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With Florida Speedweeks coming to a close, the attention of short track fans across the country turns back to their local bullrings. These weekly, Friday and Saturday night dirt ovals are where the heartbeat of the racing business lies. Western Pennsylvania is blessed with an abundance of weekly short tracks. Arguably the best of the best in Western PA is Don Martin’s Lernerville Speedway.
These days, Lernerville is Don Martin’s in name only. The track was purchased a few years ago by what is now World Racing Group. Currently managed by former Big Block Modified pilot Gary Risch Jr., the Sarver, PA track holds on to much of the charm that Martin instilled in the place during his decades of headship.
One of the longstanding traditions that began under Martin’s watch is the appearance of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. The two appearances by the Outlaw Sprints are just the beginning of a jam packed 2008 schedule released recently by the speedway.
The 2008 version of Lernerville Speedway’s program begins as always by finishing out the previous season. Lernerville’s annual awards banquet was held March 1st at the Day’s Inn in Butler PA. 2007 champions Alex Feree (Freidman’s Freshmarkets Late Model), Kevin Schaeffer (CT&T Sprint Car), Brian Swartzlander (Ferrante Motor Cars Modified) and Mike Pegher (Advance Auto Parts Pure Stocks) were honored, as well as a number of other people that made the previous season special. It should be noted that Dirt Track Digest ’s own Jason Shank was awarded the Bill Steinbach Memorial Media Award for his efforts in 2007.
For a number of years Lernerville has held pre-season car shows at local malls. For years it was the Butler Mall in Butler and Highlands Mall in Natrona Heights . With both malls gone, the Butler venue changed to the Clearview Mall, just north of Butler on Route 8. The Allegheny Valley was left without a venue to showcase the track and the racers however. Then Anthony Ferrante, long time sponsor of the Ferrante Motor Cars Modified Division, stepped up and brokered a deal to bring the Lernerville Car show back to prominence at The Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills. The one-mile oval design of The Mills lends itself to be an ideal venue for a car show. This year the Pittsburgh Mills show is March 6-8 and the Clearview Mall show will be held March 13-15.
On track activities begin on Saturday, March 22 with a Test and Tune day. Grandstand admission is free. Then less than one week later real racing begins as the Lernerville’s Fab-Four divisions take to the track for the first real racing action of the year. The March 28 racing card is unique in that it is a full race program, with drivers racing for trophies and money, but no points are awarded. This gives the fans a full race night, the drivers something to compete for but gives forgiveness to a team that is shaking off some of the off-season rust or is shaking down a new car.
The weekly schedule continues through the spring and summer with a ton of special events. Perhaps most notable among the special races are the two landmark races of the season. The second annual “Firecracker 100” for the World of Outlaws Late Models and the sixteenth annual WoO Sprint Car “Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup” will each carry a record purse and pay a whopping $40,000 to win. It seems a fitting way to commemorate the 40th anniversary of one of the premiere short tracks in the country.
The Firecracker 100 picks it up a notch this year in other ways as well. In only its second running, the 100 lap Late Model weekend has signed Gottarace.com as a presenting sponsor. The first annual event was such a success that attracting a sponsor the likes of the national racing apparel company was the logical next step.
Another change for 2008 is the U.M.P. DIRTcar sanctioning for both the Late Models and Pure Stocks. While the rule packages remain the same for the newly named Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Super Late Models and Advance Auto Parts UMP DIRTcar Street Stocks, there are built in incentives to running under the UMP banner. Along with running for the regular track point fund, the Late Models and Street Stocks will also be competing for state, regional and national point funds.
Other special events throughout the season include WoO Late Models “Showdown in Sarvertown on Tuesday, April 14th, WoO Sprint Cars “Commonwealth Clash” a month later on Tuesday May 13th and the All Star Circuit of Champions with UMP Super Late Models and UMP Street Stocks on May 23rd.
The Firecracker 100 is up next with a two day show on June 27-28 and The Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XVII marks the final stop of the World of Outlaws sanctioned racing for the year on July 15th.
Lernerville’s regular program point racing comes to an end on August 22nd. The track then begins its very active post season.
The MACS Late Models make their only appearance at Lernerville on August 29th with the inaugural running of the Jim Shank Memorial, a race dedicated to the memory of Dirt Track Digest Late Model editor Jason Shank’s father. Once again the All-Star Sprints and UMP Street Stocks will share the card.
An emotional Shank described what it means to him that Lernerville is honoring his father in this way. “I can’t even put into words what it means to me; unbelievable. Gary (Risch Jr.) has been so good to me the last year, year and a half. I came up with the idea and thought about it the last two years. My dad’s favorite show was the Macs and the All-Stars at the end of August at Lernerville. Ironically enough that was his last show that he ever saw. So it seemed like it would be fitting. And Gary ; as soon as I brought it up to him he said ‘definitely.’ We’re going to try to do something a little special for the MACS drivers; a little extra purse. We’re still working on that.”
The action continues on Saturday September 6th with the popular Back to School” Bus Races. The Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Senior Series, Powder Puff Bus races, kids bike races and a demolition derby round out the night.
The race season wraps up as always at Lernerville with the traditional Advance Auto Parts Autumn-Motive Fest on September 12-13. This year’s version has a slightly different twist as a major sanctioning body will be featured. The Advance Auto Parts Super Dirt Car Series will headline a modified rich evening on the first night of Autumn-Motive Fest. Small block Mods and Mod Lites will round out the card for the Friday portion of the weekend. Saturday’s festivities include Street Stock Pandemonium, UMP Pro Crate Late Models and a 100 lap Enduro race.
Finally, much has been made on the Internet message boards in Western Pennsylvania regarding Lernerville’s rather substantial price increase. I certainly won’t pretend to be a fan of it simply because it seems everything costs more these days. But saying I don’t like it doesn’t mean I don’t understand it. The cost of everything is going up; but perhaps none more than the cost of fuel. Simply farming the track; watering, grading and running in all take fuel. Add to that the increased cost of doing any sort of business; it is a circumstance no one can avoid.
Lernerville’s 40th season will be chronicled all season long on their website by PR Director Eric Westendorf who has recently taken over maintaining the track’s site at www.lernerville.com. |
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