JUSTIN SHEA GETS
REDEPEMTION WITH LATE RACE PASS AT SHARON FOR 1ST CAREER SWEENEY RUSH SPORTSMAN
MOD BICKNELL TOUR WIN IN $800 "APPLE FESTIVAL NATIONALS"
By Mike Leone
September 8-9,
2017
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
(Hartford, OH)...The
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Sportsman Modified Series powered by Pace
Performance headed to Sharon Speedway on Friday and Saturday night for a
Bicknell Racing Products Touring Series event as part of the track's annual
"Apple Festival Nationals" for the fourth consecutive year. It marked the
second and final appearance of the season to the 3/8-mile Hartford, Ohio oval
and race #6 overall for the 2017 season.
Heat races were contested on Friday night with the K&N Dash and 25-lap
feature event on Saturday night.
After watching Steve Slater steal a
win away from him on the outside coming down for the white flag at the last
Bicknell Touring Series event on August 26 at Sharon, Justin Shea performed a
similar pass of race-long leader Chelsie Kriegisch on lap 15 to score his first
career Tour win. Shea earned $800 for his second career Sharon win in the
25-lap feature, and was also selected by Series Officials as the Maxima Racing
Oil "Maximum Performance" awards winner.
"We haven't run much this year but
now I'm wishing we would have," revealed the 36-year-old Franklin, Pa. driver.
"This car is phenomenal. It was a little tight yesterday, but we made the
right adjustments and here we are. Everyone was running the bottom so the
only way to make headway is to try the middle or top. It really liked it
so I stuck it out there and it worked. We have a short trip to Tri-City
(Raceway Park) tomorrow- it's about two miles from home. I have to thank
my wife and father-in-law; they've been a huge help the last two days helping
out."
Several cars got bunched up on the
initial start causing a five-car accident that ended the night early for several
racers including Slater, who was selected as the TBM Brakes "Tough Brake of the
Night" recipient after suffering severe damage. That would turn out to be
the only stoppage of the main event as the 25 laps then went caution-free.
Chelsie Kriegisch and Tour point
leader, Kyle Martell, were one-two after the opening lap. Shea meanwhile
started fifth as him and eighth starting Chas Wolbert passed Jessica Kriegisch
for third and fourth on lap two. Wolbert and Shea battled hard for third
as they raced side-by-side. Wolbert would grab the spot on lap four as the
duo closed in on Martell. Shea then moved to the top and drove around both
racers to take second on lap 11.
Kriegisch meanwhile was up front
setting a good pace in search of her first career Sharon victory; however, Shea
stuck to the outside line and closed in every lap. He caught Kriegisch on
lap 14 and made the winning pass driving around her in turn four to lead the
15th circuit. Shea had a half-straightaway lead when he caught lapped
traffic with three laps to go. Traffic didn't slow Shea's run to the
checkered flag as he won by a comfortable 2.589 seconds in his Shea
Trucking/Bradley's Boarding & Grooming-sponsored #14s.
Kriegisch was a Tour season best
second. Wolbert, who won the $800 2016 "Apple Festival Nationals" Tour
make-up on August 5, was third after passing Martell on lap 14. Sharon
track champion, Kole Holden, came from 10th to finish fourth over Josh Deems as
both racers dropped Martell to sixth late in the event.
It was a big night of racing for Deems, who also competed in the
Big-Block Modified non-winners program with his "358" small-block.
Deems had worked his way to second before getting spun, but would battle
back for a fourth place finish to give him two top five finishes on the night.
That effort got him selected as the Sherwood Wheels "Man of Steel" award.
Completing the top 10 were Brian
Schaffer, Jessica Kriegisch, Rocky Kugel, and Brandon Ritchey.
After getting caught up in the opening lap accident, Shayne Izzo came
back to finish 11th as the last car on the lead lap for the $25 CrateInsider.com
gift certificate. Preston Cope raced
from 21st starting spot to finish 12th, which was good enough for the $100
Precise Racing Products "Pedal Down" hard charger honors.
Chelsie Kriegisch, Wolbert, and
Martell won Friday's heat races over the 24-car field. Holden won his
first K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash of the season to become the sixth different
winner in as many races. Holden
received a $100 K&N certificate.
Blaze Myers was second to earn a $50 K&N certificate, while Nick Ritchey and
Izzo were third and fourth and added an extra $25 cash.
Sweeney RUSH Sportsman Modified Bicknell Touring Series Race #6
(25 laps, $800
to-win): 1. JUSTIN SHEA (14S)
2. Chelsie Kriegisch (10) 3.
Chas Wolbert (c3) 4. Kole Holden (2)
5. Josh Deems (9D) 6. Kyle
Martell (8) 7. Brian Schaffer (41)
8. Jessica Kriegisch (63) 9.
Rocky Kugel (Myers 43Sr) 10. Brandon
Ritchey ( 17) 11. Shayne Izzo (86)
12. Preston Cope (24P) 13.
David Kalb, Jr. (11J) 14. Nick
Ritchey (Eads 77N) 15. Gary Haupt
(16) 16. Will Schaffer (4)
17. Jacob Jordan (28J) 18.
Steve Slater (29) 19. Anthony
Gillespie (Smith 3G) 20. Blaze Myers
(43Jr) 21. Brandon Michaud (132)
22. Jeremy Weaver (35W) 23.
Tiffany Williams (58) 24. Kevin Long
(22)-DNS.
Car Count:
24
Margin of Victory:
2.589 seconds
Feature Lap Leaders:
Chelsie Kriegisch (1-14), Justin Shea (15-25)
Maxima Oil “Maximum Performance:
Justin Shea
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”:
Preston Cope (+9)
Sherwood Wheels "Man of Steel":
Josh Deems
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night":
Steve Slater
CrateInsider.com "Last Car on Lead Lap":
Shayne Izzo
Heat 1
(8 laps): 1. C.
Kriegisch 2. Shea
3. J. Kriegisch 4. Holden
5. N. Ritchey 6. B. Ritchey
7. Kalb 8. Cope.
Heat 2
(8 laps): 1.
Wolbert 2. B. Schaffer
3. Slater 4. Izzo
5. Haupt 6. Michaud
7. Long 8. Jordan.
Heat 3
(8 laps): 1.
Martell 2. Deems
3. Gillespie 4. Myers
5. Kugel 6. Weaver
7. Williams 8. W.
Schaffer-DNS.
K&N "Cold Air Induction" Dash
(4 laps, $100 K&N certificate to-win): 1. Holden
2. Myers 3. N. Ritchey
4. Izzo.
RUSH Sportsman Modified marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC,
Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks,
Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance,
Holley Performance Products, Earl's Performance Plumbing, Quick Fuel Technology,
FK Rod Ends, Maxima Racing Oil, Sherwood Racing Wheels, Schoenfeld Headers,
Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, TBM
Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA,
CrateInsider.com, RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.
E-mail can be sent to the RUSH Racing Series at [email protected] and
snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. Office phone is 724-964-9300
and fax is 724-964-0604. The RUSH Racing Series website is
www.rushracingseries.com. Like our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/rushlatemodels and follow us on Twitter @RUSHLM.
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