Drivers streak to the top
BUFFALO TWP — There is some serious streaking going on at Lernerville Speedway.
Consider what occurred at the Sarver track Friday night:
• Alex Ferree won his fourth consecutive Late Model feature and sixth in seven feature races this season. Lynn Geisler won four of five Late Model features in 1994.
• Brian Swartzlander won his third consecutive Modified feature. The last time the veteran Leechburg driver of the No. 83 did that was 2001.
• Ed Lynch Jr. won his fourth Sprint feature in the past six Fab Four racing Fridays, hiking his track record total in that division to 86.
With Ferree, it's not a question of rather being lucky than good. He's been lucky
and good."I can't explain what's going on right now,"said the Saxonburg driver of the No. 4 car. "Sure, the car's been beautiful. It's been amazing. But everything's falling my way right now."Once any driver in any division wins three straight features at Lernerville, he automatically tails the field the following week.Ferree may as well be starting from the parking lot.He was in third place by the 10th lap, passing 17 cars to get there. Ferree took the lead from Sarver's Ken Schaltenbrand on a 12th-lap restart and never relinquished it."The lapped cars — I got through them quick," Ferree said. "That surprised me. The holes just seemed to open up for me."A mishap with Mike Blose's car caused a caution to come out early. That happened right in front of me. I easily could have got caught up in that. I don't know what I've done to deserve so much luck, but I'm grateful for it."No Late Model driver has won five consecutive features at Lernerville since Cranberry Township's Geisler turned the trick in 1986.Ferree will go for the quintet set next Friday."If you're good enough to get four in a row, five can't be far behind," Geisler said. "Alex and his crew have put together a program that happens to work here."By far, he's the fastest car in the division right now. His people are just working on maintenance and everyone else is tinkering with the car trying to catch up," Geisler added.Swartzlander started 12th in the Modified feature and took the lead from front-row starter Del Rougeux Jr. on the front straightaway of the ninth lap.Kevin Bolland wound up second, with Jeremiah Shingledecker finishing third. Swartzlander's win was his 52nd at Lernerville and his fourth this season. He won only two features here last season."We only ran this car twice here last year and we won one of those races," Swartzlander said. "This car's been awesome for us."Still driving current Lernerville General Manager Gary Risch's car as well, Swartzlander said the team is saving that vehicle for later in the season."We're going to want a fresh car at some point," he said.Swartzlander took over the Modified points lead with Friday's win. He owns one feature win and the points lead at Sharon Speedway as well."You just enjoy it when things are breaking for you in this sport," Swartzlander said. "I just hope we can keep it up."Lynch has been keeping up a winning pace in a Sprint car for years — and it never gets old."I want to keep going because there's a lot more things I want to accomplish," he said.The Apollo Rocket is fewer than 10 Sprint feature wins away from 200 in his career overall. He has his eye on the 100-win plateau at Lernerville as well."If my family continues to support my racing and the finances are there, I'd love to go for 100 here," Lynch said. "That's tough to do in a Sprint car."Lynch began Friday's feature from the 11th spot. Kevin Schaeffer started ninth and Rod George 12th. Those three drivers finished first, second and third."I felt like I was faster than Ed tonight on an open track," Schaeffer said. "I kept getting stuck behind lapped traffic."
Notes: Paul Schreckengost of Creighton won the Pure Stock feature, starting from the 23rd spot and getting the lead on the 14th lap of the 15-lap race. It was his second Lernerville win this year. ... There were 86 cars in the pits. ... Scott Priester of Rimersburg picked up his first heat race victory of the season in Sprints. ... Swartzlander won his third heat race of the campaign to go with his four feature wins.
