The Sprint Car Group and the World of Outlaws, along with Lernerville Speedway general manager Gary Risch Jr., have negotiated a last-minute deal that ensures Sprint cars will run for the Sarver track's opening night Friday and at Mercer Raceway Park Saturday.

Opening day at area tracks often has been met with controversy. This year, Sprint drivers wanted an increase in the purses and had threatened a boycott.

Because of a new rule that requires Sprint cars to use four Goodyear tires, car owners wanted a portion of the money the tracks are getting from Goodyear to boost purses.

Details are sketchy at this point, but it's been reported that the group wanted purses increased for those in the back of the field to help those owners pay for tires and fuel.

The Sprint car feature will now consist of 20 cars running 25 laps, and B-Mains will be provided.

Lernerville also had problems with its first opener. Originally, the plan was to open the track in the spring of 1968, but a Buffalo Township ordinance change set to become effective at the beginning of 1968 would have prevented the track from opening.

To beat the ordinance, Lernerville opened in October 1967 and ran two races. Track founder Don Martin freely admitted the facility was subpar for the initial races and they had to skimp on a lot of things to get the track open early.

The first two races were unsuccessful at the gate, forcing Martin to buy out two of his partners, Dale Hafer and Bucky Flemming, a year later.

The newly created Neupert Raceway Park Go-Cart Track in Jefferson Township is experiencing problems with opposition from the township and the state, and hasn't set an opening date.

Jen Lyn Speedway was carved out of an 180-acre farm in Washington Township in 1964 by Howard and Ed Lynch Sr., but it never hosted a race.

After opposition against the track grew, the township passed an ordinance and the track was shut down The Lynch family sold the concession stand they built to Lernerville in 1967 and trucked it up Route 356.

Few people are aware that Ed and Howard's father, Richard Howard Lynch, operated a track on the same farm in 1939, running jalopies. Ed said. "It ran though two creeks on the turns and was quite a sight to see!"

In other racing news:

n John Garvin Jr.'s Late Model was voted Best in Show at the recent car show at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills. Finishing a close second was the Pitkavish No. 1 Late Model driven by Dave Murdick. The previous week, Jerry Schaffer's Modified was the winner at the Clearview Mall in Butler.

• Oval Track Promotions and Rick Jones have bought the Roaring Knob Motor Sports Complex. The track opens April 24 with the same divisions and format.

• Miley Motor Sports has finalized a new program for the 2010 season at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway. Transponder scoring will be implemented, which also will allow competitors to have access to their lap times. The new system will require all teams to have a transponder mounted in a designated area on their cars starting with opening day.

Carol Gamble is the racing columnist for the Butler Eagle.