BUFFALO TWP — Lernerville Speedway has returned to local ownership.

World Racing Group — which has owned the facility since 2005 — announced the sale of the 48-year-old dirt racing track to Tomson Scrap Metal of Brackenridge.

The sale is effective immediately, though WRG will continue to operate the track through the remainder of the 2015 season.

“Lernerville will be a family-owned business again,” track general manager Gary Risch Jr. said. “Nothing will change in terms of how the races will run or the track will operate this year.

“I’ve known the Tomson family for years. This is a move I helped to facilitate since World Racing Group decided to put the track up for sale. We’ve been working on this since November.”

The Don Martin family, Lernerville’s original owners, sold the track to WRG a decade ago.

Ted Tomson joins his brothers Jim, Doug and John, along with Ted’s sons, Teddy and Rubus, in buying the race track. They own other family businesses as well, including Brackenridge Heights Golf Course and Restaurant, Stanson Paper Recycling and TSM Harness Racing.

“They like to invest in their community,” Risch said. “They see Lernerville as a business opportunity and a chance to enhance their community.

“That’s what they did with that golf course. They upgraded it, put in the restaurant, breathed new life into it.”

Lernerville public relations director Eric Westendorf anticipates a similar happening with the track.

“Ted and I went to school together at Penn State-New Kensington,” Westendorf said. “They are great people. I don’t know what their plans are down the road with the track, but there are some much-needed renovations here that I’m sure they will address.

“That family is all about improving the businesses they get involved with. They make them better. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen here.

“They see Lernerville as a way to make some money, sure, but they will also provide capital to make improvements that wasn’t here before. This is a good day for local race fans,” Westendorf added.

World Racing Group will continue to bring special shows to Lernerville — including the World of Outlaws and the Firecracker 100 Late Model weekend — in coming years.

“Those events aren’t going away,” Risch said.

Ted Tomson issued a statement Tuesday regarding his family’s purchase of the track.

“Lernerville is a top dirt track racing in the country and a gem to our community,” Tomson said. “The track is a great fit with our family businesses.

“Our family has lived in this area their entire lives and this acquisition allows us to invest in the community. Lernerville is a vital community asset, providing jobs and entertainment plus giving this area a nationally known facility.”

Tomson could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Lernerville offers “Fab Four” racing Friday nights — Sprints, Late Models, Modifieds and Sportsman Stocks — throughout the spring and summer, along with national dirt track racing series shows.

“The Tomsons now own the property. They will make it better and I’m excited about the prospects,” Risch said.