BUFFALO TWP — Second place isn't suitable for Alex Ferree.

The Saxonburg driver of the Late Model No. 4 walked away with the points title last year at Lernerville Speedway, winning nine features. But he began the 2008 season wearing the title of bridesmaid.

That all changed Friday night when Ferree passed pole-sitter Matt Lux on the 19th lap and rolled to his first feature victory of the season. He started the race seventh.

"I was running pretty good, but I didn't know if I was going to get Matt," Ferree said. "All I kept thinking was, here comes another second place. I'm already tired of them."

Ferree finished second to Lynn Geisler and Alan Dellinger in his first two feature runs at Lernerville. He finished second to Mark Flick in his heat race Friday night.

Lux, of Franklin, was firmly in control for the first 17 laps before his tires began to go. A bobble between turns 1 and 2 helped Ferree to gain valuable ground as well.

"I burned my tires up early," Lux admitted. "Driver error. But the track was rough between turns 1 and 2. A lot of drivers were finding trouble there."

Ferree liked the conditions, however.

"This was the first night this season Lernerville had a cushion built up," Ferree said. "It makes the track more racy. There were two good lines out there."

Finding victory lane again proved enjoyable as well.

"Nothing's changed about me, regardless of last year," Ferree said. "I want to win every race I'm in. I know that's not realistic, but that's how I look at it."

Ferree's win was his 12th at Lernerville.

In other features:

• Brian Swartzlander of Leechburg started on the pole of the Modified race and led wire to wire, holding off Dave Murdick of Slippery Rock. Much of the feature was run in a steady rain.

"That rain was making me nervous," Swartzlander said. "I didn't need any cautions. The wetter it got, the tougher it was getting for me."

And the easier it was getting for Murdick.

"My car was really tight at the start of the race," Murdick said. "As the rain kept falling, I kept getting better."

Swartzlander's win was his first of the 2008 season. Friday marked the third night out for the No. 83 racing team and the first in a new car that arrived as an empty frame just two weeks ago. The win was Swartzlander's 55th Modified triumph at Lernerville.

Murdick did win his Late Model heat race Friday, becoming the first driver in track history to win a heat race in the Sprint, Late Model and Modified divisions during his career. Murdick plans to run his Modified and Late Model here all season.

• Kittanning's Rod George won the Sprint feature, starting fifth and taking the lead on the 14th lap. The victory was George's first of the season at Lernerville and 36th of his career at the Sarver track.

The race featured three red-light stoppages and 17 cautions.

"I thought we were out of fuel with about two (laps) to go," George said. "I wasn't sure we were going to make it."

Bob Felmlee finished second and Rimersburg's Scott Priester was third.

• Paul Schreckengost of Creighton started the Pure Stock feature in the first row and led throughout to snare his first checkered flag of the campaign. Greg Beach of Chicora finished second.

Notes: There were 98 cars in the pits. … Cory Good of Smicksburg had a violent flip off Turn 1 in his No. X Sprint car during the second heat race. He was unhurt. … A moment of silence was observed before the races for Linda McMillin, who died Friday. She sold pit passes at Lernerville and promoted hare scrambles at Switchback Raceway for a number of years.