BUFFALO TWP — Getting around the race track hasn't changed much for local dirt track drivers over the years.

Getting to the race track is a different story.

Because gasoline prices — particularly diesel — have elevated so much in the past two years, race teams are paying much more attention to when and where their haulers are headed.

"You have to be that way now," longtime Modified driver Jim Weller of Hartford, Ohio said. "It costs me $125 round-trip to haul my car to Lernerville (Speedway) and back.

"I call the track before I head out to check on the weather. If there's a chance of a rainout, I usually don't go."

Late Model driver John Mollick of Toronto, Ohio, faces the same dilemma. It costs him $90 in diesel fuel to get his No. 4J car to Lernerville and back.

"The cost of racing has probably doubled from the time I started,"Mollick said. "The fuel for the race car does play a factor. The gas we used to use went up to $10.25 a gallon. We switched to another fuel that costs us $8.60 a gallon.

"Still, add everything up and it costs you $140 in gas before you even start the race. It's crazy. We bring the show and we're paying for the show at the same time."

Like many drivers, Mollick used to race at different tracks before honing in on Lernerville as his lone weekly venture.

"Even with that, we keep a good eye on the weather,"Mollick said. "If it looks like rain, we stay home. The cost of the car keeps going up, too. The cost of aluminum, cost of wheels ... We just can't take a chance on going somewhere and not racing."

Lernerville Speedway general manager Gary Risch Jr. said the track's car count has not been affected by the increasing cost to compete in the sport.

"The cars are still out there and we have one of the premier tracks, so people want to come here,"Risch said. "What can hurt us is the weather

"If there's a chance of rain, fans and drivers may stay home. Nobody's taking any chances wasting gas these days."

Dave Murdick of Slippery Rock runs a Modified and Late Model each Friday at Lernerville and burns roughly $175 in fuel each week. He pays $11 per gallon for racing fuel.

For Murdick, the thrill of running both divisions offsets the cost.

"I know it's expensive, but I've always wanted to go in that direction," he said of his Late Model. "Nobody's going to make any money in local dirt track racing. That's not why you do it.

"The best way to make a small fortune in racing is to start with a large fortune."

Car owner Art Osmer of Petrolia has been involved in the race game since 1958. He said if a car doesn't finish fifth or higher in a feature, all of its winnings simply pay for the fuel.

Osmer was behind the wheel of a race car as recently as eight years ago.

"Guys used to go run at three or four tracks a week," he said. "Those days are long gone.

"Back in the 1960s, it was a dollar a gallon for racing fuel. A lot of us ran aviation fuel from the airport. It was higher octane for $1.25 a gallon."

While the bigger race teams with large sponsorships aren't feeling the pinch of the economy so much, Osmer said the "smaller guy" has been forced to cut back.

"It's not just the number of tracks you go to, it's what you're putting on the track," he said. "We've been racing the same motor for 11 years. That's unheard of."

Dwayne Turner of Butler owns the No. 96 Modified that his son, Mike, drives at Lernerville.

"We still use regular road gas to haul the car around," he said. "For us to go race at Tri-City (Franklin), you're talking 110 miles round-trip. That's 10 gallons of gas. It adds up.

"This is a hobby. We're not gonna make money, but for the Friday night local racing guy, this is our sport."

Gary Rankin of Renfrew, a veteran Sprint car driver along with his wife, Sheila, buys the couple's racing fuel in 55-gallon drums at $200 each.

To haul their cars to Mercer Raceway Park and back, the Rankins pay $75.

"Whatever money the car makes goes back into the car,"Rankin said. "That's the way it has to be.

"We don't have a lot of sponsors. We race because it's fun. That's why a lot of guys do it. Even with the cost, it's hard to give it up."