BUFFALO TWP — Consistency is good.

A championship is better.

Tyler Dietz has achieved the former and is chasing the latter.

Dietz, 29, of Saxonburg is in his third year of driving a Pro Stock on Friday nights at Lernerville Speedway. He enters this weekend's action in second place in Pro Stock points at the Sarver oval, trailing defending champion Corey McPherson by seven points.

“I really want to win a points championship, especially here ... That's my next goal, for sure,” Dietz said.

He had one DNF (did not finish) this season due to an electrical short. Besides that, Dietz hasn't finished lower than fourth in a Lernerville feature all year.

“I feel like we're the better car,” Dietz said of the battle with McPherson for the crown. “If it wasn't for that DNF, we'd be leading points right now.

“I'm still confident we'll get there.”

Dietz should know about the quality of his car. He built the whole thing.

In fact, he put together a number of cars along pit row in the Pro Stock Division.

“That's what I do,” he said. “The bars, the chassis, the roll cage, the suspension ... I put together everything in this car from the ground up.

“When I look around at all of the (Pro Stock) cars out here, I've had a hand in pretty much every one of them at one time or another.”

It didn't take Dietz long to figure out how to win on the track. He picked up four feature wins at Lernerville last year and has been to Victory Lane four more times this season.

He ran Crate Late Models for a few years before joining the Pro Stocks.

“We had a feature win and I was a top-10 car, but I couldn't afford to stay in that division,” Dietz said. “This is an expensive sport.

“I was able to partner up with some guys here — they own the car — or I might not be racing right now.”

But he is racing — and doing quite well.

John Hartman, 45, is a cousin of Dietz and races in the Pro Stocks as well. They help work on each other's cars.

“Tyler is one of the smoothest drivers out here,” Hartman said. “He knows the track and he knows the competition.

“He'll win a championship here. It's only a question of when.”

Dietz isn't hurting for confidence in that regard.

“I built the car. I know what's in it,” he said. “I'm comfortable in it. Everything fits and is working well.

“I'll run in this division until I move on to something else. I'm hoping to get into a Sprint or Late Model down the road. We're building toward that.

“Racing has always been part of my life. I don't think I'll ever stop it,” he added.

Dietz grew up down the road from Lernerville.

“I've been coming here since I was 10 or 11 years old,” he said, smiling. “When a family member couldn't take me, I used to wander over here and sneak in. I won't tell you how.

“If my parents ever lost track of me when I was a kid, they knew where to find me — right here.”

Lernerville Speedway Points Leaders

(top 10 through Aug. 3)

Sprints

A.J. Flick 331, Jack Sodeman Jr. 322, Brent Matus 260, Brandon Matus 254, George Hobaugh 252, Sye Lynch 191, Dan Kuriger 184, Dan Shetler 183, Michael Bauer 169, Jimmy Morris 155

Late Models

Michael Norris 371, Ken Schaltenbrand 278, Gary Lyle 266, Tommy Beck 192, Colton Flinner 183, Clay Ruffo 170, Mike Miller 162, Joshua Powell 155, Mike Pegher Jr. 154, Jared Miley 119

Modifieds

Rex King Jr. 406, Dave Murdick 325, Rex King Sr. 296, Brtian Swartzlander 294, Rick Regalski 274, John Mollick 269, Jeremiah Shingledecker 252, Jim Weller Jr. 243, Garrett Krummert 230, Steve Feder 216

Pro Stocks

Corey McPherson 370, Tyler Dietz 363, Noah Brunell 328, Joey Zambotti 311, Ryan Moyer 295, Bob Egley 248, Mark Sandwers 248, Brett McDonald 241, Joe Kelley 203, John Hartman and Scott Byers 198