BUFFALO TWP — The Joe Pitkavish Memorial was indeed memorable Friday night at Lernerville Speedway.

Race leaders Tom Winkle of Mars and Kevin Bolland of New Brighton got tangled up during a 29th-lap restart. Both were sent to the tail of the field.

That enabled fourth-place car Jeremiah Shingledecker to find sudden victory in the 30-lap Modified feature.

"I was a half-second slower than the lead cars and still won," Shingledecker said. "Go figure.

"You can lose with a good car and win with a bad car. But you have to be lucky to win."

There was no such luck for Winkle or Bolland on this night.

Winkle started from the third spot, grabbed the lead on a second-lap restart and held it for the next 26 laps. He enjoyed a wide lead at times.

"I couldn't have caught him without a caution. ... It was his race," Bolland admitted.

But Rex King Jr., running fifth at the time, stalled on the back straightaway to force a restart with two laps to go.

Bolland jumped into the lead around Turn 1, but Winkle's No. 28 car nudged him as the pair approached Turn 2, causing Bolland to spin out. Winkle was penalized for causing the mishap — which also took out Rex King Sr. and Brian Swartzlander — and was sent to the back with Bolland.

"I actually eased off a little bit for the last five laps because I had such a good lead," Winkle said. "I remembered what happened last week (spinning off Turn 3 on the final lap) and was being extra cautious. Then I go and screw up anyway.

"He (Bolland) must have checked up or something. When I came toward two, I was braking, trying to slide back down the track and there he was.

"It wasn't intentional, just one of those things. I don't know if he (Bolland) will see it that way," Winkle added.

Bolland started from the eighth spot, but needed fewer than 10 laps to pull into second, behind Winkle.

"I definitely got the line first on that restart," Bolland said of the 29th lap. "My left rear tire was digging in off of Turn 1.

"I wasn't checking up. I was in front, just starting to hit the gas, ready to go, when I felt Tommy come into me. It was one of those unfortunate things. It actually hurt us both."

Only nine of the 18 cars that started the race finished it. Brad Rapp of Shippenville finished second. Winkle and Bolland wound up fourth and fifth, respectively.

Shingledecker, the defending Modified points champion, picked up his second Lernerville win of the year.

"I don't know how. I still don't know what happened," Shingledecker said. "I had a fourth-place car and I'm in victory lane. But I'll take it."

Two drivers who have been to victory lane often — Ed Lynch Jr. in the Sprints and Chub Frank in Late Models — put together wire to wire wins in their respective divisions.

Lynch started in the front row and passed all but four cars in cruising to his 104th career Lernerville Sprint feature victory. It was hs third win at the Sarver oval this season.

"We brought our oldest car to the track tonight, didn't even touch the car (before the race) and it did everything we wanted it to do," Lynch said.

Frank drew the pole for the Late Model race and won for the third time in five appearances at Lernerville this year. He has 14 career victories here.

"It was so muggy out there, no air at all," Frank said. "I'm glad I was up front because I had the clean air.

"I bought this car from Gregg Satterlee last spring. We were out of race cars, so we put a chassis in this one and got it ready. It did the job."

Third-generation driver A.J. Flick, 17, a senior at Kiski Area High School, started ninth and wound up securing his firstcareer Sportsman Stock feature win.

Flick took the lead on Turn 4 of the third lap and kept it from there.

"I was OK halfway through the race," Flick said. "With five laps to go, I started to feel it. With two laps left, my hands were shaking."

Flick's father, Mark, was Modified points champion at Lernerville in 1994. His late grandfather, PeeWee Flick, won the Late Model crown in 1973.

Flick beat out Stock veterans Bob Egley and Joe Kelley for Friday's win.

"Joe's been virtually unbeatable here. ... To get to victory lane at a place like this ... It's awesome. Amazing. I can't put it into words. It's incredible," Flick said.

Notes: There were 68 cars in the pits. ... Slippery Rock's Dave Murdick drew the pole for the Pitkavish Memorial, but pitted during the ninth lap with car problems and never returned. ... Kelley picked up his track-leading seventh heat race win of the year. ... Danny Holtgraver finished third in the Sprint feature, his ninth top-five finish of the season without a win.