Young Spithaler wins Sharon points crown
BUTLER TWP — Brandon Spithaler is ready to accept a ride — as long as he can drive.
Spithaler, 18, of Butler won his first points championship in his third season of racing in the Limited Sprint division at Sharon Speedway.
"Consistency was the key," said Frank Spithaler, an Evans City resident and Brandon's father, car owner and crew chief. "He finished among the top three in virtually every race in that division."
Spithaler won the first Limited Sprint feature of the year at Sharon, he but never found victory lane again until the points season was over. He won the fourth feature of the campaign, but was disqualified when his car weighed in 4 pounds too light.
"That meant no points that night, so we had to battle from behind much of the year," Frank Spithaler said.
Pill draws weren't kind to the Spithaler team, either. The only time Brandon started on the pole, he incurred a flat tire. Still, he stayed on the track and finished third.
On another night Spithaler started fourth. Besides that, he never started a race higher than eighth.
"It was a frustrating year in a lot of ways," Brandon Spithaler said. "But winning the points was a good way to finish because that was our goal from the start."
Spithaler just missed winning the points title last year, having to settle for runner-up on the final points night of 2008. He finished third in points in 2007 and earned Sharon Speedway's Rookie of the Year Award.
The only points night Spithaler failed to finish at least third this year was the final one. His car had mechanical problems and he was forced to start at the back of the field during the feature. Still, the teen managed to finish fifth.
Spithaler's final points total was 1,179, 37 points better than runner-up Nick Miller.
Now it's on to bigger things for Spithaler, who is trying to land a ride in a 410 Sprint car next season.
"There's a small chance we could build our own program there, but I don't think the money's there for an engine," the younger Spithaler said. "My racing plans are up in the air for next year, but I'm hoping I'm driving for somebody somewhere."
Right now, he's driving for car owner Tom Burkey, a central Ohio resident who Brandon met while racing at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Okla., earlier this year.
"(Burkey) is in his 70s and is trying to get out of racing, but he really liked Brandon," Frank Spithaler said. "He may be able to supply us with a motor or two if we start our own deal, but that's only a possibility at some point. The future is unsettled."
Burkey had Spithaler race his Sprint car at an Ohio track recently. Spithaler started 23rd and finished 20th.
He raced the Sprint car at Mercer Raceway last weekend, but was knocked out of the race in the first couple of laps.
Spithaler said he figures to race Burkey's car at a few more special events through October.
"The 410 Sprints have a lot more power and they turn much harder going into the corners," he said. "I feel like I'm ready to handle one, though. I've felt good in (Burkey's) car and I love the increased competition."
Spithaler graduated from Butler High in the spring and is attending Butler County Community College. He plans to major in engineering at Penn State-Behrend in Erie next year.
"Racing season overlaps college by a week or two at both ends," he said. "My plan is to be in a Sprint car. How and where, I have no idea."
