Schaeffer, Miley, Murdick and McPherson ready for stretch run!
Pitkavish Memorial & Cowboy Benefit Auction this Friday
Summer Vacation Bus & Kids Bike Races plus Enduro coming soon
Sarver, PA (July 26, 2012) Hard as it may seem to believe, this Friday will lead us into the stretch run of the Budweiser Championship Chase for Fab Four Racing 2012! With just five Fast Fridays of Fab Four Racing remaining, Kevin Schaeffer (Ti22 Sprints), Jared Miley (Precise Late Models), Dave Murdick (Diehl Mods) and Corey McPherson (Pic-A-Part Sportsman) all have their eyes on the prize of a prestigious Lernerville Speedway Track Championship. While Jared Miley is on cruise control with a lead of almost two full nights of points, Schaeffer, Murdick and McPherson still have their work cut out for them!
Schaeffer, owner of three previous Track Championships (2006, 2007, 2008), knows how to get the job down and it’s exactly what he’s been doing all season; consistently finishing in the top five & ten. After winning on Opening Night, Schaeffer has turned in 10 top ten finishes in the 11 races contested and the only night he finished outside the top five was a sixth place finish! He’s led the Bud Points all season, except for one week in May after Danny Holtgraver took Rod George’s #CIII to Sheetz Victory Lane and atop the point standings. “Cool Kevin” rides into Friday Night with an eight point lead over George; also a three-time Track Champion (1986, 2002, 2009). Eric Williams, Defending Track Champion Carl Bowser and Brian Ellenberger all have an outside shot at the title, but have a “long way to go and a short time to get there!” with just five races remaining and over 50 points behind the leader Schaeffer.
As stated above, Jared Miley is on cruise control headed towards his first Lernerville Track Championship. On the strength of five Precise Late Model feature wins and another five fourth place finishes, Miley rolls into Friday Night with a stout 75 point lead; five points short of two full nights of Budweiser Points. John Garvin Jr. is second in points ahead of the combo of Lynn Geisler & Mike Pegher Jr. in the #1 Cochran Late Model, Doug Eck and the Brothers Johnson (Mike & Davey) in the Johnson #2J.
Heading into the most recent Fab Four Racing event on July 13, the Diehl Mods had the closest point battle with Dave Murdick leading rivals Kevin Bolland by five points and Brian Swartzlander by six points. But after a wild Friday the 13th feature that saw Bolland get into Swartzlander coming to the checkered flag and everything that ensued, (including Murdick’s third Diehl Mods feature win of the season following a green-white-checkered restart after the checkered flag had already been waved for Bolland whom was subsequently DQ’d for rough driving), Murdick enters this Friday Night with a 10 point lead over Swartzlander.
Murdick, a former back-to-back Track Champion (2004, 2005) will look to score his third title over Brian Swartzlander; the All Time Wins leader and former six-time Track Champion. Two-time and Defending Track Champion Jeremiah Shingledecker has been battling gremlins all season and is 32 points behind Murdick. Bolland has been suspended for remainder of the season for the sum total of his actions on Friday, July 13 and is out of the picture for what might have been his fourth Lernerville Big Block title.
Corey McPherson, like Jared Miley is looking for his first Lernerville Championship on the strength of five feature wins, but McPherson doesn’t enjoy near the points cushion Miley does in the Lates. The Pic-A-Part Sportsman is arguably the most balanced and competitive division in Fab Four Racing and despite winning five features, McPherson’s title contender is usually right on his back bumper coming to the checkered flag. Mr. Consistency Jim Fosnaught sits second, but has seven podium finishes , one more top five finish than the points leader and 10 top tens! Greg Beach is a distant third, ahead of Defending Track Champion Mike Miller and Rob Shook.
Friday Night will also be the Joe Pitkavish Memorial for the Diehl Auto Group DIRTcar Northeast Big Block Modifieds. Previous winners of the Pitkavish Memorial include Dave Murdick (2011, 2004), Jeremiah Shingledecker (2010), Brian Swartzlander (2009, 2008, 2005), Rex King (2007) and Kevin Bolland (2006). As tradition would have it, the Pitkavish Memorial is scheduled for 30 laps and additional lap money.
Also on the card this Friday Night is the “Cowboy” Brian Steinman Charity Benefit Auction. Kayla Duncan and Jackie & Liz Matus have collected a ton of items for the finest race fans in the world to bid on in the Chinese auction. Just a sneak peak at what will be up for grabs; the top wing from both Tim Shaffer (as damaged in his flip in the second Silver Cup feature) and Sam Hafertepe Jr. (as damaged at the Lou Blaney Memorial at Sharon earlier this month after contact with Tony Stewart), an old school World of Outlaws Jacket and a SPEED polo shirt autographed by Brad Doty, a checkered flag signed by all Fab Four feature winners thus far in 2012, a 2012 410 Sprint Car lovers ticket package and a 2013 DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park/Firecracker 100/Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup VIP ticket package, plus dozens of driver’s t-shirts, die cast collectibles, DVDs from C&B Video, gift baskets and so much more!
As usual, gates open at 5:00, followed by hot laps at 7:00 and Fab Four Racing at 7:30 sharp! Fab Four pricing is in effect; $14 for adults, $10 for seniors, $7 for students 11-17 and kids 10 & under are ALWAYS FREE!!
Last but not least, our Summer Vacation School Bus & Kids Bike Races with Enduro 100 and Trailer Races are less than two weeks away! Scheduled for Tuesday, August 7, this family friendly event is always a crowd pleaser! In addition to the trophies and ribbons, the first 75 kids in bike race competition will also receive a “fun bag” full of food & fun! The Enduro 100 registration forms can be downloaded from our website www.Lernerville.com by clicking the “Downloads” tab on the right hand side. While you’re on our website, be sure to check out the schedule for the full slate of racing action left in 2012, including the All Star Sprints of Friday, August 31, the World of Outlaws Sprints Commonwealth Clash on Saturday, September 22 and the DIRTcar Round Up Steel City Stamped of Thursday-Friday-Saturday, October 25-26-27!
Contact: Lernerville Speedway
Eric J. Westendorf, Public Relations Director
(724) 664-1075 / ewestendorf@dirtcar.com
Photos Courtesy of Cory Stivason/Stivason Photos