BUFFALO TWP— Brian Swartzlander had the top groove covered. Ron Smoker chose to occupy the bottom.

So Kevin Bolland found the middle.

The New Brighton driver took advantage of a 30-lap race that had 12 restarts to win the BRPModified Tour feature Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.

Bolland started from the fifth position but did not take the lead until the 25th lap as the front row duo of Swartzlander and Smoker exchanged the lead spot five times.

"Brian was great up top and Ron was working the bottom,"Bolland said. "I couldn't just continue to follow. I had to find a way to lead."

That way proved to be a middle groove Bolland discovered late in the race.

"I found a spot where I could get just enough bite to get enough momentum to get past those guys,"Bolland said.

Once he did, he stayed in front to capture his first checkered flag at Lernerville this season and his 11th career BRPTour victory.

No more than four consecutive laps were run throughout the race without a caution coming out for either a multicar wreck, a spin-out or debris on the track.

"Our car was good, but we didn't need those cautions,"Swartzlander said. "They made it tough to race because they constantly tightened up the field.

"When you're running up front, you don't want to see that yellow flag."

Swartzlander settled for second place after winning the previous three Modified features here. The No. 83 will start from the back of the field for next Friday's Fab Four event.

Smoker wound up third.

"I opted for the bottom groove because it was smoother,"Smoker said. "The top was a little rough."

Swartzlander agreed — but ran better on the outside groove anyway.

"I was giving up too much ground between turns 3 and 4, though,"he said.

While the cautions frustrated the leaders, they gave Bolland the opportunity he needed to win.

"Oh, yes, they helped me. ... They probably saved me," he said. "My oil pressure light was on. I don't think I could have reeled off three or four straight laps continuously and stayed in this race."

• Saxonburg's Alex Ferree fell short in his bid to become the first Late Model driver since Lynn Geisler in 1986 to win five successive features at Lernerville.

Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford started fifth and took the lead for a fifth-lap restart when pole-sitter Mike Blose spun out on Turn 4. Hess kept the lead from that point to record only his second career Late Model triumph at Lernerville.

"I was looking for Alex. I knew he was coming,"Hess said. "He has a really good car, but we had a good car tonight, too."

Because he had won three consecutive Lernerville features, Ferree had to start from the back of the field last week, but won that night anyway.

The No. 4 car started 25th and last again Friday and moved into the fourth spot by the 15th lap. He got as high as third with three laps to go before settling for fourth behind Hess, Matt Lux and Nick Jones.

"This still wasn't bad,"Ferree said.

• Bob Lipinski of Pittsburgh claimed his first Pure Stock feature here since 2004, taking advantage of contact between frontrunners Joe Kelley and Mike Pegher Jr. that took out both cars.

Kelley had a slight edge on Pegher as they came off the fourth turn of Lap 10. Their cars came together on the front straightaway, resulting in Kelley's front fender coming off and Pegher having to go to the pits.

Lipinski was running third at the time, took over the lead and never lost it. Kelley finished ninth and Pegher 14th.

Notes:There were 77 cars in the pits, including 27 Modifieds. ... Ferree and Swartzlander won their fourth heat races of the season while Geisler won his first. ... Hess won a UMPModified feature here April 17. ... All-Star Sprints and UMP Modifieds will run at Lernerville Tuesday night.