Passes Eriez Standout Jason Genco; Becomes 8th Different Winner in 11 Races. Over $28,000 in Product Awarded for “MFG Night” Presented by MSD.
By Mike Leone (July 10, 2022 – Erie, PA)…The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Series presented by Born2Lubricants returned to Eriez Speedway on Sunday night to close out a two-race Flynn’s Tire Touring Series doubleheader weekend after a thrilling event on Saturday night at Sharon Speedway. The second and final stop at Eriez for the Flynn’s Tire Tour in 2022 attracted 39 cars from six different states plus the province of Ontario, Canada. It was also the 11th annual “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance as drivers shared in $28,000 of valuable product giveaways. Each driver received a package valued at minimum of $400 with several receiving two packages. Dennis Lunger, Jr. won the grand prize of four F3 Tornado Brake Calipers and brake fluid from TBM Brakes valued at $1,845! The complete list of product winners is posted below. Josh Ferry competed on the Flynn’s Tire Touring Series each of the past two seasons in his first two years of RUSH Late Model racing with a prior best finish of sixth. Unfortunately, Ferry had to scale back his racing operation this season. On Sunday night, in just his 10th race of 2022, Ferry drove an immaculate race passing Eriez standout Jason Genco on lap 15 after a side-by-side duel for the first half of the event and kept New York star Chad Homan at bay in the closing laps for an upset career first Flynn’s Tire Touring Series victory. Ferry earned $3,000 plus a $503 bonus from track sponsor Niemeyer’s Garage as he became the eighth different Tour winner in 11 races this season. Ferry also received a carbon fiber driveshaft from Dynamic Drivelines valued at $729 through the manufacturers drawings.
“I’m too excited to put into words what this means,” expressed the emotional 23-year-old Cochranton, Pa. racer after the biggest win of his racing career. “This is huge and has turned our year around for sure. I was hoping we’d get here one day, but I didn’t think it would be this year the way things were going. We struggled a bit Friday (Raceway 7) and got better last night (Sharon), and after the dash tonight I thought we had a shot. He (Genco) ran me hard, he ran me clean. It was a great race. It didn’t look like he wanted to bottom. We gambled a bit on tires and knew we could run the black a little better than everyone else so I just kept it down there and kept telling myself not to run it in too hard. I just kept the car under me and I guess we made it here!”
The 30-lap feature got off to a rough start when Joe Martin, who was fresh off a win on Saturday night at Sharon, spun and collected five other cars. Martin was selected as the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night” recipient. After winning the Sunoco Dash to earn his first career pole position Tour start, Ferry led the opening lap, while Jeremy Wonderling moved ahead of Homan for third. Genco used the outside to drive by Ferry off the outside of turn four to lead lap two. The lead duo then ran side-by-side until a caution for Breyton Santee.
When racing resumed, so did the side-by-side battle for the lead with Genco on the top and Ferry on the bottom; meanwhile, Homan, who had slipped back to fifth at one point, powered around Wonderling for third on lap 11. A pair of cautions with 13 laps completed were the last stoppages of the event as the final 17 went green-to-checkered. When green replaced yellow on lap 14, Ferry stayed even with Genco, but Genco still managed to lead the 14th on circuit. Finally on lap 15, Ferry had the traction off the bottom to get by Genco and two laps later began to pull away.
Genco not only lost pace with Ferry, but had Homan closing in on lap 17. Homan was all over Genco on lap 20, but was unable to make the pass. Ferry caught the back-markers on lap 27, but had a 1.8-second mead. That advantage though quickly dissipated one lap later, while Homan was able to get by Genco for second. Homan closed the gap, but would run out of time as Ferry took a very popular win by 0.978 seconds the Ferry’s Millennium Motorsports-owned, Zimmer’s Service Center/IAM Machinists Union/Highfield’s Gun Service/Apex Racing Shocks-sponsored #33. In total, Ferry left Eriez with more than $4,500 in cash and contingencies!
“I have to thank my dad, my fiancé Stephanie for busting her butt so we had lineups and making sure we knew what was going on along with all of my sponsors to make this possible,” added Ferry. “Also, I have to thank Vicki (Emig) and all of the RUSH Series for putting tonight on and all of the Manufacturers that contributed- that’s great and keeps us coming back.”
Homan, who won his first career Tour race on May 28 at Genesee Speedway, was a solid runner-up worth $1,500 one night after finishing sixth in his first Sharon Speedway Late Model start. “Josh (Ferry) got out on us and my tires came in then I got stuck on the outside on a restart and it actually helped me find a better line than what I was doing before that,” explained the 39-year-old Penfield, NY racer. “Once I got by Jason (Genco) and Josh was really coming back to us- I would have loved to have five more laps, but it is what it is. We’ve made huge improvements on our Eriez program. We were here a few years ago and was horrible, last year we were better, and tonight competing for a win. It’s awesome what the Lazer guys give us; 11 wins this year including my first Tour win and back on the podium again tonight. It’s been a long, three-race weekend and I’m glad my parents were with me and we’re going to enjoy this one.”
Genco, who leads the RUSH “Track Pack” points at Eriez, slipped to third for his third top four finish in four Tour starts this season. Jeremy Wonderling was fourth for the third time this season matching his best finish. Seventh starting Logan Roberson, who won the first Eriez Tour show this season, was fifth for his 10th top five and 11th top 10 in 11 races as he extended his Flynn’s Tire Tour points lead.
David Pangrazio was sixth. Mike Wonderling charged from 21st to seventh to earn the $50 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger gift card. David Parker went 14th to eighth. Billy Henry, Jr. battled from the 18th starting spot to ninth at the finish. Brady Wonderling was 10th as all three Wonderling brothers finished in the top 10! Canadian Tour racer Craig Graham went 23rd to 11th for his best career Tour finish and also received a spoiler kit from Ontime Body & Graphic.
Craig Graham’s son Brandt meanwhile put on a dominating performance in the D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier. The 24-year-old Orono, Ontario racer led all 10 laps and took the checkered flag first by a commanding 4.443 seconds in his Full Circle Automation/Arcade Pools/Goat Transport/DTI Infrastructure/Beavis Excavating/PJ Larkin Salvage-sponsored #14 to earn $200. Graham became the amazing 59th different winner in 71 Non-Qualifier races run all-time! In just his second career Tour start, Albert Bull went fourth to second over fifth starting Jacob Peterson. Rob Coffaro was fourth over Gary Youngs. Fourteen-year-old “Futures Cup” points leader, George Casto III, made a near four-hour tow from Reynoldsville, WV to run his first Tour show. Casto missed qualifying for the feature by one spot, earned the $100 Performance Bodies “Nosed Out” gift card, and then finished seventh in the Non-Qualifier.
Martin set fast time in FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying for the second straight lap as his lap of 16.800 and earned $100. Winning $25 FK Rod Ends heat races were Martin, Roberson, Genco, and Brady Wonderling. Ferry received a $100 Sunoco fuel card for winning the Sunoco Dash. Winning $100 Sunoco fuel cards through the random draw were Tour racers Craig Graham and Ashton Briggs, while $50 Sunoco fuel cards went to Ferry, Coffaro, Homan, and Dennis Lunger, Jr.
The Flynn’s Tire Touring Series will be off for two weeks and return to action with a doubleheader on July 22-23. On Friday, the Tour returns to Lernerville Speedway for the second of three appearances of 2022 at the Sarver, Pa. oval. Then on Saturday night, Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, WV will host their first ever RUSH Tour event. Both races will pay $3,000 to-win.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire Touring Series Race #11 (30 laps, $3,503 to-win): 1. JOSH FERRY (33) 2. Chad Homan (91) 3. Jason Genco (29J) 4. Jeremy Wonderling (3J) 5. Logan Roberson (17) 6. David Pangrazio (136) 7. Mike Wonderling (18) 8. David Parker (2) 9. Billy Henry, Jr. (21*) 10. Brady Wonderling (z1) 11. Craig Graham (98) 12. Chris Fleming (10) 13. Matt Latta (21) 14. Ashton Briggs (11A) 15. Andy Michael (17x) 16. Ben Scott (80) 17. Jonathan Stockdale (31) 18. Logan Jaquay (Briggs 99*) 19. Randy Hall (Krug 87) 20. Breyton Santee (9) 21. Bo Lockwood (57) 22. Ward Schell (61s) 23. John Lacki (7) 24. Khole Wanzer (01W) 25. Joe Martin (10s). (Note: Andy Michael took a Tour provisional).
D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier (10 laps, $200 to-win): 1. Brandt Graham (14) 2. Albert Bull (19) 3. Jacob Peterson (112) 4. Rob Coffaro (24c) 5. Gary Youngs (y26) 6. Jim Rasey (Wrightsman 21J) 7. George Casto III (19c) 8. Mason Jaquay (Briggs 99B) 9. Jarrod Lyon (90). DNS: Scott Gurdak (5G), Devin Henry (21*Jr), Kurt Stebbins (26), Dennis Lunger, Jr. (71L).
Car Count: 39
Feature Margin of Victory: 0.978 seconds
Feature Lap Leaders: Josh Ferry (1, 15-30), Jason Genco (2-14)
Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert” Spoiler Kit: Craig Graham
Performance Bodies “Nosed Out”: George Casto III
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger: Mike Wonderling (+14)
Precise Racing Products 5-Gallon Race Jug: Josh Ferry
Sunoco Fuel Card Random Draw Winners: Craig Graham ($100), Ashton Briggs ($100), Josh Ferry ($50), Rob Coffaro ($50), Chad Homan ($50), Dennis Lunger, Jr. ($50) TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”: Joe Martin
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