BUFFALO TWP — Cade Dillard started up front. He never left there.

The Robeline, La., driver started on the pole and led the 50-lap feature from wire to wire in winning the Firecracker 100 Saturday night at Lernerville Speedway.

Dillard's win was his second career World of Outlaws Late Model triumph. His first victory was in early January of this year in New Mexico. Dillard won $15,000 that night.

He pocketed $30,000 Saturday night, racing at Lernerville for only the second time in his career. Dillard has won two of the three biggest paydays on the WoO Late Model tour so far this season.

“Never in a million years did I think something like this could happen for me,” Dillard said.

Dillard became the eighth different Firecracker 100 winner in as many years. The normally 100-lap race was shortened to 50 to accommodate television as the CBS Sports Network was to air the race live. Earlier Saturday night, the network decided against broadcasting the feature live.

Knoch graduate Mike Norris, a Sarver resident who started alongside Dillard up front for the feature, was happy the race was shortened to 50 laps.

“It gives the local drivers more of a fighting chance,” Norris said. “This is more doable now because the track won't change as much.”

Norris finished second to Brandon Sheppard in Friday night's 25-lap feature. He took 10th on Thursday night. He settled for fifth — his career-best finish in the Firecracker — Saturday. He won two heat races over the weekend as well.

“Lapped traffic cost me Friday,” Norris said. “I felt like I had something (for Sheppard), but I was never able to get in position.

“I didn't want to risk being too aggressive and going over the hill, so I decided to settle for second.”

Max Blair of Centerville (Pa.) started fourth in Saturday's feature and wound up second. He passed Darrell Lanigan for second on the fourth turn of the 46th lap.

Blair won the Bill Emig Memorial RUSH Late Model feature later in the night, grabbing $10,000 for that win. He won more than $31,000 for the night.

“It's been a fun weekend,” Blair said. “I don't get to race against these guys very often. I like to be competitive when I do.”

Lanigan challenged Dillard for the lead coming off Turn 2 a number of times. But the feature had five cautions, the restarts being spaced out enough that lapped traffic never factored into the race.

Lanigan lost second place when he bobbled off Turn 4.

“I came in too high,” he said of the mistake. “When you hit that top like that, you just get pulled into it.

“Cade was good up there (top groove). He never messed up.”

Lanigan finished among the top five in the Firecracker for the eighth time, more than any other driver.

“I could see Darrell coming alongside at times,” Dillard said. “Somehow, I was able to stay calm enough.”

Scott Bloomquist, the only three-time Firecracker 100 winner, won his heat race and would have started the feature in the first four rows. He failed tech inspection for an illegal shock absorber after the heat, however, and took a WoO provisional to start 23rd in the feature.

Bloomquist's car broke after the heat race. He borrowed local driver Colton Flinner's car for the feature, ran five laps and called it a night.

Local drivers Jared Miley (South Park) finished 11th in the Firecracker. Gregg Satterlee (17th), Russ King (18th) and Tyler Dietz (20th) were other locals finishing in the top 20.

Drivers from 15 states and Canada participated in Firecracker 100 weekend.

Lernerville Results

June 27

(top 10 finishers)

Saturday

Firecracker 100 (50 laps)

1. Cade Dillard, 2. Max Blair, 3. Darrell Lanigan, 4. Dennis Erb Jr., 5. Mike Norris, 6. Brandon Sheppard, 7. Chris Madden, 8. Ricky Weiss, 9. Ashton Winger, 10. Chub Frank

Bill Emig Memorial (50 laps)

1. Max Blair, 2. Chub Frank, 3. Boom Briggs, 4. Jeremy Wonderling, 5. Chad Sines, 6. Jason Genco, 7. Kyle Lukon, 8. Matt Latta, 9. Joe Martin, 10. John Waters

Friday

WoO Late Model Feature (25 laps)

1. Brandon Sheppard, 2. Mike Norris, 3. Scott Bloomquist, 4. Cade Dillard, 5. Boom Briggs, 6. Mason Zeigler, 7. Gregg Satterlee, 8. Darrell Lanigan, 9. Chase Junghans, 10. Chris Madden