BUFFALO TWP — Years ago, Chuck Sarver made history at Lernerville Speedway.

The West Sunbury resident raced in the claimerdivision at the Sarver track, a street stock division in which a driver's motor could be claimed by somebody else.

"I was the first driver to have his motor claimed,"Sarver recalled. "Don Martin informed me one day that somebody wanted to buy my motor and you had three choices when that happened:Sell it, quit or move up to another division.

"That's when I moved up to Limited Late Models."

Sarver raced in the Street Stock division for eight years (1979-87) and drove a Modified for a year with his wife's uncle, Ron Thompson.

For the past five years, he drove his No. 88 Late Model at Marion Center and picked up one feature win there. He finished ninth in points at Marion Center last year and has finished as high as sixth in that track's final standings.

This year, at the urging of his wife Bonnie, he's back at Lernerville.

"She's the reason,"Sarver said. "She got tired of the travel and wanted us to run close to home and give family and friends a better opportunity to come out and support us.

"I have to listen to her. She's half of my pit crew."

The other half is his son, 30-year-old Chuckie. A friend of the family, Bob Morgan Jr., helps out as well.

"I've known Chuck for a few years and I've been coming to this track for 40 years,"Morgan said. "I always told him that if he came back and raced here, I'd come down and scrape mud for him. ... I guess I do the dirty work."

Chuckie Sarver is a 1995 Moniteau graduate who played football, basketball and ran track and field there. As he was growing up, his father left the race game for about 15 years.

"Once Chuckie got out of college, he wanted his dad to race again,"Bonnie Sarver said. "He wanted to be part of his team."

Racing has been part of the Sarver family for years. Bonnie's father, Dave Thompson, was Lernerville's first Late Model champion in 1968.

Now 50, Sarver isn't certain how much longer he'll race. But he does know he'll continue to give it a go at Lernerville.

He's driving a 2002 Rocket and has been doing so for four years.

"The motor is totally rebuilt. Gary Henry does my engine work and he does quality work,"Sarver said. "This is a tough division here, but you never know what's gonna happen out there.

"I'd love to finish in the top 10 in points. That'd be quite an accomplishment here. Sometimes it's good if you can just roll the car back into the trailer in one piece."

Sarver stands 12th in Late Model points after two weeks of points racing.

"The other night ... I could see Lynn Geisler's car right in front of me,"Sarver said, smiling. "If I can stay close to a guy like that at a track like this, believe me, I'm happy."

Lernerville Speedway Points StandingsTop 15 through April 27SprintsKevin Schaeffer 77, Ed Lynch Jr. 76, Bob Felmlee 67, Carl Bowser 55, Rod George 55, Dan Shetler 53, Arnie Kent 51, Gary Rankin 51, Dan Holtgraver 48, Scott Bonnell 37, Mike Shearer 37, Ralph Spithaler Jr. 36, Brian Ellenberger 35, Brent Matus 34, Charlie Holben 33

Late ModelsAlex Ferree 76, Mike Blose 69, Dutch Davies 65, Jared Hawkins 56, Gary Lyle 56, Doug Ricotta 48, Sam Stile 47, Jared Miley 43, Greg Satterlee 42, Dan Swartzlander 42, Lynn Geisler 39, Chuck Sarver 36, Nick Jones 33, Dane Laraway 32, Jimmie Pitkavish 31

ModifiedsKevin Bolland 71, Brian Swartzlander 67, Tom Winkle 67, Del Rougeux Jr. 66, Dave Murdick 64, Jeremiah Shingledecker 60, Andy Priest 51, Jim Weller Jr. 51, JRMcGinley 47, Carl Murdick 38, Shawn Kozar 35, Steve Feder 34, Mike Turner 29, Garrett Krummert 20, Mike Miller 18

Pure StocksJoe Kelley 75, Mike Pegher Jr. 72, Greg Beach 64, Bob Egley 64, Paul Schreckengost 61, Terry Young 58, Jim Fosnaught 54, Butch Lambert 53, Jake Ayers 45, Jason Fosnaught 45, Eric Pietrowski 42, Chuck Gebauer 35, Bob Lipinski 35, Paul Petrovich 30, Pat Hanley 27