We all know that underdogs can win.

That's what the David vs. Goliath legend tells us, and we've seen it with our own eyes. Ken Schaltenbrand of Sarver is a driver that plays the classic role of David, the “little guy,” in the Late Model division.

Financially, he does the maximum with the minimum amount of cash. He battles courageously week after week with competitors who have deeper pockets and better circumstances and is not fearful of them.

Schaltenbrand has been through a lot of bad times. He endured the death of his father, also named Ken, in a Late Models heat race crash in 1995. His father was 47 years old when he died at Challenger Speedway. He had stopped racing regularly in 1986, but was considering making a comeback.

Father and son were competing at a three-day event in August. The younger Schaltenbrand raced on the first day, and the elder Schaltenbrand took the wheel the second day for hot laps. It turned out to be his final race.

Kenny doesn't dwell on the dangers of the fast-paced sport. “It doesn't scare me,” he said. “I've never been scared. Yes, my dad was my inspiration. After he got killed, it made me want to win even more. Just to keep the name going, I guess.”

His mother Loretta and sister Tammy Yetter helped him fight through his grief. When Schaltenbrand did slide back into the driver's seat in 1997 more than a year after his father's death, his car had a new number. The son always ran with No. 2. His father was No. 9. Schaltenbrand made his own comeback in No. 29, a tribute to his father and their continuing connection.

Although he started racing at the age of 18 in the Late Model class, ironically, his father didn't encourage him to get into racing.

“He didn't want me racing at first,” Schaltenbrand said. “It could have been fear. But I think a lot of it was expense.”

This season, Schaltenbrand bought a wrecked Late Model that was formerly owned by Dave Hess. Hess had won a WoO Late Model feature in it before it was destroyed. Schaltenbrand rebuilt it.

He also bought a blown Roush-Yates engine from Todd Bachman and had EDGE assist in restoring it. He finished sixth in the 2014 Championship Lernerville Point Race.

He's never captured a point title, but in 2003, Kenny won his first feature at Lernerville and was awarded the Most Improved Driver that year. He has over a dozen victories at Marion Center.

Last week he finished second at both tracks. His sister Tammy helps support his racing. The light of his life is his 6-year old daughter Ava, who won a trophy in the recent bike races at Marion Center, (beating a field of boys). His nephew Levi Yetter races Go-Carts.

Today, Schaltenbrand looks forward to a happier future. He's confident he can give serious chase to the Lernerville point title. He thinks winning the crown would help him gain sponsorship. Schaltenbrand would also like to win a WoO Late Model show.

Last Friday, Jim Fosnaught's dream season in the Sportsman class was punctuated with his sixth feature win of the year, and he collected $400 in Eracers Bonus Bucks for the victory, plus secured his career first Lernerville Championship. Other Champions were Sprints-Carl Bowser, Late Models-Alex Ferree, and Modifieds-Rex King Jr.

AJ Flick switched mounts this season, changing from the Sportsman division to the Sprints. His dad Mark was a little skeptical about this decision.The family had raced in the Late Model, Modified and Sportsman class, but was totally unfamiliar with a Sprint car chassis. Amazingly, they have gained enough information to finish sixth in the point chase at Lernerville.Flick accumulated eight top 10 finishes, which includes two runner-up spots.

Lernerville hosts the World of Outlaws Late Models Friday plus the Uncle Sam 30, postponed from the Firecracker 100.Mercer Raceway Park will not race Saturday, and Pa Motor Speedway adds the 410 Winged Sprints to their schedule.

Former Challenger Co-Promoter Donna Lentz has lost her brave battle with pancreatic cancer Monday. Jack and Donna Lentz began building the track in 1990 and held its first show in 1992.The two quickly turned Challenger into one of the premier Saturday night sites for weekly dirt-track racing, and the track played host to several big-name drivers and touring series. Fall Fest, which began in 1995, drew hundreds of drivers and thousands of fans each October.Condolences are sent to the family of Nick Jones, who succumbed to cancer last week. He was the 2000 Lernerville Late Model champ and recorded 11 wins there over the years.Former Sprint car driver Bill Banick passed away Aug. 18. He ran with the best — Blaney, Quarterson, Wise and Cochran — and won his share, including at least 24 wins at Mercer! Our sympathy is extended to his family.

Sammy Swindell announced his retirement from full-time racing Monday, effective immediately. He is a three-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion who achieved 294 victories.The Memphis, Tenn., area native was one of the original Outlaws who helped grow the series from its 1978 origins at Devil's Bowl Speedway into the premier sanctioning body it is today.At 58, Swindell has been racing since he was 15 years old. Now he and his wife Amy, plan to help and support their son Kevin, who is achieving success in the NASCAR Nationwide ranks.<I>Carol Gamble is a racing columnist for the Butler Eagle</I>