Rico Abreu wins Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway
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Local drivers Brandon Spithaler (22) and Carl Bowser (11) head into Turn 3 during their heat in the Don Martin Silver Cup held Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at Lernerville Speedway. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
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Brandon Spithaler (22), of Butler, qualified for the final heat in the Don Martin Silver Cup held Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at Lernerville Speedway. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
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Carl Bowser (11) heads into Turn 3 in the Don Martin Silver Cup held Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at Lernerville Speedway. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
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The stands were packed for the Don Martin Silver Cup held Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at Lernerville Speedway. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
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Drivers get ready to race in the Don Martin Silver Cup held Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at Lernerville Speedway. Holly Mead/Special to the Butler Eagle
BUFFALO TWP — Rico Abreu felt the heat, then felt the thrill of Victory Lane at Lernerville Speedway.
Holding the lead in Tuesday’s Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, Abreu had Corey Day on his tail. With less than four laps remaining in the 30-lap event, the former suddenly changed his running, going from the top of the track to the bottom.
The move may have seemed risky, but it helped Abreu hold off Day, who finished second, for the $25,000 first-place prize.
“When you’re leading, you have to know the pace of the race,” said Abreu, of Saint Helena, Calif. “If you have to, you can’t be afraid to make a move.”
Tyler Courtney paced the field for the first 16 laps. Three caution flags helped open the door for Abreu, who took the lead for good on the 17th lap.
Abreu entered the race in fourth place in the Kubota High Limit Sprint Car Series point standings before earning his first Silver Cup victory.
“I have to thank my team,” he said. “They never give up, and each week they find ways to make us better.”
Butler’s Brandon Spithaler placed fifth in his heat and qualified for the feature. He was in 12th place when his car left the track on Turn 3. His No. 22 flipped seven times, but he exited soon after it came to a rest.
“That sucks,” he said in an interview with FloRacing prior to the restart. “We had a really good race car. “(The crash) was a racing deal.”
Carl Bowser, also of Butler, currently in second place in Lernerville’s Sprint point standings, reached the final with a track provisional spot and placed 20th.
Heat winners: Rico Abreu, Sye Lynch, Corey Day, Spencer Bayston
B-Main: Zeb Wise
