BUFFALO TWP - The rain might have washed away any drama Friday, but that didn't diminish the end results.

On the final points night at Lernerville, only the Sprint feature was completed before a steady rain fell at the Sarver oval, and Ed Lynch Jr. had that title wrapped up entering the evening's races.

But John Flinner's second-place finish in his Late Models heat gave him enough points to clinch his fourth consecutive title at the track.

Dave Murdick of Slippery Rock clinched his first title in 25 years in the Modifieds and Joe Kelley garnered his sixth title in the Pure Stocks.

"I really didn't know until the end of the week," said Flinner on being able to capture the title in the heat race. "I knew I had to have a half-decent night and Gary (Lyle) needed a perfect night."

Flinner led by 33 points entering the night and his runner-up finish gave him an insurmountable lead, even if they would have competed.

So, would Flinner have brushed of the feature race?

"I'm here to race," said Flinner of Zelienople. "This was pretty special to me. My little girls are here. My wife even came.

"I'll be in that lineup with Bob Wearing Sr. and Lynn Geisler and Ben Miley," Flinner added.

Flinner said this year's crown meant the most to him.

"I had too many good years and I actually had an off year and to still win, that's special. They're all special to me," he said.

"I'm just a happy dude, just the way the week went by. The girls went back to school and I had a guilty conscience from my vacation.

"Everything is pretty cool right now," he added.

For Murdick, the points title was a long time coming, but quick and steady won the race this year.

"Our worst points race at Lernerville was eighth," said Murdick, who also raced in the Sprint feature Friday.

"We had 11 top-three finishes. That was pretty huge. The last few years we had a good car, and one year we lost by seven points and we raced somewhere else on the last weekend.

"How all this happened is the work in the garage," he added.

Murdick entered the night with a 22-point lead on Jim Weller III and a 32-point lead on Kevin Bolland.

The Pure Stocks race was looking to be a showdown as Joe Kelley (403 points) led Rob Shook (388) and Greg Beach (383) entering the heat races.

With the win, Kelley of Mt. Pleasant joins Lou Blaney and Lou Gentile as the only Lernerville racers to capture six titles in one division.

"It was a bad way to get it, but we were the leaders when the rain fell and that's the way it stayed," said Kelley.

The excitement of coming down to the final night might have never happened if not for one evening.

"We were 24th one night," said Kelley. "It shouldn't have come down to it. We just had a bad night."

For Lynch, the crown was his second consecutive and third overall in the Sprint championships.

The 10th win this year broke Johnny Beaber and Ralph Quarterson's record for most wins in one season.

Chad Hill of Cowansville, who won the first heat, led the first five laps until Dan Shetler seized it for one lap before Hill reclaimed it for the next three laps.

Lynch, who won the second heat, zipped past Hill and led for the final 11 laps for the win.

Weller finished second, Shetler was third and Hill fourth.

Notes:

There were 103 cars in the pits, including 33 Pure Stock cars. … Rod Maxwell of Sydney, Australia, placed 11th in the Sprint feature. … Next Friday will be the 17th annual Earl and David Bauman Memorial 35-lap All-Star Sprint Car Classic, which will pay $6,000 to the winner and $500 to start. There will also be a 20-lap Pure Stock Invitational, which the winner will receive $500. … The final scheduled races will be Sept. 11 and Sept. 25, beginning at 5:30 p.m.