As the Buckeye Machine BOSS championship battle nears the halfway point, the stars and cars of the tour head back into Pennsylvania for a doubleheader weekend. Friday night will find the wingless warriors battling on the historic 4/10 mile Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania. On Saturday, the tour will make history once again as they attack America’s Motorsports Park in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. This will mark the first time wingless sprint cars have ever run at the 1/4 mile semi banked facility.
“The Magic Man” Mike Miller of Wapakoneta, Ohio will enter the weekend with a 14 point lead over Michael Fischesser of Cincinnati, Ohio. Other Ohio drivers chasing the tour points will include Chuck Wilson, Derek Hastings, Aaron Middaugh, Chad Wilson, Tony Beaber, Johnny Beaber, Scott Hardman and Andy Fike. Keystone state BOSS regulars will include Bob McMillin, Adam Miller, Brandon Spithaler and Joe Butera. The Hoosier state will be represented by Dustin Smith, Logan Hupp and Joe Ligouri. Fans can also expect to see a strong field of Lernerville and AMP regulars as they defend their home turf.
Lernerville Speedway first began operations in 1967 as a quarter mile oval built and operated by one of the most revered of all race promoters, Mr. Don Martin. In 1971, the track was enlarged to 1/3 mile and in 1983 was increased to its current size which many refer to as a “small half mile”. The BOSS tour first visited the Sarver oval a year ago and 23 cars greeted a large crowd with local favorite Jack Sodeman Jr scoring the popular win. Track and series officials expect an even stronger car count this year. With the addition of Buckeye Machine of Forest, Ohio as the title sponsor, there are more tour regulars making every stop along the way in search of the increased 2014 points fund.
There are two side notes of interest for Lernerville on Friday night. First is that Brandon Spithaler who pilots the Tom Burkey #57B Superior Tank & Trailer sprinter currently sits third in BOSS points. Spithaler is the defending Lernerville Speedway track champion racing with wings. No doubt Spithaler will have the support of the fans as he looks for his first non wing title.
The other interesting side note for Friday night is that Johnny Beaber of Gibsonburg, Ohio will return to action at Lernerville. What makes this unique is that Beaber is already a member of the Lernerville Speedway Hall of Fame! It is usually a rare occurrence to catch Hall of Fame members still competing in any sport, but Friday night, fans and fellow drivers will get the honor of seeing the 2012 inductee in action once more.
On Saturday night, the drivers will get their first look at America’s Motorsports Park. This quarter mile first opened in 1992 and operated in the past under the names Hidden Valley Speedway and Gambler’s Speedway. Sprint car owner/driver Jeff Taylor is now in his second season at AMP and he is excited for the first ever appearance of non wing sprint cars at his facility. The small bullring should prove to be a great equalizer especially considering it is neutral ground for tour regulars. Many of the tracks 305 competitors are expected to try their luck running wingless and they will have the home track advantage.
For teams planning to make the weekend trip, gates at Lernerville open at 5 pm. At AMP gates will be open all day for the traveling teams. Both tracks require raceceivers and mufflers are not required at either track. Methanol will be available at both tracks and Precise Racing will be supplying us with free transponders. Pit passes both nights are $30. The official BOSS hotels are both in Clearfield. The Super 8 Hotel is $68 per night and their phone number is 814-768-7580. Also, the Hampton Inn is offering rooms for $85 per night and their number is 814-765-8300. The hotels are located close to each other and a Sheetz is within walking distance for the convenience of the race teams. Please remember to ask for the “BOSS Auto Racers Rate for AMP”. Fans following the tour are also welcome to use these hotels and ask for the discounted rate!
Both nights will feature the standard BOSS payout for the main event which is as follows: 1500, 800, 700, 600, 500, 450, 400, 375, 350, 325, 300, 290, 280, 270, 260, 250, 250, 250, 250, 250. Also, any car that attempts to compete and fails to start the main event will be guaranteed a minimum of $100. In a nostalgic throwback that would make Don Martin proud, the tour does pay heat race money. The top four finishers in each heat race will earn $40, $30, $20 and $10 respectively courtesy of our great heat race sponsors: Burdette Builders of Sunman, Indiana, Lias Tire/American Racer of Indiana, PA, Precise Racing Products of Sarver, PA and the Blue Room Restaurant of Kirby, Ohio.
BOSS bonus awards will be in effect including the Bridge Restaurant of Sidney, Ohio “Hard Charger Award” of $50 to the hard charger of the main event. Steel block cars and 305 teams will be gunning for the Hochstetler truck and Auto Repair of Ashland, Ohio “Steel Block Bonus” of $50 to the highest finisher with a cast iron engine block. Lynn Cook “A Racer’s Friend” from Dayton, Ohio will provide the “Hard Luck Award” of the night worth $50 to the driver voted by track and series officials to have had the worst luck of the night. Finally, McMillian Apiaries of Wampum, PA will award $25 and a jar of honey to the driver making the “Sweet Move of the Race”.
As always, there are NO FEES to race with the true outlaw sprinters of the BOSS tour. There is no tire rule. However, more bonus awards are up for grabs as the highest finisher on all four American Racer tires will earn a free tire from Lias Tire / American Racer and the highest finisher on all four Hoosiers will earn a free tire from Hoosier Tire Midwest.
For more information, the series website is www.buckeyesprints.com or e-mail sprinter14@hotmail.com. Series director Aaron Fry can also be reached at 740-703-3768.