The 2025 Oil Region Labor Day Classic roared to life on Night One at Tri City Raceway Park, setting the stage for an unforgettable weekend of racing. From the RUSH Touring Late Models Series, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply 410 Sprint Cars to the Shawgo Real Estate Pro Stocks, the action was fast and furious with thrilling finishes, dramatic moments, and plenty of excitement.
The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Dirt Late Model Flynn's Tire Gunter's Honey Touring Series made its second and final visit of the season to Tri-City Raceway Park on an overcast, October-like Friday evening. Race #12 of the 2025 season was the kickoff to the Franklin, Pennsylvania half-mile facility's three-night "Oil Region Labor Day Classic".
Tri-City has become the place to end winless skeins this season. Back in May, Daryl Charlier ended a three-year winless drought on the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour and on Friday night, Kyle Hardy ended his drought of more than two years and four months! Hardy ironically passed Charlier on lap 13 in lapped traffic then fended off a late charge by Christian Schneider for the $4,000 payday. Hardy, who just won his first RUSH-sanctioned race of 2025 last Saturday night at Winchester Speedway in a City Chevrolet Weekly Series event, became the 9th different Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour winner in 12 races this season!
"This feels good coming from a long ways down the road from here," acknowledged the 32-year-old Winchester, Virginia standout from Landrum Performance Victory Lane. "Our guys keep working hard and never give up. I'm glad to finally get a victory after these long trips. When we showed up we totally missed the idea of what this track was going to be. When I saw how big it was I thought it might fit up our alley because we won a race recently at Hagerstown and I put the exact numbers on it and knew the car would like the package. I wasn't sure about the tire I had so I have to thank Ed and Zack Carley for spotting me a tire. They seem like really good people and glad to call them my friends."
"This is really good competition," added Hardy. "You have Daryl (Charlier), Jeremy (Wonderling), and Christian (Schneider) was just flying around here so I didn't know if I could beat them or not. Daryl is a good racer and I didn't think he was going to make a mistake and probably wishes he stayed in line. When that yellow came out and I saw Christian was up to third, I knew I couldn't make a mistake. If he (Schneider) was going to pass me he was going to have to earn, but I wasn't going to do him dirty because he raced me clean. He has a really good half-mile package here and at Pittsburgh, which really seems to fit that car. I thought he was going to stick that move on the outside."
Following the Dave Poske's Performance Parts "Feel the RUSH" 4-Wide Salute, Charlier raced into the early lead over Hardy, Bill Holmes III, Jason Knowles, and Schneider. Schneider moved into fourth on lap two before a caution for a spin by Mike Wonderling. By lap five, Charlier and Hardy distanced themselves from the field, while Schneider was all over Holmes in the battle for third. Schneider drove under and past Holmes for the third on lap seven with Knowles following in fourth.
Current points leader and four-time Series champion, Jeremy Wonderling, started sixth and cracked the top five on lap 10 by getting by Holmes. Meanwhile back up front, Hardy closed in on Charlier on lap 12. Lapped traffic came into play on lap 13. Charlier went high in turn four to negotiate traffic, but Hardy raced by into the lead for what would be the winning pass. Schneider was closing in to make it a three-car battle for the lead when Knowles blew a tire running in fourth to bring out the event's second and final caution with 14 laps completed.
When racing resumed at the halfway point, Schneider raced past Charlier for second. Hardy maintained a fairly comfortable lead on Schneider as the laps ticked off; however, Hardy caught traffic on lap 25, which allowed Schneider to close in. Heavy lapped traffic came into play on lap 27 with Schneider all over the leader. Hardy struggled to get by Logen Lockhart. Schneider went to the outside of Hardy and the two raced side-by-side on lap 28. Hardy was able to get past Lockhart and fended off Schneider's challenges by just 0.585 seconds at the finish in his first ever Tri-City appearance.
The win was Hardy's 11th of his career on the Flynn's Tire/Gunter's Honey Tour but first since April 14, 2023 at Potomac Speedway, and came in his AGX Auto Glass/KHR/HT Roofing/Cline Construction/Dehaven Trailer Sales/MB Collectibles/Mike Hurley Motorsports/Xceptional Wildlife/Red Rock Tale Brickhouse-sponsored #99.
"I'm glad everyone ran a clean race," stated Hardy. "I can't say enough about all these guys that run the Tour. People give crate racing a bad name sometimes, but these guys we race with are purely class and that's why we come and run these shows because you know who you're racing against. I'm just glad to pull off this win- it's super tough to beat that 3J (Wonderling) and those guys."
Schneider, who made his first Tour start since his first career win in the $6010 "Jook George Steel City Classic" at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway on July 26, earned $2,000 with another impressive performance on a half-mile track. "I almost pulled something out of my butt when Kyle (Hardy) washed up with the 58-car (Lockhart) on the bottom and I had momentum but I still probably couldn't have got him," explained the 27-year-old Pittsburgh Pa. driver. "He was so good and pretty damn consistent. Congratulations to him and Jeremy (Wonderling). I'm thrilled to be up here and race against these guys. I'm just going to ride this out until the luck runs out eventually, and keep putting in the work and show up with the intention that we're going to do as good as we can."
Wonderling passed Charlier on lap 29 to finish third and maintain his points lead. It was Wonderling's 8th podium finish in 12 races as he received a three-pack of Heritage Wine Cellars premium product along with Hardy and Schneider. Seventh starting Ryan Hare, who is in his first full season on the Tour, came home a career best fourth after passing Charlier on the final lap. Hare easily eclipsed his season best 12th from Stateline Speedway on August 9 and beat out his prior best on the Tour, which was a fifth at Tyler County Speedway on September 3, 2023. After leading the first 12 laps and running in the top three for the first 28 circuits, Charlier dropped to fifth at the finish for just his second top five of the season- both coming at Tri-City.
Zack Carley, who just came off his season's best third last Friday night at McKean County Raceway, was sixth to cut more into Demetrios Drellos' lead in the 3C Graphix Rookie-of-the-Year standings. Back in May at Tri-City, Ashton Briggs was fifth for his career best effort in five seasons on the Tour. Briggs had another solid run on Friday night going 12th to 7th. Bryce Davis raced from the 17th starting spot to 8th at the finish to earn the Precise Racing Products $50 gift card for being the "Pedal Down" Hard Charger recipient. Kyle Zimmerman was ninth. After being as high as fourth early on, Holmes faded to 10th for his first top 10 of the season in his rookie year on the Tour.
Second year RUSH racer, Andrew Chess, made his first start outside of Stateline and Eriez Speedways and the 16-year-old Ripley, NY driver came home 14th to earn a spoiler kit from Ontime Body & Graphic. Thanks to Tri-City owner Josh Shiffer, a RUSH Hoosier Tire was given away and won by Steve Hollabaugh, who made his first Tour start in more than two years.
Schneider set a new track record in qualifying with a lap of 18.708 to earn $100 for his first ever FK Rod Ends "Shock the Clock" honor; in fact, the top six qualifiers all broke the 18.913 record established by Austin Hauser back in May! Schneider, Jeremy Wonderling, and Charlier won the $25 FK Rod Ends heat races.
Charlier became the ninth different Sunoco Dash winner of the season and received a $100 Sunoco fuel card. Also winning $100 Sunoco fuel cards part of the "Fill'er up with Sunoco Bucks" program presented by Bazell Race Fuels were Tour drivers Charlier and Drellos, while the $50 Sunoco fuel cards went to Zimmerman, Chess, Lockhart, and Rob Coffaro.
Landrum Performance Springs, which will award the $5,000 Loyalty Bonus to an eligible Flynn’s Tire/Gunter’s Honey Touring Series regular at the season ending event, distributed BOGO certificates on Friday night, which were captured by Hollabaugh, Hare, Brad Mesler, Jamie Wrightsman, and Mike Wonderling.
The Flynn’s Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series will return to action on Sunday (August 31) for the final appearance of the season at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, WV for the inaugural "Country Roads" event with $4,000 on the line part of the Dave Poske's Performance Parts Mid-Ohio Valley Series. Warmups begin at 6 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply RUSH Late Model Flynn’s Tire/Gunter's Honey Touring Series Race #12 (30 laps, $4,000 to-win): 1. KYLE HARDY (99) 2. Christian Schneider (56) 3. Jeremy Wonderling (3J) 4. Ryan Hare (29) 5. Daryl Charlier (Dobnak 42) 6. Zack Carley (2) 7. Ashton Briggs (11A) 8. Bryce Davis (94) 9. Kyle Zimmerman (Stockdale 31) 10. Bill Holmes III (?? 11. Austin Allen (Mullen 32) 12. Brad Mesler (Sturdevant 87s) 13. Demetrios Drellos (111) 14. Andrew Chess (8c) 15. Ben Easler (02) 16. Jamie Wrightsman (21J) 17. Mike Wonderling (18) 18. Jason Knowles (4) 19. Steve Hollabaugh (3) 20. Logen Lockhart (58) 21. Rob Coffaro (24C).
Car Count: 21
Feature Margin of Victory: 0.585 seconds
Feature Lap Leaders: Daryl Charlier (1-12), Kyle Hardy (13-30)
Heritage Wine Cellars 3-Pack of Premium Products: Kyle Hardy, Christian Schneider, Jeremy Wonderling
Hoosier Tire presented by Tri-City Raceway Park: Steve Hollabaugh
Landrum Performance Springs BOGO Certificates: Steve Hollabaugh, Brad Mesler, Jamie Wrightsman, Ryan Hare & Mike Wonderling
Ontime Body & Graphic “Spoiler Alert” Spoiler Kit: Andrew Chess
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard Charger: Bryce Davis (+9)
Sunoco Fuel Card Winners presented by Bazell Race Fuels: Daryl Charlier ($100), Demetrios Drellos ($100), Kyle Zimmerman ($50), Rob Coffaro ($50), Andrew Chess ($50), Logen Lockhart ($50).
FK Rod Ends “Shock the Clock” Qualifying ($100 for fast time) (Track record 18.913 by Austin Hauser on 5/25/25): 1. 56-Christian Schneider, 00:18.708*[NTR] [15]; 2. 99-Kyle Hardy, 00:18.849[16]; 3. 42-Daryl Charlier, 00:18.873[2]; 4. 29-Ryan Hare, 00:18.888[9]; 5. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling, 00:18.906[8]; 6. 111D-Demetrios Drellos, 00:18.910[19]; 7. 31-Kyle Zimmerman, 00:18.955[4]; 8. 2C-Zack Carley, 00:18.970[17]; 9. 4-Jason Knowles, 00:18.973[5]; 10. 8-Bill Holmes, 00:19.000[1]; 11. 32A-Austin Allen, 00:19.055[10]; 12. 18-Mike Wonderling, 00:19.068[21]; 13. 8C-Andrew Chess, 00:19.077[14]; 14. 87S-Brad Mesler, 00:19.164[6]; 15. 11A-Ashton Briggs, 00:19.190[20]; 16. 02-Ben Easler, 00:19.218[11]; 17. 58-Logen Lockhart, 00:19.271[12]; 18. 21J-Jamie Wrightsman, 00:19.410[7]; 19. 3-Steve Hollabaugh, 00:19.580[3]; 20. 94-Bryce Davis, 00:19.969[13]; 21. 24C-Rob Coffaro, 00:21.634[18].
FK Rod Ends Heat 1 (8 laps, $25 to-win): 1. 56-Christian Schneider[1]; 2. 8-Bill Holmes[4]; 3. 29-Ryan Hare[2]; 4. 31-Kyle Zimmerman[3]; 5. 02-Ben Easler[6]; 6. 8C-Andrew Chess[5]; 7. 3-Steve Hollabaugh[7].
FK Rod Ends Heat 2 (8 laps, $25 to-win): 1. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling[2]; 2. 99-Kyle Hardy[1]; 3. 2C-Zack Carley[3]; 4. 58-Logen Lockhart[6]; 5. 32A-Austin Allen[4]; 6. 94-Bryce Davis[7]; 7. 87S-Brad Mesler[5].
FK Rod Ends Heat 3 (8 laps, $25 to-win): 1. 42-Daryl Charlier[1]; 2. 4-Jason Knowles[3]; 3. 111D-Demetrios Drellos[2]; 4. 11A-Ashton Briggs[5]; 5. 18-Mike Wonderling[4]; 6. 21J-Jamie Wrightsman[6]; 7. 24C-Rob Coffaro[7].
Sunoco Dash (6 laps, $100 Sunoco fuel card to win): 1. 42-Daryl Charlier[1]; 2. 99-Kyle Hardy[4]; 3. 4-Jason Knowles[3]; 4. 56-Christian Schneider[5]; 5. 8-Bill Holmes[2]; 6. 3J-Jeremy Wonderling[6].
Rush Late Model story credit to Mike Leone
The night began with the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply 410 Sprint Cars, where Logan McCandless set the tone with a blistering pace. From the drop of the green flag, McCandless dominated, running an average speed of 116 miles per hour. Despite a valiant effort by Matt Farnham, who stayed close in lap traffic, McCandless never gave up the lead, taking the victory in the 25-lap feature for his second career win at Tri City. “Starting position was huge tonight, and we had a lot of lanes to work with,” McCandless said in victory lane. “The car was hooked up, and I just stayed focused. Matt was there a few times, but we held on.”
Farnham crossed the line in second, with Brandon Matus in third. John Jerich and AJ Flick rounded out the top five. Looking at the season so far, Ricky Peterson Jr. has been the standout with four feature wins, while McCandless and Flick each have two. Other winners this season include Steven Snyder Jr., Matt Farnham, Jeremy Weaver, and Dusty Larson. With two more nights of racing to go, the competition is heating up.
Next up, the Complete Car Care Center Rush Sprint Cars took to the track for their qualifying session, setting the stage for Saturday and Sunday night’s races. Blaze Myers put on a show, laying down the fastest laps in both sessions. Zach Morrow and Wyatt Long also showed impressive speed, finishing second and third in each session. These results will determine the heat race line-ups for the rest of the weekend, with fans eagerly anticipating the action ahead.
The Marsh Heating & Cooling Non-Winners’ Race was another highlight, as Wyatt Long took the win in commanding fashion. Long led the 12-lap event from start to finish, claiming the $200 first-place prize with a nearly four-second lead over Ricky Tucker III, who finished second. "This is a great start to our weekend,” Long said. “But honestly, I want to race against those guys who have wins. This gives me a lot of momentum heading into the rest of the weekend.” Lucas Roessner, Devon Deeter, and Charlie Utsinger rounded out the top five. The only caution came on lap five when CJ McClintock spun in turn three, but it didn’t slow Long down.
The Shawgo Real Estate Pro Stocks brought the drama in the King of the Hill event, which kept fans on the edge of their seats with its thrilling one-lap shootouts. Round one saw Josh Seippel, Rody Laskey, Brett McDonald, Curt J. Bish, Pat Fielding, and Tim Bish advance to the second round. Jackson Humanic and Andy Buckley had byes into that round, setting the stage for a showdown of top talent.
Humanic, who had set the fastest time in both qualifying sessions, showed his speed in the second round, but it was Seippel who edged out Humanic by just one hundredth of a second to move on to the semi-finals. Laskey outduelled McDonald to complete the upper bracket. Bish, who had a bye after Andy Buckley’s car withdrew with a broken shock, advanced to the semis, where he would face off with Fielding. Fielding had a strong run but couldn’t quite hold off Bish, who made his way into the final.
The final showdown between Seippel and Bish was a dramatic one. The two were side-by-side down the front stretch, with Bish taking the advantage after a battle through turns one and two. Seippel gave it everything he had, but Bish held strong to claim the $500 first-place prize in what was a thrilling conclusion to the King of the Hill event. “Man, that was so much fun,” Bish said, clearly excited. “It’s a great way to start the weekend, and I’m looking forward to the Penn Ohio and Ray’s races. Big thanks to everyone for making this event happen.”
In addition to the King of the Hill event, Jackson Humanic set the fastest time in both time trial sessions for the Shawgo Real Estate Pro Stocks, which will determine the heat race line-ups for Saturday and Sunday’s races. Humanic’s performance has set the stage for what promises to be a competitive weekend in the Pro Stock division.
With Night One in the books, all eyes are now on Saturday and Sunday’s races, where the action is sure to continue. The Oil Region Labor Day Classic at Tri City Raceway Park has once again proven why it’s one of the top dirt tracks in Western Pennsylvania. With top-notch sponsors like Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, Complete Car Care Center, Marsh Heating & Cooling, and Shawgo Real Estate, the weekend promises more thrilling racing and family-friendly fun.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply 410 Sprint Car Feature 25 Lap Results:
- (29) Logan McCandless 2. (7NY) Matt Farnham 3. (13) Brandon Matus 4. (3) John Jerich 5. (2) AJ Fluck 6. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh 7. (11) Carl Bowser 8. (47L) Dusty Larson 9. (98) Ricky Peterson Jr. 10. (6) Bob Felmlee 11. (33) Brent Matus 12. (M4) Louie Mattes 13. (30) Jazlyn Boyles 14. (5) Bob McMillian 15. (3J) Joe Mellon
1st Heat Race Results:
- (6) Bob Felmlee 2. (3) John Jerich 3. (13) Brandon Matus 4. (29) Logan McCandless 5. (11) Carl Bowser 6. (47L) Dusty Larson 7. (3J) Joe Mellon 8. (33) Brent Matus
2nd Heat Race Results:
- (2) AJ Flick 2. (7NY) Matt Farnham 3. (X7) Andy Cavanaugh 4. (30) Jazlyn Boyles 5. (M4) Louie Mattes 6. (5) Bob McMillian 7. (98) Ricky Peterson Jr.
Complete Car Care Center RUSH Sprint Cars:
Qualifying for Saturday's Race:
- (41) Blaze Myers 19.914 2. (68) Zach Morrow 19.978 3. (63L) Wyatt Long 20.156 4. (1T) Ricky Tucker III 20.319 5. (23) Charlie Utsinger 20.464 6. (213) Lucas Roessner 20.514 7. (54) Devon Deeter 20.550 8. (21) Grayson Bayle 20.569 9. (21N) Samantha Pries 20.659 10. (17M) CJ McClintock 20.748 11. (7) Cooper Macormac 21.174 12. (16) Jayden Shiffer 21.261
Qualifying for Sunday's Race:
- (41) Blaze Myers 19.747 2. (68) Zach Morrow 19.931 3. (63L) Wyatt Long 19.997 4. (213) Lucas Roessner 20.200 5. (21N) Samantha Pries 20.422 6. (23) Charlie Utsinger 20.447 7. (21) Grayson Bayle 20.466 8. (7) Cooper Macormac 20.470 9. (1T) Ricky Tucker III 20.476 10. (58) Logan Lockhart 20.532 11. (54) Devon Deeter 20.594 12. (17M) CJ McClintock 20.766 13. (16) Jayden 20.924
Shawgo Real Estate Pro Stocks:
Qualifying for Saturday Penn Ohio Tour / Ray's Race:
- (17) Jackson Humanic 19.899 2. (965) Andy Buckley 19.960 3. (7W) Bobby Whitling 20.093 4. (1R) Rod Laskey 20.154 5. (7B) Matt Bernard 20.185 6. (07) Jake Whitling 20.213 7. (11B) Tim Bish 20.213 8. (55C) Brandon Conner 20.217 9. (4) Brett Hutira 20.268 10. (29) Curt J Bish 20.348 11. (84S) Josh Seippel 20.600 12. (20J) Hayden Fosnaught 20.606 13. (25) Brett McDonald 20.829 14. (23) Pat Fielding 20.837 15. (8C) Russ Coyne NTT
Qualifying for Sunday's Penn Ohio Tur / Ray's Race:
- (17) Jackson Humanic 19.924 2. (7W) Bobby Whitling 20.089 3. (1R) Rod Laskey 20.353 4. (7B) Matt Bernard 20.355 5. (07) Jake Whitling 20.463 6. (29) Curt J Bish 20.534 7. (25) Brett McDonald 20.580 8. (55C) Brandon Conner 20.591 9. (4) Brett Hutira 20.790 10. (84S) Josh Seippel 20.847 11. (20J) Hayden Fosnaught 20.857 12. (23) Pat Fielding 20.958 13. (965) Andy Buckley 21.109 14. (8C) Russ Coyne 21.114 15. (11B) Tim Bish 22.122
Hooiser Tire Winners
RUSH Touring Late Models - Steve Hollabaugh
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply 410 Sprint Cars - Carl Bowser
Upcoming Races
Oil Region Labor Day Classic Weekend
August 30 - BRP Modified Tour, $1,500 to win Pro Stocks, $800 to win RUSH Sprints
August 31 - BRP Modified Tour, $2,500 to win Pro Stocks, $1000 to win RUSH Sprints, $600 to win RUSH Stocks
September 13 - Applefest Races: $2,500 to win Penn Ohio Pro-Stock Tour Race, $750 to win RUSH STOCKS, $800 to win RUSH Modifieds, $600 to win Mini Stocks
?? Perfect Attendance Challenge – Tri-City Raceway Park ??
Drivers, your dedication could pay off in a big way!
For the 2025 season, any driver who attends every scheduled race in their class will be rewarded with:
? FREE Registration for the 2026 Season
? FREE Season Pass for 2026
Here's a look at the Drivers who haven't missed a race this season:
410 Sprints: Andy Cavanaugh, Brandon Matus, and Brent Matus
Super Late Models: Ryan Scott, Chevy Scott, Darrel Bossard, Josh Ferry and Brian Huchko.
Big Block Modifieds: Brad Rapp, Jim Rasey and Tom Holden.
RUSH Sprints: Ricky Tucker III, Grayson Bayle, Samantha Priest, Charlie Utsinger, Devon Deeter, Cooper Fritz, and Wyatt Long
Pro-Stocks: Jake Whitling, Matt Bernard, Russ Coyne, Pat Fielding, Mike Miller and Josh Seippel
RUSH Stocks: Darr Diegelman, Jim Buchanan, Raidden Wilson, William Baker and Cameron Kramer
Race Day Information at Tri City Raceway Park
Pit gates will open at 3:00 PM, with general admission gates opening at 4:00 PM. Racing action is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM. Pit passes are available
for $35, while general admission is priced at $20 for attendees aged 17 and older. Seniors (62+) and military personnel can enter for $15, and kids 11-16
are also $15, with children 10 and under admitted free.
Race Schedule
Fridays: Racing begins at 7:00 PM
Sundays: Racing starts at 6:30 PM
Tri City Raceway Park - Marketing Partners:
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, 21st Century Energy Group, Flea Flicker LLC, Shawgo Real Estate, Compete Car Care Center, Clarion County Community Bank,
Marsh Heating and Cooling, Erie Beer, Big Dog RC, Shambaugh Towing, Wabtec, Constable Refuse Garbage Company, First Rate Reality, McCandless Ford,
KEI Klapec Express Trucking Company, Heffren Septic Systems, UCIP United Community Independence Program, Schaeffer's Oil, MAD Tree Service,
BKI Bert Klapec INC, Hards Fabrication & Welding INC, Vape Shop & Game Room, Gates & Burns Reality, Sunbelt Rentals Meadville, Tionesta Builders Supply,
McCandless Trailer Sales, Allegheny Toyota, Close Racing Supply, Friedhaber's Appliances, Log Cabin Restaurant, Bernards Electrical Services & Troubleshooting,
Oil Creek Family Campground, Landscaping Connections, PJ'S Excavating & Concrete, Bish Heating and Cooling, Blue Ox Timber, Mad Mac BBQ,
Top Gun Settlements, Top Notch Tree & Stump Service, Wet Hose
Tri City Raceway Park is proudly owned by Josh & Kyrsten Shiffer and is located at: 3430 State Route 417, Franklin, Pennsylvania. Whether you're a seasoned racing fan or new to the sport, Tri City Raceway Park offers thrilling races and a vibrant atmosphere for all ages. Bring your family and friends and enjoy an exciting night of racing action! We look forward to seeing you at the track! ??
*Please credit all photos to Turn 4 Photography / Jolene Bernard
- administrator on Aug 30, 2025
- Article Date: 8/30/2025 by Mike Ackelson