His name is as synonymous with Lernerville Speedway now as it was 11 years ago.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Don Martin's legend

Martin owned the Sarver track for 26 years before dying in 1993 at the age of 71.

His wife Helen remembers racing being a passion for her husband throughout his life.

"He grew up in Knox Chapel, just a few miles from Lernerville," Helen Martin said. "I don't think there was anything in particular that sparked his interest in racing; he just always liked it.

"I can remember when we were dating, he'd take me to area races at Blanket Hill in Kittanning. There was also a track in Tarentum we'd go to. I liked the races, but not as much as he did," she said, laughing.

The couple married in 1948 and Don Martin settled into running his trucking business in Winfield Township. Soon after, they had their only child, Patty.

The Martins continued to get their racing fix at area tracks, until the late 1960s, when Don Martin saw an opportunity of a different sort.

In 1967, Earl Bauman, Dale Hafer and Bucky Fleming approached Martin about joining them in building a racetrack off of Route 356 where an amusement park once stood.

Owning the heavy-duty machinery needed to take on such a venture, Martin took the trio up on their offer.

"They worked for four or five months to get the track down and they put a few sets of bleachers up," said Helen Martin. "They wanted to get a few races in that year because there was talk of Buffalo Township passing a zoning ordinance in 1968 that would not allow for a racetrack."

The track was finished in time and Martin and his partners saw a few races take place in the fall of 1967.

Martin later said the first race at Lernerville dealt the track a $10,000 loss.

Before the 1968 racing season got under way, Hafer and Fleming decided the track was too risky of an investment and Martin bought them both out.

Bauman stayed on until a few years later when Martin bought him out, too.

The Martins went through some rough times, as the track didn't turn a profit for its first 13 years. An average of just 200 fans showed up on Friday nights as Don Martin ran the track and Helen Martin took care of all the bookwork.

"He never had any doubts," Helen Martin said of Don Martin. "He just felt that it would end up coming around. And I supported him."

Finally in 1980, Martin began to see his hard work and patience pay off when Lernerville turned a profit that season.

It was the beginning of a memorable decade for the racetrack.

Lernerville continued to attract more fans and Martin was named Auto Racing Promoter of the Year in 1983.

All the while, he never strayed from the ideas and convictions he carried from the very beginning.

"There was a time when a fan's car broke down," said Helen Martin. "Don insisted that the fan take the track's pace car until he could get his own car fixed.

"And he always found time to give to the local fire companies and other organizations in the community. He was kind to everybody and very considerate of the racers," she added.

Carol Gamble has worked at Lernerville for 33 years, spending the last 20 as the track's publicity director.

"Don saw things from all perspectives," she said. "Most businessmen think with their brains, and so did Don. But he also had a huge heart."

Martin might even have influenced the way things are done at tracks all over the country.

"He'd take us to a promoters workshop over the winter," Gamble said. "There would be people from tracks all across the country and they'd say things should be done a certain way.

"Don didn't follow them. He'd stick to doing things his way and people thought he was a bit nuts. But after a few years, those same people started doing things his way because it worked. People called him the promoter's promoter," she added.

Things like not buying cheap food for the concession stand and insisting on racing Friday instead of Saturday. They all contributed to Lernerville becoming - and remaining - a successful track.

After Martin passed away, there was no chance of the daily operations of the track falling below the standards he set.

Helen Martin remained as owner and bookkeeper, and her grandson, Donny, was also involved with the operation of the track.

"Everybody working there was very cooperative," said Helen Martin. "And they still are to this day."

Along with being inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, Martin was also honored by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa in 2001. He won his second promoter of the year award in 1992.

After keeping the books for 36 years, Helen Martin retired last year. She still owns the track but has leased it to Barbara Bartley and Tom Roenigk.

"When Don looks down now and sees what Lernerville is, he's happy," she added. "He loved that track."