Diverse victory lane
BUFFALO TWP — Victory Lane had a variety of visitors Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.
One had never been there before. Another will probably start visiting more often. Two others have been there more than anybody.
“This is the one I've been trying to get,” New Brighton resident Dan Kuriger said after posting his first career Sprint feature win at the Sarver oval. “My dad started bringing me to this track when I was a little kid.
“Winning here means more to me than winning anywhere else.”
Kuriger started on the pole and led the race from start to finish. He survived three late cautions — on the 18th, 20th and 23rd lap — in holding off A.J. Flick for the victory.
“I didn't need those cautions,” Flick said. “My best chance was to catch him through lapped traffic. I felt like I was gaining ground there.
“Dan was getting good jumps on those restarts. He was cautioned by an official one time for starting a little too soon, but I can't complain. He ran a good race.”
Flick, still searching for his first Lernerville Sprint feature win himself, finished second for the third time in this young season.
Kuriger has been racing at Lernerville since 2005. He owns two career wins at Mercer Raceway Park and one at Sharon Speedway.
“It's about time I got one here,” he said. “It's been a long wait.”
Mike Pegher Jr. — a Seneca Valley graduate — won the Late Model feature in unexpected fashion. He was fifth during a 14th lap restart, but quickly moved into second place on that lap.
South Park's Jared Miley had the pole for the feature and was not challenged the entire race — until the 23rd lap.
“He was in another zip code,” Pegher said.
But on the 23rd lap restart — the sixth caution of the race — Miley hit the cushion too high, bumped the wall and enabled Pegher to get past him.“I was fast up there, but it was risky there tonight,” Miley said of the high cushion. “There was some water over there near the wall. I thought it might get me sooner or later ... It got me at the end.”Pegher's win was his fourth Late Model triumph at Lernerville. He picked up two of those last season.“Lady Luck was on my side tonight,” Pegher said. “But we've been a consistent top-five finisher so far in a competitive division. I'm pretty happy with where we're headed.”Pegher drives the No. 1C car owned by Lynn Geisler, the second winningest Late Model driver in the track's history.“I owe a lot to Lynn. I've learned a lot from him,” Pegher said.Lernerville's all-time Modified feature win leader Brian Swartzlander and Sportsman Stock win leader Joe Kelley padded their respective totals Friday night.Swartzlander started up front and led the Modified race from wire to wire, holding off friendly rival Mat Williamson to take the checkered flag.Williamson had edged Swartzlander at the finish line last week.Williamson started from the 10th spot, but was second behind Swartzlander by the sixth lap.“Mat races clean and he's really good here,” Swartzlander said. “It looks like he and I may be back and forth like this all year.“Hey, two guys racing hard who don't even bump each other ... That's good racing. It's fun.”Swartzlander's win was his first this season and 88th of his Lernerville career.“I love running the high cushion and it was there tonight,” he said. “I wanted to be careful not to hit it too hard and allow clay to get into the right side of the car,.“Then I saw Mat's nose next to mine and said to myself, it's time to go.”Williamson said he was “happy to finish second, but I hate not winning.“My car was a little too tight, or I might have gotten him on that last lap. I was able to run him down, but I couldn't pass him. Brian's one of the best.”Kelley had the lead early, lost it to Terry Young on the fifth lap, then got it back from the Butler driver two laps later. He beat Jim Fosnaught to the checkered flag.Kelley's win was the 48th of his career at Lernerville.Notes: Rain hit the speedway following the heat races, causing an hour and 40-minute delay. ... Ed Lynch Jr. hit the cushion too high off Turn 4 in the Sprint feature and violently flipped into the wall. Clay Riney, 16, of Wellsburg, W.Va., rolled his car over off Turn 1 of that feature. Both drivers were unhurt. ... Butler resident Garrett Krummert started the Late Model feature last and finished third. ... There were 71 cars in the pits.
