BUFFALO TWP - Some question remains about whether Joe Kelley will be running for points in the Pure Stock division at Lernerville Speedway this season.

Kelley has won five of the past six Pure Stock points titles here. Only Butch Lambert of Mars (2002) interrupted that streak.

"I haven't heard anything about him not running here," said Greg Beach of Chicora, driver of the No. 33X. "I hope Joe's going for points.

"If I'm going to make a run for it, I want him out there. You always want to go after the best."

Beach, 28, is entering his fourth year of Pure Stock racing at Lernerville. He owns six feature wins there, including four during the 2003 campaign.

Whether Kelley runs for points or not, Beach figures to be a prime player in the race. He finished third in the 2003 points battle, a mere three points behind Kelley.

Despite winning just one feature at Lernerville last year, Beach finished third in points again, trailing Kelley by 19 at the end.

"We've been right there," Beach said. "The key is to run consistently, finish in the top five pretty much all the time.

"But that's hard to do in a division where any one of 11 or 12 cars is capable of winning on any night."

Like many Pure Stock drivers, Beach's crew is his family: His wife, Tricia, and father, Jerry Beach.

"We've been working together in the pits for so long that everyone knows what to do and we just do it," Beach said. "To stop and try to explain who does what - I just can't."

The only non-family member among the crew is Tom Stodish of Butler, a drag racer who builds drag racing motors.

He also does one Pure Stock motor - the No. 33X belonging to Beach.

"Jerry and I have a mutual friend in Bruce Watson, who told me they were looking for someone to do their motor," Stodish said. "I met with the family and they're good people. And working with good people is what this business is all about."

A drag racer for 30 years, Stodish agreed to build Beach his motor - if he could build two of them.

"I wanted a back-up in case the first one didn't work," he said. "With a drag racing motor, you want pure power, hit the throttle and go.

"With Greg's car, we needed a motor to go gentle around bends. That was our problem last year."

Stodish said the camshaft in Beach's motor last year was "too wild" and it caused the car to spin out too much.

"We toned it down this year," Stodish said. "And I think we've got it."

Jerry Beach agrees.

"So much of what we do is trial and error," he said. "We made some adjustments and I think we'll be faster. We've picked up a couple of sponsors and that will help, too.

"This is a tough division with a lot of fast cars, but Greg should be right up there with any of them. I don't know if it's his goal or not, but I think he can win points if all goes well."

Of course, everything doesn't always go well on race night.

"I have to keep the car in one piece," Greg Beach said, smiling. "That's always a factor. We don't have a lot of money in this team. … We're trying not to go broke.

"Every year, we get things down a little better. We need to get better stuff, but we've gotten more experience and that can make a difference."

Beach will run occasionally at Tri-City and Sportsman's this year, but Lernerville will remain his main track.

He admitted to some desire to drive a Late Model, but will never do so on his own.

"Not gonna happen," he said. "If someone was to offer me a ride and I didn't have to sink any money into it, sure, I'd jump on it.

"As long as I'm doing my own thing, it will be in a Pure Stock."

Friday's Fab Four race card at Lernerville is a non-points night. Points racing will begin April 15.