9. Braeden Dillinger (14) 10. Bruce Hordusky, Jr. (3) 11. Brian Knowles (7) 12. Ward Schell (61s) 13. Khole Wanzer (01W) 14. Sam Pennacchio (311) 15. Chad Schauers (28K) 16. Michael Duritsky, Jr. (90J) 17. Logan Zarin (1z) 18. Gary Troyer (13) 19. Scott Dellahoy (27) 20. Kyle Murray (21) 21. Jared Kane (7) 22. Kyle Zimmerman (z17) 23. T.J. Downs (1) 24. Andy Michael (17x) 25. Bill Kessler (09). (Note: Bill Kessler took a Tour provisional.)

Non-Qualifier (8 laps, $200 to-win): 1. Paul Norman (6) 2. Chad Clement (45) 3. Brian Larson (2B) 4. Josh Beckstrom (96B) 5. Jacob Peterson (112) 6. David Parker (2) 7. Dale McDonald, Jr. (36M) 8. Matt Sipes (25)-DNS.

Car Count: 33
Feature Margin of Victory: 0.910 of a second
Feature Lap Leaders: Jeremy Wonderling (1-30)
“$500 Club” presented by Schwartz Construction & Rusted Nutz: Max Blair, Darrell Bossard, Brian Knowles, Scott Dellahoy, Gary Troyer
10th Place $50 Bonus presented by Schwartz Construction: Bruce Hordusky, Jr.
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”: Michael Duritsky, Jr. (+7)
Dirt Defender “Defensive Drive of the Night”: TJ Downs
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”: Kyle Zimmerman
Sunoco 5-Gallon Race Jugs: Jeremy Wonderling
Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert”: Darrell Bossard

FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying ($100 for fast time) (Track Record: 17.376 by John Waters 5/20/17): 1. Scott Gurdak 17.443 2. Max Blair 17.652 3. Darrell Bossard 17.891 4. Kyle Lukon 17.899 5. Michael Duritsky, Jr. 17.978 6. Ryan Frazee 18.025 7. Jeremy Wonderling 18.058 8. Damian Bidwell 18.109 9. Jason Genco 18.151 10. Sam Pennacchio 18.175 11. Brian Knowles 18.184 12. Bruce Hordusky, Jr. 18.213 13. Braeden Dillinger 18.316 14. Ward Schell 18.390 15. Logan Zarin 18.391 16. Kyle Murray 18.414 17. Kyle Zimmerman 18.485 18. Chad Schauers 18.495 19. Andy Michael 18.506 20. Jared Kane 18.548 21. Scott Dellahoy 18.558 22. T.J. Downs 18.574 23. Khole Wanzer 18.597 24. Gary Troyer 18.717 25. Paul Norman 18.779 26. David Parker 18.889 27. Bill Kessler 18.896 28. Chad Clement 18.914 29. Josh Beckstrom 18.691 30. Jacob Peterson 20.419 31. Dale McDonald, Jr. 21.000 32. Brian Larson NT 33. Matt Sipes NT.

FK Rod Ends Heat 1 (8 laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Gurdak 2. Genco 3. Dillinger 4. Zimmerman 5. Dellahoy 6. Beckstrom 7. Norman 8. Duritsky-DSQ (no scales) 9. Sipes-DNS.

FK Rod Ends Heat 2 (8 laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Blair 2. Frazee 3. Schell 4. Schauers 5. Pennacchio 6. Downs 7. Parker 8. Peterson.

FK Rod Ends Heat 3 (8 laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Wonderling 2. Bossard 3. Knowles 4. Wanzer 5. Zarin 6. Michael 7. Kessler 8. McDonald.

FK Rod Ends Heat 4 (8 laps, Top 5 transfer to A, $25 to-win) 1. Lukon 2. Bidwell 3. Hordusky 4. Murray 5. Kane 6. Troyer 7. Clement 8. Larson.

Last Chance B Main 1 (8 laps, Top 2 transfer to A): 1. Downs 2. Duritsky 3. Norman 4. Parker 5. Beckstrom 6. Peterson 7. Sipes-DNS.

Last Chance B Main 2 (8 laps, Top 2 transfer to A): 1. Michael 2. Troyer 3. Kessler 4. Clement 5. Larson 6. McDonald.

Dash (6 laps): 1. Wonderling 2. Frazee 3. Gurdak 4. Genco 5. Lukon 6. Blair 7. Bidwell 8. Bossard.