BUFFALO TWP — Equate the No. 13 with bad luck? Not Ryan Moyer.

The 2004 Seneca Valley graduate, current Portersville resident and driver of the No. 13X Sportsman Stock hopes to return to victory lane at Lernerville Speedway any time now.

"My birthday was on the 13th, my dad's birthday was on the 13th of another month and so was my cousin's," Moyer, 24, said of putting that number on the side of his car.

"Another driver here also had the No. 13 at the time, so we slapped an "X" on it."

The "X" is still there. Moyer's race team is moving forward.

A Stock racer for seven seasons, Moyer found victory lane for the first time last year. His first-ever win occurred June 12 at Lernerville. His second happened July 5 at Sportsman's Speedway in Knox.

Now he's honing in on becoming a points contender in the Sportsman's division at Lernerville.

"My brother-in-law, Matt Rubright, used to race and Ryan helped him out," Ed Moyer, Ryan's father, said. "That's where he got the bug to do this. He loves being around it."

Moyer used to race at Mercer and never finished higher than 10th in the points standings. He was seventh in points at Lernerville last year.

He enters this Friday's Mid-Season Championships third in points at the Sarver oval, trailing Bob Egley by 38 and Joe Kelley by 66. Kelley has won six features at Lernerville this season.

Egley and Kelley denied Moyer feature wins earlier this season, the No. 13X settling for second in both cases.

"I led one of those races for 14 laps, the other for 12," Moyer said. "Those two guys have been doing this a lot longer than I have. I'll get there."

Moyer is third in points despite having two DNF's so far this year.

"We got tangled up a couple of times. If that doesn't happen, we're right there," Moyer said.

A few of the Sportman's divisions bigger names — Scott Bochek, Mike Pegher Jr. Butch Lambert and Greg Beach — have left the division in recent years.

Moyer is part of the new breed looking to carve his own niche.

"Seat time has been the biggest difference for Ryan this year," crew member B.J. Milbert said. "The experience kicks in after a while."

Milbert would know. His father is Bruce Milbert, third on Lernerville's all-time Sportsman Stock feature win list with 27 and track champion here in 1995 and 1997.

Moyer's car is a rebuilt 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Its previous owner was Terry Kroner, who won a feature with it at Mercer.

"Ryan can win in this car," Milbert said. "He's already come close."

While Moyer has visions of racing a Late Model someday, he's in no hurry.

"I'll stay in this division for a while," he said. "Hopefully, I'll finish among the top five — maybe the top three — in points this year and win a couple of features.

"I want to win a points championship in Stocks before I move up. Until I do that, I haven't really earned my way up there."

Lernerville Points Standings(top 15 through June 11)SprintsRod George 229, Danny Holtgraver 225, Bob Felmlee 222, Carl Bowser 202, Jack Sodeman Jr. 198, Ed Lynch Jr. 198, Kevin Schaeffer 166, Brent Matus 161, Charlioe Holben 140, Pete Miller III 131, Brandon Matus 120, Scott Bonnell 108, Brian Ellenberger 96, Pete Landrum 84, Gary Rankin 78

Late ModelsDave Hess Jr. 254, Jared Miley 218, Alex Ferree 187, Gregg Satterlee 172, John Garvin Jr. 159, Lynn Geisler 156, Chuck Sarver 151, Dave Murdick 138, Brian Swartzlander 119, Chub Frank 112, Mike Johnson 111, Doug Eck 109, Mike Norris 96, Matt Lux 92, Todd Bachman 91

ModifiedsKevin Bolland 213, Brian Swartzlander 206, Del Rougeux Jr. 199, Jeremiah Shingledecker 188, Dave Murdick 182, Dean Pearson 162, Mike Turner 144, Carl Murdick 132, Jim Weller Jr. 123, Steve Feder 120, Shawn Fleeger 107, Erik Martin 100, Kevin Green 65, Mark Frankhouser 64, Don Brown 57

Sportsman StocksJoe Kelley 282, Bob Egley 254, Ryan Moyer 216, Jim Fosnaught 209, Jason Fosnaught 199, Wayne Carbo 195, Mark Sanders 192, Terry Young 191, Paul Schreckengost 186, Brett McDonald 178, Corey McPherson 173, Scott Byers 166, Shawn Thorn 156, Jim Bills 108, Jeff Miller 90