Lose battles, win war
BUFFALO TWP — Lance Dewease and Joey Saldana won the two feature races Tuesday night at Lernerville Speedway, so why did Donny Schatz walk away with the Don Martin Silver Cup?
Dewease of Fayetteville, Pa., and Saldana of Brownsburg, Ind., each won $15,000 for taking the checkered flag in the first and second 30-lap features, respectively, in the World of Outlaws Sprint event at the Sarver track.
But the Silver Cup is awarded to the driver who has the best combined finish in both races.
Enter Schatz, who placed second in the first feature and fourth in the finale.
Schatz, of Fargo, N.D., seemed a bit reluctant to accept the trophy.
"We ran well in both races, but I wish we would have won one of them," he said. "I know this format is for the fans, but I feel one of these guys (Dewease or Saldana) should be the winner of the Silver Cup."
Dewease, who placed ninth in the second feature, had a strong showing from start to finish in his feature win.
After turning in the night's fastest lap in qualifying (12.619 seconds), Dewease began the first feature in fourth place, but was in second after just one lap.
He took over the top spot from Dale Blaney on the 24th lap, after which the race was slowed by caution flags.
Action was stopped six times in the final seven laps.
Blaney ran out of fuel during one of the cautions, exited the track and didn't make it back on.
That opened the door for Schatz, who had spent much of the race in fifth place, but he crept toward the front and found himself in second after Blaney's departure.
Three caution flags were waved during the 30th lap. Due to a World of Outlaws rule that mandates a race must end with at least two caution-free laps, the feature was extended to 32 laps, but Dewease remained in the lead.
"You can't keep giving guys restarts and shots at you," said Dewease. "I was doing well running in the middle (of the track), but with all the restarts, all it takes is for your motor to stumble and they're passing you by.
"I'm really happy to win here," he added.
Saldana placed 11th in the first feature, but was dominant in his second chance.
He was in first place by the sixth lap and never surrendered the lead, holding off the competition through four restarts.
"We had a good car in the first race, but we ran off the track and spun out," said Saldana. "In the second race, I stayed on top and was able to work my way through the lap traffic. This is a great payday."
Butler's Brian Ellenberger had finishes of 13th and 12th, respectively.
Lernerville star and Apollo resident Ed Lynch Jr. placed 20th and 16th.
