BUFFALO TWP — While the World of Outlaws has the weekend off, Brian Ellenberger started the weekend right.

In his second season on the Outlaws circuit, the Butler driver of the No. 22 Sprint car returned home and won the first Sprint feature of the season Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.

Ellenberger got around Ed Lynch Jr. on the 16th lap and held him off the rest of the way to grab the checkered flag.

"It is never easy to win a race here," Ellenberger said. "Ed is such a quality driver. I knew his only chance was on that low groove, so I took it away from him."

The race's final restart was on the 24th lap. As Ellenberger came into Turn 3 during the final lap, he dropped to the low groove and headed off Lynch's last-ditch attempt to get around him.

"He was protecting the lead. That's racing," Lynch said. "My car was OK, but I started losing my straightaway power midway through. When I couldn't pull away anymore, I knew I was in trouble."

Lynch admitted he had nothing going into Turns 3 and 4, having to let up a bit on that portion of the track.

"I almost sailed off the edge early. I had to be careful," he said.

Lynch had won four of the most recent five Lernerville opening nights. But Ellenberger, who started from the seventh spot, could see this wasn't Lynch's night.

"I knew I was gonna get around him eventually," Ellenberger said. "I had the faster car. I could run anywhere on the track I wanted to."

Friday's win was Ellenberger's fourth career feature victory at the Sarver oval.

He returns to the Outlaws when the schedule resumes April 10.

"My plans are to run the entire series again this year. That's the goal, anyway," Ellenberger said.

In other features:

• Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford started on the pole in the Late Model race and led wire-to-wire for his fourth career win at Lernerville.

Slippery Rock's Dave Murdick started sixth and wound up second.

"Our car was really good," Hess said. "I had no problems out there at all. I ran the top on Turns 1 and 2, the bottom on Lanes 3 and 4."

Murdick bounced back from a rough spill during his Modified heat. His car went airborne off Turn 3 and had to be towed off the track.

"Something in the carburetor broke and the throttle stuck," Murdick said. "I took a pretty good shot around my belt or so. The HANS device I wore probably spared my neck a little bit.

"I'll be sore tomorrow. But we had a pretty good night, considering the circumstances."

The front end of Murdick's Modified was damaged, but the car was repaired and he finished fourth in that feature.

Hess does not plan to race for points at Lernerville, but will return for a few races.

"We're going to race for points in Erie and do some jumping around," he said. "I like coming here. I always have."

• Leechburg's Brian Swartzlander started fifth in the Modified feature and wasted little time grabbing the lead.

He moved past pole-sitter Rex King Jr. on the second lap and maintained the lead to the checkered flag.

Swartzlander won despite heavy pressure from veteran Kevin Bolland and defending track champion Jeremiah Shingledecker.

"Make one mistake with those guys trailing you and you're done," Swartzlander said.

He made no mistake in picking up his 65th career Modified win at Lernerville, pulling within four of the late Lou Blaney's track record for the division.

"I'm not even thinking about that," Swartzlander insisted. "Even if I pass him, I don't know if it will mean anything. Lou's a legend.

"I'm going one race at a time. It feels great getting this first one because every year I wonder if I can still do this."

• Joe Kelley of Mount Pleasant grabbed the lead from pole-sitter Shawn Thorn in the Sportsman Stock feature and cruised to victory from there.

The win was Kelley's 33rd Stock feature triumph at Lernerville, extending his own track record.

Notes: There were 77 cars in the pits. ... Two cars flipped during Sprint heats — Scott Bonnell's No. 3B and Mike Bertolini's No. 70. Neither driver was injured. ... Renfrew's Gary Rankin's No. 16 endured a violent flip on the first lap of the Sprint feature. Rankin also was unhurt. ... Fab For racing returns next Friday night.