BUFFALO TWP - Bob Clepper finally feels like one of the family.

The driver of the No. 44 school bus, which has the words The Intimidator printed across the top, grabbed the lead on a seventh lap restart Tuesday night at Lernerville Speedway and cruised to his first career school bus feature win.

The DuBois driver has been racing buses for six years, averaging eight to 10 races per season.

"It took me a while to figure out how to get here," he said of victory lane.

Clepper runs Clepper Bus Service in DuBois. His family, including brother Bill Clepper and nephew Ben Clepper of Freeport, has owned Valley Lines for 50 years.

Bill Clepper has won eight bus features in his career, including three at Lernerville. Ben Clepper has won two bus features, both at Latrobe.

Bob Clepper had been on the outside looking in - until Tuesday.

Clepper started the race 11th out of 14 buses. The man he passed on the restart, Bob Egley of Kittanning, had won 11 of the previous 21 bus race features held at Lernerville.

"Usually, Bob takes off and leaves me in the dust," Clepper said. "I got lucky tonight. We got up through without too much trouble and you guys (Lernerville) were nice enough to give me that caution."

Egley started from the third spot and took the lead on the second lap. He held it until that restart, when Clepper sailed past him on the front straightaway.

Egley also has been racing a Pure Stock for three years at Lernerville, picking up his first feature win in that division earlier this season.

"I've been fortunate here in bus races," Egley said. "A few times I started 12th and was able to work my way up."

"They've been threatening to start him from the parking lot if he keeps winning," said his wife, Sue Egley, jokingly.

This night belonged to the Clepper family, however.

"We're in the bus business, so racing old buses has been easy for us," Bill Clepper said.

"I've always wanted to race a car, but never had the time."

The Clepper trio are among a collection of 10 drivers or so who compete on special bus race nights at various tracks, including Latrobe, Mercer, Sharon, Dog Hollow, and Eastern Ohio facilities.

"You pretty much see the same faces no matter where you go," Bill Clepper said. "The rookies have dropped out of this, for the most part.

Ben Clepper, 24, has been racing school buses since he was 18.

"I grew up around buses," he said. "When they began school bus racing (1995), I got into it right away. I couldn't wait to get behind the wheel.

Rose Spithaler of Evans City won the 15-lap Powder Puff bus feature for women.

In the 15-lap E-Mod exhibition feature, Doug Glassner of Johnstown started up front and stayed there to grab the checkered flag over Bob McCann of New Castle.

Brandon Wearing of Callery had to tag the field after being involved in a five-car mishap to start the race, but he rallied to finish third.

The E-Mod division will be featured at Lernerville June 14 as part of the Super DIRT Modified show scheduled that evening.

Fab Four racing returns to the Sarver track Friday night.