BUFFALO TWP — After waiting 14 years to find victory lane at Lernerville Speedway, Dale Blaney returned there two weeks later.

The Fowler, Ohio, driver of the No. 2 car led from wire to wire in capturing the 30-lap O'Reilly's All-Star Sprint Feature and its $5,000 winner's check Friday night.

Blaney started in the front row, alongside Danny Holtgraver of Pittsburgh, and built a commanding lead almost immediately. He also won the Sprint feature at the Sarver oval May 21, his first win there since 1996. Blaney was Lernerville's Sprint points champion in 1991.

"It helps to start up front, which I did in both races," Blaney said. "The car was good and it was just a matter of navigating lapped traffic."

He had to do so with Aliquippa's Tim Shaffer, a longtime World of Outlaws driver and 1993 Lernerville track champion, trying to hunt him down.

Shaffer was a distant second from the fourth lap through the 27th, when he darted around a pair of lapped cars to get on Blaney's bumper.

"I knew he'd be coming," Blaney said. "He knows this track well and he runs great here. I saw him alongside my rear tires with two laps to go."

But Blaney held off the No. 83 car, keeping Shaffer winless on the season — though he does lead the All-Star Series points race and is its defending champion.

"You're not going to do anything too crazy when you're running for points," Shaffer said. "I was able to get close, but Dale was fast. I got the car back here in one piece and I'm happy about that."

The feature had no caution flags after the eighth lap. Shaffer said restarts wouldn't have helped anyway.

"Dale's car was too good in open air," he said.

The Sprint feature was marred by a violent crash on the front straightaway of the seventh lap that resulted in Charlie Holben's No. 42 car bursting into flames while resting on its roof.

Holben, of Cabot, suffered burns before being pulled from the wreckage and was flown by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital. See a full story on the accident on

Page A1."All of that happened behind me. I didn't see any of it," Blaney said. "You hate to see something like that happen to any driver. We're all praying he's OK."Holtgraver had the pole for the feature and wound up third behind Blaney and Shaffer. The finish was Holtgraver's fourth consecutive top-five feature finish at Lernerville."We are right there," Holtgraver said. "If two guys are gonna pass me, those are the two guys I want to have pass me."They are two of the best. ... No shame in finishing third to them."David Gravel, 17, of Watertown, Conn., finished fourth and had the fastest time trial, turning a lap in 12.801 seconds.n Seneca Valley graduate Mike Pegher Jr. of Wexford won his second Pro Crate Late Model feature in as many tries this season at Lernerville.Pegher started fifth, took the lead from David Scott on the third lap and never lost it. Pegher was the Lernerville track champion in 2007, his final year in the Sportsman Stock division.n Mount Pleasant's Joe Kelley extended his career Lernerville Sportsman Stock feature win record to 37, He started fourth, dropped back to 12th early, then rallied to win.Kelley took the lead from pole-sitter Ryan Moyer of Portersville on the 12th lap. It was his fifth Stock feature win in seven tries this season.

Notes: Ed Lynch Jr. was not at the All-Star Sprint race Friday as he was competing at the mininationals in Knoxville. ... Next Friday is Fan Appreciation Night, including a fireworks display, at Lernerville.