9/18/2023
RUSH Late Model Series
"BILL HENDREN MEMORIAL" PRESENTED BY FK ROD ENDS RETURNS TO PITTSBURGH SEPTEMBER 29-30 FOR HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE TOUR; $4000 TO-WIN FRIDA
"BILL HENDREN MEMORIAL" PRESENTED BY FK ROD ENDS RETURNS TO PITTSBURGH SEPTEMBER 29-30 FOR HOVIS RUSH LATE MODEL FLYNN'S TIRE TOUR; $4000 TO-WIN FRIDAY PRESENTED BY KEYSER MFG & $10,000 TO-WIN SATURDAY PART OF THE "PITTSBURGHER"
By Mike Leone
September 19, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Imperial, PA)...The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn's Tire Touring Series presented by Born2Run Lubricants is proud to announce the annual "Bill Hendren Memorial" will return to Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway in grand fashion September 29-30. Friday night will be a complete show for $4,000 to-win, while Saturday night will be a complete show for $10,000 to-win! The following sponsors have made this the richest "Bill Hendren Memorial" to date: FK Rod Ends, City Chevrolet, Pro Fab, Hendren Racing Engines, West Mifflin Collision, All Interior Painting, Keyser Manufacturing, Stan's Transmission, and Branden Lockwich. Saturday's event will be part of the "Pittsburgher" with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and will be streamed live via FloRacing.
Keyser Manufacturing has added $1,500 into Friday night's purse making it $4,000 to-win, which will be the kickoff to the 35th annual "Pittsburgher" weekend and the eighth straight year the "Bill Hendren Memorial" has taken place at "Dirt's Monster Half-Mile"! Positions 2-6 will receive a $100 boost in payoff from the typical $3,000 to-win payoff.
On Saturday night, the Flynn's Tire Tour will join up once again with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the third time of the season in a huge fashion as $10,000 will be on the line with $450 to-start the 40-lap event. Earlier this season, RUSH competed on the same card as LOLMDS at Lernerville's "Firecracker 100" in which Max Blair won the $20,000 in the "Bill Emig Memorial" presented by Sunoco Race Fuels along with support from TBM Brakes. And most recently, Blair scored a $4,000 victory in the "Cider Jug 40" with the LOLMDS part of the "Hillbilly 100" on September 3.
Each night, the "Bob Bentz Memorial" Sunoco Dash presented by Stan's Transmission will set the beginning rows of the feature line-up. Friday night's dash will have a $500 cash purse with $200 to-win plus a $100 Sunoco fuel card, $100 for second, $50 for third through sixth! Saturday night's dash will have a $1,000 cash purse with $400 to-win plus a $100 Sunoco fuel card, $200 for second, $150 for third, $125 for fourth, $75 for fifth, and $50 for sixth! Special thanks to Bob C. Bentz for putting up $1,500 cash to remember his late father.
Also thanks to Art's Radiator for providing 50 radiator caps to be given away to each competing driver over the weekend!
In 2005, Bill Hendren, the patriarch of the Hendren family and founder of Hendren Racing Engines, had the foresight to began building his affiliation with crate racing. As many of his open engine customers looked to crate racing as an opportunity to continue racing Bill began offering free advice via the well know 4M.net message board. As the concept grew throughout the country, his generosity and expertise was rewarded as many of those who had utilized his knowledge in the beginning utilized him as their engine rebuilder as their needs arose. Bill passed away on March 19, 2011, but his legacy and dedication to crate racing lives on through his sons, Steve and Mike, as the Hendrens are recognized throughout the entire country as a leader in this specialized form of racing as they continue to operate Hendren Racing Engines.
"I'll never forget the day several years ago I received surprise phone call from Steve Hendren expressing interest in having a memorial event for his late father Bill Hendren in conjunction with a RUSH Touring event," explained Emig. "Although I never knew Bill Hendren personally, I certainly was well aware of his pioneering spirit and great success in the world of Chevrolet Performance crate engine racing. And to have the Hendren Family allow us to hold their patriarch's only memorial event of the year under the RUSH banner for the 11th straight year is truly an honor. What Steve and his family continue to do for this event is tremendous! We have to thank all of the contributors as well as the Mileys for allowing this event to be part of the 'Pittsburgher' weekend."
Steve Hendren, who will be making the trip up, was inducted into the Antioch (CA) Speedway Hall of Fame shortly after the 2021 event. Hendren raced at the track weekly in the Late Model division from 1990-1993 winning 40 races and was the 1992 and 1993 champion. In 1992, Hendren won 25 features in 44 starts with 15 of them coming at Antioch, which propelled him to the NASCAR Pacific Coast Regional Championship.
Last year was the first time the event paid $10,000 to-win and it was Jeremy Wonderling winning the biggest race of his career. In addition to the feature and D&V Jewelers non-qualifier purses posted each night, $100 FK Rod Ends "Shock the Clock" Qualifying and $25 to-win FK Rod Ends heat races will take place nightly. This is in addition to $400 per night of Sunoco gift card drawings along with contingencies from Precise Racing Products, Ontime Body & Graphic, Performance Bodies, and TBM Brakes.
"Bill Hendren Memorial" Night 1 Feature Payoff (30 laps): 1. $4,000 2. $1,600 3. $900 4. $750 5. $700 6. $600 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 (25-26. $250).
D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier Night 1 Payoff: 1. $200 2. $190 3. $185 4. $180 5. $175 6. $170 7. $165 8. $160 9. $155 10-24. $150. Tow $125
Pittsburgh "Bill Hendren Memorial" Night 2 Feature Payoff (40 laps): 1. $10,000 2. $5,000 3. $2,500 4. $2,000 5. $1,500 6. $1,200 7. $1,000 8. $900 9. $800 10. $700 11. $650 12. $625 13. $600 14. $550 15. $525 16. $500 17. $490 18. $480 19. $470 20. $460 21-24. $450 (25-26. $450).
D&V Jewelers Non-Qualifier Night 2 Payoff: 1. $400 2. $250 3. $200 4. $190 5. $185 6. $180 7. $175 8. $170 9. $165 10-24. $160. Tow $125.
Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway is a ½-mile dirt track with a GPS address of 170 Kelso Rd, Imperial PA 15126, which is located just off the Noblestown exit on Routes 22/30. For more information, check out their website at www.ppms.com or call 412-279-7223. The track number on race day is 724-695-3363 or 724-695-0393. As for their social media outlets, you can like their page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PittsburghsPennsylvaniaMotorSpeedway or follow them on Twitter @PAMotorSpeedway.
The RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply together with Born2Run Lubricants along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Rick Hendrick City Chevrolet, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Flynn's Tire, Sunbelt Rentals, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Bilstein Shocks, Performance Bodies & Parts, Racing Electronics, Wieland Metal Services, Frankland Racing Supply, Landrum Performance Spring, Ontime Body & Graphic, Sherwood Wheels, Precise Racing Products, Velocita-USA, Wedge Motorsports, 3C Graphix, D&V Jewelers, CrateInsider.com, and Terry Bowser Excavating.
E-mail can be sent to the RUSH Racing Series at info@rushracingseries.com and snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. Office phone is 724-964-9300. The RUSH Late Model website is www.rushlatemodels.com. Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rushlatemodels and follow us on Twitter @RUSHLM.
Article Credit: Mike Leone
