BUFFALO TWP — The action was gripping and Sprint cars went flipping Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.

One that didn't, driven by Tim Shaffer of Aliquippa, survived the fast track and won the 30-lap All-Star Sprint feature.

"This track was really fast. It was old school. This is how racy this track was when I ran here years ago," said Shaffer, this year's All-Star series points leader and the Sprint points champion at Lernerville in 1993.

"You had to sit back in your seat and let it rip tonight."

Shaffer started the feature in the front row with Lernerville regular Bob Felmlee. The No. 83 car led for the first 23 laps, only to see Greg Hodnett get past him on Turn 4 of the 24th lap.

"That's a driver's worst nightmare when you're running in front: to see a car zip by you like that," Shaffer said. "I thought the race was over at that point. Still, you never give up."

Lapped traffic worked out for Shaffer three laps later as he retook the lead from Hodnett on the 27th lap and took the checkered flag and the $5,000 first prize.

Felmlee wound up third, showing signs that a hard-luck season might be turning around for him. He won his first feature of the year at Sharon Speedway last weekend.

"I'm thrilled with the way I finished tonight," Felmlee said. "I'm thrilled just to finish without me bumping into anybody, somebody bumping into me, spinning out or flipping."

Other drivers didn't have such luck.

Moments after posting a top-10 qualifying time, veteran World of Outlaws driver Lance Dewease broke his rear axle coming around Turn 2 and suffered a crushed vertebra.

The accident will sideline Dewease for four to six weeks.

Three Sprint drivers — Lindsay Enscoe of Petrolia, Rob Eyler and Todd Bauer — flipped during heat races, but they avoided injury. Bud Watt flipped during the first lap of the B-Main and Bill Kiley's car toppled over on the 11th lap of the same race.

During the feature, Ryan Bunton of Morton, Ill, had the most violent flip of the night, rolling over nearly a dozen times while totaling his No. 6R car on the 18th lap. Bunton was banged up, but not seriously injured.

"The track had a lot of bite tonight," said Ed Lynch Jr. of Apollo. "You could race in any groove. This was the fastest the track's been in a long time."

Lynch had the fastest qualifying time Friday — 12.413 seconds — and fell just short of Joey Saldana's track record 12.334 set in 2002.

Lynch failed to qualify for the feature in his heat race, finishing sixth, but rebounded to win the B-Main and finish sixth in the feature.

"My car was tight all night," Lynch said. "I was fine when I had open track. But when I was in lapped traffic, I couldn't do the things I wanted to do."

NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne showed up with his No. 91 Sprint car, posted the second-fastest qualifying time and finished seventh in the feature.

Qualifying for Sunday's Pocono race on the Sprint Cup circuit was rained out Friday, as was action at Williams Grove dirt track, causing Kahne to make the trip to Lernerville.

In other action at the Sarver oval:

• Jim Frank of Jamestown, N.Y., started up front and inherited the lead from Alan Dellinger when the latter pitted with four laps remaining in the Crate Late Model Feature.

Frank kept the lead from there to earn his first career Lernerville feature win.

• Terry Young of Butler started alongside Bob Lipinski in the last row of the first Sportsman Stock feature, the makeup of the May 30 rainout. Young won the race when the four cars in front of him suffered flat tires and/or other damage with four laps remaining.

Young held off Pat Hanley and Lipinski, who was bidding for his fourth straight Lernerville victory, to grab the checkered flag.

"The gods were smiling on me tonight," Young said "I knew Lipinski was right behind me and all I was trying to do was stay ahead of him."

• Joe Kelley of Mount Pleasant won the regularly scheduled Pure Stock feature for his first victory at the Sarver oval this year.

Kelley has 28 career Lernerville feature wins in the Stock division, breaking a tie with Bruce Milbert for second on the track's all-time list. Scott Bochek leads with 29.

There were 92 cars in the pits, including 42 Sprints. Fab Four racing returns next Friday night.