BUFFALO TWP— Starting up front isn't the preferable position for Kevin Schaeffer.

But Lernerville Speedway's defending Sprint division points champion gladly accepted the post Friday night.

The Kittanning driver led the feature from wire to wire, holding off Brian Ellenberger at the end to secure his first win of 2007.

"I probably don't get this win if I didn't start in the front row,"Schaeffer admitted. "I prefer starting in the second or third row. That wouldn't have worked tonight."

Schaeffer fended off Bob Felmlee through most of the feature before the latter dropped to fourth following a 20th-lap restart.

Ellenberger made a quick surge during that same restart and nearly overtook Schaeffer, only to finish on his bumper at the checkered flag.

"I needed one more lap to win this race,"the Butler driver said. "I jumped up on him pretty quick there."

"Iknew he was behind me,"Schaeffer said. "Iheard more than one car back there."

The other was Ed Lynch Jr., who started 12th and finished third, right behind Ellenberger, who will be trying his luck this year in the All-Star series.

"I'll be here for the Outlaw shows and when the All-Stars come, or if I happen to be home on a weekend,"he said.

n Brian Swartzlander posted Lernerville Modified career feature win No. 49 and found victory lane for the first time this season.

He started fifth and overtook race leader Tom Winkle of Mars on the fourth lap of what was only a 13-car field.

"It was strange out there with so few cars,"Swartzlander said. "Still, there was plenty of quality competition on the track."

Defending Modified points champion Kevin Bolland finished a distant second, though it appeared he might challenge Swartzlander with three laps to go.

"We may have had the faster car, but I saw the light flicker on my dash for oil pressure and I wasn't gonna push it,"Bolland said. "I just wanted to bring the car home at that point."

Bolland has a new car this season and Friday marked only his second race night with it.

In the meantime, Swartzlander welcomed a victory after losing the lead last week when the car in front of him malfunctioned and blew smoke and water in his face.

"It was nice running up front tonight, because, with so few cars, lapped traffic was never an issue," he said.

n Sam Stile denied Saxonburg's Alex Ferree a three-peat in victory lane by winning the Late Model feature.

Stile started third and grabbed the lead from Mike Blose on the ninth lap. Ferree started eighth and got around Blose for second spot on the 21st lap.

Ferree and Stile started side-by-side on a 24th-lap restart, but Stile beat the No. 4 car to the checkered. Ferree had won the first two Late Model features this season.

"All I was thinking was, no three-peat tonight, Alex, it's my turn,"Stile said.

n Joe Kelley, a Pure Stock points champion at Lernerville many times in recent years, did not race regularly here last season. He started on the pole and led from start to finish Friday.

The win was Kelley's first here since Sept. 17, 2005. Greg Beach of Chicora finished second.

Notes:There were 83 cars in the pits. ... Forty-year racing veteran Carl Murdick of Butler drew the pole for the 13-car Modified feature, but a flat tire sent him to the pits after only three laps.