BUFFALO TWP — 50 years and counting.

And don't expect Carl Murdick to leave dirt track racing anytime soon — even though he'll turn 72 June 6.

"Age doesn't mean a thing," the longtime Butler resident said. "It's all in how you feel and whether you can still be competitive. I feel fine and I'm still holding my own out there.

"I might go a couple more years or this might be it. Who knows? I don't know what I'd do with myself if I did quit."

His son, Modified driver Dave Murdick, can't help him there.

"He doesn't have any other hobbies," the younger Murdick said. "Driving a race car is what my father does."

Carl Murdick's racing history pre-dates Lernerville Speedway. He competed in the first race ever at the Sarver oval and won the Modified points championship there in 1970.

Dave Murdick won consecutive Modified points championships in 2004-05 and sits second and fourth, respectively, in Late Model and Modified points so far this season.

His father is 10th in Modified points in 2009, which is where he finished last year.

"I never encouraged my kids to get into racing," Carl Murdick said. "This is a costly sport and once you get hooked, you get hooked.

"I wasn't going to discourage them, either. It was up to them. They enjoy it like I do."

Gary and Sheila Rankin, Murdick's son-in-law and daughter, race Sprint cars at Lernerville. The entire family operates on a low racing budget.

"I never thought he'd be doing it for this long," Sheila admitted of her father's racing career. "It seems like for each of the last 10 years, he was saying that'd be the last year.

"Once he approached 50 years (of racing), we told him he was too close and he had to go for it."

Murdick has a lot of gold paint on his No. 6 car this year, since 50 marks a golden anniversary. His cars have been been painted blue, black, red, yellow and burgundy over the years.

"I like my car to stand out on the track, so I try to go for a color scheme other guys aren't using," Murdick said.

"We talked to (Lernerville office manager) Linda Fennell about painting gold on the car and she thought it was a good idea," Dave said.

Carl Murdick remains old-school. He still builds his own motors — like most drivers did in the 1960's — and uses dated equipment.

"The tires I get are used and Dad uses them when I'm through with them," Dave Murdick said.

The elder Murdick has had his share of moments on the track. He's garnered 56 feature wins — 12 at Lernerville — and has raced on nearly 50 different tracks.

He recalled a day in 1965 when he won his heat race, the Australian Pursuit and his feature at Blanket Hill Speedway.

"I also remember leading a 50-lap race after 49 laps — and broke," he said. "There's the good and the bad."

Murdick still cherishes his 1970 points title at Lernerville — but he cherishes the car even more.

"That car has a lot of history," He said. "The first race Sheila ran was in that car. I raced it from 1969 to 1982 and my son-in-law bought the car and raced it after that.

"The motor from that car is still sitting in a corner of my garage somewhere."

Murdick isn't sure the last time he won a feature at Lernerville, "probably around 1985 or so," he said. "I know I finished fifth in a race last year."

He received Tri-City Speedway's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and an Outstanding Achievement Award from Mercer Raceway Park in 2002 to commemorate 13 consecutive top-10 point finishes.

And Murdick believes he can still win, even though his car is nine years old.

"Everything would have to go my way, from the set-up to the pill draw, hitting the right line, but it can happen," he said. "Why not? My equipment and car aren't as new as other guys out here, but nobody comes to lose every week."

Murdick and his wife, Sally, have been married 52 years. She may support the sport even more than he does.

"Dad has told me that when he does quit racing, he's not coming to the track anymore," Dave Murdick said. "If that's the case, Mom told him to plan on spending a lot of Friday nights home alone."

Lernerville Points Standings(top 15 through May 15)SprintsRod George 115, Ed Lynch Jr. 107, Kevin Schaeffer 99, Brent Matus 79, Danny Holtgraver 73, Jack Sodeman Jr. 71, Charlie Holben 67, Scott Priester 65, Ralph Spithaler 61, Bob Felmlee 59, Mike Lutz 59, Carl Bowser 58, Dan Kuriger 53, Todd Bauer 53, Lindsay Enscoe 45

Late ModelsGregg Satterlee 113, Dave Murdick 85, Alex Ferree 84, Jared Miley 80, Lynn Geisler 74, John Garvin Jr. 73, Doug Horton 69, Ken Schaltenbrand/Bob Wearing Jr. 64, Keith Barbara 62, John Flinner 60, Michael Norris 54, Gary Lyle 53, Todd Bachman 51, Chuck Sarver 43, Dave Hess Jr. 40

ModifiedsBrian Swartzlander 106, Jeremiah Shingledecker 102, Del Rougeux Jr. 102, Dave Murdick 93, Kevin Bolland 90, Mike Turner 72, Steve Feder 71, Mike Miller 69, Phil Evans Jr. 65, Carl Murdick 62, Tom Winkle 61, Dean Pearson 50, Shawn Fleeger 48, Brian Sadler 47, Jim Weller Jr. 46

Sportsman StocksBob Lipinski 116, Bob Egley 89, Pat Hanley 84, Wayne Carbo 81, Kevin Haas 77, Terry Young 75, Joe Kelley 72, Corey McPherson 67, Shawn Thorn 66, Ryan Moyer 64, Paul Schreckengost 63, Jim Fosnaught 62, Mark Sanders 62, Paul Petrovich 50, Jeff Walters 45

Here is a rundown of Carl Murdick's Modified feature wins from 1968-2009:Sportsmans — 24Lernerville — 12Mercer — 6Trip-City — 5Motodrome 70 — 3Blanket Hill — 1North Hills — 1Crawford County Fairgrounds — 1Source: Walt Wimer, W.Pa. racing historian