BUFFALO TWP — In a sport all about speed, patience was a virtue Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.

Butler’s Brian Ellenberger waited for his opportunity in the Sprint Feature, took the lead on the fifth lap and never gave up the advantage while carefully navigating his way to Victory Lane.

“It was a matter of just being patient tonight,” said Ellenberger. “The track was really wide; it was slow. You couldn’t be real aggressive.

“You just kind of had to bide your time and try to keep the car straight and be patient around lapped traffic,” he added. “That’s all I did.”

It was a bounce-back performance from Ellenberger, who finished 19th in last week’s Sprint Feature. He was happy to put on a better show this time around at Lernerville.

“It’s my home track and we’re going to be here most Friday nights,” said Ellenberger. “Any time you can pull a win off at one of these places, it’s what we come here for.”

The Butler driver built momentum on the top line of the track and coasted to victory over second- and third-place finishers Brandon Matus of Wampum and Kittanning’s Rod George, respectively.

“It felt like that seemed to be the place to be,” Ellenberger explained. “I didn’t see anybody pressing me down on the bottom, so I didn’t feel there was any reason to drop down there. I figured I’d protect the top.”

Other feature winners included Corey McPherson (Sportsman), Kevin Bolland (Modifieds) and Gregg Satterlee (Late Models) .

It was the second feature win in a row for McPherson, who worked his way through the field and eventually beat out defending track champion and Chicora native Mike Miller.

“After the first caution, I was up to about fifth, and I said, ‘OK, I’m over halfway, so just keep it going,’” said McPherson. “It’s a lot of fun. I love the competition. It’s neck and neck a lot.”

Miller would have preferred a victory, but was satisfied with the performance after finishing sixth a week earlier.

“Better than last week. Last week was kind of a disappointment,” Miller said. “Corey has a strong car this year. Last year he came on strong and he’s continuing.”

Miller hopes to turn the corner in the near future and Friday’s progress was encouraging.

“Just trying to get back to last year’s momentum. It was pretty phenomenal last year,” he explained. “It’s a long season. One race at a time. We’re pretty happy with the way things are coming along.”

Slippery Rock native Dave Murdick led 22 laps of the 25-lap Modifieds Feature, but settled for third behind Bolland and second-place finisher Jeremiah Shingledecker.

The yellow flag waved with regularity, stopping the race several times. After the final caution, Bolland finally managed to pass Murdick on the top line of the 24th lap and held on for the win.

“We started 11th and had our work cut out for us,” said Bolland. “A lot of guys out in front of us were fast and the track was good. We just had to be patient and pick them off one at a time.

“They had the bottom all tied up and I knew if I was going to get them, I had to go around the outside of them,” added Bolland. “It’s one of those things where you’re not going to win by following them.”

Keith Barbara led 16 of the first 17 laps of the Late Models Feature. However, Satterlee passed him on Lap 18 and never relinquished the advantage. Last week’s winner, Jared Miley, took second and Barbara was third.

Patience again played a role in the win.

“It took a while to get up there. The track is slow, so it’s hard to make up a lot of ground,” said Satterlee. “I just kind of took my time getting up through there.”

Now, he’s in position to go for back-to-back wins next week.

“It’s always good to get a win, especially here,” Satterlee said. “This is my favorite place to come and race.

“It’s a good way to get the season rolling. We’re looking forward to coming back and trying to get another one.”