BUFFALO TWP - Everything was falling into place for Kevin Bolland.

Then the New Brighton driver fell off of Turn 3 on the 27th lap - and out of the race - during Wednesday night's Modified Super DIRT Series' 100-lap Keystone Klassic.

Series points leader Tim Fuller wound up winning the race, taking the lead on the 44th lap and keeping it the rest of the way. It was Fuller's fifth win on the Modified Super DIRT Series tour this season.

And Bolland was left to wonder what might have been.

"We were running pretty good," the driver of the No. 777 car said. "I know we were a top-10 car. We might have been a top-5 car."

Bolland finished second in his heat race and was the last of 12 drivers to select a pill determining where among the first six rows of cars he would start in the feature.

The No. 1 spot was left for him.

"It helps to be lucky in that pill draw, but we ran well enough to be in that pill draw," Bolland said.

Bolland lost the lead on the third lap of the feature. He continued to hang around the leaders, however, and was running third when Alan Johnson's car came up on him on the third turn of the 27th lap.

Bolland was riding the high groove and got nudged over the cushion.

"There was just nowhere to go," he said. "But I kept the car straight, avoided the caution and stayed on the track. I figured there was a lot of race left."

Eight cars got around Bolland before he got straightened around, though, and he never returned to the front of the pack.

Bolland wound up settling for 16th. It was the highest finish of any local driver and he was the only local driver to complete all 100 laps. Del Rougeux of Frenchville finished 17th and completed 99 laps.

"That's an accomplishment right there," Bolland said of running 100 laps. "We local guys just aren't used to running races like this."

Fuller is plenty used to it. The victory was his second Super DIRT Series feature triumph in a row. He pulled away from runner-up Brett Hearn, who held off fellow Elite 11 driver Billy Decker for the second spot.

Fuller started from the seventh position.

"The car's been feeling really good," Fuller said. "We've been working toward this for five years, to be consistently competitive in this series.

"The first half of the race, we weren't very good, really. I was biding my time, waiting for the track to get slippery."

Once it did, Fuller slipped away for the win.

"I got the lead briefly, then saw Tim coming up on the inside," Hearn said. "All I could think was, 'Oh no, not him.' Tim's just having a great year."

Decker admitted his race team has been struggling of late.

"Tonight was a case of close, but no cigar," he said. "Our car was pretty good, but not good enough. I would have liked to have seen the race finish green."

It did, but only for the final seven laps. The race's final caution came out on the 90th lap and the next three laps were run under yellow, costing Hearn and Decker momentum.

But on the final restart, Fuller pulled away again.

The 100-lap event had eight restarts and was completed in 48 minutes.

E-Mods and Late Models were also on Wednesday's race card.

Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford started ninth in the E-Mod feature and scored an unexpected win on the final lap. Matt Lux of Franklin, who led since Lap 2, broke on the second turn of the final lap.

Hess was third entering the last lap, but overtook Larry Walters of Evans City on the fourth turn to snare the win.

The victory was the 100th career feature win - E-Mods and Late Models combined - for Hess and he's only 21 years old. He's already won six Late Model and 11 E-Mod features this season.

Hess nearly won the Late Model feature as well. But as he was battling Saxonburg's Alex Ferree for the lead on the 17th lap, Lynn Geisler of Cranberry Township passed them both and took the checkered.

It was Geisler's fourth win this year at Lernerville and second in six days. He has 104 career Late Model wins at the Sarver track.

Ferree led the race for all of the first 16 laps.

Notes:

There were 42 Modifieds, 33 E-Mods and 18 Late Models in the pits. … Tom Sears Jr. got the Hard Charger Award in the Keystone Klassic 100, starting 22nd and finishing sixth. … Lernerville Modified points leader Dave Murdick of Slippery Rock finished 27th and completed just 22 of the 100 laps. Brian Swartzlander of Leechburg completed only six laps and his No. 83 was towed from the track after a wreck with Sean Beardsley. … Tom Winkle of Mars car broke during his heat race and his No. 28 was not able to compete in the B-Main. … Fab Four racing returns to Lernerville Friday night. The World of Outlaws Late Models will be at the Sarver track Aug. 12 with $20,000 going to the winner.