Where did the summer go?

It is hard to believe that there are only three more “Fab Four” nights at Lernerville until the 2013 championship crowns are awarded. Going into Friday night’s show, Brandon Spithaler, 21-year-old student at Youngstown State University, holds a slim 10-point lead over Eric “Turkey” Williams, 28 who is in his fifth year of racing 410 Sprints.

Williams is the 2012 reigning Mercer Raceway Sprint champion, leads the 2013 Mercer race for the title by two points over Jack Sodeman Jr. and he is looking for one at Lernerville, too.

Williams is an electrician by trade and couldn’t run Fridays, but that changed when he was able to work four days, 10-hour shifts last year. Williams grew up both watching and admiring Lou Blaney. He is a big fan of Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne, simply because they can race multiple kinds of cars on asphalt or dirt.

Someone told him No. 7 was lucky, so that is the number that he carries in his J&J Chassis. When asked about the worst thing that happened to him in racing, the effervescent Williams replied, “Hmm, leading a feature at Mercer, I watched my right rear wheel pass me going through the turn; it broke and, well … I didn’t win.”

He attributes his success to remembering that the brain and foot are connected.

Sprint car death

Sprint car driving legend Kramer Williamson of Palmyra died as a result of serious injuries sustained in a sprint car racing accident Saturday night at the Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown.

While racing in the first URC 360 sprint car heat race, Williamson took a series of flips in turn two. He was airlifted to the trauma center of the York Hospital and he died on Sunday evening of complications. Williamson will be remembered for driving his “Pink Panther” #73 sprint car.

Quick recovery

With two fractured vertebrae, Jack Sodeman, Jr., surprised everyone by racing his Sprint at Mercer Saturday.

“My back feels OK and I thought I’d give it a try,” he said.

Oddly enough, he finished fifth in a feature that was won by Rod George.

Breaking through

Lernerville DIRTcar Late Model driver Gregg Satterlee, of Rochester Mills has competed in 84 World of Outlaws A Main shows. He won his first maiden WoO Series event recently at Shawano Speedway in Wisconsin.

Schatz a winner

WoO driver Donnie Schatz won the 53rd Knoxville Sprint Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa. Western Pa. entrants Ed Lynch Jr. of Apollo, Tim Shaffer of Aliquippa and Danny Holtgraver of North Hills did not make the show in the field that boasted 50 drivers.

This and that

Lernerville publicity director Eric Westendorf is leaving his position at Summit Academy. He accepted a job as Business Division Center Representative at #1 Cochran.

Recently at Lernerville, Mike Roberts scored an emotional Enduro 100 win, collecting $1,000. He generously donated half of it to the American Cancer Society.

Bill Wheeling, 79 was planning to be at Lernerville’s Nostalgia Night Friday but was tragically killed Sunday night. He was on his way home from the races when his motorcycle collided with a deer that ran onto Route 8 in the Canadohta area. Wheeling was a 2005 Circle Track Hall of Fame inductee. He is the father of Lernerville’s competition director, Gregg Wheeling, and Steve Wheeling.

The amazing Mike Lutz, 43, substituted for Jim McMillin Jr. in the No, 5M at Lernerville. He put the car in victory lane. It was the McMillin family’s first win at Lernerville since 1976, when Hall of Fame driver Ted Wise won in a sprint car owned by Jim McMillin Sr. Needless to say, he will be in the car the remainder of the season!

PA Motor Speedway will present the Red Miley Rumble Saturday night. The ULMS Super Late Models will run 53 laps for coveted prize of $5,053 and the 410 Sprints will race 20 laps for $2,053 to win. The late promoter was 53 when he died.

Carol Gamble is a racing columnist for the Butler Eagle