Gamble: Butler teenager Brayden Beatty living the dream at Lernerville Speedway
When Brayden Beatty of Butler was just a little boy, he never hesitated when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up: “A race car driver — and race Friday nights at Lernerville Speedway.”
Today, at just 14 years old, that dream is already becoming a reality.
Racing is in Beatty’s blood. His grandfather, John Beatty, was a decorated Semi-Late and Late Model driver, winning championships at various local tracks. His father, Steve, continued the tradition, competing in the RUSH Late Model division. When Steve stepped away from the driver’s seat, he shifted gears and got Brayden started in a cage go-kart at Blairsville.
After a year, Brayden Beatty transitioned into flat kart racing at Slippery Rock and Red Rock Speedway, though he admits, “I felt sketchy in the flat car.” By 2020, the young driver advanced to Junior Sprints, where he earned the sportsmanship award and a sixth-place points finish. In 2021, he picked up his first win, added six more and wrapped up the season second in points, along with another sportsmanship award.
In 2022, Beatty moved into the 270 Micro Sprints, gaining valuable experience with shifting and faster speeds. The following year, he experimented with Dwarf cars, collecting two wins. Last season, he ran in the RUSH Sportsman Modified division, traveling extensively and finishing 11th in the point standings.
Then came the opportunity: a Big Block Modified motor became available. The family decided to bring Beatty home to Lernerville. Now racing in the Fab4 Modified division, he’s already picked up a heat win and has his eyes set on the Rookie of the Year title.
Beatty runs the No. B4, a nod to his family’s racing lineage — his dad raced as B4, and his grandfather as 04.
“My pap got to see me race go-karts,” Beatty said. “I wish he were here to see me now.”
Like his grandfather, Beatty keeps his car spotless.
“After a race I always wash it, and during the week I wax it, too.”
Brayden begins his freshman year at Butler High School this fall, but don’t expect him on the football field.
“Working on the race car is my sport,” he said.
His support team includes his mother, Mindy, who handles the finances, neighbor Terry Holbein, who manages sponsorships, and a small but mighty crew made up Brian Bruce and Nick Bruce. Even his younger sister Lizzy plays a key role: she’s the designated lucky pill drawer on race nights. Beatty Welding is the team's main sponsor.
Brayden’s favorite food? Chicken wings. “Mom used to bribe me — if I won a race, we’d go get wings,” he said. But don’t expect him to eat them on race day.
“Every time I ate chicken before a race, something went wrong,” Beatty said. “Now, no chicken on race day — and sometimes I skip the blue shirt, too.”
While he’s open to other opportunities, Modified racing is the right fit for now.
“It’s the most economical,” he said. “If someone offered me a ride in another division or in a touring series, I’d take it. I’d love to be a professional driver someday.”
Friday at Lernerville Speedway, 85-year-old Fred Reisker made a triumphant return to racing, piloting a No. 65 Sprint for the first time since 1987. Reisker, who raced in the ’80s under the legendary Skip Deane, is still not the sport’s oldest active driver. That honor goes to Jim Kennedy, who continues to drive a Sprint Car at Bedford Speedway — at age 91.
Christian Schneider, last season’s Lernerville Pro Stock champion, is making headlines again — this time in the RUSH Crate Late Models. Schneider, who works at S&S Chassis under his friend, Chris Schneider, recently captured a major win at the 34th annual Jook George Steel City Classic at Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.
The race drew 39 Late Models to the track, all vying for the $6,000 top prize. Schneider held off a determined Joe Martin, who shadowed him for most of the 40 laps.
“I’m exhausted,” Schneider said in victory lane. “I need to get back in the gym.”
The 31st Freeport International Baseball Tournament welcomed teams from around the world, including the energetic Aussie Drop Bears. After attending a Pirates vs. White Sox game, the Australian team made a special trip to Lernerville Speedway, where they met fellow countryman and High Limit Sprint Car driver James McFadden, who finished fifth in the recent Don Martin Memorial race.
The Drop Bears, full of enthusiasm, stood at the base of the flag stand and — though a little unsure of their singing ability — sang their national anthem before the American one.
In past years, international guests have also made memories at the track. One Japanese team even celebrated in victory lane with Sprint driver Jimmy Hawley, whose mother is Japanese, after he won a feature. The celebration continued in the press box with sandwiches and fries.
Six-time Lernerville Late Model champion Alex Ferree got the “monkey off his back” Friday, winning the Kenny Schaltenbrand Sr. Memorial Race over Ken Schaltenbrand Jr. Ferree had been in the top five the last two years, but the #1 Cochran Late Model had many unusual happenings occur to prevent him from winning the top spot. Hats off to Tammy Yetter for creating a super contingency fund for the drivers.
Fast rising 22-year-old Big Block Modifieds star Dalton Slack drove from Welland, Ontario, to Lernerville Speedway and made the trip a profitable one. He won his first BRP Big Block Modified race over Garrett Krummert, which was his first win ever at the Sarver oval. The next night he traveled to Sharon Speedway and checkered the Lou Blaney Memorial BRP Modified feature event there, too.
Friday’s racing at Lernerville Speedway will be Autism Awareness Night. And championship night is the following week.
Carol Gamble is a racing columnist for the Butler Eagle
