From Mike Leone
After ending the 2022 season victorious at Lernerville, Blaze Myers picked up his first Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sprint Car win of the 2023 season. Myers led all 20 laps of the feature and was never challenged for his sixth career Sunbelt Rentals Weekly Series victory worth $600. An all-time record high 30 cars turned out for the sixth year division topping the previous high of 28 cars set last year at Lernerville for “Manufacturers Night” presented by MSD Performance!
“I’ll tell you what I’ve been fighting this car all year and it just hasn’t been the same since last year,” explained the 18-year-old Franklin, Pa. driver. “We finally figured something out I believe. The top was so treacherous off turn four. I even smacked the wall myself and just glad it didn’t end my night. The lapped traffic was awful, but that’s just part of racing and you have to learn how to deal with it. It doesn’t help the old man was racing (Billy Myers) and I had to beat him fair and square. I saw John (Mollick) was second on the restart; I have the utmost respect for him- he’s a good driver and fast here. I’m just finally I was able to beat him.”
After a caution for Phil Young, who got hung up in the mud on the inside of the backstretch with 13 laps completed, Myers pulled away from John Mollick in the final seven laps taking the checkered flag first by a margin of 2.147 seconds in his J.I. McCall Construction/John Pleger Roofing/Billy’s Garage/Linda Lou’s Restaurant/Lowry Auto Body/DiFrischia Recycling/McDaniel & Assoc. Tax Prep/J.I.’s Place/Jolley Roofing Construction/Endodontics/Bodien’s Hot Dog Stand-sponsored #43Jr.
Mollick, who was doing double duty also running a RUSH Late Model, went ninth to second three weeks after winning the last RUSH Sprint Car race at Lernerville. Four-time Series Champion and the division’s all-time winner, Chad Ruhlman, was third. Pole-sitter Zack Wilson dropped to fourth at the finish over Arnie Kent. Completing the top 10 were Kevin Ruhlman, Brad Blackshear from 18th, Brian Cressley, Brian Hartzell, and Charlie Utsinger. Mollick, Chad Ruhlman, and Kent won the heat races, while Blackshear won just the second last chance B main run in Series history.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Sprint Car Sunbelt Rentals Weekly Series Race #10 (20 laps, $600 to-win): 1. BLAZE MYERS (43Jr) 2. John Mollick (Clever 4J) 3. Chad Ruhlman (Engles 68) 4. Zack Wilson (1) 5. Arnie Kent (Mahoney/Eckart 9) 6. Kevin Ruhlman (Engles 68K) 7. Brad Blackshear (19) 8. Brian Cressley (Hull 41) 9. Brian Hartzell (69) 10. Charlie Utsinger (23) 11. Brandon Blackshear (10) 12. Devon Deeter (54) 13. Ricky Tucker, Jr. (1T) 14. A.J. MacQuarrie (Hartzell 69X) 15. Rod George (Graham 6) 16. Joe Buccola (Church 5B) 17. Amelia Clay (16c) 18. Mark Bell (122) 19. Adam Siegel (91) 20. Billy Myers (43Sr) 21. Trent Marshall (17) 22. Phil Young (4y) 23. Kevin Kaserman (13) 24. Gale Ruth, Jr. (McConnell 24). DNS: Tyler Graves (25G). DNQ: Tyler Clark (56), Lacey Shuttleworth (15), Brandon Shughart (29), Rick Regalski, Jr (Boyle 5B), Jeff Metsger (20).