Dreams do come true — just ask Tyler Dietz, a 20-year-old driver who recorded his first career win in the 20-lap FASTRAK Late Model feature at Mercer recently.

"This is unbelievable," said the jubilant Saxonburg driver. "I've been dreaming about this forever since I was a little kid at Lernerville."

In other racing news:

• A pit stop means that a racecar is guided to a designated area for a quick repair, gas fill or tire change. For Linda Barlow, it means much more than that.

Linda has worked at Western Pennsylvania racetracks for years, doing everything from Kids Club activities to office jobs.

When she went to a track one hot sunny day, parked her car in the huge lot and opened the door, a kitten was sitting there looking at her.

She thought this little tyke might get run over, so Linda picked up the kitten, found a box and placed it inside.

She took the box to the office where she was to work, thinking that someone might claim it. The office manager didn't want the kitten in the office, so Linda went to her car, started the engine and turned on the air conditioner.

After work five hours later, she stopped at a grocery store, bought cat food and litter and went home. That Monday she took the kitten to a vet, who said it was terribly malnourished.

To make a long story short, this little kitty tugged on her heartstrings and now has made a permanent stop at the Barlow residence.

• Crate Late Model driver Scott Schempp and his wife, Tabby, are the proud parents of a new baby girl, Morgan Elizabeth, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces.

Scott told me they didn't want to know the sex of the baby before birth.

He said that even though the baby is a girl, it's going home in a Rocket Chassis T-shirt that says "I am a Rocket Chassis brat." On the back it reads, "My daddy said if you're not running a Rocket, you're poof!"

• After a three-year drought, Danny Holtgraver, 20, scored a win at Mercer, outdueling Ed Lynch Jr. in a wheel-to-wheel, 20-lap battle, collecting $1,500 and a new Goodyear tire.

When a young lion defeats a veteran like Lynch, he feels like he's won a Super Bowl. Lonny "Tugboat" Riggs won the Modified feature.

• A.J. Flick, 16, made his maiden voyage in the Lernerville Sportsman Stock division Friday. His father Mark was pacing like a caged lion as A.J. was on the track.

I can remember when Mark's father Pee Wee acted the same way when Mark made his debut in the Modifeds.

A.J. is running a gold-and-white Camero like his grandfather, the championship racer who drove the No. 2.

If you look closely at today's No. 2, Pee Wee's face appears like a hologram. If you turn sideways, the letters A.J. are shown. It is amazing what Photoshop will do.

• Our condolences go out to the family of Jim Slade, who died last week. He was a former race driver and very active in the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club.

Carol Gamble is the racing columnist for the Butler Eagle.