BUFFALO TWP — The voice over the public address system at Lernerville Speedway refers to Slippery Rock resident Dave Murdick as Double Duty Dave.

He could also be called tireless on tires, the point producer or the Bridesmaid of Buffalo Township.

All of the above apply to the 46-year-old driver of the No. 61 Modified and No. 1J Late Model.

"This is my second year of driving both cars and it hasn't been easy," Murdick said. "I know I've lost weight this season.

"But it's been challenging and it's been fun. You get all hot and sweaty, but you don't notice it until you stop the car and climb out."

Murdick climbs out of one car and hops into another. More often than not, the Late Model and Modified features run back-to-back at Lernerville.

"It's good for my (Modified) crew because they have a lot more responsibility setting up the car," Murdick said. "I don't have as much time to spend going over things with them."

Steve Slater, Murdick's longtime Modified crew chief, said he makes sure Murdick is climbing into a safe race car when he boards the No. 61.

"Davey's relying on us to keep it safe and we're not gonna let him down," Slater said. "With all the tracks we've run this year — Sharon, Lernerville, Tri-City and the BRP Tour — we've only had one DNF. W'e're pretty proud of that."

They're proud of where they stand in points, too — in both divisions.

Murdick enters the final night of points racing Friday at Lernerville in fourth place in Modified points and fifth in Late Model points. He's tallied 606 points in the two divisions combined.

While he's virtually locked into fourth in Modifieds, he trails John Garvin Jr. by only 10 points for third and Gary Lyle by five points for fourth in Late Models despite missing three Friday night shows because of a blown engine.

"We were ahead of Alex (Late Model points leader Ferree) when that happened five weeks ago,"Murdick said. "I'd have to believe we'd be pushing him pretty good if we were able to stay on the track."

The No. 1J Late Model is owned by Jimmy Pitkavish, who looked for a driver last year when an altered work schedule prevented him from driving at Lernerville.

"Dave Murdick was the only guy we had in mind to drive this car," No. 1J crew member Dan Peiffer said. "He's a smart, veteran driver who doesn't ding things up or damage equipment.

"We believed we could win with him and we still do. We're already making plans to have a backup motor on hand next year so we don't lose track time."

Murdick has found everything at Lernerville this year but victory lane. He has four heat wins in his Modified, trailing only Del Rougeux Jr. and Brian Swartzlander in that department.

He has three Late Model heat wins, trailing only Zelienople's John Flinner, who has four.

Murdick has 11 top-five finishes in his Modified and six in the Late Model. He's finished second in features in both cars.

"It's going to happen soon," Peiffer said of a Late Model feature win. "We're right there."

"We've only had this (Modified) car out three or four times," Murdick said. "We just haven't figured this one out yet. We're doing a lot of experimenting with the body.

"It's been a little tough, coming so close and not winning, but we're doing pretty well for a low-budget race team."

Murdick has been racing a Modified since 1996. He's only been in a Late Model for three years.

"You can hit the corners a lot harder, more aggressively, in a Late Model and you can see a lot more in a Modified," he said. "There's not a whole lot of vision out of those Late Models."

Murdick hopes to be in both cars next season as well. The Pitkavish team plans to welcome him back.

"It's a lot of work, but it's so much fun," Murdick said. "I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to do both. There's a number of drivers who would like to do two divisions, but finances get in the way.

"Yeah, my ultimate night would be winning in both divisions. But right now, I'd gladly settle for one."

Lernerville Points Standings top 15 through Aug. 21SprintsRod George 392, Ed Lynch Jr. 369, Kevin Schaeffer 364, Jack Sodeman Jr. 326, Carl Bowser 300, Bob Felmlee 292, Brent Matus 278, Todd Bauer 258, Scott Priester 244, Charlie Holben 239, Dan Kuriger 233, Mike Lutz 221, Danny Holtgraver 198, Pete Miller III 174, Scott Bonnell 161

Late ModelsAlex Ferree 344, Lynn Geisler 328, John Garvin Jr. 273, Gary Lyle 268, Dave Murdick 263, Doug Horton 243, Todd Bachman 240, Jared Miley 236, Chuck Sarver 221, Gregg Satterlee 190, John Flinner 181, Mike/Davey Johnson 136, Mark Booth 136, Michael Norris 121, Tony Burke 119

ModifiedsBrian Swartzlander 386, Kevin Bolland 375, Jeremiah Shingledecker 372, Dave Murdick 343, Del Rougeux Jr. 299, Tom Winkle 299, Mike Turner 257, Dean Pearson 246, Carl Murdick 211, Steve Feder 201, Erik Martin 192, Mike Miller 185, Shawn Fleeger 174, Jim Weller Jr. 169, Jeff Miller 144

Sportsman StocksBob Lipinski 441, Joe Kelley 418, Bob Egley 393, Pat Hanley 366, Wayne Carbo 341, Jim Fosnaught 326, Ryan Moyer 321, Corey McPherson 306, Shawn Thorn 285, Paul Schreckengost 267, Terry Young 255, Randy Hanovick 223, Scott Byers 197, Brett McDonald 197, Mark Sanders 195