BUFFALO TWP — Four Friday nights of racing at Lernerville Speedway, four checkered flags.

That’s a pretty good percentage for Evans City Sprint car driver Brandon Spithaler, but something’s missing.

The money.

Spithaler, 20, won his heat race in each of Lernerville’s first three racing nights this spring. Last week, mechanical problems forced him to the pits during the first lap of his heat, but he returned to win the B-Main.

“I’d like to win one (feature) for the money at some point,” Spithaler said. “That would be nice.”

That may be coming.

Spithaler has only won Sprint features at Mercer Raceway Park — where he is a former Limited Sprint points champion — in his young career. He won once there in 2010, twice last year and once already this year.

He put together a personal-best fourth-place finish in the feature at Lernerville May 4 after finishing eighth in consecutive weeks.

“I know I’m getting better here,” Spithaler said. “When I first came to Lernerville, I drove very cautiously around the top of the track. Now I’m a lot more aggressive when I’m up there.

“Part of that is confidence. Most of it is experience.”

Spithaler is in his fourth season behind the wheel of a Sprint car and a limited budget has caused his progress to move at a slow pace.

“Our weakest link is not our driver,” said Frank Spithaler, Brandon’s father and crew member. “Our driver is our strongest link. We know that and the other drivers here know that.

“We do have a different chassis this year, but when you have a small budget, you improve the quality of the car and parts in small increments at a time. As the car gets better, Brandon’s performance improves.”

Spithaler was running fourth in a Sprint feature at Lernerville last year when the rear end of the car broke with less than two laps remaining.

“We don’t have a 1,000-page notebook on how to win races,” Frank Spithaler said. “We’re putting one page in at a time.”

The Spithaler race team isn’t planning on running for points at any track this season, though Brandon says such plans “aren’t etched in stone.”

“It’s still up in the air exactly how we’re going to handle this season,” he said. “We may adjust things as we go.”

One thing that won’t be adjusted is a string of wingless Sprint races Spithaler will be involved with in Ohio and Indiana this season.

Tom Burkey, the family’s race team partner, owns a wingless Sprint.

“Brandon will be driving that car a number of times and some of those races are on Friday nights,” Frank Spithaler said. “That will probably knock us out of any points chase at Lernerville.”

That doesn’t mean Brandon won’t catch the money that a Lernerville feature win would bring.

“Can I win here this year? Definitely,” Brandon said. “I know I’m getting close.”

Lernerville Point Standings(through May 12)SprintsKevin Schaeffer 133, Rod George 125, Brian Ellenberger 122, Brandon Matus 118, Eric Williams 108, Carl Bowser 102, Brian Steinman 97, Brandon Spithaler 97, Brent Matus 76, Pete Miller III 74, Danny Holtgraver 71, Pete Landram 63, Dan Kuriger 50, Adam Miller 44, Gary Rankin 41

Late ModelsJared Miley 145, Doug Eck 105, John Garvin Jr. 105, Boom Briggs 105, Ken Schaltenbrand 95, Garrett Krummert 84, Mike Johnson 84, Chub Frank 75, Jeff Jones 74, Lynn Geisler 72, Chuck Sarver 71, Bryan Force 67, Alex Ferree 65, Dan Swartzlander 64, Bump Hedman 58

ModifiedsDave Murdick 141, Kevin Bolland 135, Brian Swartzlander 121, Jeremiah Shingledecker 111, Phil Evans Jr. 89, Mark Frankhouser 88, Carl Murdick 85, Steve Feder 83, Mike Turner 82, Eric Gabany 82, Frank Guidace 73, Erik Martin 68, Shawn Fleeger 66, Bob Warren 64, Dean Pearson 60

Sportsman StocksCorey McPherson 139, Jim Fosnaught 134, Mike Miller 133, Greg Beach 126, Ryan Moyer 113, Joe Kelley 112, Scott Byers 91, Wayne Carbo 88, Rob Shook 87, AJ Flick 79, Brett McDonald 77, Mark Sanders 75, Randy Hanovick 69, Jeff Miller 68, Bob Egley 62