The most powerful Super Late Models in the USA will travel to Lernerville Speedway Thursday for three nights of action-packed racing.

The event, culminating with Saturday’s Firecracker 100, is one of the most prestigious World of Outlaws events. Track Director Mike Lysakowski said: “Judging from the pre-sales and camper permits, this race is slated to be the biggest one in 15 years.”

On Thursday and Friday, the series will run a 30-lap feature, paying $6,000 to win both nights. Those races set the stage for Saturday’s main event, with the winner collecting a $30,000 top prize.

The event has an every-lap-Matter format, with Saturday’s race lineups determined by Thursday and Friday’s results. Anyone who doesn’t qualify through the heat races or last-chance showdowns will have a final opportunity to make the main event by racing in the Uncle Sam 30.

Whoever wins that race will have a decision to make — take home $2,000 or start at the back of the Firecracker 100 field for a chance to win the $30,000 top prize. One driver could potentially collect $42,000 over three nights of jam-packed racing.

Eleven drivers have won the Firecracker 100, including Cade Dillard of Louisiana, who put on an historic performance last year.

Three-time champion Darrell Lanigan of Kentucky kept the pressure on the red #97 throughout the entire event, but Dillard never caved and brought fans to their feet with his popular win.

To make it back-to-back victories this year, he’ll likely have to contend with 2018 Firecracker winner Chris Madden’s #44, the only other full-time World of Outlaws driver to win the event.

Madden is currently on a hot streak, winning the last three features. He also has more wins than any other driver in 2021 with four victories. Madden has narrowed the gap to 26 points, closing in on point leader Brandon Shepard of Illinois.

Madden’s next victory will be a career 71st, putting him seven behind Josh Richards for the most all-time victories.

Scott Bloomquist of Tennessee, the 2004 Series champion, is also expected to be at Lernerville Speedway this weekend. He has won the Firecracker 100 three times in his famed #0, more than any other driver. He has more than 600 career wins.

The talented Brandon Overton of Georgia, and his Super Late #76 team completed one of the greatest achievements in dirt track racing history last weekend. He dominated both the 26th and 27th running of the Eldora “Dream” for an incredible $273,000 in prize money over the legendary four-day event. He was the 2017 Firecracker winner at the Sarver oval.

These drivers and the rest of the tour regulars will be joined by a strong field of regional competitors, all searching to park their cars in victory lane.

Local hero and two-time track champion Mike Norris has won the Lernerville World of Outlaws prelims twice. Driving the Todd Cerenza-owned racer, he said, “I feel that we have the equipment to compete well this year.”

Greg Satterlee earned his first prelim WoO feature, garnering $10,000 last weekend at Eldora.

Jared Miley is on a hot streak, claiming five wins this season in his Joe Corrado-owned #10. He is tied with his uncle, Ben Miley, for fifth on the all-time Lernerville win list with 34.

Dave Hess Jr. won the WoO main event last Sunday at Stateline Speedway, and six-time track champion Alex Ferree has 38 victories at Lernerville.

Colton Flinner and Ken Schaltenbrand, both two-time titlists, are also top local competitors.

When did Lernerville become a WoO Super Late Model track? In 2004, owner Ted Johnson sent Bobby Jackson, and driver representative Scott Bloomquist, to meet with then-Lernerville promoters Tom and Lori Roenigk, Barb and Homer Bartley, and also “Ouch” Roenigk at the Pittsburgh airport. The “Dirty Dozen,” a group of 12 elite racers, was created to band together and fully support the series with the intention of guaranteeing great competition in return for bigger sponsors, higher payouts, television coverage and much more.

A “World of Outlaws’ Super Late Model” schedule was being created. Jackson asked Lernerville to take the first local $10,000 to win show and they did. It was a tremendous risk but proved that Lernerville could draw Late Model fans for a big race.

On April 23, 2004, Chub Frank won the first show. Jackson penciled in another show hoping that other tracks would follow. Tom Roenigk later said: “We’ll take that second show!” Dale McDowell checkered the second.

In 2005, Billy Moyer and Chub Frank won in the second year. The “Dirty Dozen” consisted of Rick Auckland, Mike Balzano, Bloomquist, Rick Eckert, Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Bart Hartlman, Darrell Lanigan, Dale McDowell, Billy Moyer, Dan Schlieper and Wendell Wallace.

In all, 28 different venues hosted the Dirty Dozen in 2004 with the series traveling between 17 states.

For the third straight year, the “Bill Emig Memorial Rush Late Model” race will be a part of the Firecracker 100. Once again, $10,000 will be on the line for the feature event Saturday, marking their richest tour event of the season.

Carol Gamble is a racing columnist for the Butler Eagle.