BUFFALO TWP — Momentum can be a fickle thing in sports, but Mike Miller currently has a firm grip on it.

For the second straight week, the Chicora resident took the checkered flag in the Sportsman Stock feature Friday at Lernerville Speedway, his third victory of 2013.

“We're on a consistent roll right now,” said Miller, who won here for the first time this season May 31. “Things have really been coming together for us.”

Miller was battling Corey McPherson for the top spot on the 16th lap Friday when, as both cars negotiated turn two, the latter's left rear tire went flat. Miller had no problem holding off runner-up Chris Schneider over the final four laps.

“It was an interesting track tonight,” said Miller, who now has 10 career wins at the Sarver oval. “There were some good spots and some bad spots.

“There seemed to be more grip on the bottom and that's where I stayed.”

Miller entered Friday in fourth place in the point standings with 287, or 61 behind co-leaders McPherson and A.J. Flick, who placed 16th and third, respectively.

“We're still within reach, especially with five weeks left,” Miller said. “We just need to take it one week at a time.”

There was a time Friday night when Dave Murdick was just hoping to get his car back on the track.

Less than two hours later, he was pulling into victory lane.

His No. 61 Modified was losing oil pressure during his heat race. After placing fourth, he and his pit crew set about trying to correct the problem.

“We just wanted to get it ready for the feature,” he said. “I didn't want to be worrying about looking at gauges. We had a good car for most of the night.”

It was certainly good enough to pass Rex King Sr. for the lead on the 17th lap. Murdick then built a comfortable cushion before winning his first feature at Lernerville in just over a year and his 27th victory here overall.

The Sprint feature proved that anything can happen on the racetrack.

Sarver's Carl Bowser was in the process of leading his 12th straight lap when, just two laps from winning the race, the field was slowed by a caution flag when Brandon Matus and Francis Sesco got tangled up in turn two. Matus, who was running a very close second at the time, had to pit prior to the restart with suspension and tire damage. Then, with the pace car still on the track, Bowser's car slowed on the backstretch and came to a stop short of turn three.

“The engine just went dead,” said Bowser, who went to the pits with what he believes was a faulty fuel pump.

Bowser and Matus both returned in time for the restart, though the former had to exit the track again, while Matus placed ninth, far behind Mike Lutz, who won at Lernerville for the first time since 2009. He was driving the No. 5M, which usually has Jim McMillan behind the wheel.

“Jim called me Thursday night and said he didn't want to drive,” said Lutz, of Hermitage. “This was the first time I've raced in two years. I'm out of shape. I was breathing heavy after the heat race.”

As for Bowser, who was in search of his second win here this season, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

“To know that we had a car running that well, and just two laps from winning, it's very frustrating.”

Jared Miley grabbed the lead from Alex Ferree following a caution flag on the 18th lap of the late model feature and cruised to his third win of the season.

Ferree, who won here last week, had led Friday's race from laps 8-17. Miley crept into the top five on the tenth lap.

“Earlier in the race, it could've went either way,” Miley said. “Ferree has been running really strong. The caution flag saved the race for us.”

Notes: During a Sprint heat race, a wreck in turn two involving Jack Sodeman Jr., Gale Ruth Sr. and Sesco delayed action for 20 minutes. Sodeman was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital with neck and back pain. His condition was not immediately known. ... There were 81 cars in the pits, with a high of 27 Sportsman Stocks and a low of 14 Modifieds.