BUFFALO TWP - Butch Lambert might be having his best season, Mike Pegher Jr. is having a breakthrough season, Greg Beach isn't happy with his season.

Each of these Pure Stock drivers has a chance to culminate his season with a points championship Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.

The points race ends that evening and only six points separate the trio.

"I've been here for a while and I've never seen it this close," Lambert said.

Consistency keeps you near the top and these three have been as consistent as it gets.

There have been 15 Pure Stock features at Lernerville this season, and Beach, Lambert and Pegher have combined for eight wins, 21 top-five finishes and 30 top-10 finishes.

Until he failed to answer the bell for the feature last week, Bob Egley was in the points chase as well. Now he's 32 points off the pace.

"This is only my third year of driving a Pure Stock," said. the longtime school bus racer from Pittsburgh "I'm proud of myself for hanging in with these guys for so long.

"It (would have been) tough to overtake all three because they're always around at the end. They're always in the top five."

Beach, of Chicora, has only five top-five finishes this year in the No. 33X. His lone feature win came on a non-points night - during an Outlaws show May 20 - but he has 315 points entering this week.

Lambert has 314 and Pegher has 309.

"I'm disappointed with the year I've had, actually," Beach said. "I expected to have a few more wins, but we haven't hit the set-up all year."

He's helped Lambert hit his, however, loaning him a transmission one night and another engine part the following week. The Mars driver wound up in victory lane both nights.

The two pit next to each other each Friday night.

"Greg started racing here a couple of years ago and we've gotten to know each other," Lambert said. "We're good friends. Anything in my trailer that he needs, he can use.

"I know he feels the same way because he's helped me out a couple of times."

"The idea is to keep everybody racing," Beach said.

Lambert won the points title in his No. 27 at Lernerville in 2002. He's found victory lane nine times this year in four features and five heat races.

"This is probably my best season, but I'd love to see Beach win it this year," Lambert said. "We're not gonna hand it to him, though."

Beach has a chance to win the points title without winning a feature on a points night - a rarity in any division of racing.

He prefers for it not happen that way.

"Like anyone else, I come here to win," Beach said. "If I can win the feature and the points title next week, I'll take that set."

Pegher, a Wexford resident and recent Seneca Valley graduate, hopes to spoil the celebration plans of the other two.

Pegher's has two DNF's to go with three feature wins and nine top-five finishes this year.

"If you don't finish a race, it can come back to bite you," Pegher said. "And we've been bitten a couple of times."

Like Egley, Pegher is only in his third season in the Pure Stocks.

"I'm surprised to be where I'm at this late in the season," he said. "My goal was to finish among the top five in points.

"Now we're aiming for the top. We'll see what happens."

Pegher owns a Modified now and plans to race it eventually. He said it will likely be two more years before he has the finances available to run the Modified each week.

In the meantime, he'll stick with the No. 09 Pure Stock.

Lambert and Beach don't mind the competition.

"That's what it's all about," Lambert said. "The more competitive it is on the track, the more fun it is to race.

"This year, we've had a ball."

Lernerville Speedway Points StandingsTop 15 through Aug. 19SprintsEd Lynch Jr. 396 (clinched title), Rod George 354, Kevin Schaeffer 325, Arnie Kent 306, Cory Good 244, Scott Bonnell 238, Carl Bowser 237, Brent Matus 237, Charlie Holben 229, Jody Keegan 221, Gary Rankin 214, Mike Shearer 209, Davey Jones 190, Jack Sodeman Jr. 184, John Stickley 143

Late ModelsJohn Flinner 350, Lynn Geisler 348, Bob Wearing Jr. 323, Nick Jones 293, Mike Blose 278, Ken Schaltenbrand 259, Chuck Kennedy 248, Chris Schneider 229, Gary Lyle 207, Jared Miley 202, David Scott 171, John Mollick 166, Keith Zimmerman 161, Tom Tuite 159, Carl McKinney 159

ModifiedsDave Murdick 351 (clinched title), Brian Swartzlander 305, Tom Winkle 284, Jim Weller Jr. 281, Kevin Bolland 272, JR McGinley 269, Mark Flick 241, Chanda Reitz 233, Gary Risch Jr. 213, Pete Simpson 197, Keith Swartzlander 190, Carl Murdick 170, Mike Turner 164, Rodney Beltz 148, Del Rougeux Jr. 144

Pure StocksGreg Beach 315, Butch Lambert 314, Mike Pegher Jr. 309, Bob Egley 283, Bob Lipinski 280, Jake Ayers 273, Paul Schreckengost 260, Dave Spangler 248, Mike Turner 228, Wayne Carbo 227, Terry Young 188, Pat Hanley 159, Joe Kelley 147, Bobby Whitling 143, Herman Bertolini 139