Lernerville's 2014 campaign opens Friday
BUFFALO TWP — Three potential Hall of Famers will be returning to Lernerville Speedway this season.
The Sarver oval will begin its Fab Four dirt track racing season Friday night. Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.
“There are no big changes in the works with the track or the schedule,” Lernerville publicist Eric Westendorf said. “But we will be welcoming some familiar names back to the fold.”
Sprint driver Ed Lynch Jr., Late Model driver John Flinner and Modified driver Kevin Bolland are among them. The trio has combined to win 12 track points championships at Lernerville.
Bolland and Lynch Jr. are returning from track suspensions. Both have had their eligibility to race at Lernerville reinstated for the 2014 season.
“Our understanding is that Kevin plans to run here regularly on Friday nights while Ed will be here from to time, but not on a weekly basis,” Westendorf said.
Lynch is the all-time winningest Sprint driver at Lernerville, posting 107 feature wins there. His son, Cy, is breaking into Sprint car racing this year as well. Lynch owns four track titles at the Sarver track, most recently in 2005.
Bolland ranks fifth on Lernerville’s Modified win list with 55. He won track titles at Lernerville in 2010, 2006 and 2002.
To continue that trend of winning championships every four years here, Bolland would have to beat out all-time track Modified wins leader Brian Swartzlander (82) and last year’s track champion, Mat Williamson from Canada.
Williamson tallied 481 points to walk away with last year’s title.
“He’s planning on coming back every week,” Westendorf said of Williamson. “If he’s not in contention for points and/or has car issues, that could always change. But you could say that about almost anybody.”
Zelienople’s Flinner has not been a regular on the region dirt track circuit for a few years, but plans to run at Lernerville Friday nights and Pittsburgh (Pa.) Motor Speedway on Saturday evenings.
Third on the Late Model wins list at Lernerville with 41, Flinner won five successive points titles here from 2001 through 2005. He is the only driverto ever win five straight points crowns at Lernerville in any division.
Westendorf said that 1998 Lernerville Late Model points champion Gary Lyle is coming out of retirement and will be a regular this season as well.
Joining Williamson as defending track champions are Evans City’s Brandon Spithaler in the Sprints, Saxonburg’s Alex Ferree in Late Models and Tarentum’s Corey McPherson in Sportsman Stocks. McPherson is bidding for his third consecutive points title.
Spithaler claimed his first career Lernerville Sprint feature win along with the points crown in 2013. He had eight top-five finishes a year ago.
“He (Spithaler) runs the BOSS series as well, so he may miss a night or two with us if there’s a schedule conflict,” Westendorf said.
Rain prevented any such conflicts for Spithaler last season.
Highlighting this year’s track schedule are the eighth annual Firecracker 100 Late Model event June 26-28, the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XXIII Sprint races July 15 and the World of Outlaws Sprint Commonwealth Clash Sept. 20.
